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St. Louis American The
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
Vol. 98 No. 29 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
An American Endorsement
Don’t believe the hype Amendment 3 is about banning abortions, not gender transition Missouri lawmakers tried to pull a fast one on voters with Amendment 3. They emphasized that the amendment would ban gender transition care for minors, even though state law already
restricts that care. What they buried was the real consequence: A “yes” vote on Amendment 3 is a vote to repeal the reproductive rights protections Missourians approved in 2024 and restore a near-total
abortion ban. Yes. Lawmakers are trying to trick voters into making most abortions in Missouri illegal again. The original ballot summary drafted by lawmakers didn’t mention repealing those reproductive rights protections. A judge threw out that summary, forcing the state to tell voters what the amendment would actually do. The deception is especially galling
because Missourians settled this question just two years ago. Rather than ask voters directly to make most abortions illegal again, lawmakers stooped to trying to fool them into doing it. But we believe Missouri voters are smarter than that and will not be tricked by Amendment 3 supporters’ misleading ads about gender transition. It goes without saying, but make certain to vote NO on Amendment 3.
Arch Grants fuels economic development in St. Louis Nonprofit supports highgrowth startups through funding and resources By Na’Porsha Williams St. Louis American
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
Praise dancers perform during the Church of God in Christ’s Holy Convocation at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis in 2015.
COGIC returns with faith and service Holy Convocation brings thousands to STL for worship and community outreach By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American Before tens of thousands of delegates arrive in St. Louis for worship and fellowship, the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) will put its faith into action with a community giveaway this weekend. The outreach sets the stage for the denomination’s 118th Holy Convocation, Nov. 3-10, under the theme “Answering the Call.” The eight-day gathering will feature lectures, anointing, worship, consecration and Holy Communion services, youth events and church business.
COGIC is the largest African American Pentecostal Christian denomination and one of the largest Pentecostal bodies in the world. Explore St. Louis projected that its return would generate approximately $250 million in regional economic impact over three years. The gathering returns to “The Lou” after a six-year hiatus. St. Louis hosted the event from 2010 to 2019, drawing more than 30,000 attendees annually. “I’m excited about the idea of them coming back to St. Louis and the revenue they’ll bring with them,” said Pastor Edgar O. Madison See COGIC, A10
Arch Grants continues to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses by providing funding without requiring them to give up ownership, along with resources and support. The organization supports local entrepreneurs while attracting early-stage companies from outside the region that see St. Louis as a place to establish and expand their operations. Founded in 2012 by four St. Louis business and civic leaders, Arch Grants was created to encourage economic development in the city. “What they wanted to do was catalyze economic development in the city of St. Louis and urban core specifically, in a way Founded in that had not been tried before,” 2012 by four said Gabe Angieri, executive St. Louis director of Arch Grants. business and Since its founding, the orgacivic leaders, nization has supported more than 307 startups, helped create Arch Grants approximately 4,400 jobs in the was created St. Louis region and provided to encourage funding to companies that have gone on to raise more than $970 economic million in additional investment, development according to Angieri. in the city. The nonprofit is supported by hundreds of donors, including the Ferring Family Foundation, Burgess Family Foundation and Kemper Foundation. Arch Grants also receives state funding through the Missouri Technology Corporation. This year, 16 companies will receive grant funding, while four additional companies have been selected to receive access to Arch Grants’ network and resources, according to Angieri. Grant recipients are required to commit to growing their businesses in St. Louis for at least one year. The 2026 recipients will be announced Friday and recognized at the organization’s annual gala. Sylvester Chisom, co-founder of Show Me the World Coffee and the 2025 recipient of Arch Grants’ Donald M. Suggs Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, said he believes the organization has one of the most prestigious pitch competitions in the Midwest. Chisom said funding from Arch Grants helped See Arch Grants, A10
Editorial / Commentary
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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
The American’s Endorsements
It’s time to rein in Missouri Republicans Eight St. Louis-area candidates could help restore balance in Jefferson City Missouri Republicans have had firm who live with those decisions have the control of the state legislature for more least say in making them. than two decades. They have often govThe solution is not to give Democrats erned without meaningful Democratic unchecked power. It is to make lawopposition. makers responsive to voters rather than They have used that power to restrict assume their seats are secure. abortion rights, undermine voter-apThe St. Louis American endorses proved measures, weaken local police seven Democratic candidates for the control and pursue policies that too often Missouri House and one for the Senate. put political ideology ahead of the needs In House District 100, we endorse of Missouri families. Mary Ann Perkins over Republican Now voters have a realistic opportuniincumbent Philip Oehlerking. He won ty to loosen that grip. his last two elections by just 181 and 143 Democrats need a net gain of just votes. Perkins offers a stronger committhree seats in the 163-member House ment to public education, reproductive and two in the 34-member Senate to freedom and respecting voters’ decisions. break the Republican supermajorities. In District 96, we endorse Matt Republicans won 111 House seats and 24 Vitale over Brad Christ. Vitale’s expeSenate seats in 2024, giving them more rience advocating for people with disthan the two-thirds majority required in abilities and his commitment to public each chamber to override a governor’s schools stand in contrast to Christ’s veto. Republicans would still control support for school choice and transferring both chambers, but they would lose that control of St. Louis policing to the state. veto-override power. In District 94, we endorse Cathy That matters. And several of the races Summers over Maryellen Murphy for that could make the differthe open seat being vacated ence are right here in the St. by Republican Jim Murphy. Louis region. Summers supports reproducRepublicans have won tive rights and opposes efforts Democrats seven consecutive House undermine voter-approved need a net gain to supermajorities, aided by measures. of just three their growing dominance in In District 101, we seats in the rural Missouri. Democrats endorse Paul Lentz over Ben once drew considerable Keathley, a co-founder of the 163-member strength from rural commuMissouri Freedom Caucus. House and two nities, union households and Lentz offers a more construcin the 34-mem- tive approach to public serBlack voters in the state’s urban centers. As rural voters ber Senate vices, health care affordability moved toward Republicans, and working families. to break the Democrats lost control of In St. Charles County, we Republican both legislative chambers in endorse Tara Murray in supermajorities. District 104, Caterina “Cat” 2002 and never regained it. Republicans built on that Clayton in District 105 and advantage through fundraisJewel Kelly Jr. in District ing, political organization and 106. Murray brings decades of favorable legislative districts. experience in public education. Clayton But suburban Missouri is changing. emphasizes affordability, public schools And Republican lawmakers have given and government accountability. Kelly, voters plenty of reasons to reconsider a Black Air Force veteran and business who represents them. owner, brings a commitment to affordMissourians approved constitutional able housing and mental health services. protections for abortion rights in 2024. For Senate District 24, we endorse Republican lawmakers responded by incumbent Tracy McCreery over putting another amendment on this year’s Republican LaVanna Wrobley. McCreery ballot that would roll back those protechas demonstrated that effective repretions. sentation requires both conviction and a They have repeatedly sought to willingness to work across party lines. change the rules governing citizen iniHer experience and commitment to health tiatives. They also approved a congrescare, consumer protection and voting sional redistricting plan designed to give rights merit another term. Republicans another seat in Washington, The seven House races offer opportudespite voters having no opportunity to nities for Democratic gains. McCreery’s elect a new legislature before the map reelection would preserve a Democratic was redrawn. The Missouri Supreme Senate seat, but breaking that chamber’s Court has since blocked the new map, supermajority requires gains elsewhere. leaving voters to decide its fate on Nov. These endorsements are not simply 3. about electing Democrats. They are about The message has been unmistakable: restoring accountability to a legislature When voters make decisions Republican that has operated for too long with little leaders dislike, those leaders look for restraint. ways around them. Republicans have fundraising advanThat is not how representative govern- tages, but Democrats can win beyond ment should work. their traditional strongholds. Breaking the For Black Missourians, the consesupermajorities is far from guaranteed. quences of one-party dominance are But the opportunity is real. particularly troubling. Decisions about Missouri voters have repeatedly Medicaid, public school funding, voting shown that they are willing to reject rights, affordable housing and local conRepublican positions on important issues. trol of policing have a direct impact on Now they have an opportunity to hold our communities. They affect whether Republican lawmakers accountable for families can afford health care, whether disregarding those decisions. neighborhood schools have adequate The people of Missouri deserve a legresources and whether residents have a islature that reflects their wishes. meaningful voice in decisions affecting On Nov. 3, voters can begin making their communities. Too often, the people that happen.
St. Louis American stlamerican.com
Nathan B. Young (1894 - 1993) • Founder N.A. Sweets (1901 - 1988) • Publisher
Bennie G. Rodgers (1914 - 2000) • Executive Editor Melba Sweets (1909 - 2006) • Editor
Donald M. Suggs Publisher
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Fred Sweets • Ellen Sweets
ADMINISTRATION Dawn Suggs – Sr. Vice President Dina M. Suggs – Sr. Vice President Julie Erickson – Chief Operating Officer Raven Whitener – Director, The St. Louis American Foundation and Special Events Reba Smith – Executive Assistant-Coordinator
PRODUCTION Mike Terhaar – Art Director
EDITORIAL Rod Hicks – Executive Editor Alvin A. Reid – City Editor Kenya Vaughn – Arts and Entertainment Editor Earl Austin Jr. – Sports Editor Lawrence Bryant – Visual Journalist Sylvester Brown Jr. – Deaconess Advocacy Fellow Na’Porsha Williams – Breaking News Reporter
DIGITAL James LeBine – Multimedia Specialist SALES Pam Simmons – Senior Account Executive Angelita F. Houston – Classified Manager Ashley Simmons – Account Executive
The St. Louis American 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103 314-533-8000
The St. Louis American’s midterm voter guide General election: Nov. 3, 2026
Candidates and judicial retention The American recommends the following candidates and judicial retention: Office Recommendation U.S. House, District 1 Wesley Bell Missouri State Auditor Quentin Wilson Missouri Supreme Court Judge Paul Wilson St. Louis County Executive Jake Zimmerman St. Louis Recorder of Deeds Shane Cohn Missouri Senate, District 14 Raychel Proudie Missouri House, District 26 Tiffany Price Missouri House, District 27 Melissa Douglas Missouri House, District 74 Marla Smith Missouri House, District 83 Raymond Reed
State ballot measures Measure Recommendation Proposition A: Congressional map Vote NO Amendment 3: Abortion and gender Vote NO transition restrictions Amendment 6: Citizen initiative protections Vote YES Amendment 7: Show-Me Prosperity Fund Vote NO Amendment 8: County sheriffs Vote NO Proposition A — Vote NO Reject the 2025 congressional map and keep the boundaries enacted in 2022. Amendment 3 — Vote NO Keep existing constitutional protections for reproductive freedom and reject a constitutional ban on most abortions and gender transition procedures for minors. Existing state-law restrictions on gender transition care would remain in place. Amendment 6 — Vote YES Require approval from 80% of each legislative chamber before lawmakers could submit changes to citizen-approved measures to voters, who would then decide. Preserve existing petition signature requirements and statewide majority rule, prohibit legislative weakening of the petition process and protect courts’ authority to revise misleading ballot summaries. Amendment 7 — Vote NO Reject a permanent state investment fund intended to generate enough earnings to replace state taxes and allow their elimination. Amendment 8 — Vote NO Reject constitutional provisions requiring sheriff elections in most counties and allowing removal only through a court proceeding initiated by the attorney general. Existing laws governing sheriff elections and removal would remain in place.
