October 15 2015

ABNA principals talk STEM Adewales address St. Louis Bioscience & Entrepreneurial Inclusion Initiative

St. Louis American See B1

The

CAC Audited OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

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Vol. 86 No. 28 COMPLIMENTARY

Helping to build wealth for minorities Craig Fowler, 2015 Salute Corporate Exec. of the Year

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

People stretched along the National Mall as far as the eye could see on Saturday, October 10, when Minister Louis Farrakhan summoned black people to the nation’s capital for the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March.

Farrakhan: ‘Ferguson ignited it all’ Struggle in STL takes center stage at Million Man March

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American (Washington, D.C.) – “Twenty years ago Barack Obama was in the audience. Today he’s in the White House,” said Dr. Ben Chavis, CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and one of the organizers of the first Million Man March in 1995.

“We’ve made some progress, but all of you out here know that we have a long way to go – that’s why we’re here today.”

Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan once again summoned black people to pour into the nation’s capital on Saturday, October 10 to stand in solidarity and commit to changing their communities See MARCH, A6

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Tory Russell of Hands Up United stirred the crowd with the spirit of the Ferguson protest movement when he addressed the “Justice of Else!” rally on the National Mall on Saturday, October 10.

Bank of America’s Craig Fowler remembers sitting down on June 3, 2002 to talk investments with Andrew Jackson Young Jr., the civil rights activist, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former mayor of Atlanta.

Young was involved in a group that was starting a private equity fund, but Fowler’s conversation with Young soon turned into a history lesson.

“He explained that the Civil Rights Movement was n “Before Dr. not just social and Martin Luther geared towards King Jr.’s removing social assassination, barriers, but that it the next major was an economic movement as well,” phase of the said Fowler, who movement was is now a managing geared toward director of BAML Capital Access economic Funds. “Before Dr. justice.”

Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, – Craig Fowler, the next major phase managing of the movement director of BAML was geared toward Capital Access economic justice.”

Funds At that meeting, Young gave Fowler a copy of his book, “An Easy Burden: The Civil Rights Movement and the Transformation of America.” In the front of the book, he wrote Fowler this personal message that has stuck with him throughout his career: “The struggle continues. You are now the movement. Integrate the money.

Keep the faith.”

He said he has treasured that experience and tried to live up to those words.

“I’ve always looked for opportunities to work with minority business owners and See FOWLER, A7

NGA releases Environmental Impact Study Choice of North St. Louis would keep earnings tax in city

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American North St. Louis city appears to be the standout contender in the competition to build the new $1.6 billion National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) West facility, according to a federal Draft Environmental Impact Statement released on Friday, October 9.

The North City location, which is a 100-acre site adjacent to the old Pruitt-Igoe housing project, would have “major benefits from the change in visual character at the site,” according to the statement. That was a bit more of a bump than given to the other three locations

vying for the federal agency’s attention – including the old Chrysler plant in Fenton, the Met Life facility in South St. Louis County and an area adjacent to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

Cited as a positive, choosing the North City site would allow the City of St. Louis – the region’s economic engine – to retain $2.19 million in earnings tax annually by keeping NGA’s 3,100 jobs in the city.

While not singled out as such – the city’s retention of $2.19 million annually gets no more space in the report than the loss of some weed species if the site is moved to North City – this is easily the largest economic See NGA, A7

The 100-acre North St. Louis site being considered for NGA West is situated just north of downtown St. Louis at the intersection of Jefferson and Cass avenues, comprised of predominantly vacant land with some residential, light industrial and commercial use. It has a 70 percent vacancy rate, and the city has designated the site a blighted community.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

A2

THE STUFF THAT HAS PEOPLE TALKING T.I. doesn’t believe a woman can be president

the White House before a woman.

“I think you might be able to get the Loch Ness Monster elected before you could (a woman). It’s not right, but I’m just saying I don’t think,” he said.

Shortly after the interview aired, T.I. apologized for his remarks on Twitter.

“My comments about women running for president were unequivocally insensitive and wrong. I sincerely apologize to everyone I offended.”

name at all and I apologize for anything that I have done to you.”

Sources told Baller Alert that Caldwell was coerced by a fake reality show producer who convinced him that Stewart’s ex-wife Porsha Williams was paying Andrew 600k to lie.

Claudia Jordan chops Rickey Smiley on Twitter

Neither Hillary Clinton nor Carly Fiorina have what it takes to be president, according to Kordell addresses false Andrew Grammy Award winning rapper T.I. “Not to be sexist, I can’t vote for Caldwell accusations the leader of the free world to be a woman,” he said Monday on the “The Earlier this month formerly gay viral Whoolywood Shuffle” radio show. internet personality Andrew Caldwell “Just because every other position retracted claims he slept with former that exists, I think a woman could do football player Kordell Stewart well. But the president, it’s kind of Stewart addresses the scandal with like, I just know that women make Big Tigger on V103 in Atlanta. rash decisions emotionally --- they “Who is this guy? I never met the make very permanent, cemented brother before,” Stewart said. “I’m not T.I. decisions --- and then later, it’s kind a gay man. I’m a heterosexual man. I’ve of like it didn’t happen or they didn’t never been with a man before in my mean for it to happen.” life.”

T.I. suggested that women are not consistent In a statement that appeared on urban enough in their decision-making to lead celebrity gossip site The Shade Room, Caldwell America. apologized for the slander.

“You ain’t gonna be able to negotiate the “I want to personally apologize to Kordell right kind of foreign policy. The world ain’t Stewart for mentioning his name and making ready yet.” false accusations,” Caldwell said. “I’m T.I. -- born Clifford Harris, Jr. -- said he sincerely sorry and I will not be going on any believes a make believe creature could get to interviews and I will not be mentioning your

In an epic twitter rant personality Claudia Jordan drags her former boss Rickey Smiley – and claims there is a tea spill on the horizon.

After accusing Smiley of gossiping about her behind her back, Jordan carries on for several tweets she takes jabs at his character and claims to know inside information about his personal life that will hurt his career.

“It’s really mind blowing.

Say one thing publicly and lie/hate privately,” Jordan tweeted. “YOU DO NOT want folks that know YOUR truth to do the same to YOU. But it’s coming sir. And not even from me. I’m a (sic) leave it alone. But the streets are talking and when you treat So many people foul, karma comes. Luckily Claudia Jordan

he’s not as much of a power player as he’d like to think outside of his own world where folks constantly lie to him and pacify him.”

Without specifically naming names, Jordan implies that he did the same thing to her predecessor Ebony Steele.

“But I did see you do it to your childhood friend, so I don’t know why I’m surprised you did the same slander/lie thing to me too,” Jordan tweeted. “Till you do right by me your real hairline and eyelashes will never grow.

And that eye will forever stay cocked. He hates women! Always fussing with women, always arguing with woman and always mad at a woman! And wears dresses like one.”

Scarface arrested at BET Hip Hop Awards for back child support Over the weekend it was reported that rapper Scarface was arrested in Atlanta moments after accepting the “I Am Hip Hop” award at this year’s BET Hip Hop Awards.

Several outlets are reporting that the arrest stemmed from Scarface being behind on his child support.

It is not known which jurisdiction took out the original warrants but bail has been set at $482,190. Several media sources say that normally in these cases the bail is set at the amount owed.

Sources: The Shade Room, Twitter, V103.com, TMZ.com, Baller Alert

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

St. Ann braces for change

A3

What will SB5 do to one of the County’s notorious speed-trap towns?

Mariah Stewart Ferguson Fellow Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed a law this summer that was intended to prevent small cities from using their municipal courts to generate revenue.

The law, passed in the aftermath of the unrest in Ferguson, has already had an impact on one of St. Louis County’s most notorious – and lucrative – speed traps. But the legislation hasn’t been able to change the longstanding attitudes of officials in the city of St. Ann. The speed trap in question is a tiny stretch of highway in St. Ann, whose population is less than 13,000. Police patrol that tiny portion of the highway near the airport, which has been a reliable source of money, helping to replace millions in lost sales tax revenue after a mall shut down.

A report from Better Together St. Louis found that St. Ann collected 37.47 percent of its revenue from municipal court fines and fees, a number that St. Ann officials disputed.

The new law, known as Senate Bill 5, caps revenue from traffic fines in St. Louis County at 12.5 percent, down from a previous limit of 30 percent. Officials in St. Ann are adjusting to the new reality – but only begrudgingly.

Police Chief Aaron Jimenez told The Huffington Post he has “mixed feelings” about the effects of SB5.

He anticipates that his annual budget – most of which came from tickets his department issued on the small stretch of highway – would take a sevenfigure hit.

“Because of Senate Bill 5, I jumped out ahead because I knew I was losing $1.5 million out of my budget,” Jimenez said. “I had to lay off 10 officers. Half of them were able to retire.”

St. Ann has long been seen as one of St. Louis County’s worst offenders. The lawmaker behind the legislation, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Glendale), singled the city out for abusing municipal court system. In 2014, police in St. Ann issued nearly 8,000 tickets on its tiny stretch of the highway, an average of nearly one ticket every hour every day of the year. Municipal court revenues soared from less than $1 million in 2009 to $2.6 million in 2014.

Yet even following the passage of SB5, officials continue to insist it wasn’t about money.

“People act like our city survived off those funds off the highway and that’s clearly not the case,” Mayor Michael Corcoran said in an interview.

While Corcoran called Schmitt a “friend,” he said he believes the lawmaker “hijacked the Ferguson issue for his own agenda.” Corcoran said St. Ann is “on solid ground” financially, but said the new cap would have a huge impact on other St. Louis County municipalities.

“Some of these neighboring communities are not going to survive,” he said. Other municipalities could “go downhill” as a result of the legislation, he said, which would hurt school districts in the neighborhood.

The mayor acknowledged that the officers patrolling the highway were, essentially, attempting to pay their own salaries.

“We used the revenue from that ... to pay the police officers the overtime they were out there, the staff that it took and the core personnel to do it,” Corcoran said.

On the other hand, Jimenez – who is independently elected, rather than a mayoral appointee- said St. Ann police would “continue to be on the highway” and said he didn’t care where the money went. “It’s not going

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Evan Smith shielded his son Miles from the horror of images of police abuse projected onto the City of St. Ann’s municipal court building on October 28, 2014, when Ferguson activists brought the “Fright Night” protest to the neighboring municipality whose jails often received arrested protestors.

to stop the way that we enforce,” the police chief said.

A related issue is the St. Ann jail, which came under scrutiny for using set bail amounts to keep poor people behind bars for minor offenses. In particular, holding poor people on behalf of other municipalities had been a significant source of revenue for the city.

The groups Equal Justice Under Law and ArchCity Defenders brought a civil rights lawsuit against St. Ann for holding individuals who cannot pay their pre-set bail, which the suit alleges is in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Thanks to a resulting court order, St. Ann now has to release anyone arrested on an unsecured bond or on their own recognizance “as soon as practicable after booking,” unless the person appears before a judge within 24 hours or under other specific circumstances.

