September 1st, 2016 Edition

Pastor Scott leaving Central Baptist

Rev. Robert C. Scott, senior pastor of St. Louis’ historic Central Baptist Church, is leaving to lead St. Paul Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Ferguson Police short on officers, staff

Budget crisis, scrutiny and mandated extra training strain hiring

By Mariah Stewart

Of The St. Louis American

The Ferguson Police Department does not have as many police officers as it’s supposed to have, nor as many as the mayor has claimed –and a dispatcher has resigned, saying the department cannot do its job and is putting police and citizens in danger.

“Mistakes are going to happen, and someone is going to get hurt, whether a citizen or officer,” said Shannon Dandridge, who resigned on August 10.

“I don’t feel at this point we can properly staff the dispatch center to keep the community and officers safe. Something needs to be done immediately.”

Dandridge spoke tearfully at a turbulent August 23 meeting of the Ferguson City Council.

Dandridge said budget cuts have decimated staff, reducing her office from seven full-time dispatchers and 10 part-time dispatchers to five full-

n “I understand the need to hire police officers – we are short. I understand the need to hire dispatchers – we are short.”

– Ferguson Police Chief Delrish Moss

time dispatchers and an “unlimited” amount of part-timers.

The number of officers on the street also is down. When the Department of Justice investigation in Ferguson began in 2014, there were 54 officers on the force. By May 2015, that number was down to 43, a Ferguson spokesman told The American. They were down to 41 officers as of mid-July, a spokesman told The Huffington Post, which was

See POLICE, A7

Education advocate

Will lead larger St. Paul Baptist in Charlotte

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

Any Christian would have to accept the Rev. Robert C. Scott’s reason for leaving St. Louis’ historic Central Baptist Church to lead St. Paul Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“I had the sense that this is where God is leading me,” Scott said. “He is calling me to another place to do a wider ministry.” Scott, 47, has been senior pastor at Central Baptist in Midtown since 1999. It has some 1,500 congregants on the roll, with 750-900 people attending church on Sundays, between the two services. St. Paul has roughly three times as many worshippers, with 5,000 people on the roll and a sanctuary that seats about 2,500. He was not looking to leave St. Louis or Central Baptist, but was recruited by St. Paul after Rev. Gregory Moss retired. Hailed by the city’s daily paper as “one of

Deborah Patterson honored at Salute gala on October 1

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

Scientists at Sigma-Aldrich, a chemicalsupply company in Midtown St. Louis, turned down the lights in a classroom-size laboratory, where about 50 K-8 school teachers stood around lab tables wearing white coats.

29th

When the scientists combined two chemicals, the mixture glowed a magical turquoise blue in the dark.

“As the kids would say, that’s tight,” said Cardellia Brand, a 5th grade teacher in the Normandy School District. The Sigma-Aldrich team members were teaching the

teachers a few science experiments that they could do in their classrooms, as part of the STEM Teacher Quality (TQ) Institute.

“If we help a teacher get better at teaching, then we affect so many students,” said Deborah Patterson, recently retired as president of the Monsanto Fund and vice president of global contributions and employee engagement at Monsanto.

“And if they leave a district, they are taking that knowledge with them. A lot of our investment has been helping teachers improve their teaching

American staff

Harris-Stowe State University admitted its largest incoming class in its history, with nearly 600 first-time freshmen and new transfers. This is up from last year’s incoming class of 452, more than 30 percent increase.

Over the past two years, the university has more than doubled its degree offerings.

“Harris-Stowe is continuing to develop and broaden our aggressive recruitment strategy, and it

Photo by Wiley Price

Deborah Patterson

Ferguson Police Chief Delrish Moss tried to connect with a youngster on May 9.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

MempHitz to cash in on Toya as part of their divorce settlement

Last month, news leaked that Toya Wright had filed for divorce from estranged husband Mickey “MempHitz” Wright after five years of marriage. According to The Jasmine Brand, Toya and MempHitz have reached a settlement that will see Toya shelling out some cash.

The agreement – signed by both parties – states neither husband or wife shall seek or receive alimo ny from the other now or in the future. Each will be responsible for their own debt.

Toya agreed to pay $8k to her soon-to-be ex-husband and Mickey will waive all rights to proceeds earned by her from the sale of her book, “How to Lose a Husband” and proceeds from Before Bed Headz, a company she owns.

Chris Brown arrested on suspicion of assault

Singer Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon Tuesday evening, LAPD Lieutenant Chris Ramirez said in a press conference.

Officers responded to a woman’s call for help at Brown’s suburban Los Angeles residence around 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to an LAPD spokesman.

A search warrant was obtained by police Tuesday afternoon and law enforcement officials spent several hours at Brown’s residence before he was taken into custody. “My client’s position is that we’re cooperating,” Brown’s attorney Mark Geragos told HLN’s Dr. Drew Pinsky. “There’s no truth to it, and we’re going to let it play out.”

Brown was booked and later released on $250,000 bail. Geragos tweeted that Brown was “out and well” and called the charges “demonstrably false.”

Brown’s accuser is a woman named Baylee , who claims to be the 2016 Miss California Regional title holder, according to TMZ and the Los Angeles Times. But CNN has confirmed that she was stripped of her title in July.

“She is not the current title holder,” Joshua James, a spokesperson for the Miss California Regional pageant, told CNN.

“She was stripped of her crown

... there were some incidents that we had to investigate, that she was displaying erratic behavior.”

Curran claims that Brown pointed a gun at her after she admired a piece of jewelry a friend of his was showing her.

Earlier Tuesday, Brown, posted three videos to his social media accounts. In one video, the singer railed against the police and media and said he was being unfairly portrayed as a villain.

“At the same time, when I call the police for stalker people that are endangering my life, they don’t come until the next day,” Brown said.

“Then somebody make a [expletive] up allegation about me, and oh yeah the whole [expletive] SWAT team.”

Gladys Knight suing to separate from Chicken and Waffles chain

Back in June, all three Gladys Knight’s Chicken and Waffles restaurants in Atlanta were raided and shut down after the owner, Knight’s son Shanga Hankerson, was arrested and is under investigation for tax evasion and money laundering.

now that the restaurant is being run by a state appointed receiver and Gladys wants out. She is suing to have her name removed from the signs and the return of her music career memorabilia.

Faizon Love kicks up gay rumors about Katt Williams

In an interview with Wanda Smith of V103FM in Atlanta, actor/comedian Faizon Love claimed that his nemesis, Katt Williams, is secretly gay. Love told listeners that Williams’ frustration over living a closeted life is the root of his personal troubles – which has included several arrests and assault accusations.

Faizon Love

According to TMZ, Knight no longer wants her name or image associated with the restaurant and wants all her memorabilia back.

Gladys Knight made a deal with Hankerson to use her name and image back in 1999, but

“If he just came out of that ‘thang’ and be who he is … Come out of the closet. Know what I’m sayin’? Hit Peachtree like a real one,” Faizon said. “He came to Atlanta for a reason. Just come out and say it, it’s all good.” Love, who has been beefing will Williams for several years, claims to have indisputable evidence of Williams’ sexuality.

“Oh yes, yes, yes…He could have a new TV show on A&E or Bravo, ‘The Katt’s Tongue’ or something. Just imagine if him and Caitlyn Jenner did the show together. I’m telling you facts,” Love said.

Sources: V103.com, TMZ.com, The Los Angeles Times, CNN.com

Gladys Knight

George Curry created black journalists

By Alvin A. Reid

For The St. Louis American

There we sat in a St. Louis Community College –Forest Park classroom on a cold January 1977 Saturday morning. About 30 black kids, mostly from the city, comprised the first class of the St. Louis Minority Journalism Workshop.

I was a junior at Kirkwood High School and was on the newspaper staff. Other students also had school newspapers, but most didn’t. Eight weeks later, whether you had any journalistic training or not, you were a newspaperman or woman.

You learned the fine art of interviewing, wrote stories, wrote headlines and helped produce a newspaper. Your stories had been ripped to shreds, your intelligence challenged and you got better – and tougher. George E. Curry was the driving force behind it, and his impact on my career is immeasurable.

That first Saturday Curry made it clear that he and the other staffers from the Post-

Dispatch – which included the late Gerald Boyd, who went on to be a New York Times editor – were not there for fun and games. He promised he would be very hard on us and treat us like we would be treated in a newsroom. We had to be prompt and prepared. We had to accept scathing criticism and that no excuses would be tolerated.

George made kids cry – but he made us razor-sharp. He told us metropolitan newspapers were tough on blacks and that if you wanted to work at one “you have to be better than a white kid, you have to work harder than a white kid.” Racism? He could care less. “Your parents had it harder than you, and their parents had it harder than them,” George told us. “You can’t let it stop you.” I was in the first two Minority Journalism Workshops before I attended the University of Kansas and majored in journalism. My freshman year, black students decided to address several stories in the Daily Kansan

which we felt were biased –and extremely poorly written.

I stayed in touch with George and, when I told him of what was transpiring, I’ll never forget what he said.

“Why don’t you start you

own newspaper?” We did. The Clarion

My career with Gannett would take me to three daily newspapers and then USA TODAY. I looked forward to seeing George at National Association of Black Journalist conventions. He had left

St. Louis for the Chicago Tribune and had become one of America’s prominent black journalists.

He still knew where almost all of his workshop students were who had become

journalists. He took as much pride in us as any journalism award he ever received.

In 1993, I was at USA TODAY Baseball Weekly in Roslyn, Virginia, when George called me.

“I’ve got an offer you can’t refuse,” he said.

Over dinner, he explained that Bob Johnson, BET founder and CEO, had purchased Emerge and two other magazines from TimeWarner in New York and that the magazine operation was moving to Washington, D.C.

He wanted me to be senior editor of Emerge. I gladly accepted.

George turned Emerge into more than just a great black publication. It was one of America’s finest magazines, featuring in-depth articles from some of the nation’s top black newspaper and magazine writers. We broke ground that USA TODAY and other national publications had never cultivated.

Each year, you read about graduation rates of athletes at major colleges and universities. We were the first to glean the information school-by-school and publish it. We called it “The Bottom 50” because so

many schools had 0 percent graduation of black players in football and basketball.

George’s dream job turned nightmarish, because Johnson was more fixated on dollar signs than developing the circulation of the magazine. I could read the writing on the wall and moved back to St. Louis in 1996. The magazine closed shortly thereafter.

Among his many endeavors, George was attempting to create an online version of Emerge when he passed away last week. It is a cause worth continuing.

After Emerge, George became active with the National Newspaper Publishers Association as its editor-inchief and helped its website go from laughingstock to formidable news source. His columns were must-reads and he, as always, pulled no punches when it came to addressing black journalists, politicians or business owners. He joined NNPA just as I was beginning my career with The St. Louis American Our careers always seemed to cross paths, even though his was so much more spectacular than mine. Again, I looked forward to seeing him at annual conferences.

George’s national obituary –he died on Saturday, August 20 at the age of 69 – says he was at his height of success when he was at Emerge. I disagree. George was at his best on winter Saturdays in 1977 and 1978 when he was crafting young, black journalists. He created workshops throughout America, and his former students, including me, did the same. It’s almost impossible to count how many black journalists Curry helped to create, but it is in the thousands – and it all started in St. Louis. Man, I miss you already. Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows. His Twitter handle is @aareid1.

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& Murphy, Merrell, RVCA, Tommy Bahama, toys. Cannot be combined with any

except opening a new Macy’s account. Extra

Columnist Alvin A. Reid

Photo by Maurice Meredith

George E. Curry with Bonita Cornute of FOX 2 News at a Greater St. Louis Association of Black Journalists event in 1995.

Editorial /CommEntary

Post editorial on inclusion at NGA misses the point

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch – departing from decades of tradition – has finally treated a piece of our original reporting as fact that must be acknowledged. Its editorial board made reference to our reporting only to dismiss its importance, saying “it misses the point,” but it’s amazing indeed to see our city’s daily newspaper openly admit that we exist and have our own perspective in the region that must be dealt with.

The Post’s August 29 editorial, “Quota can of worms,” itself misses the point – if you believe, as we do (and the Post does, when editorializing about school districts and municipal courts), that racial equity is a defining issue for the St. Louis region. The Post opines that our reporting on hazy minority-inclusion guidelines for the $1.75 billion construction of a new federal facility in North St. Louis represent a sordid descent into “slicing-and-dicing politics.” Rather than worry about jobs that “are at best temporary,” the Post argues, the focus should be on “the longterm creation of quality, permanent jobs.” This argument is both nonsensical and reductive. It’s nonsensical because all construction jobs are “at best temporary.” That’s the way the industry works – you build things, and then you move on to the next “temporary” job. Building the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) facility in North St. Louis is projected to create 425 construction jobs and 250 “immediate indirect jobs” connected to the construction over three years. Three years of steady employment is more than “temporary” to someone who, unlike the Post’s (all white) editorial writers, does not have a job. Given the enormous amount of public subsidy devoted to this project – $131 million from the State of Missouri; and, from the City of St. Louis, $14 million in free land and a $1.5 million annual contribution for up to 30 years – it is entirely reasonable to demand a workforce that is representative of our local citizenry. Federal inclusion guidelines come nowhere near the African-American population in St. Louis, let alone North St. Louis. The NGA

is the owner on this project. Regardless of NGA

National Director Robert Cardillo’s cluelessness and misdirection on the issue, he can and must demand more representative minority inclusion guidelines on this project.

Further, the Post’s argument is reductive, because it creates a false either-or binary. A representative workforce on the NGA is an imperative in this troubled region, which is hampered by racial inequity that the Post itself has amply documented since the Ferguson unrest. The “long-term creation of quality, permanent jobs” – which has been our editorial mantra, mindful of astronomical black unemployment figures, for many decades – is a separate matter. Is it more important than minority inclusion in construction? Not really, given that we consider the construction trades to offer “quality, permanent jobs.” But it’s both possible and necessary to plan for the long term while pressuring the NGA to do the right thing over the next several years of construction in North St. Louis.

Finally, the Post editorial ends on an offensive note, making the sort of argument that continues to keep its all-white editorial board stuck in an Archie Bunker mentality that its news pages have largely (and remarkably) transcended. The Post ends it editorial with this gem: “the best way to boost representation is to ensure that applicants are hired not because they’re minority but because they’ve got the talent and qualifications for the job.” Get this straight: talented and qualified African Americans are passed over every day by decision-makers (in this region, as at the Post, almost always white) who hire the people they know and feel comfortable with, who tend to be white. Inclusion guidelines are needed to counteract decades and centuries of nepotism, cronyism and (yes) racism on the part of white decision-makers. Just ask any African American who has applied to write a Metro column or editorial in the Post-Dispatch over the last decade or more.

Trump’s hot air balloon is ripping

Donald Trump’s supporters can pretend otherwise, but deep down they must know the truth: Trump has been playing them for fools all along.

All that bluster about creating a “deportation force” to round up 11 million undocumented immigrants and kick them out of the country? Forget about it. Trump is now “softening” that ridiculous pledge, which he could never have carried out, into a new policy in which “we work with them.”

All we know of the details, so far, is what Trump said on August 24 at a town hall hosted by Sean Hannity of Fox News: “Now, everybody agrees we get the bad ones out. But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject, and I’ve had very strong people come up to me, really great, great people come up to me, and they’ve said, ‘Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person who’s been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, it’s so tough, Mr. Trump.’ I mean, I have it all the time. It’s a very, very hard thing.”

Trump talked about how such families will “pay backtaxes, they have to pay taxes,” and claimed that “there’s no amnesty, as such.” If this is indeed Trump’s revised policy, he now advocates the same basic approach as the one laid out in the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” reform bill passed three years ago by the Senate –which immigration hard-liners derided as amnesty. Attempts by allies to explain

L

My 10 years of holding public office has taught me to expect surprises. However, I was completely surprised – actually shocked – when I learned a Cole County prosecutor had suggested I’d been the victim of the group of clergy protesters known as the “Medicaid 23.” When the protesters began their chants in the Senate Gallery, I was on the floor filibustering a separate, but similar, attack on working people. The truth is, this prosecution was nothing more than the latest politically motivated smokescreen aimed at preventing what those protesters, myself and so many other Missourians are fighting for: Medicaid expansion across our state. This initiative was the crux of the protests of those 23 clergy members on trial. Their involvement shows the basic moral issue involved with any policy, plan or law that affects health care for our poor. Extremists have subjected people they serve to sickness and even death because of an ideological opposition to

Obamacare. And the actions of the Medicaid 23 highlight the inherent moral problems with that obstruction. However, equal attention, I think, should be given to the morality also inherent in any policy, plan or law that has an economic impact on citizens. Jobs provide a critical societal anchor because work provides the means for a quality existence. The Republican majority’s refusal to expand Medicaid has cost our state tens of thousands of jobs, billions in economic development and

n Extremists have subjected people they serve to sickness and even death because of an ideological opposition to Obamacare.

untold numbers of societal benefits that work provides. The numbers are clear. A February 2013, study predicted our state would receive $1.6 billion in new federal Medicaid funds if expansion passed the next year. Those funds would have created 16,400 new jobs across all sectors of Missouri’s economy. That’s a full 0.43 percent increase in our state’s workforce at a time when we are sorely in need of new jobs.

That growth wasn’t limited to the health care sector. In fact, the study explained that, because of the multiplier effect, many industries stood to benefit. “The increased federal funding and jobs created are projected to increase economic activity in Missouri by nearly $2 billion in 2016,” the study concluded.

Instead, here we are two years later. An opportunity to put to over 16,000 Missourians to work ... wasted. The chance to grow our state’s moribund economy by nearly $2 billion ... squandered. Both replaced by the termination of hundreds of local hospital jobs due to shortfalls in funding.

When the General Assembly convenes in January 2017, we must end this economic and moral malpractice. The real victims here are the thousands of Missourians penalized with sicker lives and fewer jobs created by political pettiness – no matter what a misguided prosecutor might claim.

So, please the join me, the Medicaid 23 and our entire coalition of business groups, community organizations and activists fighting for Medicaid expansion as we intensify our efforts in the months ahead.

It’s time for our state to show basic benevolence. It’s time for our legislators to exhibit simple economic sense. It’s time to expand Medicaid.

Jamilah Nasheed (D-St. Louis) represents Missouri’s 5th Senate District.

the complete reversal have been comic. My favorite came from Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson, who said this on CNN: “He hasn’t changed his position on immigration, he’s changed the words that he is saying.”

That absurdist formulation sounds like something from the experimental writings of author Gertrude Stein – who, come to think of it, gave us the perfect blanket description of the entire Trump campaign: “There is no there there.”

Columnist Eugene Robinson

There never was any “there” in Trump’s wild promises. No, he was never going to be able to roust millions of people from their homes. No, he was never going to be able to ban all foreign Muslims from entering the country.

Trump continues to claim that, if elected president, he will build a wall along the entire southern border and get Mexico to pay for it. This, too, would be logistically and politically impossible, but I believe he’ll keep saying it until the bitter end.

I understand the frustration that made the Republican base such fertile ground for the Trump phenomenon to flourish. The GOP leadership spent the entire Obama administration making promises it knew it could not keep – on

etters to the editor

He told our stories

My thoughts and prayers are with George E. Curry’s family and friends as they mourn his passing.

George was one of the most well-respected, fair and talented journalists in America – blazing a trail for African Americans in newsrooms nationwide. His contributions to the Civil Rights Movement were immeasurable, reporting African Americans’ struggles and triumphs to the entire country. He told our stories when many were afraid to do so.

George mentored countless African American journalists during his career, and inspired many others. Like all of his readers, I will miss George’s incredible wit and his astute commentary.

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Baltimore

Bringing meaningful changes

State Rep. Shamed Dogan (R-98) says he wants to end “policing-for-profit” and reform the civil asset forfeiture program. Policing-for-profit has two facets: Garnering revenue for one’s employer via ticketing citizens is one, and arresting folks near quitting time (i.e., DWI) to tap overtime wages is the other. The civil asset forfeiture program was brought into existence to disrupt highlevel drug trafficking, but it evolved into a law enforcement tool that has repeatedly been used to financially bludgeon lesser criminals.

Dogan also suggests “outside investigations into officerinvolved deaths.” That’s a simplistic approach to a complex problem.

America is awash in guns. Second Amendment zealots continue to fuel the twisted contention that citizens “packing heat” is the only way real Americans can protect themselves, their women and the flag. Thus it is understandable that cops, who are often out-gunned by criminals, develop a selfpreservation mentality that

immigration, the economy, fighting terrorism, repealing Obamacare and so on. This was good short-term politics, especially in the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections, but many voters became disillusioned with politics and politicians. Enter Trump, a nonpolitician with zero scruples, who quickly identified which buttons to push – and pushed them like crazy.