Guest Commentary
On Amendment 3: Lead without demanding agreement By Bethany A. Johnson-Javois
tions without judgment. Neither needs our contempt. And neither should be confused with someone “Pastor, just tell me how to vote.” who is informed and simply disagrees As Election Day approaches, many with us. faith leaders hear this request. Behind it And we must not overlook the may be trust, uncertainty, exhaustion or exhausted. a desire to vote in keeping with People navigate work, caregivtheir faith. ing and financial pressures while The request presents a prodeciphering ballot language and found conundrum. We must teach competing political messages. For and influence people whose politthose who have repeatedly expeical convictions and life experirienced exclusion, invisibility or ences differ while honoring their disappointment, disengagement conscience and judgment. can feel like the only reasonable Our influence is real. It should response. Columnist be. The question is not whether The experiences of people we should exercise it, but how. Bethany A. affected by Amendment 3 are We cannot confuse honoring Johnsoncomplex and deeply personal. We individual conscience with abanJavois cannot presume that everyone’s doning our responsibility to lead. circumstances fit neatly into our Nor can we confuse leadership preferred narrative. with demanding agreement. Reconsidering a position is not necesMissouri’s Amendment 3 brings this sarily a compromise of faith or integrity. tension into sharp focus. It would repeal It may be evidence of growth, grace, wisreproductive freedom protecdom, evolution and maturity. tions voters approved in 2024 Romans 12:2 calls us to be and prohibit most abortions, transformed by the renewing with limited exceptions. It We cannot of our minds. How can we would also place restrictions confuse hon- embrace transformation as a on gender transition treatments spiritual imperative while treatoring indifor minors in the Constitution, ing reconsideration as a civic although Missouri law has vidual conrestricted those treatments since science with weakness? Are we holding fast to what 2023. abandoning is true, or simply holding tightThis distinction matters. our responly to what is familiar? Moral Political messaging can emphaclarity does not require intellecsize a provision without explain- sibility to tual rigidity. Nor does humility ing what is already law or what lead. require us to become morally would change. Critics have ambiguous. challenged the use of gender-reWe could tell people how to lated provisions in the campaign vote. But have we strengthened for this reason. Voters deserve to undertheir ability to discern, decide and act stand the full consequences — not simply next time? claims designed to capture their attention The highest expression of our influand manipulate their emotions. ence is not producing people who think Some people we shepherd have studlike us. It is cultivating people who have ied the issues and arrived at deeply held convictions. Others are ill-informed, hold- the conviction, capacity and courage to think deeply, choose wisely and act ing firmly to incomplete, misleading or responsibly for themselves. untrue claims. Still others are uninformed That is the shepherd’s responsibility. or underinformed, lacking the time, And in this moment, we must rise to meet access or trusted spaces to understand it. what is before them. Bethany A. Johnson-Javois is the The ill-informed need opportunities pastor of Monument of Faith in Jennings to examine assumptions and test claims and president and CEO of Deaconess against credible evidence. The underFoundation. informed need accessible information, patient teaching and room to ask ques-
“All he gotta do is be who he is. That’s God-given talent. That’s why it feels so unfair.” — 50 Cent, on 3-year-old Nevada Pierre being pulled from a soccer game allegedly for being too skilled
News
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OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
‘We have the power’ Stacey Abrams brings message of empowerment to Harris-Stowe By Na’Porsha Williams St. Louis American
“Democracy is not just to be admired. It’s not just an abstract concept to be revered. It is a tool,” Stacey Abrams urged Abrams said. Harris-Stowe State She emphasized that University students to recelections affect issues ognize and use their politranging from health care ical power, telling them and employment to housdemocracy is more than ing and the criminal jusan abstract concept — it tice system. is a tool for shaping their Abrams acknowledged future. Abrams, a voting rights the frustration some young people feel advocate and when political lawyer who participation twice ran for Georgia govAbrams encour- does not produce immeernor, visited aged students diate change, Harris-Stowe to think about particularly on Oct. 21 voting and civic as they watch during the unirights that versity’s home- engagement as previous gencoming week. tools to influerations fought The former ence decisions to secure come state represenunder threat. tative discussed affecting their Abrams democracy, lives. said both of civic participaher parents tion and politiwere civil cal leadership. rights activists Students, and that her father was staff and community arrested at 14 for helping members gathered in the register Black people to Emerson Performance vote. Center for the discussion, “Your generation … moderated by Missouri you are the first generation state Rep. Ray Reed. to lose civil and human Before Abrams took the stage, Reed warmed up rights in your lifetime since Reconstruction,” the audience with a chant: Abrams said. “And that, I “Fired up! Ready to go!” think, is a necessary truth Abrams quickly joked with Reed. When he asked to say: You are not hallucinating. But we have how she was doing, she been here before. We just responded, “That’s your haven’t been there like first question?” Abrams encouraged stu- this.” She urged young peodents to think about voting ple not to disengage, but and civic engagement as tools to influence decisions to recognize their political power. Their generation, affecting their lives.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
Stacey Abrams, a voting rights advocate and lawyer who twice ran for Georgia governor, visited Harris-Stowe on Oct. 21 during the university’s homecoming week. she said, has advantages previous generations lacked, including instant access to information and new ways to turn it into action. Throughout the conversation, Abrams returned to the idea that power rests with people. Voting is one tool, she said, but civic participation also includes organizing, protesting, attending local government meetings and remaining engaged after Election Day. Jamel Frazier, a Harris-Stowe junior, said that message was his biggest takeaway.
“That’s the one thing she said that really stuck with me: We have the power,” Frazier said. “No matter how much they say we don’t have power, we have the power. We need to exercise it.” Kristen Roberts, a junior and Student Government Association president, said she and fellow student leader Issa Smith have been promoting voting and civic engagement. “I took away one thing that she said toward the end: ‘Having nothing is not an excuse for doing nothing,’” Roberts said. The message resonated
with Roberts, a first-generation college student whose parents gave her opportunities they did not have. “Even though my parents didn’t have it, I have it,” Roberts said. “They gave me the opportunities to have it, to reach out, to advocate.” Harris-Stowe President Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith also emphasized students’ ability to shape their communities. “I believe education here is a responsibility: to help students understand the world and prepare them to shape it,” Collins Smith said. “At
Harris-Stowe, we develop informed citizens, critical thinkers and principled leaders who have the confidence to ask difficult questions and the courage to serve their communities.” Collins Smith urged students to get involved before graduation. “To our scholars, you do not have to wait until graduation to make a difference. Learn how decisions are made,” Collins Smith said. “Understand whom they affect. Make your voice heard and listen to others.” U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, introduced as a surprise guest, also addressed the crowd. Bell, who said he attended Harris-Stowe for one semester before transferring, spoke about voting and political participation. Bell pointed to Ferguson as an example of how voter participation can affect local government. He recalled low turnout before the 2014 uprising and increased participation afterward. He also credited Abrams with registering Georgians to vote. Bell brought some humor to the program after Abrams was mistakenly introduced as “Stacey Adams.” “Now, just to clarify for some of you young folks, Stacy Adams are the shoes from back in the day. Stacey Abrams is the trailblazer,” Bell said.
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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
Commentary
Commentary
Prop D disagreements shouldn’t prevent clarity
The time to pass Prop B is now
By Daniela Velázquez, Matt Devoti and Rasheen Aldridge
Proposition 1, on the Nov. 3 ballot, would remove that old charter rule. Special elections would follow the same system as regular city elections. Party committees Last year, a fight over party would no longer name official labels in St. Louis’ 8th Ward nominees for special aldermanelection ended up in court. ic elections, but they could still The city’s Democratic endorse candidates and orgaCentral Committee wanted its nize voters. nominee listed as a Democrat. There is another side to the The Board of Election debate over political parties: Commissioners used a ballot Columnist who participates. with no party labels. A judge In 1941, St. Louis strengthrejected the committee’s Daniela ened its civil service system to requests. The election went Velazquez help end political patronage. ahead, but the laws behind the City jobs should go to qualified dispute are still on the books. people, not those with the right In St. Louis, debates over party ties. But the rules also election rules carry a lot of limit how employees in the history. classified civil service can take Black voters and Black part in campaigns. elected officials have spent We’re working to change generations building political those limits now. Board Bill power. Democratic political 96 would ask voters to update groups have helped organize Columnist Article XVIII of the city charter communities and give resiBoard Bill 100 would set new dents a voice at City Hall. For Matt Devoti rules for political activity by many voters, party ties are classified civil service employmore than a label. They stand ees. Together, the bills aim to for years of work and trust. protect workers from political In 2020, St. Louis voters pressure on the job while givpassed Proposition D. It took ing them more room to express party labels off elections for their views as private citizens. mayor, comptroller, Board These bills differ from Prop president and alderpersons. 1, but all three raise questions Voters can choose more than Columnist about the role of political parone candidate in the first Rasheen ties and who participates in round. The top two move on Aldridge the political process. We can to a runoff. keep debating those questions Some Democratic leaders without leaving two conflicting sets of say party labels help voters know where candidates stand. Others believe election rules on the books. We sponsored Board Bill 54 to the new system gives voters more put Proposition 1 before voters. The choice. The debate over Proposition 8th Ward election in 2025 showed us D never went away. Proposition 1 has where the conflict leads. We shouldn’t brought it back. have to go through another lawsuit the But being a Democrat, or believnext time a seat opens up. ing in democracy with a lowercase Daniela Velázquez is the 6th d, doesn’t mean we have to defend Ward alderperson, Matt Devoti is the conflicting laws or not-so-good gov5th Ward alderperson and Rasheen ernment. Aldridge is the 14th Ward alderperson When Proposition D passed, the on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. city changed its election rules. But an All three sponsored Board Bill 54. older part of the city charter still calls In the 2026-2027 session, Velázquez for party nominees in special elections introduced Board Bill 96 and Devoti to fill vacant aldermanic seats. That introduced Board Bill 100. left two sets of rules for the same office.
By Charli Cooksey An estimated 20,000 families are navigating this city’s child care crisis, while 6,000 children live in poverty without access to child care. City Prop B will create a permanent $22 million fund to make child care affordable for working families, pay educators living wages and improve program quality. City Prop B gives children ages 5 and younger the best start possible and begins a more dignified relationship with the majority-women workforce that cares for them daily.
Understanding City Prop B
City Prop B is a half-cent sales tax designed to address the complexity of St. Louis’ child care system and its governmental structures. It is the city’s only viable revenue stream. What to fund. Prop B is designed to fund two programs across a mixed-delivery model ranging from public schools to eligible community-based child care providers. The first would provide local subsidies “prioritizing children in financial need” ages 5 and younger, on a sliding scale based on household income. The second would provide grants to child care Understanding the programs to improve educator child care system wages, benefits and the quality of their programming. In a state without paid famiThe board must regularly conly leave, the need for access to duct “evaluations of program quality, affordable care begins effectiveness, quality, and access at birth. outcomes,” which must be made The national standard for public. affordable care is up to 7% of Governance. In alignment with Charli Cooksey household income. For context, the city’s many boards and comthe median household income missions, a board of city residents for St. Louis city families with children who cannot have any financial interest in the younger than 5 is $52,941. That means fund must be appointed by the mayor and affordable care would cost no more than approved by the Board of Aldermen. $3,706 per year. However, the average Transparency. The board must publish cost of full-day care is $13,622, making a detailed annual report, including a breakcare unaffordable for many. down of financial expenditures, subject to an Quality child care also depends on independent audit. its workforce. In Missouri, 93% of child care educators are women, and their The time is now median hourly wage is $11.71. Forty-one percent participate in a public safety net I’ve heard too many times: “Wait.” program. Moreover, 39% of Black educa- “There are more urgent matters.” “This tors work in low-wage programs. policy isn’t perfect.” “This isn’t our city’s To achieve affordability and quality, responsibility.” mixed delivery is essential and common On Nov. 6, 2025, after being on the front across the country, from Oklahoma to lines during the pandemic and then during New York City. tornado response, our matriarch, child care Emmy Liss, New York City’s child provider and leader, Adrienne Pennington, care director, and Sarah Gilliland wrote passed away, reminding us that the system in a New America report, “Mixed delivcannot sustain itself through the exploitation ery models are state- and locally funded of Black women. early childhood programs in which multiCity Prop B is our call to action to honor ple types of entities deliver services.” both the ancestors who fought for us and the These entities range from public babies who deserve a better future. schools and private centers to Head Start Every morning, I hear Dr. King reminding and licensed family child care, providus, “This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ing care from birth. Traditional public ‘Never.’” schools do not offer care from birth, and I’m done waiting, and I hope you are too. it would be an unfair burden for them to Vote yes on City Prop B. carry the entire child care system. Charli Cooksey is founder and CEO of WEPOWER.
Business OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
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PEOPLE
New home, same mission for The American
On The Move Griffin receives wealth management award
News operation moves deeper into St. Louis’ Black community
Judith A. Griffin, founder of Griffin Financial Services, has received a 2026 Five Star Wealth Manager Award from Five Star Professional. Griffin is also featured in the Women in Wealth section of Fortune magazine’s October/November Judith Griffin issue. She founded Griffin Financial Services in 2010 and holds Accredited Asset Management Specialist and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designations. Griffin is also licensed to provide life, disability and long-term care insurance.
Whitley honored as Harris-Stowe ‘Icon’ Roy J. Whitley, president and CEO of Rx Outreach, has been honored as an “Icon” of Harris-Stowe State University. He leads a nonprofit mail-order pharmacy that provides affordable and free medications to individuals and families in all 50 states. Whitley graduated magna cum Roy J. laude from HarrisWhitley Stowe in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He earned an MBA in finance from Ohio University in 2016.
Perkins II, Smith join Lewis Rice
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
The St. Louis American is moving into the headquarters of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. By Rod Hicks St. Louis American The St. Louis American is moving into the headquarters of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, relocating the nearly century-old newspaper from its offices on Pine Street to North St. Louis. Operations will officially begin at 1408 N. Kingshighway Blvd., Suite 204, on Nov. 2. The Urban League, which owns the building, renovated second-floor space to accommodate The American’s offices. The building already houses other businesses and commu-
nity organizahe said. tions. The With many “It puts us American right in the core will continue employees of the Black on the working remote- reporting community,” Urban League ly and journalsaid Publisher when its activists frequently Donald M. ities warrant Suggs. news coverage, reporting from The two Suggs said. the field, the organizations Urban staff no longer have longstandLeague needs as much ing ties, but President and Suggs emphatraditional office CEO Michael sized that sharP. McMillan space. ing space in a said it’s a building will source of pride not change The to have “one of American’s independence. our city’s most respected “We are two very separate, and influential newspapers autonomous organizations,” under our roof.”