As a result, the population of the jail has diminished considerably.

“For the first time in St. Ann history, in the 19 years that I’ve been here, we’ve had zero prisoners starting [last month],” Jimenez said. “Once in a while we’ll have three or four.”

He said his jail had typically held an average of 50 to 60 inmates at a time, charging neighboring municipalities – including Ferguson

– thousands each year to house their inmates, reportedly bringing in around $300,000 annually.

But while the population of St. Ann’s jail may be down, the prevailing views within the St. Ann Municipal Court don’t appear to have changed much. During a recent hearing, Judge Sean O’Hagan appeared uninterested in whether the individuals before him could afford St. Ann’s high fines and fees. Community service was never presented as an option.

O’Hagan has a history of being focused on forcing poor citizens to pay up. Chelsea Merta, an attorney for ArchCity Defenders, said the way the court has targeted defendants is “disgusting.” Metra added that she recently had a client who had a warrant out from St. Ann because of a missed court date associated with a trash ordinance violation.

“St. Ann is one of the worst abusers of the municipal court system. I say that because of the type of charges they prosecute and type of dispositions that defendants get,” Merta said. “Our clients suffer the abuse of that court system on a daily basis.”

O’Hagan defended against the allegations in a brief interview with HuffPost, arguing that his court was already implementing positive reforms before SB5 went into

effect. He seemed to believe that municipal courts in the region had been unfairly maligned, referring to the problems highlighted by the U.S. Justice Department’s report on issues with Ferguson’s Municipal Court.

“Let me put it this way: we didn’t have the problems that Ferguson has had,” O’Hagan said.

But Carmel Long, a 43-year-old St. Louis resident who works as a certified medical technician, may not agree. She owed St. Ann a total of $1,200 due to a 2010 speeding stop. O’Hagan suggested that Long and other defendants pay up the remaining amount to avoid having to appear in court again, but Long said she won’t have her payment in full

by November. She still owes the city $700.

“They assessed these fines too high, where a single mom with four kids cannot pay these fines. I just couldn’t,” Long told HuffPost. “It’s like feed my kids, or pay y’all. Y’all are rich. Feed my kids, or bring y’all my money and my kids starve. No. I’m going to feed my kids and pay my bills.”

Ryan J. Reilly contributed reporting.

This story is published as part of a partnership between The Huffington Post and The St. Louis American.

Editorial / Commentary A4

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

Legal system for debt collection needs reform This week’s Business page in The American is dominated by a lengthy excerpt from ProPublica’s landmark study on racial disparities in debt collection, “The Color of Debt.”

Reporters for the public interest group found that racially disparate patterns in debt collection can be explained in part by the more shallow economic support systems found in many black households and their social networks, but we believe these patterns demand more investigation for possible discriminatory practices. We strongly encourage local, state and national watchdog authorities to follow the trail blazed

by ProPublica in investigating these disturbing patterns.

As a companion to its news piece, ProPublica prepared an editorial, “Six Ways to Reform the Legal System for Debt Collection,” which we present here with our endorsement. It starts from the premise that laws governing debt collection lawsuits and garnishments are often antiquated, poorly thought out and place the burden on debtors to know their rights. Based on this plain fact, ProPublica and we suggest the following reforms.

Lower how much can be taken from debtors’ wages. The federal law limiting wage seizures to 25 percent of after-tax income passed in 1968.

Lawmakers appear to have pulled this percentage out of a hat. Some states protect more of a worker’s pay – and four (Texas, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas) prohibit garnishment for most debts. But most states allow the federal level.

Federal surveys show that low-income workers can’t afford to lose a quarter of their pay.

Restrict how much can be taken from debtors’ bank accounts. The 1968 federal law is so old that it is silent on the subject of bank account garnishments, which are now a common form of debt collection. As a result, a plaintiff can seize no more than a quarter of a worker’s pay, but if that paycheck is deposited into a bank account, the entire amount can be seized.

Provide clear notice to debtors about laws that protect them. When states do provide legal protections for debtors – such as allowing those with children to keep more of their pay under a “head of family” exemption – the burden is typically on the debtor to assert these protections.

But there’s frequently no clear notice provided to debtors that the protections exist.

Limit attorney’s fees to reflect actual work on a suit. When companies sue, they often request an “attorney’s fee,” which is routinely granted and added to the judgment. The fees are usually set at arbitrary, fixed amounts, even though attorneys may spend only a few minutes on a suit. In 2013, we reported that one subprime lender in Mississippi added an attorney fee equal to one-third of the principal balance to each suit, even though the attorney was a company executive.

Cut interest on judgments to reasonable level.

Under Missouri law, lenders can request that judgments grow at the original loan’s rate of interest. Particularly when high-cost lenders sue, this can result in what one St. Louis judge called

a form of “indentured servitude”: A debt can balloon at triple-digit interest even as the debtors’ wages are seized. A $1,000 loan can become a $40,000 debt, forcing the debtor to declare bankruptcy or make payments for a lifetime.

Improve enrollment in programs to help lowincome debtors. Some common plaintiffs, such as utility companies and nonprofit or public hospitals, have an obligation to serve the public.

These sorts of entities often have programs to help lower-income patients or customers, and yet, as ProPublica has documented repeatedly, many debtors don’t know about these programs.

For example, the Metropolitan Sewer District appears as a villain in ProPublica’s reporting for its aggressive debt collection in low-income neighborhoods. But MSD has a Customer Assistance Program that would have alleviated the burden of many of its customers who were sued, had they know about it. Anyone who may be eligible for low-income discounts on MSD services should call 1-866-281-5737 or email billingquest@stlmsd.com and ask about its Customer Assistance Program.

The St. Louis American will moderate a ProPublica panel on “The Color of Debt: How Collection Suits Squeeze Black Neighborhoods” 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, November 5 at Washington University School of Law, Anheuser Busch Hall, Room 310. The panel includes Rev. Starsky Wilson, co-chair of the Ferguson Commission and president & CEO of the Deaconess Foundation; St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones; Karen Tokarz, Washington University professor of law and AfricanAmerican studies; and Paul Kiel, ProPublica reporter. The Black Law Students Association at WUSTL is the host.

Commentary

The GOP’s ‘real black president’ Earl Ofari Hutchinson Guest columnist News mogul Rupert Murdoch stirred mild fury when he claimed GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson would be a “real black president.” Forget the racial insult, the stock rightwing putdown of Obama, and the fact that this preposterous dig came from Murdoch. What is more interesting is Murdock’s rationale.

Carson would bridge the racial divide, says Murdoch, and that means he’d be the true unifier the country needs.

There’s really no need to recite the long and steadily growing litany of Carson’s idiocies – comparing Obamacare to slavery, claiming that arming kindergarten teachers is the way to stop a mass killer, and equating homosexuality with bestiality. Or even his reach back a millennium to chastise the citizens of Pompeii for not running away from the lava to save their lives when Vesuvius erupted.

Carson initially got and keeps currency because he’s black and can be relied on to make the most ridiculous, media-grabbing quips on anything that crosses his mind.

But as Murdoch hints in his “real black president” tout of Carson, he can say what GOP ultraconservatives and unreconstructed bigots want to say about Obama, but it just sounds better coming out of Carson’s mouth.

The GOP has turned this tactic into a studied art with

black conservatives such as Clarence Thomas. But Carson makes far better copy than Thomas, because, unlike Thomas, Carson actually speaks.

In the Obama era, the GOP has worked overtime to tout, cultivate, prop up and showcase a motley collection of black GOP candidates for a scattering of offices. The aim is twofold: to find that someone who can have just enough luster to counterbalance Obama while at the same time allowing the party to thump its chest and claim it’s not racist.

But how would this “real black president” actually govern?

Carson has so far not put pen to paper and laid out a comprehensive program and Guest Columnist position on Earl Ofari the budget, Hutchinson government spending, civil rights enforcement, the environment, crime control, the military or foreign policy.

Carson’s position’s on the issues must be pieced together from his statements in debates and interviews and speeches He will spend big on and radically expand the size of the military. He backs the use of torture in fighting terrorism He will boost trade and eliminate deficits by imposing “stiff tariffs” on all imported goods. On civil rights and civil liberties, he sees no

pattern of racial profiling in the disproportionate number of minority arrests. He touts stand your ground laws. And on his signature worry, gay rights, he will accept gay marriage because it’s the law, but would do nothing to expand protections and rights for gays.

He would covertly spy on government workers to make sure they are not slacking off.

And he would unilaterally cut the budget by 10 percent for every government agency.

Public education would go the same way. He called it a “propaganda system.” He would ignite a stampede by the government to back vouchers, charter schools, and any and every type of private school.

Since he has relentlessly attacked the Affordable Care Act, he would cheer yet another effort to gut, if not outright eliminate, it. He has called the climate change argument “distracting and irrelevant.”

He will give a fresh nod to creationism in the schools.

Likewise, given his staunch pro-life, anti-abortion view, he will ban all abortions soon after fertilization and absolutely oppose any abortion for “convenience” Carson’s fervent backers see all of this as the prescription for a new type of White House. It would, in fact, be nothing short of a colossal disaster.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author, political analyst, associate editor of New America Media and weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One.

As I See It - A Forum for Community Issues

Economic development and civil rights

By Eric E. Vickers Guest Columnist In December the City of St. Louis will reach a 25 year milestone – the law requiring that 25 percent of all city contracts be awarded to minority-owned businesses and 5 percent to women-owned businesses – which presents an opportune time to assess the economic status of African Americans in our city.

On December 11, 1990, U.S. District Court Judge Clyde Cahill – the sole black federal district judge at the time – signed off on a consent decree that was the result of a lawsuit I filed against the City of St. Louis on behalf of the St. Louis Minority Contractors Association, as special counsel to the Washington, D.C.-based Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. Under the terms of the decree, the city established these percentages and a minority and women business enterprise (M/WBE) program through a mayoral executive order, which was to remain in effect until such time as a similar M/WBE ordinance was enacted by the Board of Aldermen. Because of vehement opposition from South Side aldermen, such an ordinance was never passed, with the decree thus remaining in effect through subsequent mayoral administrations renewing the executive order.

This law, which has become known in the construction

industry simply as “The 25/5,” established for the first time in the city’s history an institutionalized mechanism for M/WBE inclusion. Prior to the decree, the level of minority and women business participation was negotiated on a project by project basis, with black politicians, like then Comptroller Virvus Jones, pressing the issue.

It is worth noting in this Ferguson era that the decree came about through the process and combination of litigation, agitation and negotiation.

The lawsuit was Guest Columnist filed in 1989, and as it was Eric E. being litigated Vickers – with vigorous opposition from the city – protest actions were being carried out by the association, including one that entailed a group of us being arrested for blockading a construction site.

The protests reached a pinnacle point when then Mayor Vincent Schoemehl was confronted and verbally assaulted by demonstrators one morning in front of City Hall.