I also understand that for some voters, Hillary Clinton is basically, as Trump called her, “the devil.” There are those who will vote for Trump just to keep his opponent from becoming president. But no one, at this point, should cling to the illusion that a vote for Trump is a vote for any specific policy on any given issue. Having said all kinds of outrageous things to win the nomination, he is now trying – clumsily – to say more moderate things in an attempt not to get crushed in November. I wouldn’t take his new, “humane” immigration stance any more seriously than his earlier draconian pronouncements. In a sense, spokeswoman Pierson was right: Trump doesn’t actually have positions. He only has words. There is anger, bigotry and ignorance behind many of those words. But mostly, where substance ought to be found, there is just arrogance and ego. Trump thinks his supporters are suckers who will line up to buy deportation one day and amnesty the next. Some champion.

All letters are edited for length and style.

leads to the often-unnecessary use of lethal force. Unbiased investigation of police shootings is laudable and should be the norm. But investigations are after-the-fact and don’t address the many complex social, psychological and economic issues of our gun-toting society.

Bringing meaningful changes to the criminal justice arena often involves stepping on politicians’ toes. Doing so in St. Louis often ends one’s political career. So, good luck, Rep. Dogan.

Michael K. Broughton Green Park

Champion women’s economic policies

African American Women’s Equal Pay Day symbolizes how far into the year AfricanAmerican women must work to earn what white, non-Hispanic men earned in the previous year

for the same work. AfricanAmerican women make 60 cents for every dollar earned by a white, non-Hispanic man, a million-dollar loss in income over a 40-year career. As we mark African American Women’s Equal Pay Day, we are reminded of the staggering pay injustice that impacts millions of working women and their families. Enough is enough – in November, we must elect leaders who finally see this disparity for what it is: discrimination. The EMILY’s List community is committed to helping elect Hillary Clinton and Democratic women up and down the ballot who will champion women’s economic policies like equal pay for equal work and paid family leave. We must hold Republicans accountable for their continued failure to address these issues and that starts at the ballot box.

Stephanie Schriock, president, EMILY’s List

By state Senator Jamilah Nasheed Guest columnist

Girl Scouts give cookies to service members

Members of Girl Scout Troop 3539 stand with Sgt. Maj. Jon David Jerome and Gunnery Sgt. Jeremiah Fisher of the United States Marines, and some of the 70,400 packages of cookies donated by Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri to the USO of Missouri. More than 15,000 additional packages than last year’s contribution, the donation is valued at more than $281,000.

Free assistance obtaining IDs and documents

Since 1993, St Francis Xavier College Church Social Ministry has provided assistance to low-income and homeless individuals in the St. Louis area with obtaining birth certificates and Missouri state identification cards. These documents are required for individuals and families to access housing, employment, education, health care, and other needed social services.

Volunteers work one-on-one with guests to both navigate the process of obtaining documents and to provide them with a voucher to cover the cost of their documents. The Outreach Program receives referrals from over 120 St. Louis-area organizations. In addition to assistance with birth certificates and IDs, the program provides a bag lunch and toiletry kit.

For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Christine Dragonette at (314) 977-7309 or dragonettecm@slu.edu.

School supply drive at the circus

The St. Louis Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. has teamed up with UniverSoul Circus for a “Tools for School” school supply drive during all circus performances. The supplies will be distributed to St. Louis Public Schools, Miriam Middle School and The Hope House. The UniverSoul Circus will perform through September 5 at the parking lot next to The Dome at 1111 North Broadway. Saturday, September 3 at 4 p.m. is designated as “Jack and Jill Day” at the circus where a special presentation will be made by the St. Louis Chapter. For more information about Jack and Jill of America, Inc., visit www.jackandjillstl.org or www. jackandjillinc.org.

General Assembly’s seven deadly sins

By Ashli Bolden Guest columnist

The 2016 session of the Missouri General Assembly concluded in May. It is critical that St. Louis residents understand what lawmakers did – and did not –accomplish, and the impact of their work on black people.

Legislators must be held accountable to the people; therefore, we urge our fellow St. Louisans to absorb our analysis of these key policy areas. Our legislature is failing our community. Their policy “achievements” prove that. Please remember these seven major issues in mind when you vote on November 8.

Lawmakers continue their annual attack on voting rights, passing a measure to put photo ID on the November ballot. Requiring photo IDs to vote is a solution in search of a problem, and a blatant attack on the voting rights of black and poor people. St. Louisans, and all Missourians who believe in our constitutional right to vote, must vote NO on Amendment 6.

Lawmakers also passed, in an appalling move, a controversial Stand Your Ground measure. Missouri now has the dubious distinction of being the first state to pass such a law since the murder of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Stand Your Ground is an assault on the lives of black people and will contribute to more gun-related deaths in Missouri.

Missouri has the worst campaign ethics laws in the country, and legislators clearly want to keep it that way. They passed a better-than-nothing six-month waiting period before a lawmaker can cash in and become a lobbyist. They can’t serve as political consultants anymore, but, by failing to limit gifts from lobbyists, legislation limiting campaign contributions withered on the vine. Jefferson City remains a cesspool vulnerable to the worst kind of corruption.

Missouri is in the midst of an opioid addiction epidemic, yet legislators clocked out having rejected a prescription registry bill. Missouri remains the only state without a prescription drug registry to help doctors and pharmacies fight opioid addiction. St. Louis can expect recent crime rates to continue their upward climb.

Rather than do their job and add $425 million to the budget needed for K-12 (according to their own mandate), legislators pulled a stunningly dishonest move and declared no funding gap exists. This leaves public schools with the aftermath of legislators’ failure to act. Kids and community will suffer the consequences. Lawmakers again attacked Planned Parenthood, actually cutting the health care provider from the state budget. This will cost Missouri $8 million in federal funds. The black infant mortality rate in St. Louis city is four times the national average; black women die from childbirth at twice the national average. Still, lawmakers pandered to their conservative base, rather than fund life-saving healthcare for black women and babies. Gov. Nixon must now find alternative funding for the 13 Missouri Planned Parenthood clinics.

Finally, lawmakers again failed to require cities with 100,000 or more populations to equip police officers with body cameras. They also voted to restrict access to some police videos, thus creating less accountability and transparency. Watch for petitions eliminating the St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, freeing up funds for body cameras.

Veto session begins September 14. The Black Alliance for Leadership & Action encourages voters to call your state senators and state representatives and ask them to sustain the following bills vetoed by Governor Nixon: HB1631 (requires voters to show a photo ID), SB 656 (includes Stand your Ground). Ashli Bolden is a member of Black Alliance for Leadership & Action, a strategic think tank and convening space around issues impacting black people in St. Louis.

Ashli Bolden

SCOTT

Continued from A1

was selected, the decision was put to a vote, Scott said, with 98 percent of the congregation agreeing with the deacon board.

The offer was made, and on Monday, August 29, after “prayerful deliberation,” Scott decided that God was leading him to Charlotte – and away from St. Louis.

“It was a tough decision,” Scott said. “I love Central. God has done amazing work with us here.

We have expanded our footprint, as far as our community is concerned, and had a great impact for our community.”

He reflected on his work with Pastor Freddy J. Clark of Shalom Church (City of Peace) in convening the Call to Oneness in 2008.

n “It was a tough decision. I love Central Baptist. God has done amazing work with us here.”

tide is turning. “I daresay St. Louis is making some headway, but it has such a long way to go,” he said. “The issues are so entrenched systemically, it is going to take a lot of work. The Ferguson Commission was really able to underline the issues, but there is still such a long way to go. We are still scratching the surface.” In his new pulpit, he will face similar issues – and be expected to lead. The pastor he is replacing is close to Rev. William J. Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP, and St. Paul is “intricately involved” with the Moral Mondays movement that Barber founded (and that was transplanted to St. Louis via the Ferguson movement).

– Rev. Robert C. Scott

“We were trying to get our community, particularly African-American men, to deal with issues of violence,” Scott said. “We were really onto something.”

Of course, the St. Louis region has seen improvements since 2008. With the eruption of Ferguson in 2014, the nation (and, indeed, the world) became aware of the grievances of the black community in St. Louis. However, Scott does not feel as if he is leaving just as the

CLASS

Continued from A1 is yielding great results,” said Loretta McDonald, director of Harris-Stowe’s Office of Admissions.

“St. Paul has a history of engaging in front-line social justice,” Scott said, and furthering that legacy was critical in its search for a new pastor.

On the level of bricks and mortar, Scott is joining a church in the midst of realizing a $17 million housing development. “I have an opportunity to do greater work, as far as the Kingdom is concerned,” Barber said. He also is returning home, in a sense. A native of Monticello, Mississippi, he left home at 21 to attend seminary at Duke University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He lived in

Greensboro as a student and pastored about an hour and 10 minutes above Charlotte in the small town of Lexington. But he also is leaving the only home that his daughter, Charis, who will be 7 in

October, has ever known.

“She has questions about moving,” Scott said. “She has never moved before. But children tend to be resilient, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for her to see

Rev. Robert Scott, 47, has been senior pastor at Central Baptist in Midtown since 1999. It has some 1,500 congregants on the roll, with 750900 people attending church on Sundays, between the two services. St. Paul has roughly three times as many worshippers, with 5,000 people on the roll and a sanctuary that seats about 2,500.

another part of the country.” He and his wife, Pier Scott, are also leaving a web of supportive family. His sister, Catina Scott Williams, and Pier’s parents, Dayle and Carolyn Curry, live here.

“They have been a great help and blessing to us, and will be greatly missed,” Scott said. He also will miss the guys he plays basketball with three days a week at the Kirkwood YMCA, his Omega Psi Phi brothers in the local chapter, the local ministers in the Baptist Union he fellowships with on Tuesdays, the St. Louis Cardinals, the Gateway Arch – and The St. Louis American “I have traveled the width and breadth of this great land and preached in quite a lot of pulpits in those great cities, and am yet to see another African-American newspaper as good as The St. Louis American,” Scott said. “I will miss it every Thursday.” He will lead his last service at Central Baptist on September 18. “Though I am leaving, this is the Lord’s church,” he said he plans to tell the flock, “and the best days are ahead. The next person will take them to higher heights in the community and the Kingdom.” Central Baptist has not yet selected an interim pastor. Willie Nobles, chair of the deacon board, will lead the search for the next pastor, in consultation with Rev. Muriel Johnson, Area 5 minister of the Great Rivers Region of American Baptist Churches. His first service leading St. Paul will be October 2. He said, “I plan to focus on high expectations, being a difference-maker and building on the legacy of my predecessors.”

Students are coming to St. Louis to attend HarrisStowe from 37 states and 10 countries, including China, Brazil, India, Scotland and Nigeria. This emphasis on outstate recruitment has filled the university’s two residential halls, which are at capacity for the first time.

n A new emphasis on out-state recruitment has filled Harris-Stowe’s two residential halls, which are at capacity for the first time.

The first facility, the Rev. Dr. William G. Gillespie Residence Hall and Student Center, opened in 2006, and the Freeman R. Bosley Residence Hall opened in 2011. Shawn Baker, senior

associate dean of students for Harris-Stowe State University, said more local students are now choosing to “enjoy an authentic HBCU college

experience.”

The increased demand for housing has led the university to become more intentional about residential

programming. Harris-Stowe has established several Learning Communities to facilitate specialized academic success for students in the following populations: Athletics, Honors College, Minority Male Living and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

Harris-Stowe President Dwaun J. Warmack always points out the university’s

critical role in graduating African Americans. HarrisStowe’s 2016 graduating class of 152 graduates was nearly 90 percent African-American. By contrast, he said, of the 34 universities and colleges in Missouri, 30 percent graduate on average fewer than 50 African Americans and 60 percent graduate less than 100 African-Americans.

Photo by Wiley Price

methodology.”

Over the last four years, the Monsanto Fund contributed $850,000 to STEM TQ, one of the many education advocacy programs Patterson supported during her 19 years leading the Monsanto Fund.

In her 17 years as Monsanto Fund president, Patterson oversaw both corporate giving and that of the Monsanto Fund, which is the company’s philanthropic arm. Last year alone, Monsanto and the Monsanto Fund invested nearly $12 million in St. Louis, from helping develop science education for underserved youth to supporting the local arts scene to helping rebuild the community.

Patterson, who retired this spring, is currently a senior consultant for the company. She said in her tenure that she was able to expand the fund’s attention on education.

“It was a thread woven through everything that we did,” Patterson said. “If we invested in the arts, then we invested in arts education. What I did was take that education focus and integrate it across all of our focus areas.”

On Saturday, October 1, Patterson will receive the 2016 Education Advocacy award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala. This is a new recognition award, in lieu of a Stellar Performer award, which almost always has been restricted to an education professional.

“Over the last 17 years, Deborah has played

POLICE

Continued from A1

Continued from A1 the most recent tally of officers the city could provide.

Dandridge said the number is actually more like 36 officers at this point – and accused Mayor James Knowles of lying to the media about having 44 officers.

Knowles did not deny that he gave an inaccurate number of officers, but he also did not explain why he gave the wrong number. He told people at the meeting that although the city is authorized to have 44 officers, they did not, in fact, have 44 at the time he announced it.

The city hired a consultant to complete a staffing study of the department and make the necessary recommendations on how many people should work in each department. The consultant recommended that the city have 52 officers on the force, including a minimum of 11 full-time and four part-time dispatchers, to comply with the consent decree, according to Dandridge, who said she

an instrumental role in expanding and strengthening Monsanto’s commitment to the communities we serve,” Jan Holloway and Nicole Ringenberg said in a statement. Holloway is Monsanto senior vice president and chief of staff and community relations, and Ringenberg is Monsanto vice president and controller and Monsanto Fund board president.

In 2010, Patterson gathered representatives from the area’s top STEM companies to work together on initiatives that get students excited about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This partnership – which now includes more than 15 funders – became the STEMpact.

“Deborah is a tremendous thought leader in the area of improved STEM quality education efforts across the St. Louis metropolitan area,” said Michelle Tucker, a senior vice president at Bank of America and one of the founding members of STEMpact.

“She served as the catalyst for STEMpact, leveraging her ability to influence key STEM companies to share one planning table while conceptualizing and executing improvement approaches using pooled funding and collaboration.”

The STEMpact leaders brainstormed about a number of possible programs, but they decided to focus on training teachers, Patterson said. Hence the STEM Teacher Quality Institute was born, and now more than 500 teachers throughout the area have participated in the program.

Patterson also is particularly proud of MySci, a professionaldevelopment program funded by Monsanto Fund

spent approximately 120 hours working with the consultant.

Ferguson official said the city is facing budgetary and hiring problems across the police force, in the wake of mandated reforms in police and municipal court practices, due to an inability to fill the gap in revenue the city used to bring in from traffic tickets and municipal fines.

Ferguson was already dealing with a $2.9 million deficit, and now it can no longer rely on collecting excessive municipal fees from its citizens – which brought in $2.5 million in revenue for the city in 2013 – under the agreement with the DOJ. The city is also on the hook for a monitor, to make sure officials are implementing changes consistent with the DOJ agreement, which is going to cost up to $350,000 per year. The city will also likely face significant legal costs in connection with several ongoing lawsuits (though it is possible that those costs will be covered by insurance). Meanwhile, the city has spent tens of thousands of dollars on prosecuting

and implemented by the Washington University Institute for School Partnerships.

To start, MySci organizers created mobile investigation stations and took them around to area schools for free. The stations included “woodlands” and bugs on microscopes.

“Then we would help the teachers make the connection between what the students were learning in the classroom and what they saw in the investigation station,” Patterson said.

The program has evolved into providing training and curriculum to schools at a sliding-scale rate. MySci reps first go into the participating school districts and assess where they are with STEM curriculum. Then they provide professional development and help the teachers tailor their lesson plans towards STEM.

protesters.

City officials have tried to fill the gap with tax increases. Voters approved a sales tax increase in April, which is expected to bring in $800,000 per year – but they rejected a property tax increase. Voters also approved an increase in business taxes earlier this month, though that is only expected to bring in another $700,000 annually.

The Ferguson Police Department faces a double bind, in that the DOJ consent decree mandates expanded training for police. Police Chief Delrish Moss acknowledged this in an op-ed.

“The responsibilities of the department to keep the public safe have greatly expanded,” wrote Moss. “The heavy workload comes amid budgetary constraints and high levels of attrition leaving fewer police officers on our streets.”

Though Moss told The American the extra police training will make Ferguson safer, the reality is that it’s a “heavy workload” that a police officer can avoid by working for any other department not undergoing a DOJ consent

Patterson recently learned that Pattonville’s elementary school teachers who have been using the curriculum have seen double-digit improvements on their students’ state-assessment test scores in the STEM test categories.

“Now, that’s impact,” Patterson said.

Aside from these programs, Patterson has also been a champion of the company’s employee-volunteer initiatives, said Ringenberg and Holloway. She led by example through her board and committee service for multiple organizations, such as the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, University of Missouri St. Louis Awards, St. Joseph Academy, United Way of Greater St. Louis, and the Design & Construction Oversight Committee for City Arch River.

Prior to joining Monsanto,

decree.

City Manager Carl Seawood admitted at the council meeting that hiring additional staff has been an issue, given the scrutiny Ferguson is under. “We want to make sure we are hiring the right people, so our process is more tedious,”

she was CEO of the American Red Cross of Eastern Missouri. She also served in St. Louis city government, holding two cabinet positions concurrently: executive director of the St. Louis Agency on Employment and Training and director of the Community Development Agency. Patterson concluded her government service as director of development, the mayor’s top advisor for housing and economic development. Patterson received her bachelor’s degree in administration of justice and her master’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Students made their way to class at Harris-Stowe State University in Midtown St. Louis on Wednesday, August 31. This year, the HBCU admitted the largest incoming class in its history, with nearly 600 irst-time freshmen and new transfers, and its two residential halls are at capacity for the irst time.

While personally Patterson is proud of the academic success of her two daughters, professionally she is happy that she was able to make a difference in students’ lives around the world. In 2015, Monsanto Fund awarded $22.5 million globally. In Vietnam, they are investing in literacy, Patterson said. In Africa, they are investing in school gardens. “I have had the blessing to be able to be of service to people all around the world,” she said. “Not everyone gets that opportunity.”

Seawood said. “We’re making sure that the people who are hired are bringing not just the skillset, but the right personality for our community.”

Moss, who was hired in May, echoed Seawood.

The 2016 Salute to Excellence in Education Gala will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, October 1, 2016 at the America’s Center Ballroom, following a reception at 5 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Individual tickets are $85 each/$850 table, and VIP/ Corporate tickets are $1,500 table. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www. stlamerican.com and click on Salute to Excellence, or call 314-533-8000.

“I understand the need to hire police officers – we are short,” Moss said. “I understand the need to hire dispatchers – we are short. But what keeps police chiefs up at night is the fact that you hired the wrong person.”

Photo by Wiley Price

“The geographic, political, economic, and social consequences of decades of terror lynchings can still be seen in many communities today and the damage created by lynching needs to be confronted and discussed.” So said Bryan Stevenson

Not letting America forget lynching

last year when “Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror” was released. Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). Last year, the group released a powerful investigation of lynching in

this country and accounted for 800 more black bodies than originally documented during the savage period studied for the report.

I first met Stevenson when our paths crossed as abolitionists of the U.S. death penalty. He is a brilliant

attorney who has been unrelenting in his quest to end executions and mass incarceration. He is author of the New York Times Bestseller

“Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption,” which chronicles the cases of the poor souls he has defended over the

years—emphasis on “poor.”

EJI recently made a big announcement and, not surprising, it did not receive much fanfare.

EJI is building a memorial to the more than 4,000 victims of lynching in this country. (I feel there are many more victims

that may never be accounted for.) Every detail of this project has been carefully thought out. The $20 million memorial will be constructed near a lynching site in Montgomery, Alabama. The memorial will sit on the highest spot in the first capital of the Confederacy where a public housing complex once stood.

One part of the memorial will be a huge gallery of 801 suspended six-foot columns. Why 801? This number represents the number of counties where a lynching took place. The columns will be etched with the name of the person or people lynched. The museum will house documents and artifacts related to lynching.

The project has been interactive from the start when teams of volunteers collected dirt from the 363 lynching sites that EJI has documented in Alabama. The soil will become a symbolic part of the memorial grounds. There will also be duplicate columns created so that counties can claim their column and re-locate it where the respective lynching occurred. Talk about a conversation piece in your county!