“The St. Louis American has played an extraordinary role in documenting our history, celebrating our achievements and keeping our community informed for generations,” he said. The American’s lease at 2315 Pine St. was ending, and the new location offered an opportunity to move into space better suited to its needs, said Chief Operating Officer Julie Erickson. With many employees working remotely and journalists frequently reporting from the field, the staff no longer requires as much traditional See American, A6
Commentary
Sarkar joins UMSL Geospatial Collaborative
Black women are under attack. Here’s a blueprint to fight back.
Dr. Supria Sarkar has joined the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Geospatial Collaborative as a Taylor Geospatial research scientist. Sarkar will also identify and pursue grant funding from agencies including the National Science Foundation, NASA and the Dr. Supria U.S. Department of Sarkar Defense. She earned a doctorate in geoinformatics and geospatial analytics from Saint Louis University in 2025.
By Dr. David J. Johns
aberration. It follows the routine and systematic criticism The world has of Black women zero love, affection by the occupant of or appreciation for the Oval Office, Black women. This who has regularly is true broadly, and berated journalists, it’s certainly true in including Yamiche the United States. Alcindor and Recently, Laura Rachel Scott. He’s Loomer went on a also attacked Black racist tirade against women elected Florida state Rep. Dr. David officials, includand U.S. Senate Johns ing Fulton County candidate Angie District Attorney Nixon. Loomer was rattled because Nixon had the Fani Willis and New York audacity to be Black and run for office. This attack isn’t an See Johns, A6
Darrwin E. Perkins II and AlexiJulia Smith have joined Lewis Rice as associates in the law firm’s corporate department. Perkins maintains a general business law practice focused on corporate matters. He graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2026. He Darrwin E. earned an MBA in Perkins II 2023 and a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2022 from McKendree University. Smith’s practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions. She previously practiced in Goodwin Procter’s Alexi-Julia Washington, D.C., Smith office, representing private equity sponsors and portfolio companies. She graduated from Howard University School of Law in 2023 and holds a bachelor’s degree from American University.
Envato photo
Black women face persistent disparities in employment, pay, health care and school discipline. Sociologist Dr. David J. Johns calls for policies that address those inequities and greater investment in Black women.
Please submit your People on the Move item (including photo) to areid@stlamerican.com.
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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
Brought to you by
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Tips to help you plan a ‘staycation’ Sponsored by JPMorganChase Holiday travel can be exciting, but winter weather, crowded airports and packed schedules can sometimes make the idea of staying at home much more appealing. If you still want to get away without the hassle of an actual getaway, consider a holiday staycation. By remaining close to home, you can experience St. Louis from a fresh perspective without the stress of a long trip. Whether you book a night at a local hotel, check out a new neighborhood or just finally get around to seeing that landmark attraction that’s been on your to-do list, you can make staying at home feel like a real getaway. Here are 4 tips you can use to create an amazing holiday at home this season: 1. Treat your hometown like a destination One common theme
American Continued from A5 office space. Journalists are increasingly shooting video, posting updates on social media and filing stories from their laptops while working in the community. “We didn’t need as big a footprint,” Erickson said. The reduced office space will allow the news operation to devote more resources to reporting and other aspects of its mis-
the holiday season, so if you want to go back to your favorite restaurants and other popular spots, do so with fresh eyes.
surrounding area attractions is that they’re more likely to be packed with tourists than locals. If that popular museum, tour or other institution is always “there,” it can be easy to avoid it and say you’ll get there eventually. A staycation provides a great opportunity to approach those kinds of places in St. Louis like a tourist. Start by making a short list of places or experiences you’ve always wanted to try but never seem to prioritize.
Even if you think you’ve seen everything your hometown has to offer, there’s always something new to explore or discover. Check out a neighborhood you usually drive through and visit the local shops and other businesses. You can also try a new cuisine at a neighborhood restaurant or kitchen. Sometimes what’s old can be new again during
Other helpful tips “A ‘smart’ staycation is one you can pay for comfortably: choose dates with better rates, book flexible options, and keep a small buffer for surprises. If you have rewards points from credit cards or loyalty programs, put them toward your hotel to get a free or cheaper night’s stay. With a little creativity, you might find St. Louis offers everything you’d want in a holiday vacation. You can enjoy good food, new experiences and an escape from your daily routine — all right at home. For more financial health tips, visit https:// www.chase.com/travel/ guide For informational/ educational purposes only: Views and strategies described in this arti-
Suggs has his own professional history along North Kingshighway Boulevard. Before becoming publisher, he practiced oral surgery and has operated offices at three different locations along the street. He praised the Urban League’s work to redevelop the former Sears, Roebuck & Co. building, calling it a monumental undertaking. The department store, once a vibrant shopping destination for North St. Louis residents, closed in 1976. Six years later, the building became home to the Roberts brothers’ businesses and was renamed the Victor Roberts Building. The Urban League acquired the property in 2020 and announced plans for a $40 million rede-
velopment project. Suggs credited McMillan’s leadership and vision for the progress made repurposing the building. McMillan said the newsroom’s presence will add “energy, purpose and excitement” to the headquarters. “We look forward to this exciting new chapter as they continue their remarkable legacy of journalism and community service,” McMillan said. The relocation comes as The American approaches its 100th anniversary in 2028. The American was founded March 17, 1928, by Judge Nathan B. Young, prominent attorney and civil rights leader Homer G. Phillips and other Black leaders. It gave Black St. Louisans
a voice when mainstream newspapers ignored their concerns. Today, the award-winning news organization reaches audiences through print, its website, social media and digital newsletters. In a March 17, 2023, article marking The American’s 95th anniversary, Suggs wrote that the newspaper had developed a sense of community ownership through its “for us, by us” editorial model. Erickson encouraged readers to visit the new office once employees have had a week or two to settle in. Readers will still be able to pick up copies of The American at the new location. Its telephone numbers and email addresses will remain unchanged.
7.3% in September 2026, while unemployment rates for White, Hispanic and Asian workers fell. Black women’s federal employment fell by more than 30% in 2025, compared with an 11.6% decline among women overall. Public service was a ladder into the middle class for Black families. That ladder is being demolished, and the private sector is following suit. The losses are not about qualifications or effort. They’re part of a broader attack on Black America, with Black women as a proxy. In professional and service occupations, Black women lost jobs at more than three times the rate of women overall in 2025. Black women have long been told to work twice as hard to be considered half as good. Black women did what the country told them to do. They got the degree. They pay more for it and are paid less for it. Black women working full time, year-round typically earn 65 cents for every dollar earned by White, non-Hispanic men. At that gap, the lost earnings exceed $1 million over a 40-year career. The pain is deeper than money. In 2024, Black women were more than three times as likely as White women to die from pregnancy-related causes during pregnancy or within 42 days afterward. A federal report that year found that Black girls received out-of-school suspensions at more than five times the rate of White girls. As we note in “The Black Papers,” “Talking about gender inside our own house is precision, not division.” Naming what is happening to Black women
does not divide us. It is how we win.
Photo courtesy of JPMorgan Chase
2. Spend the night away A hotel stay can provide a change of scenery that makes you feel like you’re enjoying a getaway. Consider a traditional hotel, bed and breakfast or rental property where you can walk to restaurants, shopping, entertainment or holiday activities. An upscale hotel can also be the centerpiece of your staycation.
3. Be flexible If your schedule allows, plan your staycation for a weekday or less crowded period — like the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve — rather than a peak weekend. Hotel rates in the middle of the week tend to be cheaper, and it might be easier to grab a restaurant reservation.
sion. Erickson said the new location also presents an opportunity to become more involved in activities taking place in the surrounding community. The idea of moving into the Urban League’s building came from McMillan, who approached Suggs about the possibility several years ago. Suggs has long had a close relationship with McMillan, which helped lead to the move, Erickson said. Founded in 1918, the Urban League of
Metropolitan St. Louis works to expand economic opportunity, promote civil rights and help families achieve financial stability. Its programs include employment assistance through Save Our Sons + Sisters and Head Start early childhood education. Suggs sees the move as a way for The American to join ongoing efforts to revitalize North St. Louis, particularly the area around North Kingshighway Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive.
4. Try something new
cle or provided via links may not be appropriate for everyone and are not intended as specific advice/ recommendation for any business. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but JPMorgan Chase & Co. or its affiliates and/ or subsidiaries do not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The material is not intended to provide legal, tax, or financial advice or to indicate the availability or suitability of any JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. product or service. Outlooks and past performance are not guarantees of future results. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates are not responsible for, and do not provide or endorse third party products, services, or other content. Deposit products provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender. © 2026 JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Black Women Continued from A5 Attorney General Letitia James. More than hurt feelings High-profile attacks on Black women are not limited to politics. Journalists Cari Champion and Jemele Hill recently sat down with Stephen A. Smith for their “Flagrant and Funny” podcast and asked why he is harder on Black women commentators than his White former colleagues. They pressed him on trashing Kamala Harris after the 2024 election and running to Sean Hannity to protect himself after the National Association of Black Journalists called him out. Champion and Hill received a deluge of hateful comments — so many they shut down their comment sections. But let’s be clear: this is bigger than one man’s commentary. The challenges Black women face show up in our paychecks, our jobs, our hospitals and our children’s classrooms. The numbers are the receipts. The attacks are emblematic of a nation that not only despises Black bodies but is out of sync with the challenges Black women face. That’s why “The Black Papers” matters. The project documents the attacks, putting the receipts and proposed responses in one place. By the numbers Unemployment among Black women jumped from 5.9% in August to
Pushing back “The Black Papers” outlines several solutions. Congress should pass the Momnibus, a package of bills addressing the maternal mortality crisis, and the PRO Act, which would strengthen unions. Lawmakers must protect 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage and ensure it is available nationwide. Health insurers should pay for birth doulas. Public schools must end zero-tolerance discipline policies, and philanthropies must fund Black women-led organizations. Eight chapters speak directly to Black women. Among them: Chapter 10, on health equity, by Britt Weinstock, Linda Elam and Dr. David Johns; Chapter 11, on reproductive justice, by the National Women’s Law Center; Chapter 12, on Black mothers and maternal health disparities, by Ashley Brevil; and Chapter 13, on gender equity, by Dr. Brittney Cooper, Shatema Threadcraft, Susana Morris and Melanye Price. The remedies exist. What is missing is the will to fund them. If policymakers choose to invest in help rather than harm, we’ve combined the fixes into one accessible, easyto-digest tome. The question is: Will they engage with them? Dr. David J. Johns is a sociologist, leader of the National Black Justice Collective and editorin-chief of “The Black Papers.” This commentary was distributed by Word In Black.
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HealthMatters ‘Taking Care of You’ OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
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Putting abortion access in doubt Amendment 3 would ban most abortions By Anna Spoerre Missouri Independent
health care costs as a barrier to receiving care, followed by lack of insurance and transportation, according to Mercy’s 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment. Talton, who has more than 20 years of experience in nursing and health care, said the practice grew from her interest in providing IV hydration outside of a hospital setting. The idea eventually expanded into a practice
After Missouri banned nearly all abortions in 2022, Dr. Valerie Weaver began noticing a troubling change in some of the pregnant patients she cared for in Kansas City. They were arriving to her sicker. Some had developed infections, blood clots or other complications while waiting for treatment. Weaver, a certified registered nurse anesthetist with a doctorate in nursing practice who cares for high-risk obstetric patients, said the problem was particularly Amendment 3 acute in situations would repeal such as a woman’s water breaking the reproduc- before her fetus tive rights could survive outside the womb. amendment “That law made Missouri votit so where we ers approved couldn’t care for in 2024. the mother until she had an active threat against her life,” she said. In 2024, Missouri became the first state to overturn an abortion ban at the ballot box. Weaver said her patients now have a choice they lacked under the ban: End a pregnancy before an emergency develops, even if there is still a fetal heartbeat, or continue the pregnancy. But Weaver fears those conditions could return after the Nov. 3 election. Amendment 3 would repeal the reproductive rights amendment Missouri voters approved in 2024 and reinstate an abortion ban with exceptions for medical emergencies, as well as certain fetal anomalies and pregnancies resulting from rape or incest within the first 12 weeks. It would also enact a constitutional ban on gender-affirming care for minors, which is already banned in state statute. The 2024 amendment, also called Amendment 3, established constitution-
See Clinic, A8
See Amendment 3, A8
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
Angela Talton, right, owner of MEDA Spa and a board-certified family nurse practitioner, administers an IV treatment to Andre Timberlake at the Florissant clinic.