He dealt with the situation head on, inviting us to meet in his office that afternoon. After that rancorous and name-calling meeting and a series of follow up meetings, we were able to come to an agreement. We carved out the terms of the decree, crafting it from the best

Letters to the Editor Proud awardee To be verbally acknowledge for something you’ve done is a reward within itself, but when recognized in the community makes the honor that much more rewarding.

With a grateful heart I am writing to thank you and everyone associated with the St. Louis American Foundation for such a magnificent Salute experience. When informed that I would be an awardee for the 2015 Salute to Excellence in Education, I didn’t know what to expect. Having gone through it all, I am forever grateful. Everything about the event exceeds “class,” and I am proud to have been a part of it.

The plaque I received is absolutely beautiful and now sits front and center with other awards I’ve received. I’m using the monetary grant to purchase classroom resources to further support the needs of the students I serve. As I bring my career to a close, this event will forever be a very proud moment for me. I plan to attend the 2016 Salute to Excellence and am looking forward to it.

Alicia Davis Via email

Positive roadmap for police I want to commend the Department of Justice and the St. Louis County Police Department for collaborating to produce a wide-ranging, voluntary review which lays out a positive roadmap to make our community safer and to restore trust. I urge Chief Jon Belmar and the department to fully embrace these positive changes to regain and sustain the respect of the entire community that they serve.

I strongly agree with the core recommendations, which include aggressive recruitment and hiring of more black and female officers; upgrading training for new and current officers to emphasize diversity, cultural sensitivity, de-escalation and community policing; and reforming the promotion system to reward officers who excel at building partnerships with the community.

M/WBE programs in place in other cities.

More important than establishing this as the policy of the city, however, was the tone for minority economic inclusion it established for the region. It had an immediate ripple effect, with other institutions, like the St. Louis Public Schools, following suit to establish M/WBE mandates.

Moreover, it staked out black economic development as a critical civil rights issue.

With the Ferguson Commission report noting our dire, racially disparate economic climate, we should pause at this 25-year juncture to evaluate the decree’s impact and the effectiveness of its enforcement. The theory underlying it was that the development of minority businesses would create jobs for minorities, who would be employed by these businesses, and hence enhance the economic condition of the black community.

Promoting black entrepreneurship was seen as key to what the founder of the Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund, U.S. Rep. Parren Mitchell, said was the final phase of the civil rights struggle – the struggle for economic parity. Arguably, until that phase is completed, black lives will remain devalued.

Eric E. Vickers is an attorney, activist and former chief of staff for state Senator Jamilah Nasheed.

All letters are edited for length and style.

I also want to commend Chief Belmar for his leadership by requesting this voluntary review. That spirit of transparency and transformation is vital to reforming local law enforcement. Community policing can only succeed by first building a strong foundation of trust and honest communication.

U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay Washington, D.C.

Congress must act I urge your publication to publish an editorial urging Congress to pass important Medicare Part D and prescription drug bills. Passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act (H.R. 3261 and S. 1884) would create one or more Medicareadministered prescription drug plans to compete with the expensive, privately administered prescription drug plans currently offered

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under Medicare Part D. The bill would also require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for lower drug prices.

Or, passage of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (S. 31 and H.R. 3061) would empower Medicare to negotiate for the best possible prices of prescription medications for Medicare Part D. Passage of the Personal Drug Importation Fairness Act of 2015 (H.R. 2623) would give access to safe, reasonably priced prescription drugs by allowing importation and reimportation of prescription drugs from countries with safety standards that are at least as strong as those of the United States.

Or, passage of the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act (S. 122 and H.R. 2228) would allow individuals to import safe prescription drugs from our northern neighbors.

Alf Harris Saint Charles

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2315 Pine Street, St. Louis, MO, 63103.

Phone: 314-533-8000 / Fax: 314-533-2332

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

A5

Robbing payday lenders of customers

By Tishaura O. Jones Guest Columnist

Book bags from Fred Bird

Photo by Wiley Price

Laclede Elementary School students Jaylen Franklin, 6, a 1st grader and Samuel Carter, 9, a 4th grader, received new book bags from Fred Bird during the “Doin’ It Right” program held at the school last week.

Oct. 27 deadline for SLCC trustee applications There is a deadline of Tuesday, October 27 to apply for an open seat on the St. Louis Community College Board of Trustees.

There is a vacancy Subdistrict 1, which includes the following school districts: Clayton, Ferguson-Florissant, Hazelwood, Jennings, Ladue, Normandy, Pattonville, Ritenour, Riverview Gardens, University City, and Welston.

Applications must be sent to Chancellor Jeff L. Pittman at the Joseph P. Cosand Center, 300 S. Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102 by Tuesday, October 27. The declaration of candidacy form can be obtained by calling the Board Secretary at 314-539-5154.

The other trustees will appoint one person from the list of applicants by majority vote to fill the vacancy until the next election on April 5, 2016. A trustee will then be elected for the remainder of the six-year term, which expires in 2020. At that time, an election will take place to fill the seat for a full six-year term.

If no applicant is appointed, the board will continue to accept applications and conduct interviews until the vacancy is filled.

The seat was previously held by Theodis Brown Sr., who resigned his seat on Sunday, September 27, while in the second year of his six-year term.

ACLU will help protestors The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri is committed to helping all who have been charged from Ferguson protests to find legal representation. Those charged should complete the form at http://bit.ly/1PwG6Ve. A representative will be in contact soon with next steps. If you are not sure if you have been charged, dial 314615-8760, press 2, then 0 to check your status.

A good friend of mine, John Hope Bryant, once stated that “we are going to rob the payday lenders of their customers in broad daylight.” I plan to do just that.

St. Louis tops the nation in the number of unbanked and underbanked individuals, particularly for African Americans. In 2013, studies showed that 23.2 percent of St. Louis households were unbanked or underbanked.

A recent study by the East West Council of Governments points out that a huge racial wealth gap still exists in this region. Poverty, poor money management, and a lack of education has contributed to the utilization of predatory lending services such as payday loans, title loans, and check cashing facilities.

These lenders only locate in low-income neighborhoods and target low income individuals who have too much month at the end of their money. When they finally repay the loans the interest rates have ballooned uncontrollably and the payoffs can be more than 400 percent of the original loan amounts.

As shocking as this information may appear, I consider the statistics as an opportunity to even the playing field by leveraging resources. As treasurer of the City of St. Louis, one of my goals is to promote programs that improve the lives of our residents.

Tishaura The Office of Financial Empowerment in City Hall serves O. Jones as a central point for financial advice and education. We will host classes on every topic ranging from basic budgeting to understanding investment portfolios to planning for retirement.

As early as November of this year, an Operation HOPE financial management counselor will begin hosting workshops on credit and money management. Additionally, the HOPE counselor will teach classes to help residents increase their credit scores to 700 or more, breaking the cycle of high interest debt and making homeownership a reality for many St. Louisans.

Finally, the College Kids program launches this fall and is opening children’s savings accounts for every public school kindergartner in the City of St. Louis with an initial deposit of $50. Incentives and match programs attached to the accounts will help families build a savings ethic and encourage children to start thinking about their futures early.

We hope that this program introduces families to healthy financial products and services, such as those provided by our partners, 1st Financial Federal Credit Union and Wells Fargo. Simply put, college savings accounts give families hope.

Our programs are part of a strong coalition of St. Louis leaders who believe it is unacceptable that there are more payday lenders in Missouri than McDonald’s restaurants. We work with the St. Louis Regional Unbanked Taskforce and the United Way’s Financial Education Collaborative to drive comprehensive change and ensure that community events such as Money Smart Week are a success.

There many more programs to be impressed within St. Louis. On the Money magazine, a project of People’s Community Action Corporation, will launch soon to educate and provide professional development opportunities for our city’s youth. Prosperity Connection has created micro branches across the region and provides counseling to individuals as they achieve financial stability. Justine Petersen is the largest microlender in the nation, and the office is located in our backyard on North Grand.

Payday lenders, watch out! Together, we are educating St. Louisans about how they can avoid predatory lenders and lead financially sustainable lives.

Tishaura O. Jones is treasurer of the City of St. Louis.

A6

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

MARCH

Continued from A1 for the better with the rallying cry of “Justice or Else.”

Facing a sea of people as far as the eye could see along the National Mall, speakers addressed statehood for Washington, D.C., the mass incarceration of black men and the gun violence epidemic that has ravaged major cities across the nation.

But just as it has been for the past year since Ferguson exploded with unrest, police violence against communities of color was a flashpoint for the host of speakers that provided a dynamic and diverse reflection of the black community.

“We come here in the name of Mike Brown and Eric Garner and all those who have been slain in the streets,” said Rev. De-Ves Toon, national field director for Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. “Justice is what we command, what we demand and what we deserve. Innocent blood has been crying out from the ground.”

‘Ferguson is the ‘or else’’ The road to “Justice or Else” seemed to lead back to Ferguson as notables from the unrest stood before the crowd on more than one occasion.

Not long after the audience was prompted by another of the nearly 20 speakers to raise their arms and chant “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” Michael Brown Sr. and Brother Anthony Shahid were given a moment to speak.

Tory Russell of Hands Up United represented the young protest community.

“I come from a place where people struggle every day. We’re looking for economic justice, social justice, environmental justice,” Russell said. “All of these young people who have been standing in the streets in Ferguson for a long time, ain’t nobody coming to save us. I’m not waiting for

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

“This is a movement, not just one day on the calendar,” Minister Louis Farrakhan said at the “Justice of Else!” rally he convened on the National Mall on Saturday, October 10. justice to fall out of the sky or nobody to come save me.”

He urged the crowd to take the “Justice or Else” mantra back to their own communities and put their feet to the pavement in protest.

“I’m doing the same thing Zaki Baruti did,” Russell said, with the veteran St. Louis activist and front-line Ferguson responder standing right behind him. “I’m gonna do the same thing Anthony Shahid did.

I’m gonna do the same thing Mama Jamala Rogers did. I’m gonna do the same thing Percy Green did. You don’t know those names, because they are local names – local names with a national impact. When I tell you, we’re talking about justice or else, I only got one thing to

say: Ferguson is the ‘or else!’”

When Farrakhan took to the podium, Ferguson was clearly top of mind for him as well.

“Ferguson ignited it all,” Farrakhan said.

His words were met with thunderous applause by those who recognized the impact that the months of fervent protest had on the fight for social justice.

“All of the brothers and sisters who stood up against tanks and put their bodies on the line, we are honored that you have come to be with us to represent our struggle and our demands,” Farrakhan said.

He thanked them for their fearlessness and offered the courage of Ferguson protesters as examples.

“There must come a time when we all say ‘enough is enough,’” Farrakhan said.

“Our problem is that there is too much fear among us. It is hypocritical for us to keep asking for civil rights when we are being denied human rights.

We must demand ‘Justice or Else!”

March for the millennials The Million Man March of the millennial generation was much different than the one that preceded it.