Stevenson has put lynching in the historical context of black trauma from enslavement to now. The death penalty is an outgrowth of lynching and mass incarceration is a continuation of chain-gangs and debtors prisons. When American can’t make monies off of black bodies, the disposition of those bodies is usually neither humane nor moral.

This is precisely why a courageous, black man has made his life’s work connecting poverty with state violence. Stevenson has taken his commitment to confronting this nation’s past and present racism to a new level, one in which a genuine truth and reconciliation process can lead to a deepening of humanity in a land where the debt for mass destruction of peoples on a spiritual, cultural and physical level is still being tabulated.

My only question: Who wants to go with me to Montgomery next year when the memorial opens?

Columnist

Jamala Rogers

New voting laws are dangerous for democracy

By Stacey Newman Guest columnist

The 2016 Missouri legislature has advanced dangerous policies including “stand your ground”/ permit-less conceal and carry (SB 656) and fruitless witch hunt attacks on Planned Parenthood threatening women’s access to health care. More threatening is their attacks on our voting rights with new barriers. This is downright chilling.

After 10 years of attempts, the Missouri GOP has added a voter ID constitutional amendment to our November ballot, which would, if passed, add new restrictions on who is able to vote. The amendment would allow the state to require a state-issued photo identification for voters to continue to vote, a document that over 260,000 current Missouri voters do not have or need in their daily lives.

For many, it would involve a great cost tracking down (or correcting) the required papers in other states or even countries and for some who never had a birth certificate issued, a state-issued photo ID would be near to impossible to get. The amendment would disproportionately affect minorities, the disabled, elderly, out of state college students and women – many who are longtime current voters who have done nothing wrong. Missouri is not alone in this disturbing and ugly trend, which severely jeopardizes democracy as we know it. Election Protection, the nation’s largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition led by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, recently released their 2016 report highlighting numerous problems across the country due to voting barriers and disenfranchisement.

With over 22,000 calls and complaints from voters facing barriers at the polls to the Election Protection hotline during this past 2016 primary election season alone, it is evident that vital protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 remain necessary, even though several conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices said it was no longer needed in a 2013 ruling that decimated the most impactful provision of the law.

However, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg cited Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in her strong dissent, stating that his legacy had been “disserved by today’s decision.” She indicated the focus of the Voting Rights Act had properly changed from “first-generation barriers to ballot access” to “second-generation barriers” like racial gerrymandering and laws requiring at-large voting in places with a sizable black minority.

Not surprising, the Election Protection report’s most urgent recommendation is restoring the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in full, including Section 5 – the preclearance provision rendered inoperable by the Supreme Court’s decision – by Congress.

The June 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v Holder left voters in 15 states without key protection in preventing voter discrimination. This year, 15 states will have new restrictions on voting rights passed by GOP legislatures which will take effect in the November 2016 general elections. Alarmingly, seven of those predominately Southern states formerly protected by Section 5 were also part of the GOP’s national effort to make it tougher for certain voters to continue to exercise their right of suffrage. It is very clear exactly which voters are targeted. Section 5 of the VRA explicitly covered 45 percent of votingage African Americans, 36 percent of voting-age Latinos and 23 percent of voting-age Asians. There voters may have difficulty obtaining the new documents required; may have language, transportation and education barriers; and – not coincidently – tend to vote

Democratic.

However, judges in federal and state courts across the country are beginning to pay attention to GOP voter suppression efforts, most based on voter fraud assertions. Earlier this summer, courts in five states ruled against voter ID and proofof-citizenship laws. A federal judge in North Dakota stated, “The undisputed evidence before the court reveals that voter fraud in North Dakota has been virtually non-existent.”

In North Carolina, a three-judge panel of the 4th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the state’s extensive voter suppression law, including a voter ID requirement, ruling the legislature had passed the law with discriminatory intent. Most horrifying, the court stated that changes to their voting process, “target African Americans with almost surgical precision” and “impose cures for problems that did not exist.”

In Texas, a federal appeals court ruled that its voter ID law

had a discriminatory impact on African-American and Hispanic voters.

In Wisconsin, after repeated litigation of its voter ID law, a U. S. district judge struck down several provisions that greatly harmed voter access. U.S. District Judge James Peterson wrote: “The evidence in this case casts doubt on the notion that voter ID laws foster integrity and confidence. The Wisconsin

experience demonstrates that a preoccupation with mostly phantom election fraud leads to real incidents of disenfranchisement, which undermine rather than enhance confidence in elections, particularly in minority communities. To put it bluntly, Wisconsin’s strict version of voter ID law is a cure worse than the disease.”

These court decisions protecting the right to vote are

Terry Kirkland Jr. cast his vote in Missouri’s presidential preference primary in Ferguson on March 15.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

welcome steps but, as we’ve seen with other rights, an ultimate U.S. Supreme Court decision banning voter ID once and for all is vital.

Meanwhile, Missouri’s right of suffrage since 1875 (even stronger than the U. S. Constitution) is at stake.

Article 1, Section 25 of Missouri’s Bill of Rights reads: “That all elections shall be free and open; and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.” Article 8, Section 2 ensures that “all citizens” who are over 18 and residents of Missouri “are entitled to vote at all elections by the people.”

In 2006, our state Supreme Court ruled that a voter ID

law was unconstitutional

“because it created “a heavy and substantial burden on Missourians’ free exercise of the right of suffrage.”

We know that changing Missouri’s Constitution to allow voter ID restrictions will be costly (with an estimated $17 million first-year price tag), confusing (who can or can’t vote?) and will definitely cut people out from participating.

Burdening longtime voters who have done no wrong and restricting those who want to vote for the first time is dangerous to democracy.

I agree with singer John Legend who recently tweeted to the Republican National Committee, “We look forward to the day when your party stops trying to stop people from voting and starts trying to win their votes.”

Missouri State Rep. Stacey Newman of Richmond Heights is the senior Democrat serving on the House Elections Committee and a longtime champion of voters rights in the legislature.

Guest Columnist

Stacey Newman

Making it safe

City health dept. offers free lead tests for pregnant women and children

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

News about elevated lead levels in drinking water and faucets at dozens of Saint Louis Public Schools sparked concerns about lead poisoning and where to get children tested for exposure. High levels of lead in the blood can cause learning disabilities in children, behavior problems, and at very high levels, seizures, coma and even death.

The City of St. Louis Department of

Health provides free lead testing for students under age 6.

“If a parent feels their child has been impacted by the lead found within the school’s water fixtures, they should not hesitate to make an appointment for a free lead test by calling the Department of Health at (314) 657-1487 or (314) 657-1515,” said Harold Bailey, a health department spokesperson. The City health department also takes walk-ins Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at its offices at 1520 Market St. down-

town. Parents may also request a lead test from their regular health care provider.

Data released by the district listed 32 out of 72 schools with at least one tested water sample with higher than accepted lead levels. Bottled water is being provided to Carver, Clay, Mann, Patrick Henry, Peabody, Shenandoah, and Sigel elementary schools; Fanning Middle School; Nahed Chapman New American Academy; Beaumont, Northwest

‘De-biasing’

Dr. Robert Hughes For The St. Louis American

Robert Hughes

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been trending lately, and not for good reasons. You may recall that insurance provider UnitedHealth announced its decision to back out of the majority of exchanges last year, and it is joined now by Aetna and Humana as well. Their departures have consumers concerned, and once again access to insurance will be a challenge for many families. These difficulties will hit rural communities especially hard. Enrollment assisters are hearing that consumers are worried about the drastic reduction in providers they will face – either geographically or because the remaining plans don’t include their current provider. While the overall concept of the ACA was a good one, certain structural features must be addressed and rules that govern the exchanges refined to ensure equity of access to affordable health insurance for everyone. States like Missouri, with a significant portion of its population living in rural areas, are at a disadvantage in a federal program that should promote equity. This systematic bias against rural areas is a consequence of adopting rating regions that allow companies to choose specific parts of states to market their products. For example, Missouri has 10 regions. In 2016 residents of the St. Louis metro area had 44 plans to choose from, the rural Southeast and Northeast regions had only 29. So even before companies started pulling out, rural areas were at a disadvantage with fewer insurers offering fewer plans in the marketplace. And next year, it’s being projected that 17 percent of ACA-eligible people may have only one insurer from which to choose (compared to 2 percent in 2016). Specifically, the departure of UnitedHealth and Aetna will affect 83 percent of the counties in Missouri, including Audrain, Boone, Butler, Callaway, Cape Girardeau, Cole, Crawford, and Perry counties.

Improving racial dynamics in health care through med school training

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

Saint Louis University School of Medicine is concerned with, not only training physicians to be good doctors, but we are also invested in reducing health care disparity and improving cultural competence among our students faculty, and allied health trainees.

“To this end our current incoming first year medical school class has been selected and represents the most diverse class in the history of the school of medicine, with nearly 16 percent of the incoming class as African American, Latino, and Native American,” said Michael Railey, M.D., associate dean of Multicultural Affairs at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. We continue to honor diversity and inclusion with our efforts, but particularly at the med school where we celebrate the Dr. John Gladney diversity awards dinner yearly. The late Dr. Gladney was the first African American and in fact, the only in

As

n “To this end our current incoming first year medical school class has been selected and represents the most diverse class in the history of the school of medicine.”

– Michael Railey, M.D., associate dean of Multicultural Affairs at Saint Louis University School of Medicine

St. Louis University history to become a clinical chairperson of a major clinical academic department (Otolaryngology) at SLU medical school. During the spring Gladney awards in April, fourth-year medical students were recognized for outstanding work in underserved areas of the St. Louis community, including Tiffany

See TRAINING, A11

7, 2016

Saint Louis Public Schools are changing out fixtures in water fountains and sinks where they found high levels of lead.

Photo by Wiley Price

Colette McLemore, Jeremy Goss, 2016 John H. Gladney winner, Tailia Coney, Candace Smith, Charonn Woods, Fiffany Adams, Dean Phil Alderson, MD and Michael Railey, MD.

Photo by Wiley Price

HealtH Briefs

Breastfeeding rates increase

In the United States, more than 8 in 10 mothers (81.1 percent) begin breastfeeding their babies at birth – but many stop earlier than is recommended, according to the 2016 Breastfeeding Report Card released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Moms need ongoing community support to breastfeed as recommended. Good nutrition and optimal health starts with breastfeeding exclusively for about the first six months of life, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. But only about half of babies (51.8 percent) are still breastfeeding at 6 months of age.

“We are pleased by the large number of mothers who start out breastfeeding their infants,” said Ruth Petersen, M.D., M.P.H., director of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. “Mothers can better achieve their breastfeeding goals with active support from their families, friends, communities, clinicians, health care leaders, employers, and policymakers.”

CDC researchers analyzed

TRAINING

Continued from A10

Adams, Talia Coney, Candace Smith, Charonn Woods and Gladney award winner Jeremy Goss – a cofounder of the mobile farmer’s market, St. Louis MetroMarket.

Guest speaker Kira Hudson Banks, associate professor of Psychology at Saint Louis University, spoke to Gladney attendees about unconscious bias.

“In the interactions we have with each other, if we are not honest with ourselves about the assumptions we make about each other, can drive our behavior in ways that can be problematic, and in some cases, could be life or death,” Hudson Banks said.

She said unconscious bias is hidden biases that are capable of guiding a person’s behavior unknowingly, and the biases are often rigid and inflexible

HEALTH

Continued from A10

The media focus on insurance companies’ profits and losses and on their decisions to pull out of specific markets reminds us that the basic model of the ACA exchanges is market driven, relying mainly on for-profit companies to target those with incomes above the poverty level, bolstered by public subsidies for the great majority of consumers using the exchange. But what about people who do not earn enough to be eligible for the marketplace subsidies, those who earn less than the poverty level? Again rural areas are at a disadvantage: in Missouri, the rural poverty rate is 24 percent higher than in urban areas. A Missouri family of four that earns less than $24,300 a year cannot receive subsidies in the marketplace (if they happen to earn extremely low amounts – $4,236 or less per year, the parent is eligible for Medicaid). Let me emphasize this point: regardless of where in Missouri they live, a family of four with an annual income of between

data on breastfeeding practices and support from 50 states, the District of Columbia (D.C.), and Puerto Rico. Data show that 29 states, including D.C. and Puerto Rico, met the Healthy People 2020 goal of 81.9 percent of infants ever-breastfed (infants that started out breastfeeding).

Twelve states met the HP2020 breastfeeding goal for six months breastfeeding duration (60.6 percent) and 19 states met the goal for 12 months breastfeeding duration (34.1 percent).

Many mothers begin breastfeeding but need community support to help them overcome challenges they may face in the hospital, when they go home, or after they return to work. This support might include breastfeeding education programs, improved maternity care practices in hospitals, peer and professional support for moms; and adequate space and equipment to breastfeed or express breast milk in workplaces and childcare centers.

For more information on CDC’s work on nutrition and breastfeeding, please visit www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding.

and can be positive or negative.

“It is often based on limited evidence; maybe even limited interaction with people of different backgrounds,” she explained. It can also shape norms and expectations of people, particularly social biases, and people have to work to put in place counter-stereotypical images to overcome the bias.

“Research actually shows that it’s not so much the negative biases that we need to be concerned about … the most pernicious type of bias is not the bias toward people who are different from me, but the favor that I give people who are like me,” Hudson Banks explained.

To move beyond unconscious bias, Hudson Banks said, we have to think beyond simple awareness.

“It’s about developing the awareness, gaining knowledge, and then developing the skills that you will be able to

accurately apply,” she said. “To be fully competent, we need to be the ones perpetuating a climate of inclusion, and that includes deep learning, deep reflecting and committed action over time.”

Hudson Banks said she was invited by Dr. Stuart Slavin, associate dean for curriculum at SLU School of Medicine to work with him and first year medical students on how to integrate and immerse ideas around unconscious bias early on.

“By having more diverse physician classes and particularly larger admissions of African Americans into training programs, communities can be seen eventually by more people who look like them and have shared pathways of cultural experiences,” Dr. Railey added. “Many of these students graduate from medical school and elect to stay on in the metropolitan region to become practicing physicians.”

LEAD

Continued from A10

Law Academy and Sumner high schools.

Schools with at least one test water sample with excess lead levels but do have enough accessible water sources are not receiving bottled water.

They include: Cote Brilliante, Gallaudet, Herzog, Hickey, Laclede, Meramec, Oak Hill and Woerner elementary schools; AESM, Busch, Carr Lane, Compton-Drew, Gateway, Langston, Long and Yateman middle schools; Clyde C. Miller, Gateway STEM, Roosevelt and Vashon high schools.

None of the SLPS Parent Infant Interaction Program sites at Roosevelt, Sumner and Vashon high schools tested above the 10 ppb internal threshold.

The final results of lead testing in SLPS schools were presented at last week’s school board meeting.

identified, fixture replaced, retested before using; and will be rested yearly. Priority 2 sources have 10 to 19.9 ppb. Those sources will be removed from service, retested and if lead levels remain over 10 ppb, Priority 1 protocols will be followed. This affects 32 schools, according to the report. Priority 3 water sources with lead levels less than 10 ppb, will be inspected and placed on routine maintenance, with retesting taking place in three years or when conditions change. The district allocated a million dollars to replace fixtures, faucets, fountains and other sources of lead contamination. Some of the work is already underway, taking place on the weekends.

SLPS spokesperson Patrick Wallace said water sources in question at Herzog, Woerner and Compton Drew have already been brought back into service, after the faucets were changed out and the water tested clean.

decreasing rates of testing.” Steiner and health department Director Melba Moore spoke to The American about lead testing for children and about the health effects of lead (Read the Your Health Matters section in the August 4 -10, 2016 and August 11-17, 2016 issues). Steiner said if the environmental conditions haven’t changed, the doctor oftentimes will not do a lead test, which is unfortunate, because there are other routes of exposure other than the home, such as daycare, school, grandma’s house. “What we really want to see is every child tested every single year,” Steiner said. Moore said it is important the health department’s educational efforts include reinforcing the importance of lead testing when they talk to parents.

Testing children for lead exposure

n Counterintuitively, it is the poor and those in rural communities who are disproportionately underserved via governmental support in states like Missouri that have a substantial rural population and have not expanded Medicaid.

$4,236 and $24,300 receives no governmental support for adult health insurance. Those of us fortunate enough to live outside of this “coverage gap” receive financial subsidies, mostly via employer-sponsored health insurance. This gap includes about 250,000 of our fellow Missourians. The nation and our state are wrestling with the fundamental role of government in ensuring affordable, quality health care, and deciding who will benefit from governmental support. Currently our system undermines equity by identifying beneficiary groups based mainly on income and implicitly on geogra-

phy. Counterintuitively, it is the poor and those in rural communities who are disproportionately underserved via governmental support in states like Missouri that have a substantial rural population and have not expanded Medicaid.

The ACA has accomplished a great deal – including strides to reduce inequity by insuring an additional 20 million people. Yet, of the 11 percent of the population left without insurance, the vast majority are poor. Arguably these people have the greatest need, and a just health care system would put them first, not last, in priority. In order to create a society in which people’s access to health care lives up to our values, we need to take additional steps to make health insurance equity a reality.

Dr. Robert Hughes is president and CEO of Missouri Foundation for Health, a resource for the region that works with communities and nonprofits to generate and accelerate positive changes in health. To learn more about the Foundation and to read more from Dr. Hughes, please visit mffh.org/news.

The districtwide testing is conducted by Environmental Consultants and analyzed by Teklab, a Missouri accredited laboratory specializing in drinking water analysis, both located in Collinsville, Illinois.

“The testing of SLPS water fountains and sinks is being conducted under the strictest conditions to ensure our water sources are as safe as possible for students and staff, SLPS stated. “While corrective action is required for any level exceeding 20 parts per billion, the District has established a more stringent threshold of 10 parts per billion to address any potential future water issues.”

Out of 72 school buildings and 797 water sources tested, 45 sources tested at 20 parts per billion or greater and 43 sources were reported at 10 ppb to 19.9 ppb.

In a statement, the district said, “Corrective measures to remediate or replace each drinking fountain and sink are taking place as quickly as possible. In some cases, parts must be ordered and may delay immediate corrective action. However, all schools will have adequate sources of consumable water at all times.”

The report classifies school water sources into three priority levels. Priority 1, with lead over 20 ppb, will have the water source removed from service, source of lead content

The City health department tests approximately 12,00013,000 students annually for blood lead levels. Testing of children who are age 6 and younger is critical, due to rapid brain development at those ages.

Matt Steiner, epidemiologist for the St. Louis Department of Health, said “What we see at age 1, is really good, high testing rates. A child comes in for their one-year appointment, and the doctor does a lead test. Unfortunately, in what we see at years that follow, that is,

“Parents need to be advocates for their children, Moore said, saying parents need to ask the doctor for a lead test for their child, whether they just want to know, or if there is a change in their environmental circumstances.

Wallace said the district began testing for lead after parents from one school requested it.

“Mallinckrodt school last year, parents asked us to test the water and we did. That was in March, we tested their water and it came back clean,” Wallace said. “But after testing Mallinckrodt, I think the conversation was –why just test one school, we may as well test them all.” SLPS district buildings that do not serve students will also have water testing by September 2.

April 23, 1959 – August 26, 2016

Rochelle Denise Tilghman, leader at Harris-Stowe

Rochelle Denise Tilghman was born April 23, 1959, in St. Louis, Missouri, to the late John Oliver Tilghman and Cassandra Howard. She was the fourth of six children, two of whom proceeded her in death –Porsha and Marsha.

Rochelle accepted Christ into her life at a young age and made sure she never missed mass at Sts. Joachim and Ann Catholic Church in St. Peters, Missouri, and St. Nicholas Catholic Church in St. Louis.

Educated in the Catholic school system, she attended St. Barbara Catholic School during her grade school years, then St. Mark for high school, both of which were located in Wellston. After St. Mark closed, she graduated from LaBoure High School in 1977. It was that same year she married Harold Alexander, and from that union, her first daughter – Rashonda (Roe) was born in 1979. During this time, she worked in the Wellston School District’s business office.

Education was extremely important to Rochelle, and she remained committed to earning multiple degrees, even after starting a family. She often encouraged those around her to take advantage of educational opportunities. After high school, she attended the University of Missouri – St. Louis and earned a Bachelor’s degree. She received her certified public accountant designation shortly after, then went on to earn a Master’s in Taxation from Fontbonne University.