Florissant clinic combines health care, aesthetics Black-owned MEDA Spa offers primary care option for uninsured patients By Na’Porsha Williams St. Louis American A Black-owned clinic in Florissant is combining primary care with cosmetic treatments and offering a membership option for uninsured patients, seeking to make routine health care more accessible in North St. Louis County. MEDA Spa opened Sept. 5. Angela Talton, owner of MEDA and a board-certified family nurse
practitioner, said the clinic’s primary focus is patients’ health, with aesthetic services serving as another way to help them feel confident. “We want to make sure that patient health is taken care of first and foremost,” Talton said. “When they are well inside, it exudes externally and confidently on the outside, and that’s where the aesthetics part comes into play.” In a 2024 community survey of 449 North County residents, 41% identified
Helping doctors recognize patients at risk
Aiming to prevent recurring infections Nearly $1.1 million grant supports WashU study of gut bacteria St. Louis American staff Antibiotics can treat an infection while also wiping out helpful gut bacteria, allowing harmful bacteria to multiply. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis want to understand how microbes that live harmlessly in the gut begin causing illness — and how to stop them. A nearly $11 million federal grant will support research at WashU Medicine and Northwestern University into C. diff, which can cause severe diarrhea and intestinal damage, and E. coli strains that cause urinary tract infections.
Their eventual goal is to help doctors recognize patients at risk and prevent infections before symptoms begin.
Both can live in the gut without causing illness. But C. diff can produce damaging toxins, while some E. coli can travel to the bladder and cause an infection. Researchers want to identify what allows those changes to happen. Their eventual goal is to help doctors recognize
patients at risk and prevent infections before symptoms begin, according to WashU’s announcement. Dr. Gautam Dantas, a WashU professor of laboratory and genomic medicine, leads the project, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. medicine.washu. edu Other research has documented differences in C. diff testing between Black and White patients and the difficulties Black women face with recurring urinary tract infections, or UTIs. Those studies were conducted outside St. See Infections, A8
WashU Medicine and Northwestern University researchers are studying how gut bacteria cause infections, with the goal of identifying patients at risk before symptoms begin.
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HealthMatters ‘Taking Care of You’ ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
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Amendment 3 Continued from A7 al protections for reproductive decisions, including abortion, birth control, prenatal care, childbirth and miscarriage care. Supporters of this year’s measure insist its exceptions would protect women who need abortions. But some physicians, attorneys and patients who experienced Missouri’s previous ban say the exceptions could prove difficult to implement in practice, leaving doctors uncertain about when they can intervene. Dr. Sarah Florence, a board-certified family medicine physician from Fenton who spoke in support of the amendment, said the language isn’t written to sacrifice women’s health. “Sometimes the mother must be separated from the baby in order for her
life to be saved, and sometimes for the baby’s life to be saved as well,” she told The Independent. “But that never, ever, in medicine, requires the additional step of intentionally killing the child first.” Molly Duane, litigation director at Amplify Legal, the litigation arm of Abortion in America, said Amendment 3 defines a fetal anomaly as a “structural or functional abnormality in the unborn child’s gestational development that would make life outside the womb impossible.” The use of the word “impossible,” Duane believes, would exclude many devastating anomalies, because in most cases the infant could be born alive, but die soon after. Erika found out she was pregnant with her second child in November 2022, months into Missouri’s near-total abortion ban. She agreed to speak to The Independent on the condition that she be identified
deserved.” After Missouri passed the reproductive rights amendment, Erika and her husband decided to try again. Her doctor reassured her that if anything went wrong this time, she could get care without leaving the state. “Amendment 3 is incredibly personal to me,” she said from her Kansas City home, where she recently brought home her infant daughter. Photo by Anna Spoerre / Missouri Independent
An abortion procedure room pictured on March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia. by her first name, citing concerns for her privacy and the charged political climate around abortion in Missouri. At Erika’s 20-week anatomy scan, she learned her son, who she named Easton, had a rare fetal anomaly. But her doctor later determined she could not provide an abortion in Missouri without risking
prosecution. Erika and her husband eventually flew to a hospital in Washington, D.C. There, she had an abortion. After she delivered her son’s body, she held him. “I didn’t have to watch him suffer and suffocate to death,” Erika said. “He was able to be given the compassion and the dignity that I believe he
Rape and incest exceptions Lawmakers removed a proposed police-reporting requirement before placing the measure on the ballot. Julie Donelon, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, has concerns with the 12-week deadline. It often isn’t long enough for survivors to discover they’re pregnant, process the trauma of the assault and then seek out care, she said.
Clinic Continued from A7 offering primary care, wellness and aesthetic services under one roof. MEDA provides family primary care for patients from newborns through older adults, including annual exams, sick visits, preventive care and weight management. The clinic also offers IV hydration and aesthetic services including facials, chemical peels, microneedling, laser treatments, Botox and fillers. While many of those services are supported by established medical research, the American College of Clinical Pharmacology says there is little evidence that IV hydration and vitamin treatments benefit otherwise healthy people. MEDA’s combination of health and aesthetic services comes as the medical aesthetics industry continues to grow nationwide. The number of medical spas in the U.S. increased from 8,899 in 2022 to 10,488 in 2023, according to the American Med Spa Association. The organization estimates the industry now generates more than $17 billion in revenue and is growing by more than $1 billion annually. Talton said patients begin with a consultation so providers can review their medical history, discuss their goals and determine whether a requested treatment is appropriate. “We’re not here to just provide the service,” Talton said. “It is to provide the right service, for the right reason, for a patient.” Wyvon Boykin decided
Infections Continued from A7 Louis and are not part of the newly funded project. www.cambridge.org One part of the WashU research focuses on why some people carry C. diff without becoming sick while others develop infections that can cause life-threatening intestinal damage. Researchers will draw from a collection of more than 30,000 stool samples gathered over 15 years to investigate why. They will compare samples from patients with infections, people carrying C. diff without detectable toxins and other hospital patients. The team will look for microbes and chemical
Angela Talton, owner of MEDA, a Black-owned clinic in Florissant.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
to try MEDA’s aesthetic services during its grand opening. Boykin received the MEDA Glow Express, a 30-minute treatment marking his first-ever facial. He said the experience was relaxing and appreciated that the aesthetician explained the products being applied to his skin and their purpose. “I walked away with a glow that I don’t usually have,” Boykin said. He said he plans to
return for additional services and found the pricing reasonable. Florissant resident Katrina Macklin, a MEDA patient, said she takes choosing a health care provider seriously and tends to remain with providers long term. Macklin discovered MEDA on Facebook while searching for a new primary care provider after the doctor she had seen for more than 10 years retired. She said finding a
Black provider was also important because she wanted someone she felt could relate to her health concerns. “It was just really like a breath of fresh air to have somebody ... look like you that’s able to give you and do the healthcare that you need to ... look and feel your best,” Macklin said. Macklin initially became interested in MEDA’s IV hydration services and received a MEDA Myers Wellness
Shot, a vitamin-and-mineral treatment, during the clinic’s grand opening. The Myers Wellness Shot is marketed as a treatment to boost energy and promote general wellness. “It was like the lights turned on,” Macklin said. “I felt so much better.” She later established primary care at MEDA, where her medical history was reviewed and blood work was ordered to evaluate her health and determine whether she may
signals that may keep C. diff from producing toxins. Researchers will also examine whether viruses that infect the bacterium affect toxin production, then test their findings in mice. The other part of the project examines E. coli and recurring UTIs. Researchers will study stool and urine samples collected over six months from patients, mostly women, who experience repeated infections. Antibiotics can treat a UTI while also disrupting beneficial gut microbes. Surviving E. coli may then multiply and cause another bladder infection. Researchers hope to find ways to interrupt that process. For patients, repeated infections can carry an
emotional burden as well as a physical one. A University of Pennsylvania study published in March in the journal Urogynecology interviewed 12 Black women with recurring UTIs. Researchers found themes of shame and isolation linked to participants’ perceptions of UTIs as sexually transmitted infections. Participants tended to focus on treating infections rather than preventing them and recommended earlier education for younger women. The authors called for care that better addresses patients’ experiences and puts more emphasis on prevention. The study was too small to establish how widely those experiences
are shared among Black women. pubmed.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov A separate study at three Duke University Health System hospitals found Black patients received fewer C. diff tests relative to their time in the hospital than White patients. About 15% of tests were positive in both groups. The researchers said the difference could reflect inequity in testing or differences in disease incidence. They did not establish the cause. www. cambridge.org In areas monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infections Program, C. diff incidence was highest among White people in 2024. www.cdc. gov
Other research offers clues about how people’s surroundings may shape their gut microbes. A 2023 study in PLOS Biology, co-authored by WashU biologist Dr. Elizabeth Mallott, analyzed 2,756 samples from 729 children. Small but statistically significant differences associated with race and ethnicity appeared around 3 months of age. The authors emphasized that race and ethnicity are not biological explanations for those differences. The patterns likely reflect social and environmental conditions, such as diet, stress and access to care. The study did not establish that those differences cause C. diff infections or UTIs. journals.plos.org Dr. Seth Bordenstein,
“We know that providers won’t be readily available,” Donelon said. “That could really push that deadline of the 12 weeks exception for rape and incest survivors.” Would abortion clinics remain open? Michael Wolff, a former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court, expects the court orders blocking the old abortion restrictions to fall away. That could leave Planned Parenthood providers unable to offer even abortions allowed under the exceptions. Dr. Jennifer Smith, a St. Louis OB-GYN who is campaigning with Stop the Ban, said patients who qualify for an exception could still struggle to get care at hospitals, especially if the procedure isn’t covered by insurance. If Amendment 3 passes, it would take effect 30 days after the election.
need additional treatment or supplements. Macklin said MEDA’s location also made accessing care more convenient. “It worked out for me because now I don’t have to travel all the way out to Chesterfield,” Macklin said. “I can come right here, like 10 minutes away, you know, and be seen.” Beyond accepting insurance, MEDA offers a primary care membership for people without insurance. Talton said the option is intended to provide more affordable access to routine care and potentially prevent patients from waiting until their health worsens before seeking treatment. “Offering affordable prices for the community was paramount, and that is what the membership from a primary care standpoint is designed to offer,” Talton said. MEDA also offers memberships for aesthetic services, allowing patients to receive certain treatments regularly and access discounts on other services and skin care products. The clinic accepts Medicare, Medicaid, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and other insurance plans and offers in-person and telehealth appointments. Talton said she hopes MEDA can help residents seek care before their health concerns become more serious. “It’s too often that our patients go without healthcare services because they believe that it is not affordable,” Talton said. “And then they wait until it is an emergency or visit an urgent care or an emergency room when their condition is worsened.”
a Penn State researcher who co-authored that study, pointed to changes in infants’ daily lives as possible influences on gut bacteria. “Many changes occur in a child’s life between 3 and 9 months of age,” he said in a university account, citing solid foods, increased mobility and contact with more people. science.psu.edu The newly funded research could eventually lead to screening tools and treatments that protect patients without further disrupting beneficial bacteria. For now, the team must determine which changes signal an approaching infection — and whether intervening can prevent it.
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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
Chris Brown sentenced for UK club squabble
Halle Berry’s custody fight gets messier
Grammy Award–winning singer Chris Brown received an eight-month prison sentence on Monday, suspended for 12 months, in connection with what U.K. prosecutors described as a “vicious and unprovoked” attack at a London nightclub in 2023. The suspended sentence means Brown will avoid jail time if he meets the court’s conditions. Brown pleaded guilty in July to a count of affray at Southwark Crown Court for striking a music producer in the head with a tequila bottle. His co-defendant, Omololu Akinlolu — a Florida rapper known as HoodyBaby and identified by prosecutors as Brown’s vocal coach — also pleaded guilty. Akinlolu received a four-month sentence, suspended for 12 months. A warrant was issued for both men after the victim was treated at a hosChris Brown pital for head and knee injuries, but Brown and Akinlolu had already left the U.K. Brown was arrested in May 2025 when he returned to perform in Manchester during his world tour. The pair initially denied charges of assault, grievous bodily harm, and possession of an offensive weapon. Those charges were later dropped.
Halle Berry’s legal fight with ex-husband Olivier Martinez is stretching into another week, with a temporary restraining order against the actress remaining in place through the weekend. The former couple returned to a Los Angeles courtroom Friday for a fifth straight day of hearings tied to disputed abuse allegations and custody of their 13-year-old son, Maceo. Berry’s fiancé, Van Hunt, also testified behind closed doors. Her daughter, Nahla Halle Berry Aubry, is expected to appear virtually when proceedings resume Monday. Berry has strongly denied any wrongdoing and is asking the court to dismiss the restraining order and restore equal physical custody. According to Page Six, Friday’s session at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse opened with Martinez continuing testimony he began the day before. His appearance — like Hunt’s later in the afternoon — was held behind closed doors. The case is expected to continue next week as the court hears additional testimony.