Those who gathered used technology to tell their own story. Pictures and quotes from the festivities flooded the

internet.

The Nation of Islam even had its own “Twitter Army” operating out of one of the press tents. Some were out in the crowd gathering pictures.

Others sat at their station, faces buried into their phones, hanging onto every word from speakers so they could spread the message with the “Justice or Else” hashtag.

“Twenty years ago, Eric Garner’s last words ‘I can’t breathe’ would have merely been whispered to his killers.

Instead, they screamed to all of us to ‘wake up,’” said Tamika Mallory, a national organizer for the Justice Or Else March.

“Twenty years ago, the world wouldn’t have seen Mike Brown’s body baking in the

sun for four hours. Fox News would leave you to believe that we are here to invoke violence.

But we are the ones being murdered.”

Mallory one of many strong women who took to the podium, working behind the scenes and on the national forefront for the “Justice or Else” movement.

“I’m here to tell you that pulling up our pants won’t save us. College degrees won’t save us. Middle-class status won’t save us,” said Melina Abdullah of Black Lives Matter.

“We have to save ourselves, and we start doing that by loving ourselves – and then each other. ‘Black Lives Matter’ is a rallying cry. It’s recognition that we have all we need within us to win.

Today is a watershed moment.

‘Or else’ means we will no longer accept the murder of our people. It is by design – and it is our duty to fight for freedom.”

Religious leaders from different faiths and cultural background were given time to offer words before the audience. Representatives from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Palestine were among them.

Farrakhan directly addressed Christians in the crowd, suggesting that Christians and Muslims work together to combat the issues plaguing the black community.

“Our war is on two fronts – the inner city and police wickedness,” Farrakhan said.

“Preachers, you’re the most important. Take Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy of nonviolence and redirect it to black people. We have to teach to love one another and to love your neighbor.”

He also encouraged grooming the next generation for the fight for equality.

“This is a movement, not just one day on the calendar,” Farrakhan said. “The elders like myself have to begin to pass down the torch to tomorrow’s leaders. We need to put aside our minor differences if we want real justice – but it will require integrity, selflessness and sacrifice.”

A7

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

NGA

Continued from A1 impact cited for any of the four sites.

In fact, it was cited as negative impact for the other three sites that, if one of them is selected, St. Louis city would lose this earning tax revenue.

Interesting, both the North St. Louis and Fenton sites were cited for “minor to moderate, long-term benefit in reduction of crime.” However, according to FBI crime data, St. Louis has a violent crime index of 15.95 per 1,000, compared to 0.99 for Fenton. Fenton is at about one-fourth the national median for violent crime, while St. Louis is nearly four times more violent than the national median.

FOWLER Continued from A1

provide capital where others may have not done as much,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve been fortunate to be able to do in my lending and private equity career.”

On Friday, November 20, Fowler will receive The St. Louis American Foundation’s 2015 Corporate Executive of the Year award at the 16th annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon, which will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. The networking reception begins at 11 a.m., and the luncheon program at noon.

At Bank of America, Fowler is one of four managing directors of BAML Capital Access Funds (CAF), a division focused on private equity investing in emerging and underserved U.S. markets.

Fowler’s team manages capital for the bank but also for some public pension funds. CAF has managed and advised on more than $2 billion of capital since 2002.

Fowler said the CAF team focuses on “double bottomline investing” – seeking both economic and social impact returns.

“What we’ve been able to do on a national basis for the last several years is invest in private equity funds that are targeting these underserved markets and communities and

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers analyzed the potential environmental impacts – meaning everything from socio-economical to biological changes – caused by the proposed construction and operation of the “Next NGA West Campus.”

The study showed that the other three locations would have minor to moderate environmental benefits from the relocation.

In fact, much attention has been given to the Illinois site in St. Clair County as being North City’s biggest competition. However, the study showed that there are no “major environmental benefits” associated with the site, but there is a “potential major negative impact.”

“A previously identified archaeological site” listed on the National Register of

Historic Places (NRHP) is located within the footprint of the St. Clair County site, the study found.

NGA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and St. Clair County are currently reaching out to the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office and local interest groups to determine how to mitigate the impact.

The North St. Louis site also had a major impact. Within its footprint, there are known historic properties listed on the NRHP. The construction of the project would require the demolition of the Buster Brown-Blue Ribbon Shoe Factory and homes within the footprint of the St. Louis Place Historic District. The city and NGA are currently reaching out to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office, and local

historic interest groups.

All four of the sites had “minor to moderate” negative environmental impacts. For North St. Louis, one impact would be losing approximately $64,200 in property tax because the federal agency is not required to pay property tax. This would be offset exponentially by the retention of the earnings tax, however.

For North City, the study also listed “displacements” as negative.

“The city of St. Louis is working on agreements with local community members for property purchases and relocations,” it states. “All relocations and displacements would occur in compliance with the Missouri relocation statutes, which require fair compensation for relocated individuals.”

The St. Louis Development

Corporation (SLDC) recently asked the Board of Aldermen to approve a list of more than 300 properties for eminent domain. That process has stalled because apparently the first bill submitted listed all of these properties. But in order to move forward, a bill for every single property would need to be introduced to the board, said an alderwoman who sits on the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee.

Developer Paul McKee Jr. owns a majority of those properties, and he recently released a statement saying that he aims to finalize negotiations with the city soon.

On October 8, Mayor Francis G. Slay’s office announced that the city delivered a briefing book to the NGA, summarizing

the city’s proposal for a $1.6 billion facility in North St. Louis. Here is a link to the briefing book: https://www. stlouis-mo.gov/government/ departments/mayor/documents/ nga-briefing-book.cfm. A final edition will be distributed later in the year that will respond to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Included in the briefing book is a letter to the NGA from Slay.

“The NGA is vital to our city’s economic health, and its relocation to North St. Louis will reinvigorate a significant urban area of our community,” Slay stated. “Conversely, losing the NGA would be a devastating blow to our city’s economy. The many benefits to the future of both St. Louis and NGA are immeasurable, promising and exciting.”

actually helping to create jobs throughout the country,” he said, “and helping to create wealth for ethnic minority and women professionals.”

Throughout his career, Fowler has combined his concern for the local community with his expertise in private equity, said Ed Powers, also a CAF managing director, based in New York.

“Craig always seeks out excellence and builds great relationships,” Powers said. “He is a relentless promoter of St. Louis and always finds a St. Louis connection no matter where he is in the country. He’s a great teammate, devoted family man and role model.”

Outside of his day job, Fowler said he has been working on an initiative with the Billion Dollar Roundtable (BDR), which was created in 2001 to recognize corporations that achieved spending of at least $1 billion annually with minority- and woman-owned suppliers.

These Fortune 500 companies want to make sure their diverse suppliers are growing as they grow – so they can continue to supply them on a national and global basis.

Fowler is on a team, called the BDR Triad, that is helping to build up these minorityand women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs).

“The corporations refer their top-performing MWBEs to us,” Fowler said, “and then we evaluate what their growth needs and strategies

are. Are they planning to grow organically or through acquisitions?”

Then they develop the best type of capital for them, he said.

“Craig Fowler is a valued contributor to the BDR Triad,” said Bev Jennings, head of global supplier diversity & inclusion at Johnson & Johnson. “Supported by large corporations, this BDR Triad model has the potential to create access to capital and enable a new generation of strong and well-capitalized MWBEs who long-term may develop into strategic partners.”

Fowler joined Bank of America in 1997 as an investment officer with the bank’s Small Business Investment Company. In this role, he made mezzanine and equity investments in small and minority-owned businesses throughout the Midwest.

“Being a person who has always been communityminded, the economic development aspect appealed to me,” he said.

Before joining Bank of America, Fowler was a corporate relationship manager and vice president with Mercantile Bank (now US Bank), lending to small and middle‑market companies.

During his 15 years in commercial banking, he said he became somewhat of a specialist in private, federal, state and local programs geared toward economic development.

“I developed a strong network working with minority

business owners,” Fowler said.

“And I was able to do a lot in that area to help start and grow businesses.”

His current position has allowed him to go from having a strong local and regional network to a strong national network, he said. “It is a continuation of my work with minority businesses in the Midwest,” he said.

Fowler serves on the board of the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC), the industry association for investment companies dedicated to investing financial resources in an ethnically diverse marketplace.

However, Fowler is also tireless in his work to grow minority business locally. In 2006, Fowler helped to found the Center for the Acceleration of African-American Business, and he still sits on its executive leadership team.

He also served on the board of the St. Louis Local Development Company, the city agency that oversees the SBA 504, Micro Loan and Urban Enterprise Loan

programs. And he is a board member of various private equity portfolio funds’ advisory boards.

He also runs a mentorship program for young men called Destination Manhood, which is mother initiated.

He and his wife of 32 years, Regina, have been blessed to have raised “two healthy, smart and independent children,” he said. Their daughter, Erin Fowler, has completed her first year at a law firm in Chicago focused on labor and employment law. And their son, Andrew Fowler – who won a national journalism award for feature reporting as a St. Louis American intern – just relocated to New York after accepting a video journalist position at Business Insider.

Craig Fowler holds a BS in business administration from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University, and he is a graduate of the Venture Capital Institute.

As an alumnus, he said he supports the university’s efforts in entrepreneurship. Fowler encourages students who are

interested in becoming an entrepreneur to learn business through internships or working with a large company.

“There’s a need for entrepreneurship more so than when I was in college,” he said.

“I was educated to some extent to go work for a corporation. Those opportunities have changed.

There is more of a need for individuals to look at other avenues. For those who have the mentality to start their own companies, they should explore it.”

The 16th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon will be held Friday, November 20 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, with a networking reception at 11 a.m. and luncheon program at noon.

Tickets are $100 for VIP/ Preferred seating, $75 for general admission. Call 314-533-8000 or visit www. stlamerican.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

A8

MO Supreme Court creates Commission on Racial Fairness

Includes Judge Booker Shaw, Kimberly Norwood, STL Counselor Winston Calvert

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American

The Supreme Court of Missouri has established a Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness, Chief Justice Patricia Breckenridge announced Thursday, October 8 during her address to lawyers and judges gathered in St. Louis for the joint annual meeting of The Missouri Bar and the Judicial Conference of Missouri.

“We all need to do everything we can to ensure that every individual in every case in our system of justice is treated with respect and has his or her case adjudicated fairly and impartially according to the law. Until that is true in

100 percent of our courts, we cannot rest. Even a perception of justice denied anywhere should concern us all, no matter who or where we are,” Breckenridge said in her address.

“To that end, I am pleased to announce the Supreme Court has established a Commission on Racial and Ethnic Fairness.

Judge George Draper and Missouri Bar President Reuben Shelton have been instrumental and inspirational in forming the commission and will serve as liaisons. The commission is made up of attorneys and judges representing diverse experiences and viewpoints from across the state.”