In 1991, she gave birth to her second daughter, Maikieta. With her girls always by her side, Rochelle set out to conquer the world, and she did it with so much style and grace. She loved her daughters more than anything, and she made caring and providing for them her main priority. Their traditions included traveling and simply bonding like only a mother and her daughters could. She instilled in them the ability to be resilient and God-fearing, just as she was. She was always so proud of them and everything they accomplished, serving as their biggest advocate.

On August 27, 2015, her beloved grandson, Cairo, was born, and he brought so much joy to her life.

She was a natural workaholic, and in her fierce and feisty way, she could work a room like no other. Rochelle had so many professional gifts – accounting, real estate and networking, to name a few. As her career blossomed, she held positions at The Racket Club on South Kingshighway and

at Job Corps as the manager of Finance. Then she landed at Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU), where she was initially hired as comptroller and later promoted to vice president of Business and Financial Affairs. In 2002, Rochelle started her very successful real estate company, Tilghman Properties, LLC. Building quite an impressive real estate portfolio, she touched the lives of so many of her tenants, maintenance and construction crews. She’d purchase gifts for the children of her tenants and distribute them every year for Christmas.

She left HSSU for a brief time to attend law school and later returned as the assistant vice president of Business and Financial Affairs, a position she held until she moved on to explore other opportunities. Ms. T., as she was affectionately called by her Harris-Stowe family, played a major role in the name change of HarrisStowe State College to HarrisStowe State University and in all of the university’s campus expansion efforts. Rochelle was an avid fitness guru, on and off campus, and organized exercise classes for faculty, staff and students. She often spoke about becoming a female body builder. One of her

favorite workout activities was spinning classes. She had a knack for mentoring and connecting with people, and she touched so many lives in so many ways. Once she loved you, it never wavered, and she loved you forever. That love was felt in every interaction she had with you. A natural problem solver and fixer, she was always there. Within her various circles of work, church, gym and longtime childhood relationships, she was the best girlfriend you could ask for, and she will always be remembered for being so encouraging, generous, down-to-earth – and simply down for whatever!

The beautiful soul that we know as Rochelle departed this earthly life on Friday, August 26, 2016. She leaves to cherish her sweet, precious memories, her loving mother Cassandra Howard; daughters Rashonda Roundtree (Chad) and Maikieta Brantley; grandson Cairo; sister Sandra Marie Tilghman; brothers Stanley Tilghman and Craig Tilghman; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends. Services for Rochelle will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 3 at St. Nicholas Catholic Church, 701 N. 18th Street in St. Louis.

By Melanie Adams

Farewell to the History Museum

Melanie Adams looks back on 12 actionpacked years

This will be my final column as managing director, Community Education and Events for the Missouri History Museum. For the past 12 years, I have been honored to work for this outstanding organization in a city with such a rich history. Since I started at the museum, I’ve always said I have the best job in the world and that has not changed. I’ve had the opportunity to work, not only with outstanding museum professionals, but wonderful community organizations that have trusted the museum to help tell their stories.

I don’t want to name organizations or individuals because I will surely leave someone out, but I would like to mention a few of my favorite MHM moments.

One of the first programs I attended as a new staff member at the museum was a lecture by Paul Rusesabagina, hotel manager and humanitarian responsible for saving the lives of thousands of civilians during the Rwandan genocide. After the lecture, I was honored to have lunch with him and other MHM staff. I remember him to be warm, funny, and telling stories about the differences between the actual event and the movie. After this event, I thought to myself, “I think I’m going to like it here.”

One of my favorite series that started with my museum tenure and has continued to grow is Community Cinema. This is a partnership with Nine Network where the museum previews a documentary from the Independent Lens series a month before it is televised. Through this program I have met wonderful filmmakers such as Byron Hurt (“Beyond Beats and Rhymes” and “Soul Food Junkies”) and Shukree Hassan Tilghman (“More than a Month”). Each year the series provides great opportunities to explore relevant topics that always hit close to home.

In terms of speakers, I always look for speakers that I would like to hear. My staff hated when I would start a meeting with the words, “I read this great book” because it meant I was going to ask them to try to book the author. This was the case for speakers such as Isabelle Wilkinson (“The Warmth of Other Suns”), Michelle Alexander (“The New Jim Crow”), and Nell Irvin Painter (“The History of White People”).

And even people that didn’t have books, but were still wonderful storytellers and historians such as Khalil Muhammed (formerly of the

Melanie

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture), Jelani Cobb (writer for The New Yorker), Dick Gregory (activist) and comedienne W. Kamau Bell.

As an avid (or maybe fanatical) fan of the HBO series “The Wire,” I was happy to secure two of the actors to speak about their lives and passions. The first was Andre Royo (Bubbles), who spoke about the show and how it portrayed life on the streets of Baltimore. Mr. Royo was wonderful, but cursed a lot. About half-way through our day together, I told him I needed him to tone it down a bit before I introduced him to my boss. He just laughed and said it would be fine.

The other actor from “The Wire” was Wendell Pierce (“Bunk” Moreland). He spoke during the museum’s exhibition on hunger and homelessness about food deserts and the work he was doing in his native New Orleans to provide grocery stores in poor communities.

Not only did he talk about his work around food uncertainty, but he also spent over an hour with the museum’s Teens Make History students talking about acting and how to break into the business. I’m not sure how many of them watched the show, but they were impressed to talk with a TV actor.

There are way too many great moments that occurred during my time at the History Museum, and I would need a book to describe them all. I will end with the event that is my favorite, Twilight Tuesdays.

Twilight Tuesdays is a St. Louis institution. Whenever I tell people I work at the History Museum, the first questions they ask are about Twilight Tuesday. When does it start? Who is performing? Why can’t they bring grills? The thing I love most about Twilight Tuesday is how it brings together the community each week to celebrate over a shared love of music.

My favorite time is right

around the beginning of the second act, when people have eaten and are warmed up (from either dancing or wine) and the dance floor is full. People of all races and ages pack the area in front of the stage and dance like no one is watching. There are the regulars who come every week who stake their place as early as 4 p.m. Then there are the children who just seem to be happy that they get to stay up late. The Missouri History Museum is a wonderful organization that works hard every day to bring the community together to explore our shared history. I will miss the people I have met over the past twelve years and encourage everyone to continue supporting one of the best organizations in the region.

Twilight Tuesday schedule

5 p.m. Free Gallery Tour (changes each week)

5:30 p.m. Children’s Activities 6 p.m. Music Starts

SEPTEMBER 6

Starlifter: The U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America (pop, rock, and soul)

SEPTEMBER 13

First Call Band Featuring Courtney Loveless: A Tribute to Phyllis Hyman

SEPTEMBER 20

Gerald Warren’s Soul Steppers Revue (with Step dance lessons)

SEPTEMBER 27 Queens Blvd. (’80s rock music)

OCTOBER 4 Fabulous Motown Revue

Rochelle Denise Tilghman

Photo by Wiley Price

Adams writes of Twilight Tuesdays events (like this scene on May 31): “My favorite time is right around the beginning of the second act, when people have eaten and are warmed up (from either dancing or wine) and the dance floor is full.”

How Healthy Is Your Heart?

Nutrition Challenge:

4 Eat Before You Go 4 Make a List 4 Shop the Walls (Natural, healthier choices are often located along the walls of the store.)

Your heart is an amazing thing! It is actually a muscle that pumps blood throughout your body. A beating heart is what keeps you alive.

Let’s test your heart health. First make sure you have been completely inactive for at least 10 minutes. Locate your pulse* and count how many beats you feel in 15 seconds. Multiply that by 4 and you have your resting heart rate. Ideally this number should be 60-100 beats for anyone over 10 years old.

Kids Kids

4 Read Labels (Look for lower fat, sodium and sugar and higher fiber options!)

4 Colorize — Just like your dinner plate should be “colorful,” so should your shopping cart. Fill your basket with colorful, fresh fruits and vegetables.

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

If your resting heart rate is above that, your heart is possibly working too hard. Discuss with your pediatrician or school nurse ways that you can improve your heart’s health. Following the Nutrition and Exercise guidelines in the Healthy Kids page over the next several months can help improve your heart health too!

Visit:

*http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heartfailure/watching-rate-monitor for tips on how to take your pulse.

Learning Standards: HPE 1, NH 1, NH 5

P.B. Dip

> Do you often feel tired during the day?

> Do you fall asleep at your desk? In order to be at your best, go to bed early enough to allow for at least 8 hours of sleep. You’ll feel more rested and alert and ready to start a new day!

Learning Standards: HPE 1, HPE 2, NH 1, NH 5 Get Some Sleep!

Dippers: Pretzels, Apple Slices, etc.

Directions:

Careers

Where do you work? I work at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Where did you go to school? I graduated from Ritenour Sr. High School. I earned a liberal arts degree from Florissant Valley Community College and then studied respiratory therapy at Forest Park Community College and went on to earn an RN degree from Goldfarb School of Nursing.

What does a registered nurse do? I work in the operating room (OR) taking care of children that need surgeries. I comfort the child as they go off to sleep, pass sterile instruments to the surgeon and assist him with the surgery, and give the parents updates while the child is in the operating room.

Why did you choose this career? I love working with children and their families. The OR is a totally different type of nursing that requires a special skill set.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? I like knowing that I am making a difference in the lives of the patients and families that I touch. I know an unplanned surgery or accident or trauma impacts the entire family and I like being able to contribute to their path to wellness. Seeing a child recover from a significant injury and knowing that I had a positive impact on their care is very rewarding.

Learning Standards: HPE6, NH3 Rania Allen, Registered Nurse, Peri Operations Services

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

The St. Louis American’s award winning NIE program provides newspapers and resources to more than 7,000 teachers and students each week throughout the school year, at no charge.

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

Gateway Elementary School 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Hopgood, teaches students Tylah Carson and Arnet Newton how water and oil separate as a STEM lesson from the newspaper. Gateway Elementary School is in the

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT SCIENCE STARS

African-American Chemical Engineer Norbert Rillieux

SCIENCE CORNER

Sugar can give you a quick boost of energy. Your brain, muscles, and cells all need sugar to function effectively. However, the truth is that most Americans consume much more sugar than they need. Candy and soda are obviously full of sugar, but sugar is also hidden in foods that are considered healthy: yogurt, packaged oatmeal, and canned fruit. Did you know that many sauces, such as barbeque sauce, have sugar? Some crackers and breads even have sugar. If you’re not sure about the sugar content in a food, read the label. Look for words like fructose, glucose,

The Great Sugar Debate

SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

dextrose, maltose, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, rice syrup, ethyl maltol, honey, molasses, etc. Look at the label to see how many grams of sugar are in a serving. Too much sugar can lead to tooth decay, low energy, diabetes, and a weakened immune system which means you can get sick more easily. So what is the solution? Be aware. Be informed. Read your labels. Enjoy sugar in moderation.

Learning Standards: I can read nonfiction text for main idea and supporting detail. I can make text-to-text and text-to-self connections.

Sugar Water Density Columns

In this experiment, you will observe properties of density.

Materials Needed:

• Water • Sugar • Food Coloring

• Eye Dropper • Mason Jar

• Measuring Spoon

• 4 Glass Test Tubes

Procedure:

q Measure 1/2 cup of very hot water into each of the 4 test tubes.

w To the first tube, add 8 tablespoons sugar and 3 drops blue food coloring.

e To the second tube, add 6 tablespoons sugar and 3 drops green food coloring.

r To the third tube, add 4 tablespoons sugar and 3 drops yellow food coloring.

MATH CONNECTION

t To the fourth tube, add 2 tablespoons sugar and red food coloring.

y Stir until the sugar dissolves.

u Let all of the solutions cool completely.

i Begin to slowly add the solutions into the mason jar — from those with the most sugar to those with the least (blue, green, yellow, red).

o Observe what happens. The solutions with more sugar had a higher density — what did they do when placed with the other solutions?

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions. I can make observations and draw conclusions.

Math — How Sweet It Is!

1 teaspoon of sugar contains 16 calories, 4.2 grams of carbohydrates, and 0 grams of fat. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of sugar for women per day, and 36 grams for men. Use these statistics to answer the following word problems.

z Six ounces of yogurt contains 12 grams of sugar. How many ounces of yogurt can a women eat per day to stay in the recommended guidelines for sugar intake? ______

x ½ cup pasta sauce contains 10 grams of sugar. How many cups of pasta sauce would it take to equal 30 grams of sugar? ______

DID YOU KNOW?

According to the Harvard School of Public Health:

Norbert Rillieux was born in New Orleans in March of 1806. As a young child, he was very interested in chemistry and engineering. He showed great potential for learning new topics quickly. Therefore, his father sent him to a private school in France to get specialized education. By the age of 24, Rillieux was teaching applied mathematics at Paris’ Ecole Centrale.

While in Paris, Rillieux began working on an evaporator. He combined heat to create steam and vapors. He created an evaporator to improve the process of creating sugar crystals. His design used the vapors of boiling sugar cane syrup and guided it through several chambers as it processed into sugar crystals. This process allowed sugar to be created more quickly and safely. Previous to this invention, slaves were using a method called the Jamaican train. In this process, they transferred boiling sugar juice from one kettle to another. Not only was this process difficult and dangerous, it also resulted in the loss of sugar as the juice was transferred.

Rillieux’s invention gained the attention of the Louisiana sugar planters and Rillieux moved back to New Orleans in the 1830s. Many plantation owners wanted him to visit and help them install an evaporator. Although he was respected and was able to make a small fortune on his invention, Rillieux was not allowed to sleep in the plantation house because he was a “person of color.”

Rillieux had a passion for learning new things. For example, he taught himself to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics. It is this passion for learning and seeking solutions that has earned him respect as a chemical engineer.

Learning Standards: person who has made contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

c If you add 3 teaspoons of sugar to your tea, how many calories from sugar did you add? ______

v How many teaspoons of sugar does it take to equal 80 calories? ______

Learning Standards: I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem.

In 1822, the average American ate 45 grams of sugar every five days. That is almost the same amount of sugar in one 12-ounce can of soda. In 2012, Americans consumed 765 grams of sugar every five days.

The average American consumes 3 pounds of sugar each week, which is 11,700 pounds in an entire lifetime. This is equivalent to 1,767,900 Skittles, which is enough sugar to fill a dumpster.

The Guinness World Record for the largest collection of sugar packets belongs to Ralf Schroder of Germany. He has 14,502 different packets, some date as far back as 1950.

MAP CORNER

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

Activity One —

Wants vs. Needs: 20 products and services advertised in the newspaper. Rank these products on a scale of 1 to 20 in order of need.

Next, rank them on a scale of 1 to 20 in order of want.

Compare your answers with your classmates. What conclusions can you draw?

Activity Two — Symmetry and

Proportion: Find a newspaper photograph and cut it in half. Draw the missing half using symmetry and proportion.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can identify needs and wants. I can use symmetry and proportion to recreate an image.

Saint Louis Public School District. Photo by Wiley Price/ St. Louis American

Cops meet ex-felons in

NOBLE forum

The St. Louis region has held a lot of police-community forums since Ferguson blew up in August 2014 – the number is literally countless by now – but it has not seen one quite like the event organized on Monday, August 29 by the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the U.S. Probation Office, Eastern District of Missouri.

In this forum, “the community” was an extraordinarily focused subset of the community. These were ex-felons, almost all black men, on supervised release. These were tough brothers who have all been cuffed, arrested, charged, convicted and finally released. They know more than most people about the police (and courts and corrections).

The U.S. Probation Office created the forum to improve community relations for ex-offenders, and Troy Doyle agreed to conduct the presentation for NOBLE. (Doyle is a lieutenant colonel who commands the Division of Patrol, though he spoke at the forum as a NOBLE leader, rather than County Police commander.)

Doyle opened the event with a Power Point presentation that could be shown to high school students, rather than hardened ex-felons (some of whom, it must be said, were not much older than high school students). But, first, he established some hard facts.

“Who wants to be here?” Doyle asked. Virtually no hands went up. They did not want to talk to a bunch of cops, but their presence would be reported to their parole officers and they expected positive benefits from that.

“Who has a blatant disdain for law enforcement?” Doyle asked. Virtually every hand shot up.

“This is passed down from generation to generation,” Doyle said, acknowledging that it is an entrenched mindset.

“Some communities, where I grew up, we wouldn’t drive through. That’s why I joined law enforcement.” Later in the event, during a question-andanswer session with a broader group of cops, he elaborated, “I figured if I couldn’t beat them, I would join them.”

The other black police officials who joined Doyle later for the Q&A made similar claims.

“I don’t agree with the justice system,” Police Officer John Leggette of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said. “I wanted to change it.”

“I grew up in Clayton, and I didn’t like what I saw with the police,” Clayton Police Detective Alexis Hatley said.

“I was not a fan of the police, but I was not going to let stuff ride. I wanted to change my community.”

Antonio Hubbard, an officer with the Washington University Campus Police who

Lt. Colonel Troy Doyle, the new president of the St. Louis Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), organized a forum between police and ex-felons at the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse on Monday, August 29, in partnership with the U.S. Probation Office, Eastern District of Missouri.

has previous off-campus police experience, explained how an individual cop with the right mindset can make a difference.

“There is a word called ‘discretion,’ and if you use it right, you can make a change,” Hubbard said. “If you don’t say or do anything, nothing gets fixed.”

Several police officials, not only black, said they came to talk to the ex-felons for their own good. “Don’t focus on me as a police officer,” Doyle said.

“I am here to save your life.”

Police Chief Chris Singleton from the tiny police department in Marine, Illinois (which, he said, has only four squad cars), said he attended on a vacation day, leaving a newborn baby at home, for one reason: “I am here to save your life,” Singleton said, echoing Doyle’s sentiment precisely. The advice they gave was, indeed, sound, basic advice for dealing with law enforcement. Doyle’s presentation relied on the acronym of CARE: Comply with the law; Act orderly; Respect each other, in word and action; Empathize. Doyle and

others noted that both police and civilians need to abide by the CARE precepts.

Many of the ex-felons openly scorned much of this advice, evidently having experienced complying with a cop’s directions, yet still having what Doyle described as “a negative contact with law enforcement.”

But Doyle insisted that getting a better understanding of a cop’s perspective will help them survive on the streets.

“A police officer has no idea what he or she is dealing with,” Doyle said. “Even in a traffic stop, a police officer has no idea who you are or who is in your car. He or she is going to adopt a defensive posture until you make them feel safe.” It’s not often that a police official admits in public that cops operate from a position of fear and the public has to deal with that fear factor for their own safety.

Doyle really lost his crowd, though, when he tried to coach them on how to deal with a cop when they think the cop has made a mistake or misbehaved.

“Out there on the street is

probably not the time to make your case,” Doyle said. “There are complaint procedures. But you need to make the complaint official, later, in writing. And you can fight them in a court of law.”

A group of black men who have been convicted of felonies in a court of law based on police evidence was not the best audience for this advice. The only advice that received more scorn was the advice – first offered by Maryland Heights Police Officer Maureen Baker, a white woman – that a citizen should ask to see a police officer’s supervisor if they can’t get an answer from a cop or if the cop misbehaves.

“And how likely will he get a supervisor?” one man catcalled from the audience, which rallied much support from the audience. After the event, the EYE shared an elevator from floor 22 in the Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse, down to street level, with a group of about 15 of these ex-felons. “Compliance!” one man said,

and everyone else razzed and laughed bitterly. “Supervisor!” said another man, drawing an even louder and more bitter reaction. In the Q&A session, the ex-felons really expressed to the cops present what the streets think of the police.

“How often do officers report other officers?” one man asked.

Hatley, from the Clayton Police Department, said, “It depends on the department, if you can make anonymous claims, and the comfort you feel with leadership.”

Another man asked: “If a cop reports a cop, do y’all look at him as a snitch like we do on the street?”

Captain Norman Mann, an African-American officer with the St. Louis County Police Department, said, “Our department has a policy where you have to report misconduct or you will get in trouble.”

Judging from the audience reaction, nobody was buying that. It took a former police officer to give an answer that sounded to the ex-felons as more realistic. Pernell Witherspoon – an associate professor of criminal justice at Lindenwood University with 16 years of police experience in three departments – gave concluding remarks that sided with the street much more than the working cops did.

“In reality, cops don’t report bad officers,” Witherspoon said. He said the mindset is, “I know this guy,” the officer who misbehaved, “but not that guy,” the civilian victim. (He did not add what many cops, current and former, have told the EYE: that a snitch cop puts his life in danger just like a snitch on the streets, since cops rely on other cops for back-up, and snitch cops fear finding themselves suddenly unprotected as an act of retaliation.)

“You need to find a way to start ratting without jeopardizing your jobs,” Witherspoon said to the police. He might have added: “Or jeopardizing your lives.”