Boyz II Men hopping on the country music bandwagon Boyz II Men announced through The Tennessean/USA TODAY that they’ve signed with Warner Records Nashville, and they are launching an all-new country project set for release in 2027. Warner Records Nashville Chair and President Cris Lacy said the group’s move into country music reflects a long-running influence that reaches beyond R&B. “Every genre and culture has benefited from their original music,” Lacy said. “And their
Boyz II Men
impact on artists in the current country landscape, while perhaps surprising to some, is quite profound.” Earlier this year, Boyz II Men joined Lady A on “I Love The One,” offering an early look at their country exploration. The track will appear on a forthcoming project inspired by The Chosen, the historical drama centered on the life of Jesus.
Stevie files to evict ex Stevie Wonder has taken a long-time tenant to court after a decades-old living arrangement unraveled this summer. According to USA Today, the music icon filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Oct. 22 seeking to end an oral agreement that has allowed Angela Efferson to live rent-free in his three-bedroom home since 1988. The filing says Efferson violated the agreement in July when she refused to let Wonder’s team enter the property for a routine insurance inspection. After receiving notice of the scheduled visit, Efferson and Wonder’s attorney, David Huff, exchanged tense emails. Efferson accused Huff of using a “racist, cold-blooded Stevie Wonder ‘white male privilege’ tone.” She said she felt harassed, and warned she would contact law enforcement if anyone attempted to enter the home. Efferson allegedly failed to vacate by the agreed Aug. 27 deadline, prompting Wonder to pursue a court-ordered eviction. Wonder and Efferson were once romantically involved, but he has been married to Tomeeka Robyn Bracy since 2017. He is asking the court to remove Efferson and award up to $600 in damages plus legal costs.
BillHot Sheet Sorces: CBS News, PageSix.comTMZ.com, USAToday.com
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Arch Grants Continued from A1 his company develop an automated online fundraising platform that allows organizations to manage their own fundraising campaigns. Before receiving the grant, the company was only able to manage its own fundraisers. “We went from having an idea that made sense, a very raw MVP where we were piecing this together, to now having an automated platform that is working and that will allow us to host hundreds of fundraisers at a time,” Chisom said. Chisom described the application process as intense but said he believes it provides a valuable experience for entrepreneurs who are selected. He said the support entrepreneurs receive after being selected is just as strong, emphasizing that Arch Grants employees are committed to helping businesses succeed. “They understand the deeper connection is if we have more successful entrepreneurs in St. Louis, then we have more successful companies in St. Louis. And if we have more successful companies, then we have a more
ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026 thriving and successful community,” Chisom said. The Donald M. Suggs Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award was introduced in 2021 and became a recurring grant in 2022. Angieri said it is the only recurring Arch Grants award named in honor of an individual. Angieri said the late John Ferring and his wife, Alison, helped establish the award to honor Dr. Suggs and support Black entrepreneurs. “I think he and Alison really wanted to plant a flag and say, you know, Dr. Suggs is somebody worthy of emulation, of honoring in a longer-term capacity, and providing a dedicated grant to a Black entrepreneur in our program year over year would have a great impact,” Angieri said. Angieri said the organization looks for innovative, technology-enabled businesses with potential for significant growth that can demonstrate why St. Louis is the right place for them to expand. The Startup Competition was the first program launched by Arch Grants and remains the primary way businesses become part of the organization’s network. Angieri said Arch Grants receives applica-
Photo courtesy of Arch Grants
Sylvester Chisom, co-founder and CEO of Show Me the World Coffee, and Samantha Lurie Carroll, co-founder of the company and executive director of the Show Me the World Project, attend the 2025 Arch Grants Awards Gala. tions from entrepreneurs in St. Louis and across the country. The selection process begins with a six-week application period, followed by an initial staff review. About 125 of the
highest-scoring companies advance to the next stage, which includes interviews and background checks. Approximately 70 companies are then invited to participate in a final pitch competition.
Angieri acknowledged that Arch Grants has not always gotten it right when selecting recipients. Funding can be discontinued when companies are unable to meet grant requirements.
COGIC Continued from A1 Jr., who leads Kennerly Temple COGIC in the Ville neighborhood. “We’re answering the call for the needs of the people of the world. They’re looking for answers for salvation, healing, deliverance … with the economy being the way it is, our society is searching for help,” Madison said. Before 2010, the conventions were held in Memphis for more than a century. In 2025, COGIC officials voted to return to St. Louis for three years after failing to reach satisfactory agreements with Memphis leadership and the local hospitality industry. Donna Hykes, a member of Bethany Church of God in Christ, said she loved the Memphis conventions but welcomes this year’s return, with the main activities at America’s Center Convention Complex. “As far as the services, meetings, lunches, breakfasts or whatever … they’re all in the same venue and we’re all able to worship together,” Hykes said. “Being under the same roof at the same time gives us a particular closeness, a shared experience and that’s special.” Hykes said she’s thrilled to be installed during COGIC’s Women’s Day event as women’s supervisor for nearly 40 churches in eastern Missouri and western Illinois. Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson III, one of 12 General Board members and pastor of Life Center International COGIC in St. Louis County, said he’s eager to highlight the organization’s benevolent activities. “In typical COGIC fashion, we’ll be having some good church all week long,” Hankerson said, adding, “But I’m also looking forward to sharing lots of inspiration and activities like the ‘Christmas in November’ event where we’ll have tons of resources we’ll be giving out to the community.” Christmas in November, a free community outreach event, will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, 1408 N. Kingshighway Blvd. Families and individuals will receive coats, toys, groceries and house-
The Pilot program is the organization’s newest initiative, designed for early-stage startups that Arch Grants believes show strong potential. Participants do not initially receive grant funding but gain access to the organization’s network, resources and opportunities to develop their businesses. Angieri said they could eventually become eligible for grants. The Fellows program serves more mature companies that are typically past the stage at which Arch Grants would provide grant funding. Angieri said those companies may have already raised millions of dollars or generated substantial revenue. Through the program, participants can connect with other entrepreneurs in small-group forums and participate in roundtable discussions with corporate and civic leaders. Beyond funding, Angieri said the relationships entrepreneurs develop through Arch Grants can be just as valuable as the financial support. “Everybody likes free money, it turns out. But sometimes the biggest difference maker isn’t the money. It’s the people,” Angieri said.
hold items, according to COGIC.. Bishop Marquaello A. Futrell Sr., pastor of All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, is coordinating the event. “I’m looking forward to partnering with the St. Louis Urban League, World Vision, and the Catholic Charities to bring in truckloads of clothes, toys and other items to give to the community,” Futrell said. Futrell said the region and other cities have already benefited from COGIC’s outreach. “When last year’s tornado hit St. Louis, the national church donated tens upon tens of thousands to multiple churches to help get them back to stability,” Futrell said. “People who come to our COGIC Charities dinner will have the opportunity to see that the church has given back to various cities and places torn apart by devastation.” Dr. Kendra Holmes, president and CEO of Affinia Healthcare and a member of Williams Temple Church of God in Christ, said “answering the call” means “when God calls us to do something we need to be willing to surrender our plans and listen to his direction and obey his will.” Affinia Healthcare plans to offer free screenings for diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol, along with flu shots, during the convention. “To be honest, the Black church needs to focus more on chronic health. We’re really trying to incorporate the health piece into the spiritual piece and to do it hand-inhand,” Holmes explained. “COGIC has a large percentage of Black men. We need to specifically get to Black men’s health and make it more of an issue than it currently is.” In a COGIC press release, Bishop J. Drew Sheard, the denomination’s presiding bishop and chief apostle, said its mission is to serve. “Every city that welcomes our Holy Convocation becomes our home, and its people become our neighbors. The Church Of God In Christ believes it is our sacred responsibility to give back to the community that hosts us — not as visitors passing through, but as a church that loves its neighbors in word and in deed.” Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow.
ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
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A12
ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
Living It
“We can do more than post about it, we can vote about it.” – Marsai Martin
B1 • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
J O D E C I
Jodeci performed as co-headliners of the Summer Block Party Tour at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in 2023. Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
‘90s R&B rebels return to STL Jodeci to celebrate 35th anniversary of ‘Forever My Lady’ By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American
Quiet storm’s soft edges gave way to slowed-down hiphop beats and R&B that spoke plainly about desire, heartbreak and everything in between. Black fashion fol‑ When the 1990s arrived, Black culture didn’t ease in. It hit with full force. A genera‑ lowed the same shift. The clothes were tion raised on Motown’s polish, funk’s groove oversized, colorful, layered and unapologet‑ ic. Attitude wasn’t an accessory. It was the and hiphop’s rising defiance stepped into a decade ready for something louder, bolder and assignment. And at the center of that sound and style closer to real life. It was a shift that showed was Jodeci. up everywhere. It could be felt in the sound, the style and the way Black artists carried See Jodeci, B3 themselves.
Rakim’s hip hop masterclass
Rap pioneer returns to City Winery with deep cuts and classics By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American Toward the end of the show — with Technician the DJ holding down the set for hip‑hop icon Rakim — he said something everyone inside City Winery on Friday, Oct. 16 already knew. “Y’all are witnessing the definition of hip hop,” he said. “In the dictionary, if you look up hip hop, there are no words. There is this man right here.” Rakim reminded the crowd sev‑ eral times that he’s only 34, but his influence on the genre stretches four Rakim decades. reminded Thirty-nine years ago — five the crowd years before he jokingly several times claimed he was born — that he’s only he released an album that would shape hip 34, but his hop for two genera‑ influence on tions. the genre At a time when stretches four most rappers served as hype men for decades. the DJ or leaned on over-the-top alter egos bragging about money, cars, clothes and women, Rakim entered the game and became the foun‑ dation of modern hip hop. He changed the temperature of rap the moment he stepped to the mic as part of Eric B. & Rakim. Their 1987 debut, Paid in Full, became an instant classic. His style leans on control. The calm, measured See Rakim, B6
Rakim performed on Friday, Oct. 16 at City Winery St. Louis, delivering a set that drew from his decades‑long catalog. Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
‘St. Louis is going to be phenomenal’ Josh Johnson brings his ‘Comedy Band Camp’ to The Factory this weekend By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American When asked how a young man from central Louisiana managed to become one of the defin‑ ing comedic voices for his generation, “The Daily Show” star Josh Johnson’s was a direct reflection of his humility. “I’m not totally sure,” Johnson said. “But I’m very thank‑ ful.” “Comedy Band St. Louis audi‑ Camp” is some‑ ences will get a thing he says feels closer look at Josh different from Johnson’s newest creative stretch anything he’s when his “Comedy done before. Band Camp” tour stops at The Factory this weekend. Johnson has been on stages across the country, in writers’ rooms, and behind the desk at The Daily Show. But “Comedy Band Camp” is something he says feels different from anything he’s done before. “It’s basically a place that people can come to experience camp again,” Johnson said. “I See Johnson, B3
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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
St. Louis American Calendar
Halloween Happenings Thurs., Oct. 29, 4 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents a History-Lovin’ Halloween party, Missouri History Museum. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org. Through Oct. 30 (select nights) 5 p.m., Boo at the Zoo presented by SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Hospital, The Saint Louis Zoo. For more information, visit stlzoo. org. Sat., Oct. 31, 11 a.m., Central West End Halloween, For the complete event schedule and additional information, visit cwescene.com/ halloween-in-the-centralwest-end/. Sat., Oct. 31, 12 noon, Annie Malone’s Safe Halloween Trunk-orTreat, Annie Malone Children and Family Services, 5355 Page Blvd. For more information, visit www.anniemalone.com. Sat., Oct. 31 4 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Thriller Live! A Halloween Exclusive Michael Jackson Tribute Featuring Santana Jackson, The Blue Strawberry, 364 N. Boyle. For more information, visit www.bluestrawberrystl.com. Sat., Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m., Thriller Live with Pure Soul, City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way. For more information, visit citywinery.com. CONCERTS Thurs., Oct. 29,
Louis, 3730 Foundry Way. For more information, visit citywinery.com.
7:30 p.m., Thundercat: Distracted AF Tour, The Factory at The District, 17105 N. Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, MO 63005. For more information, visit thefactorystl.com.
Oct. 30 – Oct. 31, Josh Johnson’s Comedy Band Camp, The Factory at The District, 17105 N. Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield, MO 63005. For more information, visit thefactorystl. com.