The commission will focus its study on six areas – the judicial system generally, the civil justice system, the criminal justice system, the juvenile justice system, the municipal justice system and the practice of law – to identify solutions and make recommendations for improvement, she said.

Together, the commission

members will engage with subcommittees, includes Judge the public in examining and Louis Angles, Patrick Chavez, reviewing current practices Dana Tippin Cutler, Judge and recommending measures Kenneth Garrett, Judge Sandra “to help assure fairness, Hemphill, Judge Jalilah Otto, impartiality, equal access and Judge Gary Oxenhandler, Judge full participation Booker T. Shaw, for racial and ethnic Karen Tokarz, minorities in the Lynn Ann Vogel, judicial process and Gary Waint and in the practice of Antwaun Smith. law,” she said.

The commission Breckenridge – which will issued an order have “at least on October 6 40 members” – establishing the also includes as commission along members five other these lines. judges: Judge Commission Charles Curless, Missouri Chief co-chairs are Judge Kristine Justice Patricia William R. Bay, a Kerr, Judge Marco Breckenridge partner at Thompson Roldan, Judge Coburn; Judge Lisa Nancy Rahmeyer White Hardwick and Judge Todd of the Missouri Court of Thornhill.

Appeals, Western District; The commission also and Michael A. Middleton, includes as members a number deputy chancellor emeritus of of public officials – including the University of Missouri – St. Louis City Counselor Columbia.

Winston Calvert, Jackson The steering committee, County Prosecutor Jean composed of the co-chairs of Peters Baker and Kansas City each of the commission’s six Councilwoman Jolie Justus – as

well as one law enforcement official, Lt. Col. Sandy Karsten of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The order specifies them to investigate a number of key areas, including: • The existence and impact of any racial and ethnic bias and/ or disparities within the judicial system and the practice of law; • Changes to court rules, regulations, laws and/ or practices to improve meaningful access to or participation in the judicial system and the practice of law by racial and ethnic minorities; • Measures to ensure that all persons within the judicial system and practice of law refrain from manifesting bias or prejudice, by words or conduct, based on race or ethnicity; • The availability of effective legal representation for racial and ethnic minorities within the judicial system; • Measures to enhance racial and ethnic diversity in the selection, retention and promotion of judicial officers, court staff and professionals in

the legal community, and court.

• In addition to its own work, the commission was ordered to “collaborate and participate in the Minority Community Engagement project with the National Center for State Courts and National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts.

Breckenridge told the Missouri Bar on October 8, “Today – whether you are from St. Louis County or Nevada, Missouri, whether you practice in the juvenile division or are working to have your municipal case disposed, whether you are a member of one of Missouri’s Asian or Hispanic bar associations or you represent ethnically diverse clients in any part of the state – no matter who you are, where you live or what kind of law you practice, we all must stand together in ensuring the culture of our profession is one that earns public trust and confidence.”

The commission was ordered to file its initial report by June 1, 2016 and annual reports by January 1 thereafter.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

A9

Emerson endows African-American initiative

Pledges $5M to Missouri Historical Society

By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American

Community leaders’ longtime dream of establishing a hub for African-American history just got a substantial leg up.

On Monday , October 12, Emerson announced that it will contribute $5 million over the next seven years to the Missouri Historical Society.

The gift will ensure that the African-American story is “relevant and present” in all of the museum’s exhibitions and activities, said Melanie Adams, managing director for community education and events at the Missouri History Museum.

“One of the things that we are hearing loud and clear is that we want to be able to show the significant contributions that African Americans have made to the St. Louis community,” she said.

The gift is part of the African-American History Endowment, which is also meant to fuel ongoing community education and dialogue about diversity.

Recent events have also made clear the need to “bring greater understanding” about this history and the region’s racial divide, said Frances Levine, president of the Missouri History Museum.

James Buford, vice chair of the Zoo-Museum District, said the idea of an endowment was not the original plan. The history museum’s original goal

was to build a separate facility for African-American history.

“Despite best intentions and efforts, it has been clear for some time now that it would not be possible to raise the sizeable funding necessary to support building and sustaining operations of a stand-alone center as first hoped,” Buford said. “By coming together as partners and with a sense of community, we believe we have developed a win-win solution.”

David N. Farr, Emerson chairman and CEO, praised the early efforts of the late Jo Ann Harmon Arnold, former

n “We want to be able to show the significant contributions that African Americans have made to the St. Louis community.”

– Melanie Adams, Missouri History Museum

Emerson executive, and Buford for sticking with discussions and coming up with a “plan of action.”

Together, with Buford’s vision and involvement, he, the Urban League, the Missouri Historical Society, and many other people and organizations in the community will share in providing planning, and managing programming and content, said museum leaders.

One of the most important elements and early elements

of work under the endowment will be the Collecting Initiative, which is an ongoing commitment to collect historical material from African Americans in the St. Louis region.

“That’s really the area we haven’t been strong in,” Adams said. “And that is the foundation for the exhibitions.

It’s hard to exhibit what you don’t have.”

Through the years, the Missouri Historical Society has become the guardian of several prominent African-American collections, including those of Civil War soldier Elijah Madison, dancer and activist Katherine Dunham, attorney and civic leader Homer G. Phillips, and educator Herman Dreer. However, there are significant gaps.

Levine said that it is important to also document the everyday lives of African Americans in St. Louis. A collecting initiative would partner with individuals as well as St. Louis African-American institutions – churches, fraternal organizations, social organizations and families – to identify unrecognized treasures and digitize the materials.

“The Missouri Historical Society will build from our relationship with the AfricanAmerican community, demystifying the process of how we care for and manage collections, and demonstrating that we value and honor the donations being entrusted to us,” Levine said.

Future efforts under the endowment will include an oral history fellowship, a civil-rights symposium, digital innovation, a museum studies scholarship program and a K-12 education program.

For more information about the endowment, the collecting initiative and other programs, email objects@mohistory.org.

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A10

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

VonDerrit Myers Jr. remembered at vigil

‘We are going to continue this fight,’ promises attorney, clergy

of tragedy.

“Our strength comes from them,” Reed said. “They “I know I can no longer came out and stood with the be beside him in this life’s protestors. They encouraged the journey, but every morning I protestors.” consider my soul to be blessed On this night, the Myers just with the little time that I family would need them to got,” Misha Brown said about return the favor. her first cousin and close It took everything in Syretta friend, VonDerrit to remain standing Myers Jr. as she moaned n “We do not She was among through tears and give ground to the friends, shook as attorney family, attorneys Jerryl Christmas the devil. We and the protest shared graphic are going to community who information about came together to case with the have justice. We the commemorate the crowd. first anniversary of stand on that “I know that his death. this is hard, but promise.”

A crowd of I want you to about 200 gathered understand the to light candles and facts,” Christmas – Rev. Willie said. “And we release balloons at Kilpatrick need you to the spot where the continue to fight 18-year-old’s life and push in this came to an end – case.” on the corner of Syretta cried Shaw and Klemm out at his description of the in South St. Louis at the hands events that led to her son’s of off-duty St. Louis Police death – particularly when officer Jason Flanery.

Facilitated by Kayla Reed Christmas said that bullets of the Organization for Black shattered her son’s femur and Struggle, the vigil was also a that, had he lived, his left tribute to the strength of Myers’ leg would have likely been amputated. parents, VonDerrit Myers Sr. Christmas also referred and Syretta Myers, in the midst

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

Photo by Lawrence Bryant

A crowd of about 200 gathered at the corner of Shaw and Klemm on October 8 to light candles and release balloons at the spot where VonDerrit Myers Jr.’s life came to an end at the hands of St. Louis Police officer Jason Flanery one year ago.

to the case involving James Zwilling, a partner of Flanery, to support the notion that Flanery is being untruthful regarding Myers’ death.

Zwilling accused a black youth of pointing a weapon at him, which he said compelled him open fire. Last week a St. Louis city jury acquitted

20-year-old Keyon Bennett of all four felony charges stemming from the case.

“The jury said, ‘We don’t believe this story. We don’t believe that he ever had a weapon’,” Christmas said.

“Flanery turned around four months later and told that same damn story. And they are trying to sell it to us hook, line and sinker.”

Flanery was not indicted for Myers’ death. Police and civilian witnesses testified that there was an exchange of fire between Flanery and Myers, and police claimed to retrieve three bullets that Myers fired at the officer.

“The fight is not over,” Christmas said. “We were out there the night that it happened, and we will continue to be vigilant until we get justice.”

With emotions on high, a solo by Michelle Higgins incited wails from the crowd.

“Hold on just a little while

longer, hold on just a little while longer,” Higgins sang.

“Everything’s gonna be all right.” She also urged those in the crowd to continue to “fight on just a little while longer.”

So did Rev. Willie Kilpatrick, pastor of Prince of Peace Missionary Baptist Church and the family’s spiritual leader.

“We do not give ground to the devil. We are going to have justice. We stand on that promise,” Kilpatrick said as he led a prayer. “God, show up and show out. As we lift up our voices together and stand united, we are not going to quit.

We are going to continue this fight.”

He then asked that God “give VonDerrit sweet peace.”

“As he looks down from heaven,” Kilpatrick said, “let him know that he is not forgotten – and we are not going to fail.”

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

John Wright honored for writing ‘our history’

20th annual Homer G. Phillips Public Health Lecture Series Oct. 23

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American

Author and historian John A. Wright will be the honoree and guest speaker for “Homer G. Phillips and the Ville: Celebrating the Legacy,” the 20th annual Homer G. Phillips Public Health Lecture Series at Washington University St. Louis. It takes place Friday, October 23 at the Eric P. Newman Education Center, 320 South Euclid Ave. Wright, a Fulbright Scholar and former Ville resident, has written books about the hospital, the Ville neighborhood and disappearing black communities in St. Louis in his Black America Series.

This year’s Homer G. Phillips lecture has the backdrop of baby-snatching and adoption accusations that played out in the media. City and federal investigators found no basis for the claims, but only after the hospital’s otherwise impeccable reputation for training top-notch AfricanAmerican physicians and nurses had been tainted.

“The allegations of a babystealing plot at Homer G. Phillips Hospital was widely circulated without the benefits of critical fact checks and journalistic balance,” said Will Ross, M.D., assistant dean for Diversity at Washington University School of Medicine,

Author and historian John A. Wright

and organizer of the lecture series.

“Perhaps the fact that the alleged ‘scandal’ occurred at an African-American public

n “As a people, we must be involved in writing our own history.”

– Will Ross, M.D.

hospital was a major factor in the widespread adoption of the story, validating the biases we harbor about the quality of care provided at under-resourced public hospitals, especially

Name: Rjeem, Senior Community College: Florissant Valley Community College Major: Marketing

those in African-American neighborhoods.”

During segregation, Homer G. Phillips was St. Louis’ only hospital for African Americans and one of only a few hospitals to train black doctors and nurses. It opened in 1937 and served the city’s black community until its controversial closure in 1979.