Photo by Wiley Price

New Christian Hospital president welcomed by community

Pastor Clark of Shalom and producer Eric Rhone gather leaders

Anne-Marie Clarke was elected chair-elect of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association. She is Family Court commissioner of the St. Louis Circuit Court. The National Bar Association, founded in 1925, is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 65,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students.

Pelema I. Morrice was named vice provost for Enrollment Management for the University of Missouri. He will be leaving the position of chief enrollment officer at Bryn Mawr College. He will lead a division that includes Undergraduate Admissions, International Admissions, Financial Aid, the Missouri College Advising Corps, Student Information Systems, University Registrar and the Veterans Center.

Stacy Gee Hollins was elected to the Board of Directors of the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club. She is associate professor of information systems in the John E. Simon School of Business at Maryville University. Previously she was department chair of information systems at St. Louis Community College and provided leadership for curriculum development, coordination and ensuring compliance with academic and accreditation standards.

By Rebecca Rivas

Of The St. Louis American

Rick Stevens recently became the first African-American president of Christian Hospital in North St. Louis County – and the first African American to lead any hospital in the BJC Healthcare system.

Upon hearing of Stevens’ arrival, Rev. Freddie Clark, pastor of Shalom Church, turned to one of his congregational members, producer Eric Rhone, and said they needed to make sure Stevens felt welcome. On Friday, August 26, Clark and Rhone together hosted a reception at the Norwood Hills Country Club with several black executives and community leaders to do just that.

“When I look around this room at the many

n “Our gathering today is to say to the newest person in the room: This is where you come when the load gets heavy.”

– Rev. Freddie Clark, pastor of Shalom Church (City of Peace)

positive and powerful personalities, many of you are able to survive in your contexts because you have a place of retreat,” Clark said to a room of about 40. “Our gathering today is to say to the newest person in the room: This is where you come when the load gets heavy. The persons in

this room value you and welcome you.”

Bishop Courtney Jones said that he had already met with Stevens to help him navigate the community and target certain pressing concerns.

“Christian means a lot to a lot of people,” said Stevens, “and I want to make sure we continue to do that.”

Stevens said that a couple weeks ago Clark prayed for him during a service.

“A lot of my staff came up to me and said, ‘We prayed for you,’” Stevens said. “And trust me, I thank you for that, because I know what prayer can do and I’m a product of what prayer can do.”

Stevens moved to St. Louis for this position

See PRESIDENT, B2

New initiative provides capital to ex-offenders

Local microlender Justine Petersen partners with SBA and Kellogg Foundation

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

As a microlender, Galen Gondolfi of St. Louis-based Justine Petersen knows there is no substitute, when trying to help a family stabilize their finances, for actually showing them some money.

That’s why he thinks the agency’s new effort in partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has the potential to actually help a very vulnerable group of people: ex-offenders.

“I think this program is dynamic and unique and poised to be successful because capital is involved,” said Gondolfi, senior loan counselor and chief communications officer at Justine Petersen. The new program is the Aspire

One path to that success for ex-offenders, according to La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is “creating more opportunities for entrepreneurship by opening access to the capital and training needed for parents to become small business owners in their communities.”

Patrick Walker was named to the Board of Directors of Youth In Need. He is an associate professor of Nonprofit Administration and Law at Lindenwood University. Youth In Need is an eastern Missouri regional agency serving more than 13,000 children, teens and families each year with residential programs, homeless street outreach, education, counseling and support groups, foster care case management and infant, child and family development programs.

Khandase TateNero began medical training at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Carbondale. The daughter of Kimberly Reed of St. Louis, she graduated from Metro High School and earned her bachelor’s degree at Xavier University of Louisiana. She recently attended the White Coat Ceremony, which is designed to establish a “psychological contract for professionalism and empathy” in medicine.

Richard Roundtree will accept an award for lifetime achievements in the arts at the 20th Annual Celebration of Leadership in the Fine Arts hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. He is best known for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film “Shaft” and its sequels, “Shaft’s Big Score” and “Shaft in Africa.” Cicely Tyson and Dionne Warwick will also be honored.

Anne-Marie Clarke

Stacy Gee Hollins

Patrick Walker

Khandase Tate-Nero

Pelema I. Morrice Richard Roundtree

Photo by Wiley Price

Rick Stevens, the new Christian Hospital President (front, third from left) was welcomed to the community at the Norwood Hills Country Club on Friday, August 26 by Rev. Freddie Clark, pastor of Shalom Church, and producer Eric Rhone (both to the right of Stevens). Among those welcoming Stevens were BJC HealthCare board chair Kelvin Westbrook, Harry Ratliff of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Rx Outreach founder Michael Holmes and Bishop Courtney Jones.

Six ways to save on your next car

By Nathaniel Sillin

Looking for an eco-friendly subcompact or the thrills that come with a sports car? Perhaps the practicality of a sedan or a spacious SUV better fits your needs? No matter what type of vehicle is calling your name, planning your purchase can help you save as much money as possible.

Consider these six savings tips while shopping for your next car. Whether you’re concerned about upfront, monthly or long-term costs, there’s something here that can help you.

1. Look for a fuel-efficient car. Buying a hybrid or allelectric vehicle rather than a gas guzzler could help you save money on long-run fuel costs. Plus, state and federal tax credits might give you some additional upfront savings.

If you’re sticking to a fully gas-powered car, you can still save money by choosing a fuel-efficient model. Once you pick a class of car and determine your budget, use the Environmental Protection Agency’s miles-per-gallon rating for each vehicle to estimate and compare the monthly fuel costs.

2. Compare the longterm costs of different cars. In addition to fuel, consider the long-term costs of maintenance, repairs, insurance, taxes, depreciation, fees and financing. To help you with the calculations, Kelly Blue Book has a 5-Year Cost to Own tool that lets you compare longterm costs for 2015 and 2016 models. Edmunds’s True Cost to Own® tool does a similar thing for 2010 and newer models.

3. Buy a “new-to-you” car. Buying a used car rather than the equivalent brand-new model can usually save you money. However, you’ll want to look at each used car on an individual basis. Consider how it feels during a test drive and its history if you can access it. You may be able to buy a warranty for your used car, or you could purchase a certified pre-owned (CPO) car from

a dealership. Dealers inspect CPOs before selling them with a manufacturer’s warranty.

If you’re not buying a CPO, you could hire a mechanic to perform a pre-purchase inspection. It’s not a guarantee, but the inspection can help ensure you won’t get caught off guard by any unexpected issues. With the right deal on a used car, you might be

able to buy the car outright instead of financing the purchase. By paying cash, you avoid accruing interest, making monthly payments and worrying about loanorigination fees.

4. Negotiate the purchase. Most people don’t enjoy haggling with a car salesperson, but even nonconfrontational negotiating tactics can help you save money.

For example, once you pick a make and model, you could shop online for available vehicles at nearby dealerships. Reach out to each dealer’s internet sales team and ask for their best total cost, inclusive of taxes and fees. Take the lowest offer and ask the other dealers if they can beat it. If one of them can, take your new lowest quote and again ask the rest of the dealers to go lower. Keep going until you get a price that works best for you. You could use the same tactic with dealerships outside your area. However, you may have to travel and pick up the car or pay to transport it. Another helpful resource is negotiation services like Authority Auto, which

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after four years in San Francisco, where he was chief administrative officer at St. Luke’s Hospital and vice president at California Pacific Medical Center. Christian, North St. Louis County’s main hospital, operates the busiest emergency room in the state, Stevens said, with 110,000 annual visits, and is the state’s third-busiest ambulance service provider.

“I’m here for the adventure, and I see all the possibilities that are there,” said Stevens, a Memphis native and Tennessee State graduate.

Kelvin Westbrook, chairman of the board at BJC Healthcare, said Stevens’ passion impressed him during the interview process. It is significant, he said, that a hospital that serves a majority African-American population will have a black president.

“Not to say that others haven’t done a good job in addressing some of the challenges in our region,” Westbrook said, “but there comes a unique understanding and an appreciation when you are of the community, as opposed to just in the community.”

Westbrook became BJC’s

negotiates competitive prices on new and pre-owned cars. For a fee, the online service negotiates each part of the process to get you a better deal and take some of the stress out of the car-buying experience and only charge a percentage of what they save you.

5. Consider leasing instead of purchasing. Taking out a lease is similar to purchasing a long-term rental. You’ll have to return or buy the car at the end of the lease, and you may have to pay fees if you drive too many miles or damage the vehicle.

The lease down payment and monthly payments will be lower than buying the same car outright. However, you can still save money by shopping around and negotiating because the down payment and monthly payments depend on the vehicle’s sale price.

If you like to drive a new car and always want to be under warranty, starting a new lease every few years could make sense. On the other hand, there’s more long-term value in buying if you tend to have a lot of wear and tear on your cars.

6. Use alternative

first black board chair in January 2014. Westbrook said BJC’s mission is to improve the health of the people and communities it serves. There are many in the community who struggle to find access to quality healthcare, he said.

Often, people are so concerned with surviving that tending to their health is a luxury. In the interview process, Westbrook

n “There comes a unique understanding and an appreciation when you are of the community, as opposed to just in the community.”

– Kelvin Westbrook, BJC Healthcare board chair

asked Stevens if he “was he up to accepting and appreciating those challenges.”

“To understand that a person’s environment contributes 80 percent to their health status,” Westbrook said.

“If you don’t appreciate the environment in North County, then you are hard-pressed to understand the things we take for granted.”

Clark and Rhone also recognized Dwaun J. Warmack

means of transportation. Forgoing the purchase of a car altogether might not work for everyone, but it’s worth considering if you live in a city or don’t regularly drive long distances. Instead of owning a car, you could get around with a mix of carpooling, public transportation, walking and biking. You could also still have access to a car if you join a car-sharing program or use a ride-sharing app or taxi service.

Bottom line. There are many ways to save money on your next car, and you should almost certainly plan your purchase before signing any dotted lines. Start by researching all your options, including living without a car, buying used and leasing. If you decide to purchase a car, you can compare the longterm cost of different makes and models and save money upfront by haggling with sellers.

Nathaniel Sillin directs Visa’s financial education programs. To follow Practical Money Skills on Twitter: www. twitter.com/PracticalMoney.

as another newcomer, though he became president of HarrisStowe State University two years ago. In his speech, Warmack said he moved to St. Louis in July 2014.

“Three weeks later was the Mike Brown tragedy,” he said. “My wife was still living in Florida at the time and she said, ‘Babe, we haven’t sold our house. You might want to come back home.’ But I said,

‘This is where God has called us to serve.’”

Vernon Betts, an assistant minister at Shalom who won the Democratic primary in the race for St. Louis sheriff, also was recognized as a new black leader.

Clark closed the reception with a baseball analogy of sorts. He said he always knew in his heart that he was going to play professional baseball.

“It took my having a conversation with some colleagues who said, ‘Trust me, you weren’t that good,” he laughs.

But he still has an appreciation for the game and “how it holds together.”

“What we’ve done on today is that we have been practicing watching how it all holds together,” Clark said. “None of us in this room has made it on their own. We have a great community.”

n “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

– Colin Kaepernick

49ers will find a thin excuse to part with Kaepernick

~ See ‘Sports Eye’ page B4 ~

Have bat, will travel InsIde sports

With Earl Austin Jr.

Timberland’s Hurst headed to University of Utah

Timberland High girls’ softball standout Makayla Hurst has given a commitment to the University of Utah. Hurst is currently one of the top hitters in the St. Louis area with an impressive batting average of .731. This is not a misprint. After eight games, Hurst is batting .731 with two home runs and 14 runs batted in. She is currently 19-for-26 with five walks and eight runs scored. I have watched this young lady basically grow up in a softball uniform and she has developed into a special talent on the diamond. An excellent first baseman, Hurst has been playing softball on a yearround basis for more than a decade.

“I started playing softball when I was six years old,” she said. “The moment I picked up a bat, I fell in love with the game.”

A four-year starter at Timberland, Hurst hit .354 with 19 runs batted in as a sophomore. Last season, she hit .532 with two home runs and 26 RBI with a slugging percentage of .844. She has opened up her senior year with some sparking performances at the plate. Hurst was four-forfour with a double, home run and four RBI in a 12-2 victory over Fort Zumwalt North. She was three-for-three with two doubles and two RBI in a victory over Ladue. She was also three-forsix with a home run and two RBI in a victory over Fort Zumwalt West. During the summer, Hurst played select ball with the St. Louis Chaos, a team of elite players that play in tournaments all over the country. She put up some impressive numbers with the Chaos, hitting .344 with 12 home runs, 60 RBIs and 37 runs scored.

“The summer is my favorite part of the year,” Hurst said. “I get to travel all over the U.S. with my best friends, and it couldn’t get any better than that. I couldn’t imagine not playing softball year-round. It’s my

Boxing fans and journalists have been scrambling to identify the best fighter in the world since Floyd Mayweather Jr. walked away from boxing a year ago. Mayweather certified his poundfor-pound status with an easy win over Manny Pacquiao in May of 2015, then took a ‘gimme’ fight against Andre Berto last September before waltzing into retirement. In his absence, Mayweather left a gaping hole atop boxing’s mythical pound-forpound rankings. Though there are plenty of worthy candidates to the throne, no single fighter has had a signature performance to elevate himself above the competition. Many boxing scribes have elevated WBC World Flyweight Champion Roman Gonzales (45-0-0, 38 KO) to the top spot. The relatively unknown (outside of boxing circles) Nicaraguan fighter has dominated in three weight-classes and boasts an amazing blend of aggression, power, defense and combination-punching. Unfortunately for “Chocolatito,” there aren’t many elite fighters on his hit list. Unified middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (35-0-0, 32 KO) is another skillful knockout artist in consideration. “GGG” has run through every fighter brave enough to step in the ring with him. However, he too lacks a list of A-list fighters on his resume. Enter Sergey Kovalev and Andre Ward Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KO) is the reigning WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight

Ishmael H. Sistrunk

The man they call “Krusher” has earned his moniker in the ring

Earl Austin Jr.

WBA and WBC Super Middleweight Champion Andre Ward moved into the light heavyweight division and is seeking to defeat Sergey Kovalev to become

two-division champion and claim the title of world’s best pound-for-pound fighter.

Timberland High girls’ softball standout Makayla Hurst, one of the top hitters in the St. Louis area with an impressive batting average of .731, has given a commitment to the University of Utah.

Photo by Wiley Price

SportS EyE

With Alvin A. Reid

49ers will find a thin excuse to part with Kaepernick

The San Francisco 49ers play their final preseason game Thursday, September 1, and I doubt quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be on the team 24 hours later.

Head coach Chip Kelly will announce that it’s a “football decision” and has nothing to do with Kaepernick refusing to stand during the national anthem. I guarantee you Kaepernick will be history if he does not stand during the Star Spangled Banner before Thursday’s game.

Kaepernick took a seat before last week’s game against Green Bay. Most of the world didn’t realize what he had done, until he said after the game, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street, and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

surgeries, couldn’t work out, lost that double threat, that size-speed ratio No political views, he just hasn’t been effective. He’s regressing as a player. I’d be shocked if he’s on this roster by the end of this year. He may not be on it in the next two weeks.”

Peter King of Sports Illustrated jumped on the bandwagon by writing, “Kaepernick is 10-14 with a pedestrian 83.7 rating in the past two years, and he appears to have lost significant weight – he’d be the thinnest starting quarterback in football, for what that’s worth. … Kaepernick may make [the team], but it would have to be on faith, because he’s shown Kelly little this summer.”

If Kaepernick is cut, a possible landing place would have been Dallas, where yet another injury to Tony Romo has left that team in a quarterback predicament.

Had he simply made that statement, a firestorm of controversy would not have followed, but there would have been negative reaction. He would also have a future in the NFL. I think his playing days are over.

The Cowboys could use a veteran to back up rookie Dak Prescott, but it sure as heck isn’t going to be Kaepernick. No other NFL team is going to rush to sign him.

n The Cowboys could use a veteran to back up rookie Dak Prescott, but it sure as heck isn’t going to be Kaepernick.

The groundwork for his departure from the 49ers, and most likely the NFL, has already started. It is based on his injuries, his preseason play and his weight loss.

“Regardless of politics or not, he has a very, very big uphill battle to make this team. I’d be shocked if he’s on the 49ers by the time this season ends. It has nothing to do with political views whatsoever,” writes Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.

“He lost a ton of weight this offseason, had three

I support Kaepernick’s right to sit during the anthem.

Thousands of fans are milling around stadium concourses while talking, drinking and having a grand old time while the national anthem is playing – and they know it. It has always seemed disrespectful to me.

As for not standing, I wouldn’t do it. I think acts such as that and burning or desecrating flags are more centered in pissing people off than actually bringing attention to a cause.

No law is being broken when you burn a flag, and Kaepernick’s action is not in violation of any NFL statute. On Sunday, the NFL stated, “While it encourages players

and coaches to stand, it is not a league rule.”

Here’s my advice to Kaepernick: America is not your enemy. The actions of too many Americans are what should be targeted by protests and acts of civil disobedience. There is a difference.

Kaepernick’s protest and the resulting fallout is much to do about nothing, but in these heated times it will likely cost him his high-paying job.

As New Orleans Saints coach Sean Peyton said Monday, “Honestly, we have a lot more important things that we’re working on right here in our building.” I agree. But the media has a story, the haters of all things black have a new reason to hate, and some

Kaepernick supporters will make him a martyr. Kaepernick will look back and ask himself, “Was it worth it?” He’s going to have a lot of free time to think about his answer.

Curry, Gaither both legends

When I met the late George Curry in 1977 he was just about to celebrate the publishing of his first book, Jake Gaither: America’s Most Famous Black Coach.”

I’m not afraid to admit I had never heard of the guy. I read the book, and I learned I needed to know more about black college football players and coaches.

n Gaither was Florida A&M head coach from 1945-1969, compiling an impressive 204-36-4 record. He would coach 36 All-Americans, and 42 of his players reached the NFL.

Sure, I had heard of Eddie Robinson and Grambling, and was well aware of the impact players from black colleges were having in the NFL. But I had no idea of Gaither’s contribution to ALL of college football.

Gaither was Florida A&M

head coach from 1945-1969, compiling an impressive 20436-4 record. He would coach 36 All-Americans, and 42 of his players reached the NFL.

During his tenure, Florida A&M won 22 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and his team was voted as Black College National Champions in 1950, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1959 and 1961. When coaching clinics were a new thing in the 1950s, Gaither began one and brought in Paul “Bear” Bryant, Frank Broyles Darrell Royal Woody Hayes and other legendary coaches to staff them.

He is credited with creating the “Split-T formation” in 1963 and, in 1969, his Rattlers defeated the University of Tampa 34-28 in the South’s first football game between a white and predominantly black college.

He received the Walter Camp Football Foundation Man of the Year award in 1974 and was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1975. He also received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award that year, and was the first black coach to win these accolades.

Gaither died in 1994 in Tallahassee, Fla., but his impact on his craft, like Curry’s, will continue to live on for generations.

Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook and appears on ABC’s The Allman Report and several sports radio shows. His Twitter handle is @aareid1.

Alvin A. Reid

Colin Kaepernick took a seat before last week’s game against Green Bay. Most of the world didn’t realize what he had done, until he said after the game, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”

Flyer vs. Cadets, public vs. private

The inaugural Border War Gateway Scholarship Football Classic should provide plenty of bragging rights to talk about after it’s over. The three-game event will be held at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium in East St. Louis on Saturday, September 3. It will open with Cahokia against Public High League team Sumner at 1 p.m. Cahokia is coming off an exciting 25-24 victory over Mississippi Valley Conference power Highland. It was the coming out party for head coach John Clay and the Cahokia fans in front of a huge crowd at O’Brien Stadium in Cahokia last Friday night.

2-0. CBC has outscored its first two opponents 100-17. According to the fans who bleed purple and gold, the Cadets are looking forward to the match-up against the Flyers.

The Flyers seem unfazed, as they are playing with swagger and confidence these days. In the victory over Providence, East Side’s dynamic duo of Mizzou recruit Reyondous Estes and All-American candidate Jeff Thomas quickly silenced the home crowd on their opening drive with a 45-yard touchdown connection.

Game No. 2 will be Belleville Althoff vs. Jefferson City Helias. Althoff opened the season with an impressive victory over Collinsville. The Crusaders defeated Helias 54-38 last season. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. But the marque match-up that everyone’s talking about will be CBC vs. East St. Louis in a battle of traditional powerhouse programs, which will begin at 7 p.m.