Fri., Oct. 30 – Sat., October 31, The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Beethoven’s Pastoral: Reflections of Home featuring St. Louis own Julia Bullock, Powell Hall. For more information, visit www.slso.org. Fri., Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m., Q Parker, The Romance Dealer, City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way. For more information, visit citywinery.com. Wed., Nov. 4, 8 p.m., Jodeci: The Forever My Lady 35th Anniversary Tour, Stifel Theatre. For more information, visit www.stifeltheatre.com. SPECIAL EVENTS Sat., Oct. 31, 1 p.m., Roots of Faith: The Early History of First Baptist Church of Chesterfield, exploring the congregation’s remarkable beginnings and 180-year journey, presented by Wayne Troupe, FBCC History and Legacy Committee. First Baptist Church of Chesterfield. 17103 Wild Horse Creek Road Chesterfield, MO 63005. For more information, visit www.firstbcc. org. Sun., Nov. 1, 3 p.m., St. Alphonsus Ligouri ‘Rock’ Catholic Church presents Oh Glory! A Concert of Negro
‘Thriller Live’ with Pure Soul is coming to City Winery. See HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS for more information. Spirituals, 1118 N. Grand. For more information, visit www.stalphonsusrock.org
and related programming, visit www.cinemastlouis. org.
Nov. 3 – Nov. 10, Church of God In Christ 118th Holy Convocation, America’s Center. For full schedule and additional information, visit www. cogic.org.
Thurs., Nov. 12, 5 pm., Voices of America: A St. Louis Storytelling Event, Missouri History Museum. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.
Thurs., Nov. 5, 6:30 p.m. (5 p.m. pre-show reception), Missouri History Museum presents the Black Literary Legacy Series with Bakari Sellers, Missouri History Museum. For more information, visit www.mohistory.org.
Sun., Nov. 15, 9:45 a.m., First Baptist Church of Chesterfield 180th Anniversary Worship Service. 17103 Wild Horse Creek Road Chesterfield, MO 63005. For more information, visit www.firstbcc. org.
Thurs., Nov. 5- Sun., Nov. 15, Cinema St. Louis presents the 35th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival. For full schedule
COMEDY Thurs., Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. Funky Dineva Live featuring Quentin Lathan, City Winery St.
Nov. 11-15, Flyover Comedy Festival. Nearly 150 artists will perform throughout the five day festival (expanding from four to five days for 2026). Headliners include David Cross, Roy Wood Jr., Dropout Improv, The Sklar Brothers, Dulcé Sloan, Casey Rocket, Cameron Esposito, Katherine Blanford, Tone Bell, Yakov Smirnoff, Dean Delray, Leslie Liao, Libbie Higgins, Reggie Conquest and more. For more information, visit www.FlyoverComedyFest. com. ST. LOUIS MUSIC SPOTLIGHT Thurs., Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m., LA Young’s Phyllis Hyman Tribute, City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way. For more information, visit citywinery.com. Fri., Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m., Tim Cunningham, Blue Strawberry, 364 N. Boyle. For more information, visit bluestrawberrystl.com. Sun., Nov. 8, 3 p.m., An Afternoon with Songbird Ivy, Blue Strawberry, 364 N. Boyle. For more information, visit bluestrawberrystl.com.
THEATRE Nov. 5 – Nov. 8, Action Arts Collaborative presents Forever Free, Inspired by the Life of Claudette Colvin! Starring Kathryn Bentley, Jefferson Avenue Mission. For more information, visit www.actionartsSTL.org. Through Nov. 8, The Fabulous Fox presents Boop: The Musical, The Fabulous Fox. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com or www.fabulousfox.com. Sat., Nov. 14, 7 p.m., The Black Rep’s 50th Anniversary Tell Me Something Good Gala Concert, 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave. For more information, visit www.theblackrep.org. ART Through November 8, A Hum Beneath the Surface by Lillian Stephen, on display through November 8. The Kranzberg Gallery, 501 N. Grand Blvd. For more information, visit kranzbergartsfoundation.org Through February 7, 2027, Ayana Evans: Nobody’s Gonna Love You the Way I Do, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63108. For information, visit camstl. org. Through Dec. 12, Counterpublic 2026: Coyote Time, various locations. For more information, visit counterpublic.org.
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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
Jodeci Continued from B1 Two sets of brothers from North Carolina (K-Ci and JoJo Haley and Dalvin and DeVante DeGrate) came together and changed what a male R&B group could look and sound like. Next week, they return to St. Louis to celebrate the album that started it all. Jodeci is bringing the 35th Anniversary Tour of Forever My Lady to the Stifel Theatre. They last appeared in St. Louis promoting the album when they performed at the nowdemolished Arena as part of MC Hammer’s “Too Legit To Quit” Tour alongside Boyz II Men back in 1992. Their emergence in 1991 didn’t just introduce a new sound. It shifted the posture of R&B entirely. Jodeci sang about love and loss with a rawness that felt familiar. Their harmonies were rooted in gospel, but their delivery was distinctly urban. They were vulnerable without being soft, and bold without being manufactured. Black culture was already moving toward a new level of honesty. Jodeci — along with their Uptown/MCA labelmates under the late Andre Harrell — helped define that movement. When the title track of Forever My Lady hit Black radio, it was instantly clear that R&B had entered a new era. The opening line — “So you’re having my baby…” — rattled listeners who grew up on the “first comes love, then comes marriage” formula. The song centered a growing family without mentioning a wife and still became a classic. Jodeci held R&B in a tight grip for three consecutive albums – a fourth came a decade later. Each one pushed further into the emotional corners of relationships — the lust, the love, the heartbreak and the rebound. They didn’t shy away from any part of it.
Johnson Continued from B1 never got to go to a camp when I was a kid the way that I wanted — like an arts camp or anything like that. And so I created one with my friends for people to experience.” The tour blends comedy and music into a full campstyle environment. Johnson said the show has taken shape over the past few months as he and his team have refined the format. “We’ve been doing these shows for a few months now, and so now we really have a handle on everything that the show is about,” he said. “All the elements are coming together and I’m excited for people to see it.” He counts this city as one he’s been looking forward to returning to – especially bringing Comedy Band Camp to town. “St. Louis is going to be phenomenal,” Johnson said. He will be performing three shows on Friday and Saturday due to popular demand.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
Jodeci will return to St. Louis next week as part of their selectcity anniversary tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of their debut album ‘Forever My Lady.’ Their impact wasn’t limited to the music. They changed the look of R&B in ways that still echo today. Combat boots, leather, oversized denim — clothes that looked lived-in instead of styled. They made R&B feel less like a performance and more like real life. Black fashion in the early ’90s was becoming its own language. Starter jackets, baggy jeans and the rise of streetwear were cultural markers. Jodeci didn’t just fit into that moment — they helped define it. They
proved you way that felt could be a sex honest and symbol without When the familiar. being polished, The early title track of and a star with’90s became out being pack- Forever My the foundation Lady hit Black aged. of a defining Their era of Black radio, it was influence also creativity, instantly clear reshaped how and Jodeci that R&B had Black men sits squarely were allowed to entered a new in that founera. show emotion. dation. They The ’80s had gave R&B a love songs, but new center of Jodeci’s delivgravity and ery made vulnerability feel made space for artists who like confession instead of blended gospel roots with performance. They sang hiphop attitude, dressed with urgency — longing, in ways that reflected real desire, heartbreak — in a life, and sang about love
without pretending it was neat or easy. Black culture at the turn of the decade was about claiming space. It was loud, creative and without apology. Jodeci amplified that shift. Their impact is still visible in today’s R&B and hiphop. It is found in the mix of vulnerability and swagger, the fashion rooted in authenticity, and the refusal to separate the sacred from the secular. They proved Black artistry didn’t have to choose between polish and truth. The early ’90s were a turning point. Jodeci made
that turn feel like a cultural shift instead of a slow drift. They changed the sound. They changed the temperature. And the excitement surrounding their return to St. Louis to celebrate the album that changed the game for contemporary R&B is a reminder of just how deeply that influence still runs. The St. Louis stop of Jodeci’s Forever My Lady 35th Anniversary Tour will take place at 8 p.m. on Wed., Nov. 4 at the Stifel Theatre. For more information, visit www.stifeltheatre.com.
He said audiences here have always met him with a kind of openness that makes performing easier. “In some places you perform, there’s a little bit more of like ‘impress me,’” he said. “But I’ve never had that problem in St. Louis. People are very excited to see what you’ve brought them. They genuinely come ready to laugh, and that makes them a more fun crowd to entertain.” What sets Johnson apart from his comedy peers is his broad fan base that includes millennials like himself, Gen Z, Gen X and the baby boomers – which is rare for a young comic. “I’m always trying to give as universal a perspective as I can,” he said. “I’m talking about where I grew up or how I see things or where my head is at. But I think there’s a little bit of that that everyone has. Not that everyone necessarily relates to me, but everyone has their coworker being in some trouble or their family affair — the thing we whisper about that we don’t talk about. There are so many things
said. “Even that make us though I’ve all alike, and been there that relatability for so long connects with and the peopeople across ple there are generations.” like family, Johnson’s it still feels comedy quick in a often unfolds way. You through longer love your stories — job, and something that you love goes against the people the quickhit you work with. expectations Josh Johnson Then your job of the curchanges a bit, rent comedy but you’re still around the landscape. He said that same people, and then it approach comes from changes again. Everyone trusting the audience was so supportive that it and trusting the material. really made it feel natu“Maybe there’s a story ral.” that is six minutes long, Johnson said working and we’re used to an era on the show has changed of ‘you gotta get your first how he processes news. big laugh in 30 seconds or else you’ll lose them,’” he said. “But if you take that risk — and what you have to deliver is worth it — then people appreciate it.” That trust has carried him through nearly a decade at The Daily Show. Johnson spent seven years in the writers’ room before stepping on camera as a correspondent. “I don’t even know how much all of it has set in for me,” he
“Rather than just seeing the story for what it is, I end up doing a little bit more research into why this thing even matters,” he said. “People don’t always have the time or the will to be as engaged — some of the stuff is depressing. So, I try to find more details and explain it in a way that gives people a different perspective.” Alongside the tour, Johnson has an HBO special, Symphony, which incorporates music into his standup. And while he hinted at future projects, he kept those details close. “I don’t want to say too much just yet,” he said. “But there’s a lot on the way.” For comics trying to
figure out where their voice fits, Johnson kept his advice simple and direct. He said the key is staying connected to what actually moves them. “Doubling down on the things that interest you will make you more interesting to people,” he said. And for anyone second-guessing whether their lane is the right one, he added, “Making as much as you can of what you think is funny will serve you really well.” Josh Johnson’s Comedy Band Camp will play Friday, October 30 – Saturday, October 31 at The Factory at The District. For showtimes and to purchase tickets, visit https://thefactorystl. com/
B4
ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
“All we need is two hoops, 94 feet and each other.” — Golden State Valkyries center Kiah Stokes
Sports
B5
OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
Inside Sports With Earl Austin Jr.
East Side Flyers take championship ambitions to Class 7A Gomiller has rushed The East St. Louis for 784 yards and scored Flyers have made them13 touchdowns. He selves right at home in also has 26 receptions the Illinois Class 6A state for 467 yards and five championship game in touchdowns. The Flyers’ recent years. Now, they’re leading receiver is senior taking their championship Laron Baker Jr., who has ambitions up a notch. 27 receptions for 462 After three state chamyards and seven touchpionships and three state downs. runner-up finishes in the East St. Louis has many last six seasons at Class 6A, the Flyers have moved standouts on defense, including senior Florida up to the Class 7A level recruit Raheem Floyd. He for this year’s playoffs. has 41 solo tackles and East Side will a team-high four begin its quest for a interceptions. Class 7A state title this weekend when Saint Louis U. opens it hosts Burbank season on Nov. 2 Reavis in the first round of the state The Saint Louis playoffs. The Flyers University Billikens had a first-round open their college bye after an 8-1 Earl basketball searegular season and Austin Jr. son on Monday, the Southwestern November 2 against Conference championLehigh. The Billikens are ship. The Flyers last won coming off one of their a Class 7A championship most successful seasons ten years ago. in 2026 when they won The Flyers have put 29 games and won a together another strong share of the Atlantic 10 season, which included Conference championship. victories over nationally SLU advanced to the secranked teams in Chicago ond round of the NCAA Mount Carmel and Tournament. On Friday, Gainesville, Georgia. Nov. 6, the Billikens Leading the offensive will take on the Missouri attack is senior quarterTigers at the Enterprise back Reece Shanklin. Center. Mizzou has a The SEMO recruit has very talented team that is completed 125 of his 193 expected to be one of the passes for 1,996 yards and best in the Southeastern 24 touchdowns. He has Conference. also scored three rushing touchdowns. Coleman making early Senior running back impression at Illinois Ronnie Gomiller has been one of the best players Former Principia in the area this season. A basketball star Quentin standout wide receiver, Coleman is already turnGomiller stepped into the ing some heads with his running back role when play during preseason standout Myson Johnsongames with the University Cook was injured in the of Illinois. The 6-foot-4 opening game of the seaColeman had 14 points, son.