“Make no mistake, this story was about race and racial stereotypes,” Ross said.

“Despite the fact the story was later disproven, the litany of negative media reports resulted in immeasurable damage to the reputation of one of the greatest African-American hospitals in the history of America and an icon in the African American community in St. Louis.”

To many, the allegations are a personal affront.

“The story was a personal insult to the living physicians and nurses who trained and worked at Homer G. and the legends of Homer G. Phillips we have honored in the past,” Ross said. “For this reason, we are honoring Dr. Wright, who has memorialized the history of the hospital and the Ville neighborhood in several of his books. As a people, we must be involved in writing our own history.”

Cocktails begin at 6 p.m.

Friday, October 23, with the dinner at 6:30 and the lecture at 7:30 p.m. at the Eric P. Newman Education Center, 320 South Euclid Ave. Free parking is available on surface lots and validated parking is available in the North Garage, across the street from the Center for Advanced Medicine Building or the Metro garage.

The event is free open to the public. RSVP to Michelle Patterson at 314-362-6854 or mpatterson@wustl.edu.

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THEY TOLD ME TO CONSIDER MYSELF A L E A D E R , A N D I D I D. “At Maryville they encourage you to follow your passion. I knew I wanted to go into business and when I started looking at marketing I realized I found that passion. I was drawn to Maryville University because I was impressed with people in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. I helped launch Go Saints, a student organization that builds spirit, pride and tradition on Maryville’s campus.”

With more than 80 student organizations, student life at Maryville can be as busy as you want it to be. And if you don’t see the group you’re looking for, test your leadership skills like Rjeem and start your own.

“There were six students at that first event in 2013, and now we attract more than 50. I’m also now president of Go Saints. When I’m a Maryville alum, I expect to see over 200 students at a Go Saints event.”

M A N Y CO N N E CT I O N S . O N E U.

maryville.edu

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

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Comptroller spoils premature new stadium tailgating party Dave Peacock, Bob Blitz and Jeff Rainford have been driving St. Louis taxpayers toward paying for a new football stadium on the St. Louis riverfront. They were working on this before they put Gov. Jay Nixon up to appointing Peacock and Blitz to do it, as emails obtained by John Ammann of Saint Louis University School of Law revealed.

Rainford and his role have remained largely in the shadows, and his emails were not provided to Ammann, unless it was in a chain from someone who did answer the Sunshine Law request, such as Mary Ellen Ponder, who succeeded Rainford as Mayor Francis Slay’s chief of staff, or Maggie Crane, the mayor’s spokesperson. Can’t wait to read those Rainford emails!

Now Comptroller Darlene Green has spoiled their premature tailgating party.

Last week she released a commentary titled “Stadium financial plan is no touchdown for taxpayers,” arguing that the stadium plan would result in a tax increase, despite promises to the contrary, because St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger took the county’s anticipated share of investment and went home.

Green pointed out that the city’s funding commitment is supposed to be limited to the current $6 million annual appropriation for the Edward Jones Dome. However, if the city is stuck on the hook for the county’s $6 million

share after Stenger bailed, “a funding commitment of at least $12 million is what is before the city for consideration,” Green wrote, according to the proposed financial plan documents recently shared with her office by the stadium finance team.

The bean counter did not like those beans.

“An annual appropriation for any amount above the current $6 million would put the city’s credit at risk and potentially lead to higher interest costs to issue bonds for much-needed citywide public safety and infrastructure improvements,” Green wrote.

She’s not buying it, because the city alone should not have been left holding Stenger’s money bag. “As comptroller, I am only willing to support the fiscally responsible annual appropriation the city already pays,” Green wrote. “The funding gap that resulted when the county declined to participate should have been considered the responsibility of all of the remaining parties, not just the city.”

To protect taxpayers, Green wrote, the stadium finance team should consider creating a sports authority through the state utilizing the state’s higherrated bonds. Another option is to identify a new revenue source, such as annual renewal fee for Private Seat licenses.

You know, get the people to pay who actually want to go watch games in this new stadium.

She backed up her

Last week Comptroller Darlene Green released a commentary titled “Stadium financial plan is no touchdown for taxpayers” that questioned the city’s debt burden called for by the team planning the new stadium on the St. Louis riverfront. position with a paper that sets forth “Funding Strategy Considerations.” It’s not pretty.

She starts with the brief, sad story of the Edward Jones Dome. How in 1991 the Regional Convention and Sports Authority (RSA) issued three series of tax-exempt bonds in an aggregate principal amount of $258.67 million to fund the required land acquisition and construction of the Dome. One series of Dome bonds was issued for each of the three sponsors: City of St. Louis, St. Louis County and State of Missouri.

The Dome bonds mature on August 15, 2021 and are not subject to optional redemption prior to maturity. They are secured pursuant to a Project Financing, Construction and Operation Agreement dated 1991 among the three sponsors and the RSA. Per this financing agreement, each of the sponsors will appropriate

annual rental payments to be paid to the RSA for debt service on their Dome bonds and to maintain the facility.

The sponsors’ annual rental payment obligations (for this stadium that is no longer considered worthy of an NFL franchise) are sobering to remember. The state pays $12 million (approximately $10 million for debt service through bond maturity, and approximately $2 million for preservation through August 15, 2024), the county and city each pay $6 million (approximately $5 million each for debt service, approximately $1 million each for preservation).

Pursuant to the provisions of the lease between the Rams and the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission (CVC), which maintains, operates and manages the Dome, the RSA and CVC agreed to maintain the Dome in condition sufficient to meet certain “First Class” standard requirements at certain dates.

The Dome failed to meet the required “First Class” standards at the March 15, 2015 test date, thus permitting the Rams to convert the original long-term lease (with a term of March 31, 2025) to an annual term with unilateral renewal rights for the Rams. They can leave whenever the NFL will let them.

The owner of the Rams – maybe you have read this somewhere before – has indicated his intention to move the Rams to California. His ability to move the team is subject to approval by the NFL – and, of course, finding a deal he likes in California.

To keep the Rams or attract

another NFL franchise, the Peacock/Blitz/Rainford show proposed a new $1 billion football stadium with funding from a variety of sources.

Originally they included the NFL, Kroenke, Private Seat License sales, various tax credit proceeds, and the three sponsors (state, county, city).

As initially presented to the public and city officials, the RSA would issue approximately $95 million tax-exempt and taxable new stadium bonds secured by city rental payments, which would refund the outstanding city series of Dome bonds and provide a project fund deposit for the new stadium. We were told the city’s annually appropriated rental obligation would not exceed the current $6 million due to the RSA for the Dome.

Then Stenger backed out, and one of the three sponsors was suddenly an ex-sponsor.

The resulting funding plan, Green wrote, contemplates a second RSA bond issue of approximately $96 million, which would be secured by the direct new stadium tax revenues, which would continue to secure the $6 million annual rental payment due in connection with the proposed new stadium bonds.

She counts it up: The aggregate annual city contribution to the new stadium throughout the life of the proposed new bonds – plus the newly proposed City Game Day Receipts Bonds – upon the opening of the new stadium in 2019 ranges from approximately $9.785 million in 2019 to $15.975 million in 2051 (the final maturity of the proposed city bonds).

The first the comptroller heard of this plan was when it

hit her desk.

“The above referenced proposed funding plan, including and especially the concept of an annual appropriation of city revenues above the current $6 million paid by the city to the RSA, was not developed in collaboration, or discussed, with the Comptroller’s Office,” Green wrote tartly. Rather than making the city eat the county’s share, everybody on the deal should have taken some hurt, she wrote.

She also expressed doubt in the Shangri-La revenue expectations embedded in this plan, saying projected tax revenues from the new stadium seem “optimistic and not based on historical performance of these revenue sources.”

What if Shangri-La ends up looking more like the fading Dome in terms of return on investment? “To the extent that the revenue projections do not materialize, the city would need to appropriate unrelated general fund money (which would otherwise be directed toward the provision of services) to meet its new stadium obligations,” Green wrote.

More beans: The proposed funding plan would increase the city’s annual debt service payments in relation to the Dome/new stadium from 95 percent to 166 percent (from $5 million to $9.785 million in 2020, and from $6 million to $15.975 million in 2051). And that’s when the city’s credit rating is already slipping south.

“Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the city’s general obligation bond credit rating to A1 from Aa3 (pursuant to the rating action, city annual appropriation bonds would be rated no higher than A2),” Green wrote. “Moody’s cites the city’s high debt burden as a contributing factor in their downgrade action.”

So an even higher debt burden might not be such a great idea. That’s why, Green urged, they need to form a sports authority via the state through the state’s issuance of its higher-rated bonds.

In response, the stadium financing team said Green has it all wrong, that there are new, better numbers. To which the EYE says: Show us. There must be better numbers than what’s in the plan that Green spiked. Already we have seen lucrative stadium naming rights enter the discussion. It is safe to say that Peacock/Blitz/ Rainford are playing other hands with cards that have not been disclosed to the public.

If Kroenke cannot find a field of dreams in California or if the NFL opposes his move, there could be other partners in the deal – the NFL and the Rams (possibly under different ownership) – that bear more of the debt burden. The tailgating party may have been premature, but that does not mean this deal is dead.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

GATEWAY REGION YMCA

A13

9 WEEK 7

JOIN ONE JOIN ALL

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ONE SMALL CHANGE is an ongoing series that challenges us to take very small steps toward being more environmentally-friendly. If we all participate then participate, thenONE ONESMALL SMALLCHANGE CHANGEcan canmake makeaabig bigdifference! difference!

SHOWERS NO PLASTIC NOT WATER BATHS BOTTLES

JOINING FORCES

NEW MEMBERSHIP PRICES! www.gwrymca.org #YMCAJoiningForces

Every year, the average American uses about We all enjoy a relaxing bath from time 167 BOTTLES PER YEAR! 167 plastic bottles per year!

38 to time butwater it’s something we Only should of those plastic bottles are recycled andeveryday the consider a “luxury” instead of an ones are “thrown away” take more ritual.that Cleaning ourselves is the largest than one thousand years to bio-degrade indoor use of our water at home, making when sent to landfill. The up about 27a percent ofU.S. ourlandfills total water contain over two But million tons of consumption. when it discarded comes to the water bottles alone. decision of shower versus bath the choice is clear. Showers use almost half as much water as a Additionally, it’s far more to buy a bath. Meanwhile, theexpensive average bathtub requires about 36 new plastic bottle every a time gallons ofwater water!

That’s tonyou ofneed water saved by switching a If you drank the doctor recommended todrink. showers.

8 glasses of water per day out of the kitchen faucet then your totalIn billaddition after oneto year would your reduced water be 49 cents. That same consumption, amount of wateryou’ll be saving your family in plastic bottles would cost some approximately money on their energy costs.

38 RECYCLED $1,400 per year!

You probably don’t take many

cold baths or showers right? All

One small change fix thistakes pollution of that hottowater energy problem is picking up by a permanent to heat up so switchingand to refillable water bottle.