Playing in their first game since September 26, 2015 due to a teachers strike last seasons, the Flyers embarrassed Chicago power Providence Catholic 34-3 to open the season. East St. Louis dominated from start to finish against the Celtics, coasting to a 28-0 halftime lead. Meanwhile, CBC put a whipping on Christian Brothers (Memphis) 52-17 to move to

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is real. He stopped Pascal on both occasions and dropped the legendary Hopkins in the first round, en route to a dominating decision victory. Kovalev sought out a fight with the only other title holder in the division, WBC champion Adonis Stevenson, but “Superman” seemingly wants nothing to do with Kovalev in the squared circle. Instead of continuing to chase Stevenson, Kovalev’s team looked to Ward, who was the unified super middleweight champion. Ward had effectively cleaned out the 168-pound division and was looking at bigger and better challenges in a new division. Victories over Mikkel Kessler Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Chad Dawson had already put Ward in the pound-forpound conversation, even while Mayweather was still active. Dawson was the reigning WBC Light Heavyweight Champion when he fought Ward, but the bout was held at super middleweight, so his title was not on the line. Had it not been for several long layoffs, due to injuries and a promotional contract dispute, Ward may have

Estes finished completed 12 of 25 passes for 263 yards with a pair of touchdowns as threw the ball with flair and confidence. Thomas had five-receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns and proved to everyone in attendance why he is considered one of the elite wide receivers in the country despite tweaking an ankle in the first quarter.

The Flyers’ running game was clinking all night as well. Jarrell Anderson, who had 18-carries for 67 yards and Jigg Brown who had 11 carries for 60 yards and a score, wore down the Celtics defense on opening night in Chicago.

The Flyers defense dominated as well. James “Bone Crusher” Knight, LaMontre’ “State Street” Harvey, Terrenz Lagrone, and the rest of the defensive unit limited the Celtics to three first downs in the first half,

already claimed the undisputed pound-for-pound crown. Now it’s official. All the contracts have been signed. The date is set for Nov. 19 on HBO PPV. Kovalev vs Ward will determine an undisputed poundfor-pound king. According to THE RING’s Doug Fischer, the bout will mark only the thirdtime in the magazine’s history that two undefeated fighters ranked in the top five of its pound-for-pound list will match up against each other. Though this bout won’t have the hype of Mayweather vs Pacquiao, it is much more likely to live up to the lofty expectations. Unlike Mayweather and Pacquiao, Ward and Kovalev are both still in their fighting primes. Both are still hungry to reach bona fide superstar status and respect and ridiculous riches that come with it.

There’s still a long way to go until November, but barring bad luck (knocks on wood) it appears that this highly-anticipated matchup will come to fruition. Unlike disappointing 2016 pay per view matchups between Pacquiao and Tim Bradley or Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan, this bout is certainly worth the price of admission.

My first impression is that Ward’s technical superiority will reign supreme, however,

from The eAST Side

With Maurice Scott

with two of them coming via penalty. They held highly touted Providence Catholic running-back Richie Warfield

I’ll wait until closer to the fight to make an official pick. Regardless of whom emerges as the victor, it’s apparent that boxing fans everywhere win.

Golovkin seeks to make his own statement

Unable to lure Alvarez into a big-time PPV bout, Gennady Golovkin will seek to stake his claim on the pound-forpound pedestal when he takes on IBF World Welterweight champion Kell Brook (360-0, 26 KO) on Sept. 10 on HBO Championship Boxing. Golovkin rightfully threw shade at Alvarez for fighting Khan, a welterweight, only to come back and do that exact same thing.

In Golovkin’s defense, Alvarez vacated the WBC middleweight strap rather than step into the ring with “GGG.” That left the oft-avoided Golovkin seeking out another big-name opponent. Brook is also a naturally bigger fighter than Khan. Still, a middleweight defending his title against a welterweight is just not a good look.

For Brook, the fight is a win/win. His welterweight belt is not on the line. He’ll earn a nice paycheck and gain plenty of exposure against a high-profile champion. Nobody outside

softballs all over the ball park, she is also a two-time All-State performer in the discus for Timberland’s track and field team.

to 17 yards on 12 carries. While East St. Louis is playing and talking with swagger, CBC will bring

his camp expects him to win, so a victory would just be icing on top and propel him into the pound-for-pound conversation. Golovkin could raise his public profile with an impressive knockout against as credible fighter, however, he’ll get earn

T

plenty of athletes to the House of Pain for the flyers to deal with on Saturday night. The Cadets, who are the six-time Metro Catholic Conference champions, sport a 29-1 record to date in their last 30 games. CBC is the Cadillac program in the state of Missouri in class 6.

The Cadets feature sophomore quarterback Brett Gabbert, who is the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert. He is 22-33 for 372 yards and three touchdowns on the young season. The Cadets quarterback has an arsenal of receivers that East St. Louis might not see all season long.

Leading the way is the talented duo of juniors Kamryn Babb (6’2 190) and Cameron Brown (6’ 175).

n The marque match-up that everyone’s talking about will be CBC vs. East St. Louis in a battle of traditional powerhouse programs, which will begin at 7 p.m.

Babb has offers from Ohio St., Michigan St. Wisconsin, Nebraska among others. Brown has offers from Iowa, Iowa St. Mizzou, Illinois. In addition, Gabbert has some other receivers who will test the Flyers’ secondary in Damon Jones (6’3 185) and Josh Wallace (6’5 205).

Running back Justin Williams has been Coach Scott Pingel work horse in the running game early on this season rushing for 308 yards on 22-carries.

The previous City of Champions Classic hosted by former East St. Louis flyer players and University of

zero credibility for beating a fighter who normally fights a full 13-pounds below his weight class. At least this bout is on regular HBO and fans won’t have to shell out $60. Despite the weight difference, expect

getaway from everything, and I love it.”

Makayla’s parents, Ty and Laura, have been there every step of the way. They have logged literally thousands of miles over the years, getting her to tournaments and making sure she perfected her craft. The end result has been the emergence of a star player who is headed to one of the top collegiate programs in the country.

Hurst will be joining a program at Utah that is coming off a record-breaking season. The Utes finished the 2016 season with a 35-22 record and ranked No. 16 in the final national polls. Utah also earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament where they advanced all the way to the Super Regionals.

“The moment I stepped on Utah’s campus, I knew I wanted to go there,” Hurst said. “It was a beautiful campus

Illinois stars Dana Howard and Julyon Brown brought the likes of Illinois prep powers Lombard Montini, Chicago St. Rita, and Missouri prep power Kansas City Rockhurst, among others the past few years are wondering why they weren’t invited to host this year’s event. Said former Butkus Award winning linebacker Dana Howard, “I still don’t know why we weren’t offered to host the game this year. I haven’t gotten an answer.” When asked the same question, former star East Side athlete Juan Brown, a member of the first State championship team in 1979 and the brother of Julyon Brown, stated, “I know why. If people didn’t have their hands out wanting total control of the entire event, the City of Champions Classic would still be in existence this weekend.”

Juan Brown went even a step further. “Even more money would have been distributed to the athletic program,” Brown said, “had people in the East St. Louis community not hand their hands out.”

In a recent interview, this year’s classic organizers stated they will have a new twist in the football classic that will feature a college fair at East St. Louis Senior High the morning of the game. and when I met Coach A (head coach Amy Hogue), we clicked. I never I had that feeling before. I knew I was meant to be a Ute.” When Hurst is not swatting

Brook to hold his own and make it a fairly exciting fight. In the end though, Golovkin will likely prove to be too big and too strong. Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

he ST. LouiS AmericAn PreP AThLeTeS of The Week

Torre Dyson

Soldan – Football

The sophomore quarterback has opened up the season with a pair of sparking passing performances for the Tigers.

Despite Soldan’s 0-2 record, the 6’1” 215-pound Dyson has completed 32 of 51 passes for 788 yards and eight touchdowns to lead the St. Louis area.

Dyson completed 16 of 24 passes for 359 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-40 loss to Lutheran South. Dyson completed touchdown passes of 38, 45, 15, 58 and 60 yards. He opened the season with a 419-yard passing performance and three touchdowns against Cardinal Ritter.

Soldan will host Cleveland Naval Jr. ROTC in its Public High League opener on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Chris Stewart

Eureka – Football

The senior wide receiver enjoyed a huge performance in the Wildcats’ 33-22 victory over Eureka last Friday night.

Stewart had a career-high 16 receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns to lead Eureka’s offense. His touchdown receptions were from 32 and 18 yards. For the season, Stewart has 21 receptions for 228 yards and four touchdowns for the 2-0 Wildcats.

Eureka will visit Pattonville on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Maurice Scott

East St Louis quarterback Reyondus Estes

Entrepreneurship Initiative,

a $2.1 million partnership to expand access to entrepreneurial education and microloans for formerly incarcerated individuals, with a specific focus on those who are parents. Initial rollout for the initiative is planned for St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago and Louisville.

“Not to disparage other programs, but a bevy of efforts to help ex-offenders don’t have at the end an opportunity for participants to borrow money,” Gondolfi said. “Capital is lacking in most programs. There is a lot of coaching and education and putting people in seats, but no capital. This is different.”

In the partnership, Justine Petersen will provide the entrepreneurial education program, the SBA will work with microlenders to make capital available for program participants (as well as oversee strategic planning for the pilot initiative and evaluate its effectiveness), and the Kellogg Foundation will put up the money and provide matching revolving loan funds.

The partnership is a pilot initiative, but Justine Petersen is on familiar ground.

“We’ve done this,” Gondolfi said. “This is not new territory. Justine Petersen has a proven track record of empirically, tangibly loaning dollars to people in need.”

According to its most recent published annual report, in

2014 the micro-lender provided $13.6 million in loans to 800 micro-enterprises. Nearly two-thirds (64.5 percent) of those dollars were loaned in the St. Louis metro area, and that number goes up to threefourths (75.6 percent) when you factor in the Metro East.

Providing loans in the pilot’s other target cities also would not be new, as Justine Petersen has fostered loans in 14 states. The Aspen Institute reported

n According to the SBA, an estimated 60 percent of formerly incarcerated individuals remain unemployed one year after their release, and nearly half of all U.S. children have at least one parent with a criminal record

a 96 percent survival rate for businesses that received Justine Petersen loans in 2014. And the Aspire Entrepreneurship Initiative is certainly intended to create new businesses, but its focus is closer to home.

“This began with the Kellogg Foundation wanting a robust program with an emphasis on parents –participants must be parents,” Gondolfi said, with an emphasis on parents with children from birth up to 8 years old.

“This is very much about stabilizing family budgets and households. It’s not only about empowering individuals, it’s

about empowering the family unit and helping children to develop and hoping to stabilize households early in the development of children.”

According to the SBA, an estimated 60 percent of formerly incarcerated individuals remain unemployed one year after their release, raising the risk of recidivism and resulting in lost lifetime earnings. This cycle has major implications for American families, as nearly half of all U.S. children have at least one parent with a criminal record

In 2015, SBA expanded its Microloan Program to small business owners currently on probation or parole. This partnership expands on that policy change to give parents the opportunity to generate income and create economic prosperity for their families, the SBA said.

“It is vital that parent returning citizens have the opportunity to create economic prosperity for their families,” La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, said in a statement.

“One path to that success is creating more opportunities for entrepreneurship by opening access to the capital and training needed for parents to become small business owners in their communities. By giving parents a second chance, we are also giving their children an opportunity to succeed.”

For more information, contact Tamra Thetford of Justine Petersen at 314-5332411 extension 105.

Financial Focus

By Aaron Ezell

Art as hope in Ferguson

‘Outside In: Paint For Peace’ showcases murals on areas damaged by unrest

By American staff

In the wake of the unrest in Ferguson, sections of the city and neighboring municipalities resembled war zones. Pockets were still smoldering following that fateful night on November 24 when St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced that former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted for the August 9, 2014 shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown Jr. Boarded buildings and dilapidation marked the collateral damage of righteous anger that made its way into the protest space.

But almost immediately, out of the ashes came beauty. The plywood that covered businesses that

had been vandalized and set afire beamed with beautiful messages of hope.

“Artists have always responded,” Jackie Lewis-Harris said, when speaking to Don Marsh of St. Louis Public Radio about “Outside In: Paint For Peace.” She curated the exhibit that highlights the murals that were painted by artists and the community as a symbol of hope following the unrest.

“Some people demonstrate, some people go to social media, but artists have always responded. Think about Picasso and ‘Guernica,’ for example,” Lewis-Harris told Marsh. “These people wanted to express positivity and show that the community could work together, and this was one way to publicly express that.”

Lewis-Harris, who is associate professor and director of the Connecting Human Origin and Cultural Diversity Program at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, was referring to the muralsized oil painting on canvas by the legendary visual artist that interpreted the bombing of

Inaugural Martin L. Mathews

Chaka Khan and El DeBarge headlined secular spin off of ‘Say Amen Gala’

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

To culminate their inaugural Family Reunion Weekend, Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club celebrated those making a difference in the community – and called on two of the biggest names in R&B to sing the stage down at The Fox Theatre on Saturday night.

For the first portion of the Martin L. Mathews Awards Program & Benefit Concert, nearly a dozen awards were given to those actively contributing to making St. Louis a better place through a host of roles, both within and beyond Mathews-Dickey.

“It’s truly an honor to follow in the footsteps and further the mission set forward by Martin L. Mathews,” said Wendell Covington Jr., the organization’s new CEO. “I’m also excited about championing a new era. Now more than ever, our young people need a solid education and our young people need hope.”

Fronczak, vice president of Events for Mathews-Dickey

The Martin L. Mathews Awards is a rebranding, of sorts, of the organization’s Say Amen Gala – a dinner and awards ceremony, concert and fundraiser Mathews-Dickey held for many years that culminated with a gospel music performances and featured some of the biggest names in spiritual music.

The awards were similar in format and highlighted 10 individuals and institutions for their services by way of recognition for their service in the arts, athletics, health and nonprofit leadership among others.

“This is the next chapter,” Bill Fronczak, vice president of Events for Mathews-Dickey, said of the weekend, which also included a food truck block party on Friday at the organization’s campus on North Kingshighway.

The continuation of the foundation laid by the Say Amen Gala was apparent in the awards that were bestowed. Steve Maritz, CEO of Maritz, was given an award named in honor of his father, Bill Maritz, a longtime supporter of Mathews-Dickey and former co-chair of the Say

his native Spain by Nazi German and Italian warplanes at the request of Spanish Nationalists.

“Outside In: Paint for Peace” consists of a unique and energetic collection of painted

Amen Gala.

“This would be a great night for him if he were here,” Steve Maritz said. “It’s a great honor to accept this award in his name.”

Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. CEO Tad

Edwards was also given an award named in memory of his father and company namesake.

“Our family wanted to keep the tradition going,

Black Rep milestone season begins next week with ‘Miss Julie Clarissa and John’

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

“It’s an accomplishment to still be standing,” founder and Producing Director Ron Himes said as he reflected on the Black Rep turning 40.

As they gear up for the beginning of their landmark season next week with “Miss Julie, Clarissa and John,” the Black Rep is right to count endurance as its biggest win.

The highs and lows of its humble beginnings on the campus of Washington University, its growth stage at the 23rd Street Theatre, the era of extravagant productions at The Grandel Theatre and the crushing blow of losing residency there could be a stage show of its own. But while the Black Rep has been down, it has never been out.

“Being here and getting ready to produce a 40th anniversary season, I feel a great sense of gratefulness to the community that has continued to support the work that we do,” Himes said. Theater as an institution has come a long way with respect to diversity since the Black Rep began as student troupe organized to give black drama students an opportunity to showcase their talent. There was a near sweep by people of color in the performance categories at the 2016 Tony Awards. It is now common practice for mainstream theater organizations to have actors of color in lead roles and to produce plays that were once exclusively reserved for

“There are more opportunities, but the void persists,” Himes said. “The necessity is as strong now as it was 40 years ago. Us taking the story and telling from our perspective, and looking at it through a lens that we create – that gives it a different texture.” And it gives the Black Rep an edge over Broadway and national stage show tours.

Ron Himes

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

How to place a calendar listing

1. Email your listing to calendar@stlamerican. com OR

2. Visit the calendar section on stlamerican.com and place your listing

Calendar listings are free of charge, are edited for space and run on a space-available basis.

concerts

Sat., Sept. 3, 10 p.m., Next Up One Year Anniversary Bash feat. J. Holiday This night will also include performances from local talent, including comedians, singers, poets, and other entertainers. The Rustic Goat, 2617 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 605-8097.

Tues., Sept. 6, 6 p.m., Missouri History Museum presents Twilight Tuesdays: Starlifter – The U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America 5700 Lindell Blvd., 63112. For more information, visit www. mohistory.org.

Sat., Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m. The Formation Tour with Beyoncé, The Dome at America’s Center. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Sat., Sept. 24, 8 p.m. doors, Mo Investment presents Joe and Vivian Green, The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com.

Tues., Oct. 4, 8 p.m. (7 p.m. doors), Café Soul welcomes Andra Day and Corrine Bailey Rae, The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com.

special events

Thur., Sept. 1, 5:30 p.m., Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Career Fair. Positions include Database Administrators, Data Scientists, Customer Service Representatives, General Management, and more. All registrants must present a photo ID, such as a valid government-issued ID. One Federal Reserve Bank Plaza, 63102. For more information,

visit www.stlouisfed.org/ events.

Sat., Sept 3, 8 a.m., Sixth Annual Race For Refuge This popular event generates funding for the St. Louis organization, The Covering House, which provides refuge and restoration to girls who have experienced sexual exploitation or sexual trafficking. There will be a 10K/5K and a Run/Walk. Tower Grove Park, 4256 Magnolia Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 962-3450 or visit www. raceforrefuge.org.

Sat., Sept 3, 12 p.m., St. Louis Pan-Afrikan Family Fest. Come out for food, vendors, entertainment, and history. 3935 Enright Ave., 63108. For more information, call (618) 514-5240.

Sat., Sept 3, 5 p.m., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. St. Louis Alumni Chapter presents ALA White Summer Finale Day Party. Music by DJ Lee. Kappa House, 500 Vandeventer Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 341-3970 or (314) 496-4720.

Wed., Sept. 7, 5 p.m., FOCUS St. Louis 40/20 Anniversary Party. Turning 20 and celebrating 40 years of Leadership St. Louis. This is an opportunity to connect with FOCUS alumni from all eight leadership programs. Each ticket purchased helps support our ongoing effort to connect and educate leaders to create a thriving region. The Biergarten at Anheuser-Busch, 1200 Lynch St., 63118. For more information, call (314) 6574027 or visit www.focus-stl. org/Anniversary.

Fri., Sept. 9, 12 p.m., The National Association of Black Accountants 35th Annual Scholarship Luncheon. The Scholarship Luncheon is designed to help high school and college students majoring in Accounting, Finance or Business to afford higher

Next Up One Year Anniversary Bash featuring J. Holiday. For more information, see CONCERTS.

Featured Event

Wed., Sept. 7, 5 p.m., FOCUS St. Louis 40/20 Anniversary Party. Turning 20 and celebrating 40 years of Leadership St. Louis. For more information, call (314) 657-4027 or visit www.focus-stl.org/Anniversary.

education. This year’s guest speaker will be Emily Pitts, Principal of Inclusion & Diversity with Edward Jones. The Highlands Golf & Tennis Center, 5163 Clayton Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www.naba-stl.org.

Fri., Sept. 9, 6 p.m., Beloved Streets of America presents the Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Dinner. Support us in our first ever charity dinner to raise awareness to Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and the poor light and infrastructure in which he and his work have been sadly shown. Join us to learn how to change this. Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd., 63120. For more information, call (314) 814-1043.

Sun., Sept. 11, 3 p.m., All-N1 Entertainment presents the 4th Annual I Am Exquisite Fashion Show: The Grand Finale. Join us for our charity red carpet fashion show as our adult and kid models rip the runway. Vendors will be on site for retail. Mandarin Banquet Hall, 8004 Olive Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 6903660.

Sun., Sept. 11, 5:30 p.m., ZMG Books presents Lyrics & Laughter. Join us for an evening of spoken word, comedy, and soulful singing.

Featuring some of St. Louis’ finest artists and special guest museum Angelo “Sax” Shaw. The Signature Room, 9002 Overland Plaza, 63114. For more information, call (314) 877-8804 or visit www. zmgbooks.com.