East St. Louis running back Ronnie Gomiller races down the sideline after eluding Gainesville High School’s Logan Gailey, on the ground, during a game last month.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
seven rebounds and eight assists in a victory at Cincinnati in the preseason opener. Last Friday, Coleman had 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block against Baylor. Coleman was the St. Louis American Player of the Year in 2026 after leading the Panthers to the Class 3 state championship. Malia Tipton excels for Ladue tennis Sophomore Malia Tipton has enjoyed a successful season for the Ladue High girls tennis team. Tipton qualified for last weekend’s state tournament in Springfield,
where she finished fifth in the singles tournament. She advanced to the quarterfinals. After losing in that round, she responded by winning three consecutive matches to finish with a 4-1 record and fifth place. She was also a district champion in doubles with partner M.C. Huewe. Tipton and her Ladue team will be participating in the team competition at the state tournament in Springfield this weekend. The Rams will take on Rock Bridge in the semifinals on Thursday. Harris-Stowe State men’s soccer sits in 1st place
at Harris-Stowe State University is enjoying an excellent season. The Hornets are in first place in the American Midwest Conference with a 2-0-1 record. Their record is 8-3-2 overall. Sophomore midfielder Benjamin Martinez has scored four goals, including a score in a 1-1 tie against Hannibal-LaGrange. Junior midfielder Dusan Drca was recently named the AMC Player of the Week. He scored two points in a 4-3 victory over Central Baptist. The Hornets also defeated Mararishi 1-0 on their senior day.
Madison Farr shines on the softball diamond Madison Farr of Hazelwood West is one of the bright young softball prospects in the St. Louis area. She just completed her freshman season as one of the top hitters in the St. Louis area. She finished the season with a batting average of .625 with one home run, 23 runs batted in, 11 doubles, five triples and 13 stolen bases. Farr is also a standout on the travel circuit with D1 Vision, a team based in Louisiana. She has gained national recognition for her stellar play on the travel ball circuit.
The men’s soccer team
Sports Eye With Alvin A. Reid
Black college football coaches locked out While fans often hear “To be honest I kind from football coaches — of knew it was coming, especially in the South — just didn’t know when,” that faith and religion can Locksley told ESPN after be fundamental parts of his dismissal. team success, few coaches “I’m not mad about visit a church on Sunday. leaving. I’m not. I’m at Even fewer strongly peace with it because I suggest that players attend know it’s better than what a service at any time it was when I got here.” during the week. He arrived in College Mike Locksley, Park, Maryland, who was fired last in 2018 after servweek as Maryland ing as an assistant head coach, was coach for Nick different. Saban at Alabama. Almost half of Tasked with his scholarship rebuilding the footplayers regularly ball program, the attended church Washington, D.C., Alvin A. near the Maryland native improved Reid campus and recruitment of local Locksley often Black stars from had Black pastors on his the D.C. and Baltimore team’s sideline or cheering areas and won three conon the Terrapins as part of secutive bowl games from the crowd. 2021 through 2023. From all accounts, But since the start Locksley was beloved by of the 2024 campaign, his players, respected in Maryland was 10-21 overthe community and a beaall and had dropped 20 of con of positivity. 22 games against Big Ten But none of that matters opponents. if you do not win enough The Rutgers loss sadgames. After blowing a dled Locksley with an 10-point lead and losing to overall 39-54 record and lowly Rutgers on Oct. 17, doomed his fate. Locksley and Maryland “It’s actually not hard came to the “mutual decito win at Maryland; it’s sion” to part ways. hard to win consistently at
Photo courtesy of Washington Informer
Mike Locksley led Maryland to three consecutive bowl victories but was shown the door after a loss to lowly Rutgers on Oct. 17 and several subpar seasons. Maryland,” said Locksley. Do you know what else is hard? Finding African American head coaches in the Power Four conferences. Of the 67 football programs in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, just four have permanent Black head coaches. Including Marcus Freeman at independent Notre Dame
brings the total to five among 68 programs. Joining him are Deion Sanders, Colorado; Fran Brown, Syracuse; Tony Elliott, Virginia; and James Franklin, Virginia Tech. While Black players comprise almost 50% of the respective rosters of 138 teams in major college football, only 12 teams have a Black head coach.
With Locksley’s dismissal comes the sobering truth that the Big Ten and SEC do not have a permanent Black head coach in their respective ranks. Aazaar Abdul-Rahim is serving as Maryland’s interim head coach for the rest of the 2026 season, but it is highly unlikely that he will land the job. I doubt he will receive a chance to interview for the position. After battling and winning over bladder cancer, Sanders is still in charge at Colorado — for now. The Buffaloes were blasted 57-24 by Oklahoma State last Saturday and fell to 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the Big 12. During his fourth season at Colorado, Sanders is 18-26 and has just one winning season. Sanders’ seat is now warm enough to melt the winter snow in the Rockies. Should he decide to move on — or be told to do so — college football could lose another Black coach. It’s obvious that a lack of African American head football coaches is not a concern of the
NCAA or athletic directors at respective universities. That is a loss for Black America and for the game of football. The Reid Roundup Jaylen Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers said there is “no beef” between him and former teammate Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. While Tatum used profanity to say the same in an Instagram post, Brown was witty, saying no beef, “But it might be a little lamb chops and some gravy.” Sorry, guys, it’s not only a beef, it is a porterhouse steak…St. Louis native Jameson Williams caught five passes for 91 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Detroit’s 20-17 win over Green Bay. Williams now has back-to-back two-touchdown games and topped 90 receiving yards in two of his last three games… Another STLborn star, Chicago Bears receiver Luther Burden III, had a big game last Thursday. He caught four passes for 130 yards and a touchdown in a win over the New England Patriots.
B6
ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCT. 29 – NOV. 4, 2026
Photos by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American St. Louis’ own Cornell Young IV with twin David Vann and Morgan Casey (center) at the Voter Day Party presented by Casey and Action St. Louis at The Marquee
Putting the Lou in Louisiana. The moment we had all been waiting for arrived Friday night at Enterprise Center. Cash Money and No Limit joined forces to bring New Orleans hip hop to its unofficial French sister city. Now the quality of the show depends on who you ask. Some folks got their whole life, while others were giving “they could have kept that” energy, with most of the shade directed at No Limit. What I will say – and all the folks who suffered through whatever that was No Limit brought to the STL in 2019 will vouch for me – is that Friday’s concert was an improvement by leaps and bounds! St. Louis gets a bad rap for being a funny acting audience. However, the soulful army that marched up Clark Street in all kinds of camo gear despite the shenanigans of the last “show,’ let everyone know that we are No Limit soldiers for life. What I will also say is that Cash Money and No Limit let somebody who didn’t rep for either squad show them up. Boosie’s bite-sized set gave me exactly what I expected from him and that box. Juvie got it in for Cash Money, too. Now some of y’all were complaining about the energy level of No Limit like they’re not 30 years in the game. I’d like to see some of y’all try to hop around like you did in the 1900s. I can’t even wake up like I did 30 years ago. I kicked the covers off too aggressively the other morning and thought I was gonna have rent a motorized scooter! Two hip hop shows, two hits. Now, I’m gonna keep it a buck and say I had my doubts about what the crowd was gonna look like for Show Me Fest 2 with DaBaby and ‘nem at Chaifetz the day after No Limit and Cash Money had us on 10 at Enterprise Center. But clearly one has nothing to do with the other. I also should’ve known that Phil and his Liquid Assets crew have been in the game long enough to know what they are doing. The mamas, daddies, aunties and uncs were at No Limit/Cash Money. I’m also gonna include grandparents for that Hershel who popped in camouflage overalls. He looked like he had a deer laid out in the back of his pickup truck waiting to be skinned. But this post is about DaBaby, Moneybagg Yo and their fans so let me get back to that. The nieces, nephews IG baddies and another term for young men who have the capacity to cut up that is NSFP were deep up in that Chaifetz! When I tell you the way I kicked on Friday and Saturday was like night and day – but I had a time both evenings. I don’t know what Moneybagg Yo’s hair is going through, but he was blinged out! If I wore jewelry that heavy, they would have had to push me up on stage in a wheelchair. DaBaby showed us that him jumping from a two-story stage was not a one-off. He hopped up in that crowd like he used to run the hurdles or did gymnastics in high school. And thanks DaBaby, for recognizing that STL is a city full of baddies. The way I grabbed a hand full of air and said, “And is! Period…” you wouldn’t have thought that I was old enough to be everybody but Moneybagg’s mama. A different day party. As fine as Cornell Young IV is on “A Different World,” that screen does Shaquille no justice! Let me describe my experience of seeing him in real life thanks to Action St. Louis and Morgan Casey’s Voter Day Party. It was like I had been watching a 540p TV for decades before I hit a lick on a Black Friday 4K flat screen. Aaron Pierre Jr. is something to see, just like his non-biological father! And so is Cornell’s actual biological brother David Vann, who was on deck for the afternoon. Dudes with locs are not even my jam, but I will make every exception for him. And he had the nerve to have a cute personality too. I was batting what’s left of my Salute lashes like I really had a chance! He came back home to get folks energized about going to the polls, and the party was the exact right vibe. I want to shout out Kayla, Ohun, Morgan and everybody else involved with doing their part
Rising singer and actress Zyland with Baton Rouge rap star Boosie, who performed with No Limit and Cash Money on Friday at Enterprise Center No Limit legend Mia X with Innergy before performing alongside fellow Louisiana rap veterans Friday night at Enterprise Center to get the young folks out to vote. And I’m really hoping that y’all slide up to your polling station like y’all stepped to the left and right at The Marquee! And shout out to Andre and Melanie for making your girl feel like I never left, even though I hadn’t been through in a minute. I won’t stay away so long next time.
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
Fans tried to match Rakim word for word as he moved across the stage in a sweatshirt, freshly pressed jeans and a single heavy gold chain with a medallion.
Continued from B1 delivery makes every bar feel intentional. He treated rhyme like architecture — stacking internal patterns and bending syllables in ways that forced the genre to grow up. Where early MCs leaned on volume and bravado, Rakim relied on discipline. His flow was steady, almost meditative, but the complexity underneath it pushed hip hop into a new era. He opened the show with “Eric B. for President,” an ode to DJs that also marked a new realm of possibility for rappers. “Make ’em clap to this,” the crowd chimed in without prompting. A tall man near the front — dressed for an R&B show in a fedora and tailored layers — stood up and rapped along with Rakim like he was right
beside him onstage. Rakim is in mint condition — both in stage presence and rhyme delivery. No backing vocals. No stumbles. Fans tried to match him word for word as he moved across the stage in a sweatshirt, freshly pressed jeans and a single heavy gold chain with a medallion. He gripped the mic low, letting his voice sit right on top of the beat. He followed with “Let the Rhythm Hit ’Em,” the title track from the duo’s third studio album. Technician repeatedly promised they would “unload the whole clip” of Rakim’s catalog. They came close. Rakim effortlessly dove into deeper cuts like “Casualties of War” and “Mahogany.” Technician mashed up “Mahogany” with Sade’s “Cherish the Day,” using the moment for a bit where Rakim claimed the sultry songstress had a crush on
him. Their chemistry was easy, and Rakim appeared to genuinely enjoy himself from start to finish. The show dug into the crates but didn’t skip the classics — “Don’t Sweat the Technique” and “I Ain’t No Joke.” The intimate setting made it clear why he sits on the Mount Rushmore of rap gods. He is the prototype for lyricists who chase intricate rhyme schemes. His conversational flow — carrying both skill and substance — helped move hip hop beyond genre into art form. Friday night’s showing — particularly his closing performances of “Paid in Full” and his a cappella finale “Follow the Leader” — underscored how much credit he deserves for helping build a cultural phenomenon with more than a half-century of staying power.
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FIREMEDIC Pattonville Fire Protection District is accepting applications for a FIREMEDIC position. Must meet minimum qualifications, please see website www. pattonvillefd.com for details. Applications can be obtained from our website or picked up at the Fire District Administration Building; 13900 St. Charles Rock Road, Bridgeton, Missouri, 63044; from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday, November 2nd, 2026, through Tuesday, November 17th, 2026.
PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Requests for Quotes, Bids, Proposals and Single Source Procurements are posted on-line for public download. Please navigate to: > www.msdprojectclear.org > Doing Business With Us > View Bid Opportunities The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer
SEALED BIDS
SEALED BIDS
Bids for Bids for Update Replace CCC Restroom Security Doors and Renovate at Fulton Wa s h i n g t o n Reception and State Park CCC Diagnostic Restroom into Correctional Cabin, Desoto, Center, Project No. C2505Missouri Project 01, will be No. X2337-01 received by will be received FMDC, State of by FMDC, State MO, UNTIL of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, 1:30PM, November 19, 12/3/26. Project 2026. Project information information available at: available at: http://oa.mo. http://oa.mo. gov/facilities gov/facilities
River City Construction, LLC is the Construction Manager at
Risk for the University of Missouri Keene Street Envelope & Infrastructure Improvements project in Columbia, MO. The University of Missouri / River City Construction, LLC as the Construction Manager, is accepting bids for the Work Categories in Bid Package 2 noted below on November 12th, 2026 at 1:30PM CST via the online bidding platform per the link in Section 00 0001 – Notice to Bidders: • 1.2 Site Services • 7.2A Fluid Air Barrier • 7.2B Roofing and Sheet Metal • 9.2 Drywall & Metal Framing/Ceilings
SLPO 2027 RESPONSIVE GRANT CYCLE IS NOW OPEN! GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND COMPLIMENTARY WORKSHOP FOR NONPROFITS SERVING ST. LOUIS CITY RESIDENTS The St. Louis Philanthropic Organization (SLPO) invites eligible nonprofit organizations to apply for its 2027 Responsive Grants and participate in a complimentary capacity building workshop. From Crisis to Clarity: Navigating Organizational Pressure and Building an Implementable Path Forward will help nonprofit leaders assess organizational capacity, clarify priorities, make strategic decisions, explore collaboration opportunities, and develop practical steps toward sustainability. Participants will also learn about the SLPO 2027 Responsive Grant cycle, which is now open, and the application process.
Additionally, River City Construction, LLC is pursuing the work categories below as a General Contractor and will be receiving bids from applicable subcontractors and suppliers on November 12th, 2026, at 1:30PM CST. Bids should be submitted to the email address noted by the bid package below: • 1.2 Site Services (Justin Beaty, jbeaty@rccsg.com) Bid documents can be obtained by visiting our website at: https://www.rccllc.com/smart-bid/. The link to the project will be located under the link: River City – Peoria. River City Construction, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed bids for 27-108 – Barkwood Trails Drive Reconstruction, Federal Project No. STBG-7305(622) will be received by the City of St. Peters, Purchasing Department, City Hall, One St. Peters Centre Boulevard, P.O. Box 9, St. Peters, Missouri 63376 until 2:00 PM local time, November 20, 2026 and then opened and read aloud. Contract Documents will be available on October 29, 2026 and may be obtained from the City of St. Peters website https://mo-stpeters.civicplus. com/Bids.aspx.
Thursday, November 19, 2026 | 9:00–11:30 a.m. Missouri Foundation for Health, 4254 Vista Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
All questions regarding this project shall be submitted to the City of St. Peters Purchasing Department in writing to Bids@stpetersmo.net under the subject line Bid 27-108 – Barkwood Trails Drive Reconstruction, Federal Project No. STBG-7305(622) before noon local time, November 12, 2026.
Facilitated by Monique Norfolk of Mosaic Beginnings, the workshop will be offered in person and virtually. Continental breakfast will be provided for in-person attendees; seating is limited.
Special Needs: If you have special needs addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, please notify Bids@stpetersmo.net under the subject line Bid 27-108 – Barkwood Trails Drive Reconstruction, Federal Project No. STBG-7305(622), or through Missouri Relay System, TDD 636-477-6600, extension 1277, at least five (5) working days prior to the bid opening you plan to attend.
Visit www.stlphilanthropic.org for grant information and access to the Grant Portal.
All labor used in the construction of this public improvement shall be paid a wage no less than the prevailing hourly rate of wages of work of a similar character in this locality as established by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (Federal Wage Rate), or state wage rate, whichever is higher. The City of St. Peters hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, ancestry, or national origin in consideration for an award. A DBE goal of zero percent (0%) has been established for this project. Only the work performed by approved DBE subcontractors at the time of the bid opening will be applied towards calculating the DBE goal. All prospective bidders are required to complete the DBE Submittal Form, made part of Section W of the contract document, and submit it with the bid proposal or within three working days after the bid opening date. Failure to deliver the completed and executed DBE Submittal Form showing DBE participation by 4:00 p.m. on the third working day after the bid opening date may be cause for rejection of the low bid and the proposed guaranty will become the property of the City of St. Peters. If any DBE’s shown on the DBE Submittal Form are not shown on the approved listings, then that DBE’s work will not be counted as DBE participation work and may be cause for rejection of the bid. All bidders must be on MoDOT’s Qualified Contractor List per Section 102.2 of the Missouri Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, 2026 Edition including all revisions. The contractor questionnaire must be on file 7 days prior to bid opening. Contractors and sub-contractors who sign a contract to work on public works project provide a 10-Hour OSHA construction safety program, or similar program approved by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, to be completed by their on-site employees within sixty (60) days of beginning work on the construction project. A bid bond in the amount of 5% (five percent) shall be submitted with each proposal. This project has no On the Job Training (OJT) Goal. The City of St. Peters reserves the right to reject any or all bids. No 2nd tier subcontracting will be allowed on this project. This project will be awarded to the lowest, responsive and responsible bidder
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Bids & Public Notices
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CITY OF ST. LOUIS BOARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS for PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR LINDBERGH TUNNEL INSPECTION AND DOCUMENTATION FOR YEAR 2027 AT ST. LOUIS LAMBERT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. Statements of Qualifications due by 5:00 PM CT, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2026 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/public-service/ bps-online-plan-room.cfm under On Line Plan RoomPlan Room, or email bryanth@stlouis-mo.gov.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Great Rivers Greenway is requesting proposals for: Marketing, Public relations, Photography, Videography, Graphic design, Digital content services, and/or Web development services. Go to great riversgreenway.org/ vendors for details and submit by November 14, 2026. To Advertise Real Estate, Angelita Houston at ahouston@stlamerican. com 314-289-5430
ROOMS FOR RENT Upscale, Very Clean, Good heating and cooling. Cable 314-484-3147 ROOMS FOR RENT
FURNISHED ROOM FOR RENT Lg Rms, Near Buslines, Util. Cable, Laundry, Mature Adults & VET Welcome $125/wk
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BUTTERFLY DOME REPLACEMENT RFP 2026 The Saint Louis Zoo seeks bids from qualified vendors. Bid documents are available as of 10/28/26 on the Saint Louis Zoo website: stlzoo.org/vendor.
REQUEST FOR BIDS Great Rivers Greenway is requesting bids for Missouri Greenway: Monarch Chesterfield Levee Trail Signage Replacement Project. Go to www.greatriversgre enway.org/bids and submit by November 06, 2026. MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOOK GRAPHIC DESIGN RFP The Missouri Historical Society Press, a not-for-profit publisher, is creating a book on the Great Divorce of St. Louis City and County. We are seeking a graphic designer to lay out the book and design the cover. Please visit https:// mohistory.org/about/ requests-for-proposal for details. Submission Deadline: November 13, 2026 An Equal Opportunity Employer
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SEALED REQUEST FOR BIDS QUALIFICATION Bids for Big FOR SPORTS Lake State TOURISM Park-Reclaim & Stabilize DEVELOPMENT Marsh Phase 1 Campgrounds, The St. Louis Regional Craig, MO Convention and Visitors Project No. Commission (CVC), X2509-01 will be received by aka Explore St. Louis, FMDC, State of has launched a Request MO, UNTIL for Qualifications with 1:30 PM, the intent of retaining a 12/1/26. Project consultant to manage a information competitive process for available at: selecting an independent http://oa.mo. feasibility study team for gov/facilities
potential redevelopment of the South County Mall into a sports tourism facility. SEALED More information is BIDS available at https:// explorestlouis.com/aboutBids for us/rfps-rfqs/ Renovate
Interior to MISSOURI Create Storage, HISTORICAL General Headquarters SOCIETY Garage, BOOK GRAPHIC Jefferson City DESIGN RFP Project No. R2506-01 will The Missouri be received by Historical Society FMDC, State of Press, a not-for-profit MO, UNTIL publisher, is creating a 1:30 PM, December 3, book on the Lindbergh 2026. Project Collection. information We are seeking a available at: graphic designer to http://oa.mo. lay out the book and gov/facilities
design the cover. Please visit https:// mohistory.org/about/ requests-for-proposal for details. Submission Deadline: November 9, 2026
An Equal Opportunity Employer
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS #: 57826300, Educational Promotional Podcast/Online Education Prevention Curriculum Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is requesting proposals from qualified individuals or organizations to provide the above listed requirement. If interested, a copy of the request for proposals can be obtained by emailing Barbara A. Morrow at email address: morrowb@hssu.edu and Erika Cotton at cottone@hssu. edu. Proposals are due no later than 11:00 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST) on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 and must be emailed to: morrowb@hssu.edu and cottone@hssu.edu. The University reserves the right to accept or reject any or all responses received, or to cancel this request in part or in its entirety if it is in the best interests of the University to do so. SEALED BIDS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Bids for REBIDFulton Reception and Diagnostic Center HVAC Improvements, Project No. C2406-01 will be received by FMDC, State of MO, UNTIL 1:30 PM, November 3, 2026. Project information available at: http://oa.mo. gov/facilities
St. Louis Economic Development Partnership requests proposals from qualified firms to conduct a comprehensive cost benefit analysis, feasibility study, boundary analysis and implementation roadmap for a potential special taxing district along Bellefontaine Road between Spanish Pond Road and Trampe Avenue in the Spanish Lake community in unincorporated St. Louis County, Missouri. A copy of the RFP is available at https://stlpartnership. com/rfp-rfq/. Proposals must be received no later than 3 PM CT on Friday, November 6, 2026. Equal Opportunity Employer
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Bishop Barber rallies voters ahead of midterms St. Louis joins nationwide campaign for 1,000 marches to the polls By Joseph Williams Word In Black With the Nov. 3 midterm elections approaching, Bishop William J. Barber II and Repairers of the Breach are organizing hundreds of community marches to voting sites across the country, including in St. Louis. Washington Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church is listed as a participant in the national “100 Days; 1,000 Marches to the Polls” campaign, with an Election Day event scheduled for Nov. 3. A map on the Repairers of the Breach website lists 50 participants for the event, reported by Annissa G. McCaskill. The entry references the city of St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Clair and Madison counties in Illinois. The campaign asks faith communities and neighborhood organizations to accompany voters to voting sites and continue mobilizing through Election Day. By Oct. 15, the organization reported surpassing the halfway mark toward its goal, with 652 marches organized in 428 locations nationwide. Organizers describe the effort as nonviolent and nonpartisan, with an invitation extending beyond sanctuaries to campuses,
Bishop William J. Barber II is leading a nationwide effort to mobilize voters through 1,000 community marches to the polls ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm.
lodges and other community gathering places. Power of the ballot For Black communities, the effort connects protecting voting rights with understanding the everyday consequences of who holds public office. Barber carried that message to North Carolina Central University in Durham on Oct. 15, the first day of early voting in North Carolina. Marchers gathered at St. Joseph AME Church before walking to the university’s law school, where voting was underway, NC Newsline reported. “We marched for it. We fought for it, mobilized,” Barber told reporters. His message linked participation in the election — and who’s elected — to health care, funding for historically Black colleges and universities and whether working families earn a living wage. He challenged political candidates to explain the policies they support, rather than simply identify what they oppose. Barber’s national Love Forward Together initiative aims to mobilize 5 million low-wage, infrequent voters, particularly in Southern and battleground states. In addition to marches, organizers are
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using peer-to-peer text messages, phone banking and door-to-door canvassing to reach people who may otherwise sit out the election. “You cannot have a democracy unless you have participation,” he said. That approach places personal relationships at the center of the work: a congregation organizing its members, neighbors contacting neighbors and local groups helping turn an intention to vote into a plan. From Seattle to St. Croix The campaign’s reach
continued to expand this month. Religion News Service reported that, as of Oct. 9, more than 600 individuals, churches and other groups had signed up in more than 400 locations, stretching from Seattle to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Those signups reflected organizing commitments, rather than a tally of completed marches. Barber has urged participants to demonstrate “conspicuous courage,” linking public participation with the sacrifices of earlier generations who fought for access to the ballot. His appeal comes as Black faith leaders broaden voter
outreach beyond traditional worship services. The organizing builds on Barber’s years of connecting faith, racial justice and economic policy. A former North Carolina NAACP president, he helped lead the Moral Monday movement beginning in 2013 and revived the Poor People’s Campaign in 2018. Acting locally The Repairers of the Breach map also lists an Aug. 4 march associated with Blackwell Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church at The Met, with 10 participants reported. Together,
the two St. Louis-area entries account for 60 reported participants. Washington Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church has also promoted the #SacredVoteSTL initiative, encouraging members to learn about Missouri ballot measures and participate in the election. In a Facebook post, the church directed members to voter outreach organized through Metropolitan Congregations United and encouraged them to share photos after voting. Across the country, the campaign is asking communities to organize marches around their own early voting calendars and prepare for Election Day, when early voting is no longer available. Repairers of the Breach offers an online signup for march organizers and a way to find nearby events. Its invitation includes churches and synagogues, students and community groups — people willing to bring others with them. For Barber’s coalition, the days leading up to Nov. 3 will test whether those commitments become participation. The larger purpose is to bring people who seldom vote into decisions that shape their daily lives.