It should only cost showers you’ll be cutting your about ten dollars and you can in reuse for energy-consumption halfittoo. years.

Another option, change if you worry about This one small adds up. the Across cleanliness youryou tap could water, is to a of year save purchase water six pitcher with filtergallons for your morea than thousand home.ofThey sell for as low as twenty dollars water. and will also cut back on money and pollution.

THIS CHANGE SAVES 167 PLASTIC SAVES 6,000+ WATER BOTTLES PER GALLONS OF YEAR! WATER PER YEAR!

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

A14

NEWSPAPER IN

Healthy Kids

EDUCATION

PRESENT:

The weekly Healthy Kids page provides health tips on nutrition, exercise and more.

Nutrition

Fast Food Options

When your family is in a hurry and going through a fast-food drive-thru, how are you supposed to eat healthy? Here are a few tips to remember: q Select grilled instead of fried options. Often the healthiest option is a nice salad of greens and veggies, along with grilled chicken. w Instead of fries or onion rings, see if you can have a fresh fruit cup or side salad instead.

Exercise

Schedule It! to Ti meercise Exc And...

Space Heaters

e Be mindful of liquid calories (soda, shakes, slushes, etc.). Choose water or zero-calorie drinks whenever possible.

r Condiments can contribute unhealthy calories, especially full-fat dressings, sauces and mayonnaise.

JustNewspaper think before you order Weekly in — Education and you could eliminate hundreds of calories from sugar and fat!

Dr.Program Byron V. DuVall, Dentist

t Most (if not all) fast-food restaurants can now provide nutrition information for all menu items.

Learning Standards:

November

Let’s discuss some ways to be safe while using space heaters.

>

Where do you work?

I own my own dental office called Mid-City Dental Services. I am also president of Gateway to Oral Health.

HPE 2, HPE 5, NH 1, NH 3, NH 5

Too busy to exercise? Then (but aim for schedule it! Just like sixty!) at least you would put anything four days a else important on your week. What are calendar (sports practice, some creative school events, doctor ways to mark X = Exer c is e appointments) so that your calendar? Try you don’t forget — do putting “Me Time!” the same for exercise. Try to or “Explore the Neighborhood” schedule at least thirty minutes on your calendar. Regular In 2011, over 50,000 homes caught fire in the United States, killing 400 people and injuring over 1,500*. About one-third of these fires was caused by space heaters.

Healthcare Careers

>

Do not use a space heater if the chord is frayed or damaged

>

Keep anything flammable away from the space heater including blankets, curtains, newspapers, etc.

> Can you think of any other space heater safety tips?

The best space heaters are the ones with a safety switch that automatically Learning Standards: turns off if the heater falls HPE 5, NH 5 over. If yours does not *National Fire Protection have this, be sure to turn Association it off when you leave.

exercise is good for your heart and lungs. But don’t forget the bonus benefits. Exercise burns calories, increases your metabolism and even improves your mood. So, put it on your calendar!

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

Healthy Snacks Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Ingredients: 1 Cp Pumpkin seeds 1 Tbsp Kosher salt Other optional seasonings (pepper, garlic powder, etc.)

Directions: Rinse and completely dry the pumpkin seeds. Lightly spray a cookie sheet and spread the seeds out in a single layer. Spritz the seeds with canola oil and bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes (until the seeds are lightly browned and crispy). Sprinkle with salt and any other desired seasonings.

Where did you go to school? I graduate from Northwest High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana. I earned a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Meharry Medical College, School of Dentistry.

What does a general dentist do? I help people keep their teeth and gums clean and healthy, giving them a bigger, brighter smiler. If the sugar bugs have caused a hole in a tooth, I fill it in before it has a chance to hurt. If a patient has a tooth missing, I can give them another one to help them keep a pretty smile.

Why did you choose this career? I chose dentistry because it is a combination of art and science. It gives you the opportunity to create something that will help people be able to chew their food better, can alleviate pain and suffering and also improve their appearance. The first thing people notice about you is your smile.

What is your favorite part of the job you have? My favorite part is being able to help people. I also enjoy teaching them how to care for their teeth and create a more beautiful smile.

Learning Standards: HPE 6, NH 3

Content—Cathy Sewell • Design—Beth Sharpe

Planting the Seeds for Success!

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

A15

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.

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

SCIENCE STARS African -American Dental and Golf Inventor George Franklin Grant

Bryan Hill Elementary School teacher, Mrs. Hamilton, shows students

Khamryn Daniel and Kyron Edward how to measure how long it takes for ice to melt at certain tempertures. They were using an experiment they found on the STEM page. Bryan Hill Elementary School is in the Saint Louis Public Schools District. Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American.

Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email: nie@stlamerican.com.

SCIENCE CORNER

Tooth Decay

Did you know that no two people have the same set of teeth? Your teeth are as unique as your finger prints. Our teeth are not only the showcase of our smile, teeth serve an important purpose. Humans have four different types of teeth (incisors, canine, premolars, and molars) to cut, tear and grind their food.

common, and the most preventable, disease in children, according to the American General Dentistry (AGD).

Unfortunately, tooth decay is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. Left untreated, pediatric dental disease can lead to malnourishment, bacterial infections, and emergency surgery. Dental disease has been linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, pneumonia, and dementia. Pain and infection caused by tooth decay can lead to problems in eating, speaking and learning. Tooth decay is the most

How can you take care of your teeth? Brush your teeth regularly. Use dental floss to remove food from hard to reach areas. Rinse your mouth with mouthwash. You can make your own mouth rinse with baking soda, a pinch of salt, and warm water. Dental exams are important, too. Your dentist can x-ray parts of your teeth that you can’t see, to detect problems.

To learn about the parts of your teeth, visit: http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season9/teeth/ facts.cfm.

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

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT The Power of Fluoride!

Process:

Background Information:

q Place 4 inches of fluoride into a container, place an egg in the

In this experiment, you’ll observe how fluoride affects your teeth.

fluoride, and let it set for 5 minutes.

w Pour 4 inches of vinegar in each of the

Materials Needed:

• 1 Bottle of Fluoride

Treated

Rinse Solution (available from your dentist, local

remaining two containers. Place the egg that has been treated in fluoride in one, and the untreated egg in the other. Label the containers.

e One egg will start to bubble as the vinegar

dental supply company and some pharmacies)

attacks the shell. Which egg do you think that will be? Was your prediction correct?

• 2 Eggs • 1 Bottle of white vinegar • 3 Containers

MATH CONNECTION

Not Treated

Learning Standards: I can follow sequential directions to complete a task. I can make predictions and draw conclusions.

Math Problems with bite!

George Franklin Grant was born to slaves in Oswega, New York, in 1846. When Grant was young, his father became a barber and bought some land and a small house for his family. When Grant was 15, he moved out on his own and supported himself by working as an errand boy for a local dentist. Six years later, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked as an apprentice in a lab. He enrolled in Harvard University, with recommendations from his former employers. Grant chose the School of Dental Medicine and graduated in 1870 with honors, and became the second African-American graduate of the Dental School.

Harvard offered him a job in the Department of Mechanical Dentistry and Grant became their first African-American staff member. Grant helped people who were born with defects in their mouth. He received patents for devices, such as the oblate palate, which helped his patients speak and eat more easily. These devices also improved their appearance and helped them feel more confident.

In his free time, Grant loved to golf and had a golf course on his property. He would have to use wet sand and create a mound to hit the golf ball. After playing 18 holes, and creating 18 mounds, his hands were quite messy! In 1899, Grant invented the golf tee, patent number 638,920. He was the first American to patent this design. Although he had some golf tees created for personal use, he never sold his design to the public. In 1910, he died of liver disease while visiting his vacation home. In 1991, the United States Golf Association gave Grant recognition for his contribution to the game of golf.

Learning Standards: I can read a biography about a person who has made a contribution in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math.

MAP CORNER Answer these questions about teeth. human has 32 zteeth.An Ifadult there are 80 adults in a room, how many teeth are there in all? ______

x

If the dose for a medication at the dentist office is 250 mg per 70 kg body weight, what would be the proper dose for a 45 pound child? (remember that 2.2 lb = 1 kg) ______

DID YOU KNOW? According to the American Dental Hygienist Association, nearly 75 percent of American adults suffer from various forms of gum disease and don’t know it.

c

Survey your classmates to determine their favorite flavor of toothpaste: mint, fruit, or bubblegum. Create a bar graph or pie graph to display your results.

v

If you brush your teeth 3 times per day, for 2 minutes each time, how much time do you spend brushing your teeth per week? ______ How much time do you spend brushing your teeth per month? ______

b

Karen knows that drinking soda is harmful to her teeth. She drinks an average of three sodas per day. She decides she will drink half as much soda for the upcoming week. She will drink ______ sodas per day. The following weekend, she drinks half of that amount. She will drink ______ sodas per day.

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

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, only 48 percent of children entering kindergarten have seen a dentist within the past year, and 52 percent of children aged six to eight have tooth decay.

According to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), more than 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental-related illness.

An estimated 17 million children in America go without dental care each year.

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

Activity One — Dental Health: Use the newspaper to find ads for dentists and dental care. Locate articles about dental health care and save them in a journal.

Add to this journal throughout the school year. Design a newspaper ad encouraging people to take care of their teeth. Next, write an informational news article about a dental health issue.

Activity Two — Timeline: Use a story in the newspaper to create a timeline. Your timeline should be in sequential order with at least five to 10 entries.

Choose or create illustrations that support the key events of your timeline.

Learning Standards: I can use the newspaper to locate information. I can write for a specific purpose and audience. I can select key information and arrange it sequentially.

This special Newspaper In Education initiative is made possible, and delivered to classrooms, through The St. Louis American Foundation and its NIE Corporate Partners:

A16 Amir Brandy expressed doubt in Mayor Slay’s ability to choose good Civilian Oversight Board nominees at an aldermanic Public Safety Committee hearing on Tuesday, October 13.

Photo by Wiley Price

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

Public weighs in on civilian oversight nominees

By Rebecca S. Rivas Of The St. Louis American On Tuesday, October 13, about a dozen people voiced their concerns to the aldermanic Public Safety Committee regarding how police officers interact with the LGBT community, young black men, homeless individuals and those who have mental illness.

The crowd of 100 people at

the City of St. Louis’ hearing on the Civilian Oversight Board nominees gave warm rounds of applause after each person spoke.

Alderman Terry Kennedy, chairman of the committee, told the audience that they normally don’t have applause at public hearings, “but this is a new process.”

The hearing was one step in the process of confirming

the seven inaugural members of the Civilian Oversight Board that will review and investigate complaints of police misconduct in St. Louis city.

Mayor Francis G. Slay selected the nominees from about 50 applicants.

The nominees are: neighborhood organizer Ciera Simril, Equal Employment Opportunity investigator Jane Abbott-Morris, retired lawyer

It takes all-nighters, moonlighting, and burning the midnight oil to get where you want to be.

