Rev. Sekou ‘proud to serve’
‘It’s a new movement calling for a new world.’
St. Louis American Page C6
The
CAC Audited AUGUST 20 – 26, 2015
stlamerican.com
‘We are Hawthorn’
Vol. 86 No. 20 COMPLIMENTARY
AFL-CIO leader urges NGA to pick STL for site Trumka: will bring jobs and redevelopment to ‘communities of color’ By Chris King Of The St. Louis American North St. Louis has a new, powerful advocate in Richard L. Trumka, president of the 11.6 million–member American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the nation’s largest federation of unions. In a letter written on July 27, the nation’s most powerful labor leader directly urged the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to relocate the NGA West facility currently in South St. Louis to the North Side. The North Side site is the only location in the city being considered by the NGA. Trumka wrote to Robert Cardillo, the See NGA, A6
Photo by Wiley Price
Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls, Missouri’s first all-gender public school, opened its doors for the first day of school. Students Twan ‘Niesha Leggette, Serinity Merritt, Zaariah Humphrey, and A’Neisha Henderson come up with ideas on what they want their class to be.
Girls make history on first day at Missouri’s first all-gender public school By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Chanting with enough power and confidence to put U.S. Army recruits to shame, the 11- and 12-year-old students at Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls on August 17 yelled, “We are Hawthorn.” They followed that up with a tightly performed “double clap,” which is just like it sounds – two loud claps in perfect rhythm.
The principal Robyn Wiens, Ed. D, asked the nearly 140 girls – all sitting in their gray pleated skirts and white shirts on the gym floor – to raise their hands if they were nervous. Timid hands slowly started to rise. “The first day of school is always a bit nerve-wrecking for a lot of different reasons,” she said, “but especially today because Hawthorn is
n “It seems like it will be harder than my other school. At my other school, I wasn’t being challenged.” – Sixth-grader Combe Frango
See HAWTHORN, A7
On Sept. 25, Roach will receive the 2015 Lifetime Achiever in Education award by the St. Louis American Foundation at its 2015 Salute to Excellence in Education Gala, to be held at the America’s Center Ballroom.
Dr. Alice Roach is Lifetime Achiever Banquet honoring educators is Sept. 25 By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American In her 41 years of working in the St. Louis Public School District, Alice Faye Roach, Ed.D., said she met her most difficult challenge when she became the founding principal at Carnahan In High School of the Education Future in 2006. 2015 When she arrived, the attendance rate was 55 percent and academic test scores were in the single digits. By the time she left in 2009, attendance was 95 percent,
n “She gives who she is, her whole being, to making sure young people in the district are successful.” – Superintendent Kelvin Adams
parents were highly involved and the school was meeting the state’s annual yearly progress goals. She said she didn’t believe in suspension as a form of discipline, so she got See ROACH, A7
Jan. 14, 1940 – Aug. 15, 2015
Remarkable Bond Civil rights legend remembered for a purpose-driven life By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American “I will say as simply and sincerely on behalf of my delegation that we wish to offer a nomination that is the wave of the future,” Wisconsin delegate Ted Warshafsky said while addressing the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Immediately afterwards, he boldly declared Julian Bond as his nomination for the office of Vice President of The United States. The 28-year-old Bond was legally ineligible to Julian Bond run for the office that holds a minimum age requirement of 35. However, a person of color as vice president was seen as being far more implausible than being underage at the time. “It may be a symbolic nomination tonight, but it may not be symbolic in years hence,” Warshafsky said, clearly referring to Bond’s blackness. Forty-seven years later, the first AfricanAmerican president of the United States led the nation in mourning Bond’s sudden passing Saturday night. See BOND, A6
Photo by Lawrence Bryant