Sept. 16 – 18, Budweiser Taste of St. Louis. Features 35+ restaurants on 314 Hot Sauce Restaurant Row, the Stella Artois Chef Battle Royale, the Goose Island School of Cooking, an ArtWalk, Sachs Properties Kids’ Kitchen, and more. Chesterfield Amphitheater, 631 Veterans Pl Dr., 63017. For more information, call (314) 534-2100 or visit www.tastestl. com.

Sat., Sept. 17, 7 p.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Omicron Theta Omega Chapter and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Upsilon Omega Chapter present the H.B.C.U. Throwback T-Shirt Party. Proceeds will benefit the organizations’ scholarships and mandated programs. Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Blvd., 63120. For more information, call (314) 441-2212 or (314) 385-4100.

Sept. 23 – 25, Chaifetz Arena presents Disney on Ice: Worlds of Enchantment 1 S. Compton Ave., 63103. For more information, call

Tupac Shakur, and the Birth of West Coast Rap. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 3676731 or visit www.left-bank. com.

Sat., Sept. 3, 7 p.m., St. Louis Kings of Comedy vs. St. Louis Queens of Comedy. Comedians include Jaylee Thomas, Jovan Bibbs, Mz. Tiffany, Ladyre, and more. Hosted by Maurice G. The Ready Room, 4195 Manchester Ave., 63110. For more information, call (314) 599-0705.

Fri., Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m., The Derek Martin Food Drive presents The Annual Comedy Fundraiser. Featuring Maurice G and Friends, Hosted by Rev Lil’ Nate on the turntables Old School 95.5’s Don D2ThaC Clair. Join us for a night of memorable laughs and assist us in our efforts to feed 1000+ families this Christmas. Polish Heritage Center, 1413 N. 20th St., 63106. For more information, call (314) 359-3258.

(314) 977-5000 or visit www. chaifetzarena.com.

Sat., Oct. 1, 5 p.m., The St. Louis American Foundation presents the 29th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship & Awards Gala. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, call (314) 533-8000 or visit www.stlamerican.com.

literary

Sat., Sept. 3, 1 p.m., Live, Love and Laugh Book Signing and Speaking Event Join motivational speaker and published author, Souljourner Howard, as she shares her secrets of how she Lives, Loves and Laughs. The Wilder Theatre, 252 North Main, Edwardsville, IL. 62025. For more information, visit www. degreesofperfection.com.

Wed., Sept. 14, 6 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts author Colson Whitehead author of The Underground Railroad. A magnificent epic chronicling a young slave’s desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. The book is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman’s ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage, and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share. Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 994-3300 or visit www. slcl.org.

Tues., Sept. 20, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Ben Westhoff, author of Original Gangstas: The Untold Story of Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube,

Sept. 23 – Sept. 25, Aug. 13, Helium Comedy Club St. Louis welcomes Adele Givens, Helium Comedy Club, 151 St. Louis Galleria St., St. Louis, MO 63117. For more information, call (314) 727-1260 or visit http:// st-louis.heliumcomedy.com

Sat., Oct. 8, 7 p.m., Jazzy ENT presents Laughs in the Lou Comedy Explosion Featuring Darius Bradford, Jeremiah “JJ” Williamson, Michael Colyar, T.K. Kirkland, and Brandon “Hot Sauce” Glover. The Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry Rd., 63136. For more information, call (409) 571-9454 or visit www. ajazzyevent.com.

Fri., Sept. 2, 6 p.m., The Griot Museum of Black History presents a Curator’s Talk & Opening Reception for the exhibit Wandering Spirits: African Wax Prints. Dr. Gifty Afrua Benson will give the talk. The exhibit is a vibrant visual exploration of the historical journey across Asia, through Europe, and into Africa where, ingrained in African culture and society, they reflect the stories, dreams and personalities of the people who love and identify them as their own. The exhibit will run through October 8th. 2505 St. Louis Ave., 63106. For more information, call (314) 241-7057 or visit www. thegriotmuseum.org.

Sat., Sept. 17, 11 a.m., The Griot Museum of Black History presents Family, Fashion, Fun Day. Storytelling, drumming, gelee and lapatyping; block print and pattern making, jewelry-making,

repurpose fabric, accessories, home décor and more with artists Kenya Ajanaku, Elaine Young, Mama Lisa, and others. 2505 St. Louis Ave., 63106. For more information, call (314) 241-7057 or visit www.thegriotmuseum.org.

Through Oct. 30, COCA presents Outside In: Paint for Peace. Showcasing the power of the arts, the exhibition presents a selection of the murals painted on the boardedup storefronts by amateur and professional artists in the days and weeks following the 2014 protests in Ferguson. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 7256555 or visit www.cocastl.org.

theatre

Sept. 7 – 25, The Black Rep presents Miss Julie, Clarissa and John. The dangerous attraction between the landowner’s daughter and his top servant takes on new shades as its taboo nature expands from crossing boundaries of social class to also encompass racial lines. The situation is heightened further by Southers’ extensive development of the third onstage character from Strindberg’s play, which in this searing version becomes central to the conflict through her identity as the mulatto daughter of a slave woman. Edison Theatre, Washington University, 6465 Forsyth Blvd., 63105. For more information, call (314) 534-3810 or visit www. theblackrep.org.

Sat., Sept. 10, 2 p.m., Prince of Peace Church presents the National Gospel Musical Play – It Must be Love ‘Cause Hate Don’t Hurt this Bad Christian Comedian Reggie “The Bishop of Comedy” Reg stars in the play with an incredible cast that brings you into the life of a family who finds adversity knocking at their lives. As everything is turned upside down and inside out they come to realization that true love is the answer.

9350 Natural Bridge Rd., 63134. For more information, call (314) 258-0480 or visit www.princeofpeacechurchstl. com.

Series presents Café Society: Where Entertainers Met Cafe Society was the first integrated Cabaret Club in New York, a club where black and white performed and socialized together. We will pay tribute to some of the performers who entertained at the club thru dance, songs and poetry. FCC Theatre, 1 James J. Eagan Dr., 63033. For more information, call (314) 921-5678 or visit www. florissantmo.com.

Sept. 15 – 18, UMSL Department of Theatre and Cinema presents Miriam Makeba: Mama Africa the Musical. The story, life and times of Miriam Makeba are told in a dramatic fashion,

outlining her activism in helping to bring down apartheid (and impact on the global civil rights movement), her fame & international success owing to her magical voice and her endurance in overcoming betrayal, failed marriages and the death of her only daughter, Bongi, while in exile. Set in Africa, the USA, and Belgium this is an inspirational, universal story that will appeal to a multi-generational audience worldwide. Touhill Performing Arts Center, One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, call (314) 5164949 or visit www.touhill.org.

lectures and workshops

Thur., Sept. 1, 6 p.m., St. Louis Partners presents

justice reforms. Grace United Methodist Church, 6199 Waterman Blvd., 63112. For more information, call (314) 863-1992 or visit www. graceumc-stl.org/index.php.

Mon., Sept. 12, 4 p.m., Thomas Dunn Learning Center presents Basic Household Budgeting. A budget is a plan for your future income and expenses that assists you in getting ahead financially. In this workshop, you will be provided with budget sheets and learn how to work them. This workshop is free to attend. 3113 Gasconade St., 63118. For more information or to register, call (314) 353-3050.

Thur., Sept. 15, 6 p.m., Thomas Dunn Learning Center presents Know Your Rights with Law Enforcement. Please register online or call (314) 353-3050.

healthier, happier lives. We are expanding what people think of as “self care” with this event, incorporating not just massage, yoga, and nutrition but branching out to music, art, and community organizations. 50 S. Leonor K Sullivan Blvd., 63102. For more information, visit www.facebook.com.

Mondays, 6:30 p.m., Yoga & Chill. A beginner-friendly, all levels (75 minute) class that spends time working through fundamental yoga postures and shapes while exploring alignment, breathing, relaxation techniques, and a good time. Modern Healer Studio, 1908 Cherokee St., 63118. For more information, visit www. eventbrite.com.

Foster Parent Info Session. This partnership allows some of the area’s most successful child welfare agencies to come together to create an effective and efficient promotion of the welfare of children and families. Several partner agencies work together to serve the children and families in the greater St. Louis Metro Area. Bringing Families Together, 7151 N. Lindbergh Blvd., 63042.

Sun., Sept. 11, 11:45 a.m., School to Prison Pipeline Presentation with Metropolitan Churches United. Do you want to break the school-to-prison pipeline in St. Louis? Are you ready to make a difference in the lives of children of color across the St. Louis region? ‘Break the Pipeline’ is a campaign that works to end the criminalization of youth of color by organizing school, police, and juvenile

Wed., Sept. 21, 4 p.m., Vision St. Louis presents Diversity in Bioscience, IT and Advanced Manufacturing. A regional symposium aimed at building a wholly inclusive, diverse innovation community. We welcome anyone seeking to learn more about opportunities in these growing industries. For more information, visit www.visionstlouis.com.

Sat., Sept. 17, 2 p.m., Effect of Caucasian Personality on African-American Personality: Black Mental Health in a Time Like This by Dr. Daudi Ajani ya Azibo, The lecture is dedicated to the memory of Drs. Frances Cress Welsing, Bobby Wright, and Cheikh Anta Diop. Thomas Dunn Learning Center, 3113 Gasconade Street.

health

Sat., Sept. 3, 8 a.m., Gateway to Well-being Festival. A family-friendly community event to connect local, expert professionals with the community, helping empower St. Louisans to live

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Get Sexy Movement Boot Camp. Station styled boot camp with 1 minute at each station for three rounds. North County Recreation Center, 2577 Redman Rd., 63136.For more information, call (314) 898-8898.

spiritual

Through Sept. 11, 12 noon daily and 7 p.m. nightly, Solomon’s Temple Church Ole Time Community Tent Revival: All About Souls Solomon’s Temple Church, 5569 Page, St. Louis, MO 63112. For more information, call (314) 361-4660.

Sun., Sept. 11, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Gregg Chapel A.M.E. Church Men’s & Women’s Day Celebrations, Gregg Chapel A.M.E. Church, 4433 Elmbank Ave.

Sun., Sept. 11, 4 p.m., Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir presents “Then Sings My Soul” A Musical Tribute Commemorating the 60th Church Anniversary, Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church, 4673 Labadie at Marcus Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63115. For more information, call (314) 381-2770.

The Formation Tour with Beyoncé is coming to The Dome at America’s Center.

See CONCERTS for additional details.

continuum of the Black Rep.”

“Resident black theater companies speak to a community by addressing issues that are relevant to that community and by preserving the history of the community, so that we can understand where we’ve come from in order to have a better sense of –and plan for – how we can get where we need to be,” Himes said.

As a nationally recognized St. Louis staple, the Black Rep has also created an opportunity for the community to see themselves on stage – and create a pipeline to the national theater community for local actors.

It’s no secret that the Black Rep is Himes’ baby – and as it reaches middle age, being a resource for facilitating talent is his biggest source of joy.

“It’s like any proud parent,” Himes said. “I think of them individually and collectively, and I’m so happy to see the people they have become because they were involved in the Black Rep, on stage and beyond – and to see so many of them giving back to the next generation and carry on the

He says the Black Rep is on the cusp of a renaissance, thanks to an energized Board of Directors and its current process of implementing administrative structure and practices that will aid in helping the company sustain itself and eventually grow.

“The community has been rallying around, behind and lifting up the company,” Himes said. “And doing so in a way that will help put us in the position to prosper.”

And the show goes on

“This is my favorite time of the year, the opening of a new season,” Himes said. “This year is especially great because it’s the opening of the 40th season and we have a roster of plays that people are going to be very excited about and engaged with.”

The season begins on September 7 with Mark Clayton Southers’ “Miss Julie, Clarissa and John” at Washington University’s Edison Theatre.

The three-person play is based on the 1888 drama by August Strindberg. In Southers’ version, the story has been moved to the Antebellum South. Miss Julie has returned to take over her family’s

plantation. But her dangerous attraction to the top servant and former slave, John, creates a crisis that explodes through social class and racial lines.

The Black Rep’s presentation of the play will be only its second production.

“One of the great things that has sustained us is that our audiences have been so comfortable and confident in the work that we put up that the titles don’t have to be recognizable,” Himes says.

“The audience will go where we take them. That’s a luxury for me.”

He is counting on building momentum as people are excited about this 40th anniversary season, and believes it will carry them into seasons to come – including their next milestone.

“Forty years ago, I couldn’t see a 40th anniversary,” Himes said. “Now I can see a 50th anniversary, 75th anniversary and even a 100th anniversary.”

The Black Rep’s 40th Anniversary Season opens with “Miss Julie, Clarissa and John” on September 7 and continues through September 25 at Washington University’s Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, call (314) 534-3810 or visit www.theblackrep.org.

MATHEWS

so I’m honored to be involved,”

Edwards said. “My dad loved Martin L. Mathews and everything Mathews-Dickey stood for.”

‘Evening with Chaka Khan and El DeBarge’

Immediately after the short program, it was time to party with El DeBarge and Chaka Khan – talented performers with musical legacies that have spanned generations with 13 Grammy Awards between them.

Saturday night’s show didn’t find DeBarge or Khan in their absolute finest form, but undeniable natural gifts and veteran showmanship left audiences satisfied and closed out the Mathews-Dickey weekend of festivities on a high note.

El DeBarge got the concert portion started. Although his opening music was from his 2010 comeback hit “Lay With You,” he instantly wowed the audience with his signature falsetto and a stripped down version of the DeBarge hit “Love Me In a Special Way” where he provided his own keyboard accompaniment. His emotions got the better of him to the point where he couldn’t carry on with selections from Switch, the R&B band that featured his brother Bobby DeBarge on lead vocals. The show took place less than two weeks after the 21st anniversary of Bobby’s death, but El never offered explanation of his breakdown other than to say “I love you Bobby” after paying tribute to his late brother’s angelic first tenor range via “I Call Your Name” and “There’ll Never Be.”

Fans seemed touched by the tender moment – which he quickly moved on for his “Rhythm of the Night” finale. Khan was charged with

closing out the night and she started her portion of the show with the 1979 Rufus hit “Do You Love What You Feel.” She came out the gate showcasing the powerhouse vocals that set her apart from other singers when she burst on the scene four decades ago as the funk band’s lead singer.

Khan is in a category all her own, and she offered a glimpse of that over the course of the hour-long show. However, she fought through kinks that are par for the course when it comes to the process of getting back in the rhythm of performing a full-length show.

Her selections spanned three decades and gave equal attention to Rufus and her subsequent solo career. She carried the audience through three decades thanks to hits

like “I Feel For You,” “I’m A Woman,” “Love Me Still” “Earth Song” and “You’ve Got The Love” and her rendition of “My Funny Valentine” from the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack. An ill-fated duet of “What ‘Cha Gonna Do For Me” with DeBarge was a low point of the show because DeBarge didn’t know the song. For the house full of diehard fans, the hiccup was just a smudge on a show that ultimately saw the audience transform into a mass choir that carelessly crooned along with Khan for “Tell Me Something Good” – which featured an impromptu solo performance by Arts Advocate of the Year honoree Marty K. Casey – “I’m Every Woman” and the “Ain’t Nobody” encore.

Continued from C1

panels selected from more than 100 Ferguson and St. Louis businesses impacted by the vandalism that accompanied some of the protests. The works of art represent both the collaborative and singular work of artists and community members responding to the pain, frustration, shock and anger felt by many.

“It’s like the Phoenix – you have a positive thing coming out of a negative thing,” LewisHarris said. “There were lots of demonstrations, and there are still a lot of unresolved issues yet in Ferguson due to the death of Michael Brown. This art shows people that they can work together and send out community messages.”

The exhibit is presented by Regions Bank. The Millstone Gallery at COCA is presented by the Arthur and Helen Baer Charitable Foundation with additional support from the Millstone Foundation and the Missouri Arts Council.

It opened last weekend at COCA and UMSL’s Gallery 210 and this weekend the multi-venue, multi artist collection of murals debuts at The Vaughn Cultural Center inside The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and the Ferguson Youth Initiative.

Along West Florissant and S. Florissant avenues, a huge, white dove stood as a symbol of peace, quoting from iconic warriors for peace and service such as Mother Theresa and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Vivid colors rejuvenated the spaces and gave a renewed sense of community. Dozens of artists poured their time and talent into giving Ferguson something to feel good about, despite the turmoil. A drivethrough gallery of inspiration covered affected areas until they could rebuild.

“We had people say, ‘We wish we could keep the murals up, but the businesses can’t have their windows covered up 24/7,’” Lewis-Harris said.

Now “Outside In: Paint For Peace” is bringing the huge murals to galleries throughout the region.

Programming will be

wrapped around the exhibit, which will be on display at the different venues until October 30. This weekend an intergenerational roundtable will take place at The Ferguson Youth Initiative. The art will be situated around the roundtable as they discuss what they believe is next for Ferguson.

“It marks a time in history in the St. Louis region that could easily go negative,” Lewis-Harris said, “and this is showing that people have hope and they worked together as a community to express the fact that they had hope – and that hope is still there.”

“Outside In: Paint For Peace” is currently on display at COCA and Gallery 210 and opens at The Vaughn Cultural Center and Ferguson Youth Initiative on Friday, September 2. COCA will feature several artists in a gallery talk on September 20. For full schedule and programming associated with the exhibit, visit http:// www.cocastl.org/coca-presents/ millstone-gallery/outsidein/. Information from St. Louis Public Radio contributed to this report.

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

El DeBarge got the concert portion started and wowed the audience with his signature falsetto and a stripped down version of the DeBarge hit “Love Me In a Special Way.”

ART

Alicia Like, Eric J. Conners and Laura McConnell star in The Black Rep’s production of “Miss Julie, Clarissa and John” at The Edison Theatre.

Congratulations to Marvin and Mattie

who

Celebrations

Birthdays

Happy Birthday to Nancy Alice Rucher, who turned 40 on September 1! Love, Jocelyn and JaVonte

Sending best birthday wishes to Mrs. Melrene AtkinsonWinbush, who celebrated her 90th birthday on August 26. She is pictured here with her husband, the Rev. Allen Winbush

Happy Birthday, Mother (Mrs. Beatrice Thomas) from all of us! We have truly been blesses for having you as our mother for 92 years, and we hope you have many more!

Carrie Lucille Thomas Jacox, Fannie Maw Thomas, Roy Thomas and Ruthie Thomas Mattox

Reunions

Beaumont High School Class of 1966 50th Reunion, October 14-15 at the Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel, 900 Westport Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63146. Contact: Jacque’ HughesHayes (314) 914-4858 or Josh Beeks (314) 303-0791 for more information.

Beaumont High School Class

of 1976 will have its 40th year reunion September 23-25, 2016. For more detailed information please email bhs1976@ swbell.net or Facebook: Beaumont High class of 76.

Cardinal Ritter College Prep Class of 1987 is hosting an “Old School Hip Hop” party September 24, 2016 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Omega Center, 3900 Goodfellow Ave., St. Louis, 63120. Tickets: $20 at door, $15 in advance. Call April Brown at 314-446-5500 for more information.

Hadley Technical High School Class of 1961 will celebrate its 55th class reunion, September 16-18, 2016 at the Renaissance Airport Hotel. For more information, contact

Ralph Johnson 477-2042, Shirley Woods 361-5351, or Jeffery Raybon 3821875. Send updated contact information to celiajteach@ gmail.com. Our picnic is Sept. 4th at John L. Brown Park, 4300 Calvert Ave.

Harrison School All Class Reunion Saturday September 10, 2016, 6:30 pm-10:30 pm at Ambruster Great Hall (6633 Clayton Rd. Tickets are $60 per person.For more info contact; Judy Darris at 314-443-6741, Yolanda Beck at 314-346-8103 or Làshell Tolliver at 314-420-3566.

Old Neighborhood Reunion celebration, the last Annual Street Festival, on September 17, from Noon—6 pm.

Leffingwell, Howard, Madison, Glasgow, Garrison, Cass, Sheridan, Thomas, Dickson, Dayton, Elliott and Jefferson.

Soldan High Class of 1966 has planned its 50-year reunion for September 9-10, 2016 at Christian Hospital Atrium, 1111 Dunn Road St. Louis, Mo 63136. For more information, please contact: Meredith Wayne Farrow, 314.521-8540, Robert Collins, 908.313-5002 or Marilyn Edwards Simpson, 341.837-7746. Facebook, soldan class of 1966 or email: stlsoldan1966@yahoo.com.

Sumner Class of 1965 is planning a “70th” Birthday Cruise for October 2017. If

you’re interested and want to receive more information, please contact Luther Maufas (314) 541-4556, Brenda Smith Randall (314)382-1528, or Laura Young (314) 328-3512 with name, address so the info can be mailed to you.

Vashon Class of 1957 is having its 60-year reunion on May 20, 2017 at the Atrium at the rear of Christian N.E. Hospital on Dunn Road. Classes 1955-1959 are welcomed. For more information, please contact Lovely (Green) Deloch at 314867-1470, Marlene (Randall) Porter at 314-653-0107, Mae (Simmons) Mahone at 314653-0818 or Phyllis (Bolden) Washington at 314-531-9925.

Do you have a celebration you’re proud of? If so we would like to share your good news with our readers. Whether it’s a birth, wedding, engagement announcement, anniversary, retirement or birthday, send your photos and a brief announcement (50 words or less) to us and we may include it in our paper and website – AT NO COST – as space is available Photos will not be returned. Send your announcements to: kdaniel@stlamerican. com or mail to:

and based on

Ewing

recently celebrated 62 years of wedding bliss. In celebration, the couple traveled to Connecticut and New York to spend time with family and friends. Marvin and Mattie Ewing are the proud parents of three children, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Nancy Alice Rucker

Melrene AtkinsonWinbush and Rev. Allen Winbush

Beatrice Thomas

Swag Snap of the week

Salute countdown continues. If watching Teyana Taylor give bawdy (yes, bawdy) in a greasy thong showing the realness of her post-baby body bounce back during the VMAs wasn’t motivation enough to hit the gym, let me remind you that the 29th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala is 30 days away. Go to your Facebook profile and un-save all of those Tasty recipe videos right now. You don’t want to be the frumpy one amidst all of the fabulousness that will be going down the first Saturday in October…and by you I mean me. But seriously, it’s going to be a magical night and for those of you who don’t know, The Salute is not only unique to St. Louis in the way that we celebrate black educational excellence on all fronts, it’s a national phenomenon. Be sure to call (314) 533-8000 if you don’t have your tickets yet, because it will sell out.

Chaka and El’s partial redemption song. Before I get into I must send a whole hearted and sincere thank you to the folks over at Mathews-Dickey for offering Chaka Khan and El DeBarge a stab at redemption. The concert at The Fox Saturday night that closed out the first ever Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club Family Reunion Weekend with the awards ceremony and concert. Let’s face it; both of them needed another chance after their most recent visits. After pulling a no-call no show and sending Chico as a substitute, El thought he was in Detroit when he came to the Ambassador a couple of years ago, so you already know how that show went. And as much as I get my life from Chaka, she mumbled through parts of songs only to motion the microphone to the audience and let us do the rest in 2014. Saturday night was better by leaps and bounds. There were still moments that had me scratching my head. El sounded great, but I can always tell by how his hair lays whether or not he’s going through something. And when I saw that wayward singular curl, I knew something was up. He had me fooled for most of the show though. He sounded fantastic, but then he had a meltdown, when it came time for him to sing Switch’s hits. Now I know how waves of grief come and losing a brother must always feel fresh, but he’s sung his big brother Bobby’s block of songs I know a dozen times without a hint of raw emotion. He regrouped just into to samba to “Rhythm of the Night.” Chaka sounded so (insert about 15 “o”s for impact) much better than last time. Actually, all of her notes were there, but she was more than a bit disconnected. The highlight of Chaka’s set for me was when Marty K. Casey took the mic and went to town on “Tell Me Somethin’ Good” even though I was nervous security might have to get involved in order for Chaka to get the microphone back from Marty. And who was that glorious gentlemen in white jeans twerking to “I’m Every Woman?” He gave me life! And Gary Boyd gave the security the blues when he decided to dance her down as she ordered him to his seat. I turned to my seat neighbor and said “Them Yo’ People.” She didn’t get the reference, but I still cackled. I know I’m reading the folks, but none of it was a reflection of Mathews-Dickey. It was a wonderful night and the awardees were well deserved! I wholeheartedly appreciate their commitment to the kids and the community – and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year.

The best of Betty Wright. For those wondering why the crowds at the bingo halls and lounges were so light on Friday, it’s because all of the aunties and play mamas within a 50 mile radius were at the Lumiere. No, they were not on deck for all-you-can-eat crab legs…or slot machines either. Betty Wright, the high-priestess of mid-song conversational breakdown was in town and nothing but death could’ve kept them from seeing her do her thing on stage in St. Louis for the first in a minute. And she was everything anyone could have asked for. Listen, Betty put the “school” in old school. Not only was she “earning her man while she was learning her man,” she was teaching us in the process. At any given moment during a Betty Wright selection you would get a sexual education class, a relationship session and peer mediation skills depending on the song… “Don’t blame Mr. Charlie, ‘cause Mr. Charlie is just a man and hee-eee...” sorry, I got caught up in the moment. Anyway, I’m so glad I got to see Betty in all of her gravel-voiced glory in the flesh –and trust me, your aunt Shirley was too.

Pumpin’ my fist for Peacefest. On Saturday afternoon I made my way to Better Family Life’s Annual Peacefest at Forest Park’s Central Fields. At first I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a national headliner. But listen to me when I tell you that the local talent stepped up to the plate so tough that they would’ve outperformed anybody BFL would have brought in. The talent was on par with anybody that’s out in mainstream right now. Big ups to The Knuckles (with Aloha), Mai Lee, Flirt and No ID, Tish Haynes Keys, Bradd Young, MarQ, The Dirty Muggs and Theresa Payne. BFL deserves a special shout out for giving St. Louis’ own an opportunity to shine on stage as the community came together for all types of food and fun. I had such a good time that it didn’t feel half as hot as it was. Countdown to Beyday. I already mentioned the VMAs, but I know I wasn’t the only one who got amped for dear life about King Bey’s upcoming trip to The Lou after the way Beyoncé gave us pure slayage with her full-fledged “Lemonade” extended play performance. September 10th cannot get here as fast as the tickets are going. Even when Bey is not at her best –which is just about never – she will give you a show. Y’all better get in Formation at the Dome box office and get your tickets, because there is no service charge. If you don’t feel like the drive, hit up livenation.com. You won’t be sorry.

Tiffany and Kim kept it cute @ The Marquee Saturday night

Diamond, Sherrell and Jackie did their thing Friday @ Rustic Goat

Teen and Brentmoore Park, CEOs and founders of Archaik Tech., were all smiles after having a successful outing @ the Conscious Fest Saturday @ Harris-Stowe State University

‘Love and Hip Hop’ co-star Jessica Dyme and DJ Kimmy NU were in chill mode in RG’s VIP Saturday night

Erica, Brit, Alexis and Maria helped b-day girl Yanni celebrate Saturday @ Mood

Above: Conscious Fest organizers Trey, Amber, Gabby, Church and D made sure their event ran smoothly Saturday @ HarrisStowe State University

Patricia, Lori, Ebony and Raven were among the revelers who came through the Marquee for Element Saturdays

Michelle, Asia and Ashley made their way to Mood Saturday night

Ericka, Kim, Jamie and Mike got their weekend flowing Friday @ the Marquee

Walter and Tiffany Walton with crooner El DeBarge Saturday night @ The Fox Theatre

Saturday night it was all about Mathews-Dickey at the Fox Theatre for the inaugural Martin L. Mathews Awards and Benefit Concert. The man of the hour, co-founder and President Emeritus Martin L. Mathews, was all smiles when he and his successor Wendell Covington Jr. shared a moment with music legend Chaka Khan following her performance.

Photos by Lawrence Bryant

DRIVER

Hales Trucking, LLC: we are in search of a OTR driver. good pay per experience. Driver must be dependable, experienced driver who is organized and communicates well when otr. Please send experience and contact info to: halesempire14@gmail.com

Overview: Gateway Greening is a community development organization that uses urban agriculture and food access to educate and empower people to strengthen their communities. With 230+ community and school gardens and a 2+ acre urban farm, we are using the power of growing food in St. Louis through local food, community interaction, educating all ages, and volunteerism.

Summary: Leads the organization’s process to chart its course in philanthropy and fund development, securing charitable contributions to support Gateway Greening’s mission of educating and empowering. This is a new position at Gateway Greening and is full-time exempt. For full posting, visit http://www.gatewaygreening.org/about/careers

Social Services ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR-CSBG

Dynamic, innovative, experienced social service program manager needed to supervise a team of talented staff serving income challenged county residents. Duties include supervision of staff and programs for individuals, families and the community. Manage monthly, quarterly reports for grants, and fund sources. Planning & implementation for outcome based programs. Outcome development and reporting experience required. Minimum of BAdegree, Certified Community Action Professional (CCAP) a plus. Supervisory & program oversight experience and ability to assist in developing program components related to Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) prevention, intervention and other counseling services preferred. Excellent computer skills, deadline oriented, good communications skills, and team player. Mail resume & cover letter: Human Resources CAASTLC, Inc. 2709 Woodson Rd. St. Louis, MO. 63114 E-mail: Kathi@caastlc.org

The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Prebid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on Bissell-Coldwater-Missouri-Meramec Public I/I Reduction Contract B Contract Letting No. 12024-015.1

SAK Construction 864Hoff Road O’Fallon, MO 63366

636/379-2350

The meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. September8, 2016

SITE Improvement Association 2071 Exchange Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303

For questions regarding this prebid meeting, Contact the SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950.

PREBID MEETING NOTICE

The SITE Improvement Association is hosting a Prebid meeting for Qualified and Certified MWBE contractors to discuss working on UpperColdwaterSection D I/I Reduction Part2 Contract Letting No. 11681-015.2

FredM. Luth & Sons 4516 McRee Avenue St. Louis, MO 63110 314/771-3892 MWBE PREBID MEETING NOTICE

The meeting will take place at 10:30 a.m. September15, 2016

SITE Improvement Association 2071 Exchange Drive, St. Charles, MO 63303

For questions regarding this prebid meeting, Contact the SITE Improvement Association office at 314/966-2950.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR ROAD WORK Notice to Contractors

Sealed bids for ___Jackson Ave. & Balson Ave. Pedestrian Improvements STP-5402(612), will be received at: The City of University City Administration Services Division, 6801 Delmar Blvd., 1st Floor, University City, MO 63130 until 10:00

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Lincoln University of Missouri is accepting sealed bids for Dickinson Research Center Reconstruction on the campus of Lincoln University. Bids will be received Thursday, September 29, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.

Apre-bid meeting will be held Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at Dickinson Research Center at 1219 Chestnut Street. Afull copy of the bid notice is available at https://bluetigerportal.lincolnu.edu/web/ design-and-construction/notice-to-contractors

LETTING

Anon-refundable fee will be charged.

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 University City 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 individuals 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.”

All bidders must be on MoDOT’s Qualified Contractor List per Section 102.2 of the Missouri Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, 2011 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 OSHAconstruction 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.

Acertified or cashier’s check or a bid bond in the amount of 5% shall be submitted with each proposal.

The City of University City reserves the right to reject any or all bids. The project will be awarded to the lowest, responsive, responsible bidder.

The DBE Goal for this project is 11%. No 2nd tier subcontracting will be allowed on this project.

Bidders shall comply with all applicable City, State and Federal laws (including MBE/WBE policies). All bidders must regard Federal Executive Order11246, “Notice of Requirement forAffirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity”, the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth within and referenced at www.stl-bps.org (Announcements).

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis SewerDistrict (District), the Owner, will receive sealed bids forRE-BID SUBURBAN PUBLIC I/I REDUCTION (HARRISON DR AND SUBURBAN AVE) under Letting No. 12473-015.1, at its office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 2:00 PM, local time, on Wednesday, October26, 2016. All bids are to be deposited in the bid box located on the first floor of the District’s Headquarters prior to the 2:00 p.m. deadline. Bids may, however, be withdrawn prior to the opening of the first bid.

BIDS WILL BE PUBLICLYOPENED AND READ IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE BID DUE DATE/TIME AT2350 MARKETSTREET, ATAPLACE DESIGNATED.

The Work to be performed under these Contract Documents consists of:

The work to be done underthis contract consists of the rehabilitation of approximately 28,781 lineal feet of sewers, varying in size from 6-inch to 33-inch diameter, using cured-in-place (CIPP) methods, 60 manholes and 1,110 service connections. The project is within the Metropolitan St. Louis SewerDistrict Boundaries, inside the city(ies) of Ferguson and Kinloch in the State of Missouri. The work will be performed in various quantities at various sites.

All prospective bidders must prequalify in the Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) category, and be certified prior to the Bid Opening. Prequalification forms for obtaining said certification may be obtained from the Owner at the above mentioned address. All bidders must obtain drawings and specifications in the name of the entity submitting the bid.

This project will be financed through the Missouri State Revolving Fund, established by the sale of Missouri Water Pollution Control bonds and Federal Capitalization Grants to Missouri. Neither the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, its divisions, nor its employees will be party to the contract at any tier. Any Bidderwhose firm oraffiliate is listed on the GSApublication titled “List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement orNon-Procurement Programs” is prohibited from the bidding process; bids received from a listed party will be deemed non-responsive. Referto Instructions to Bidders B-27 for more information regarding debarment and suspension. Nondiscrimination in Employment: Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the President’s Executive Order11246. Requirements forbidders and contractors underthis orderare explained in the specifications.

Plans and Specifications are available from free electronic download.

Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1710 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid.

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

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

Notice is hereby given that The Metropolitan St. Louis SewerDistrict (District), the Owner, will receive sealed bids forLemay Public I/I Reduction (2017) - Contract A under Letting No. 12048-015.1, at its office, 2350 Market Street, St. Louis, Missouri 63103, until 2:00 PM, local time, on Wednesday, September 28, 2016. All bids are to be deposited in the bid box located on the first floor of the District’s Headquarters prior to the 2:00 p.m. deadline. Bids may, however, be withdrawn prior to the opening of the first bid. BIDS WILLBE PUBLICLYOPENED AND READ IMMEDIATELYAFTER THE BID DUE DATE/TIME AT2350 MARKETSTREET, ATAPLACE DESIGNATED.

The Work to be performed under these Contract Documents consists of: The work to be done underthis contract consists of the rehabilitation of approximately 32,080 lineal feet of pipe sewers, varying in size from 8-inch to 30-inches in diameterusing cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) methods, 223 manholes, and 745 service connections. The project is within the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District Boundaries, inside the city(ies) of varies in the State of Missouri. The work will be performed in various quantities at various sites. All prospective bidders must prequalify in the Cured-In-Place Pipe (CIPP) category, and be certified prior to the Bid Opening. Prequalification forms for obtaining said certification may be obtained from the Owner at the above mentioned address. All bidders must obtain drawings and specifications in the name of the entity submitting the bid. This project will be financed through the Missouri State Revolving Fund, established by the sale of Missouri Water Pollution Control bonds and Federal Capitalization Grants to Missouri. Neither the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, its divisions, nor its employees will be party to the contract at any tier. Any Bidderwhose firm oraffiliate is listed on the GSApublication titled “List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement orNon-Procurement Programs” is prohibited from the bidding process; bids received from a listed party will be deemed non-responsive. Referto Instructions to Bidders B-27 for more information regarding debarment and suspension. Nondiscrimination in Employment: Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the President’s Executive Order11246. Requirements forbidders and contractors underthis orderare explained in the specifications. Plans and Specifications are available from free electronic download. Please go to MSD’s website and look for a link to “ELECTRONIC PLANROOM.” Plans and Specifications are also available for viewing or purchase at Cross Rhodes Reprographics located at 1710 Macklind Avenue, St. Louis MO 63110. All bidders must obtain a set of plans and specifications in order to submit a bid in the name of the entity submitting the bid. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

www.stlamerican.com

FOR BIDS

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:

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

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

Call Vida at 314-289-5406 to place your rental/real estate ad today!

Christian Embassy Church hosts benefit for CWAH

12th annual Harvest Fest is September 16-18

By Debra Handley For The St. Louis American

Embassy

Church will host its 2016 Harvest Fest September 16-18 at the church, located at 13775 Old Jamestown Rd. in Black Jack, and the adjacent Harold J Evangelista Park. Robert S. Griffin is senior pastor and Cheryl Griffin is first lady. Harvest Fest is the church’s annual fundraiser and community outreach event dedicated to benefiting worthy causes. The beneficiaries of this year’s Harvest Fest – the 12th annual for the nondenominational church which teaches that “God’s love and promises are for us today and always” – is Community Women Against Hardship (CWAH).

CWAH provides basic needs items (clothing, furniture, food, bedding, and household items) to low- to moderateincome families. Agency programs include the ShowMe-Series travel experience, Institute for the Advancement of Jazz Study &Performance, Student Enrichment Summer Program, Transitional Housing Program for Responsible Home Ownership, Parent Opportunity Program, and job readiness classes.

“Our parishioners are excited

to join CWAH in raising muchneeded funds for this vital community-wide initiative,” said Pastor Griffin.

Festival events:

7 p.m. Friday, September 16 – “Intentional Circumstances” theatrical production. An encore presentation, directed by Andre Hewitt, is being brought back by popular demand.

Saturday, September 17

8 a.m. – Registration begins for the 9 a.m. 5K run/walk at the new walking trail surrounding the lakes located on 36 beautiful acres of the Christian Embassy Church Kingdom Complex.

10 a.m. – Opening ceremonies kick off with the Black Jack Mayor Norm McCourt, the singing of the national anthem and rising of the American flag by the City of

Black Jack Fire Department.

10:15 a.m. -4 p.m. – Enjoy horseback and paddleboat rides, inflatables, music, delicious food, fishing, vendors, carnivaland old fashioned games, hay rides and other fun-filled activities. Spinning classes highlight the fitness segment.

5 p.m. – Harvest Moon Fest hosted by the City of Black Jack in Harold J Evangelista Park next to the Christian Embassy Church Complex with music, inflatables, food and fun.

8:30 p.m. - The festivities conclude with a fireworks show.

9:30 a.m. Sunday, September 18 – The Harvest Fest weekend culminates with a worship service at Christian Embassy Church.

Christian Embassy Church has donated thousands of

The essential is question is can one really put their life in the hands of the Lord?

To some limited degree, I can honestly say I know the effects of trying to give my life to Christ. Exhilaration is a word that comes to mind and that’s because there is an emotional aspect associated with a real effort. It’s the effort that compels me to ask the question. Is it possible for you, me, anyone to really get inside of what putting your life in the hands of the Lord really means? For now, I can only share what I think.

Christian experience. Time and again we fail. Time and again we fall. Is it possible to get up and try again? I believe it’s what God expects and certainly desires for you and me.

Many of us want to rely on our own abilities and talents to solve our problems, cure our addictions, or figure our way out of today’s dilemma. Life is easy to blame for our predicaments.

dollars to area charities through its Harvest Fest celebrations. Previous Harvest Fest beneficiaries include the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Build A Body Kid’s Fitness, Inc., James S. McDonnell USO, Kingdom House, Salvation Army, Samaritan’s Purse, Wings of Hope, MathewsDickey Boy’s & Girl’s Club, Backstoppers, Inc., Focused Marines Foundation and the Fathers’ Support Center of St Louis.

For more information about the 12th Annual Christian Embassy Church Harvest Fest, visit http://www.harvestfest2016. info. For more information about Community Women Against Hardship, visit http:/ www.cwah.org/.

The obstacles that stand in the way of making a concerted effort are for some huge and obvious; for others they can be subtle and almost indiscernible. For example, pride can get in the way because pride has no place in your relationship with God. It should follow, then, that pride has no place in your relationship with your fellow man either.

To pride you can add envy, jealousy, vanity, greed, lust selfishness and bitterness just to name a few more impediments to that honest effort I’m talking about. They all can get in the way of trying to let God order your steps in His Word.

In sports you always hear “it’s not whether you fall or fail, it’s what you do after that counts.” Failing is an integral part of the game. I just know falling and failing are also parts of the true

I’m just saying try and put it all in the hands of the Lord. Submit first and then listen to what God has to say. As a parent you can hear your child’s voice in a crowded room, in a park or on a playground full of other children. As such, I believe if we make the effort, we can all hear God’s direction for our lives. There is a singularity to hearing God’s Word. He is specific and particular in what He says to you as opposed to what He says to me. I believe once you hear Him, the reaction is like finally seeing that optical illusion you’ve been trying so hard to figure out; once you see it, you can’t not see it anymore. Failure is a byproduct of all of our efforts. Remember, it’s all about the sincere effort. The saved make it over and over again. And, for the most part, I want to believe they succeed. It’s not about one failure at a time, but one success at a time.

Columnist James Washington

Community Women Against Hardship co-founder and CEO

Gloria Taylor and staff visit with Senior Pastor Robert S. Griffin at Christian Embassy Church, 13775 Old Jamestown Rd. in Black Jack.