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50725_N5090531L.indd 1

10/7/15 11:37 AM

Lawrence Johnson, co-founder of the nonprofit Better Family Life Inc. DeBorah Ahmed, Southtown business owner Bradley T. Arteaga, criminal defense attorney Heather Highland and corporate lawyer Stephen Rovak.

Last year, the Ferguson movement pushed the issue of police accountability to the forefront, aiding the advocates who have been fighting for decades to get legislation passed regarding civilian oversight of police.

The mayor has the final say regarding who sits on the board, according to the law passed by the city’s Board of Aldermen on April 20. However, Kennedy told the audience that the mayor can’t make a move until he gets the Board of Aldermen’s approval and confirmation on the nominations.

Kennedy continually told the speakers that their input was crucial. Throughout the past week, the Public Safety Committee has interviewed the nominees. At the public hearing, most people voiced support of the mayor’s selection.

Only one person spoke against a nomination. Rev. Dinah Tatman, CEO of the Greater New Vision Ministries Inc., said DeBorah Ahmed had an “epic financial conflict of interest” with the mayor and city. Tatman read off an “extraordinary list” of city money that Better Family Life has received since 2003 from city departments, totaling about $5.5 million.

“No one who is the executive director of an entity whose life blood is dependent upon the financial generosity of the city and its mayor can serve without compromise” on the board, Tatman said.

Tatman demanded that Ahmed be withdrawn from consideration.

Dorothy Dempsey provided a powerful statement about the need for the board. She was a board applicant but was not selected as a nominee.

“We are a world of people who do not realize how greatly our lives are impacted and compromised when we do not require justice for those of us who have been wronged and have no power to help themselves,” she said.

She said that if the “shepherds of our churches,” elected officials and others continue to remain silent, then “there will be no change.”

Richard Buthod said that the Civilian Oversight Board’s charge is not to look at good officers. It is to look at the bad apples, he said. However, he also said, “Good officers do not protect bad officers.”

“We would not have a Civilian Oversight Board if the people didn’t feel a crying need for it,” Buthod said.

John Chasnoff of the Coalition Against Police Crimes and Repression said that throughout the selection process, city leaders have worked with the coalition, which has been fighting for civilian review of police work for many years and helped draft the legislation.

“Although we wouldn’t have picked every candidate ourselves, we believe the board represents a broad balance of interests and concerns,” he said.

He said he hoped that the issues raised at the hearing will be helpful to prospective members of board. During interviews, the aldermen asked the nominees if they could be “neutral,” which is important when reviewing cases, he said. But the aldermen also must emphasize to the COB members that they also have the power to be “advocates for change.”

“That has to do with the very important second power of this board, which is to review police department’s policies and practices and make recommendations on those,” he said. “Around the country we’ve seen that that’s one of the major ways that change happens.”

The Public Safety Committee will discuss whether or not to confirm the nominations at their October 15 meeting, which will be held at 10 a.m., and potentially take a vote.

Kennedy said the full Board of Aldermen could vote on confirming each nominee at Friday’s meeting on October 16.

Business

B1

OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

People On The Move Dr. Wayne J. Riley has been named president of the American College of Physicians, the nation’s largest medical specialty organization. He is the third African American physician Dr. Wayne to serve as president J. Riley following in the footsteps of Dr. Gerald E. Thomson (1995-96) and Dr. Charles K. Francis (2004-2005).

Dr. Riley is a clinical professor of Medicine with Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Celisia Harris will be secretary for the 2015-16 Saint Louis Crisis Nursery Young Professionals Board. She is the business developing manager for Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and is a graduate Celisia from Fontbonne Harris University. She has been involved with the Crisis Nursery through volunteering, serving on the YPB and supporting events.

Photo by Wiley Price

Abe and Nicole Adewale, co-founders and principals of ABNA Engineering, accepting the 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the St. Louis American Foundation.

ABNA principals talk STEM

Adewales address St. Louis Bioscience & Entrepreneurial Inclusion Initiative

By Pat Matreci For The St. Louis American “Being an entrepreneur is all about taking risks,” Abe Adewale said. “You have to be committed. A lot of times you plant a seed, and you water the seed you planted, knowing it will sprout out of the ground. That’s what we did.”

Abe and Nicole Adewale, the husbandand-wife heads of ABNA Engineering Inc., were featured speakers for the new series “An Evening With…,” sponsored by the St. Louis Bioscience & Entrepreneurial Inclusion Initiative, on October 6. Through this series, which features women and minority business owners involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) regional companies, BioSTL hopes to provide a pathway for high-potential, talented women and minority bioscience entrepreneurs to create viable, highgrowth ventures.

ABNA, which started in a 9-foot-by-8-foot

n “I read a job description for civil engineering, and it said ‘designs buildings and blows things up.’

That’s all it took.”

– Nicole Adewale

room in the Adewales’ house in Black Jack nearly 20 years ago, is a civil engineering firm licensed in Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. With more than 70 employees and offices in St. Louis, Chicago and Southern Illinois, ABNA provides structural and civil engineering design services for transportation infrastructure, sewer systems and other public utilities. It also provides expertise for industrial, educational, healthcare and commercial projects.

ABNA’s major projects include the

Mississippi River Bridge/Illinois approaches, high speed rail, City Arch River 2015, the O’Hare Airport modernization program, I-64 design/build and the Lindbergh Tunnel at Lambert airport. ABNA’s corporate clients include Monsanto, BJC and the Salvation Army.

The Adewales, who both attended Georgia Tech, met while working for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Both were fueled by an entrepreneurial fire to start their own business. They decided upon engineering.

“I come from a family of teachers, lawyers, but no one in the STEM fields,” Nicole said.

“I was always passionate about geology, and I made mud pies in the back yard. I read a job description for civil engineering, and it said ‘designs buildings and blows things up.’ That’s all it took.”

Abe is the only child in his family to pursue a non-medical profession.

See ABNA, B6

The color of debt

How collection suits squeeze black neighborhoods

By Paul Kiel and Annie Waldman Of ProPublica On a recent Saturday afternoon, the mayor of Jennings, a St. Louis suburb of about 15,000, settled in before a computer in the empty city council chambers. Yolonda Fountain Henderson, 50, was elected last spring as the city’s first black mayor.

On the screen was a list of every debt collection lawsuit against a resident of her city, at least 4,500 in just five years. Henderson asked to see her own street. On her block of 16 modest ranch-style homes, lawsuits had been filed against the occupants of eight. “That’s my neighbor across the street,” she said, pointing to one line on the screen.

And then she saw her own suit. Henderson, a single mother, fell behind on her sewer bill after losing her job a few years ago, and the utility successfully sued her. That judgment was listed, as well as how one day the company seized $382 from her credit union account – all she had, but not enough to pay off the debt.

As the lines of suits scrolled by on the screen, Henderson shook her head in disbelief. “They’re just suing all of us,” she said.

The story is the same down the road in Normandy and in every other black community

Yolonda Fountain Henderson being sworn in as Jennings mayor on April 27. A ProPublica investigation into race and debt collection found that Henderson is one five out Photo by Lawrence Bryant of the eight sitting city council members in Jennings who have been sued over a debt. nearby. In fact, when ProPublica attempted to measure, for the first time, the prevalence of judgments stemming from these suits, a clear pattern emerged: they were massed in black neighborhoods.

The disparity was not merely because black families earn less than white families. Our analysis of five years of court judgments from

three metropolitan areas – St. Louis, Chicago and Newark – showed that even accounting for income, the rate of judgments was twice as high in mostly black neighborhoods as it was in mostly white ones.

These findings could suggest racial bias by lenders or collectors. But we found that there is another explanation: That generations of discrimination have left black families with grossly fewer resources to draw on when they come under financial pressure.

Over the past year, ProPublica has investigated a little-known but pervasive shift in the way debt is collected in America: Companies now routinely use the courts to pursue millions of people over even small consumer debts.

With the power granted by a court judgment, collectors can seize a chunk of a debtor’s pay.

Armed with these judgments, plaintiffs – typically debt buyers, banks, hospitals, utilities, and auto and high-cost lenders – seized at least $34 million from residents of St. Louis’ mostly black neighborhoods through suits filed between 2008 and 2012, ProPublica’s analysis found.

April Kuehnhoff, an attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, said that the analysis raised “crucial questions about how racial See DEBT, B2

P.J. Thompson is director of alumni relations for McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois.

Previously, he was associate director of alumni relations for Bradley University.

P.J. He is planning 40 Thompson events throughout the 2015-2016 school year to meet and connect McKendree University graduates and former students to their alma mater.

Tameka Herrion is the new Scholarship manager at the St. Louis Community Foundation. The foundation works with St. Louis Graduates and the Scholarship Foundation of St. Tameka Louis to maintain Herrion Scholarship Central, a scholarship hub where individuals can go to search and apply for scholarship funds targeting the St. Louis region.

Kelvin B. Willis passed the AHM (Assisted Housing Manager) Certification administered by Quadel Consulting.

AHM certification confirms a command of HUD rules, Kelvin B. regulations, and a Willis commitment to setting high standards of professionalism in the assisted housing industry. He is Property manager for Cardinal Ritter Senior Services.

Kathleen McNeal has joined PolyAd Holdings, LLC, as manager of Financial Planning and Analysis. She previously worked with CenturyLink, Eastman and Anheuser-Busch Kathleen InBev. PolyAd, which McNeal does business in more than 35 countries, offers innovative specialty blends and customer-specific services to solve additive incorporation problems for the plastics compounding and converting industry.

On the move? Congratulations! Send your good professional news and a color headshot to cking@stlamerican.com

B2

DEBT

Continued from B1 disparities are entering the debt collection system and what we can do to eliminate these disparities.” The findings, she said, should spur lawmakers to reform overly punitive federal and state collections laws.

Collection suits – typically over smaller amounts like credit card debt – fly across the desks of local judges, sometimes hundreds in a single day. Defendants usually don’t make it to court, and when they do, rarely have an attorney.

In Missouri, most judgments resulted in the plaintiff attempting garnishment, whether the defendant appeared in court or not, according to ProPublica’s analysis.

In Jennings, which since the 1960s has shifted from almost entirely white to 90 percent black, the suits are unrelentingly common.

Between 2008 and 2012, there was more than one lawsuit for every four residents.

The typical household income in Jennings is about $28,000, an income level at which families spend, on average, all of their income on basic necessities, federal survey data shows. A garnishment hits this kind of household budget like a bomb. Federal law and most state laws protect only the poorest of the poor from having their wages seized, otherwise allowing plaintiffs to seize up to a quarter of a worker’s after-tax pay. If that paycheck is deposited in a bank, that and other money in the account can be seized to pay down the debt.

The Rev. Starsky Wilson is co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, a panel created

by Missouri’s governor to study the underlying social and economic conditions behind the unrest. Lack of economic mobility is a key issue, he said.

Improvements in education, job training and wages can push people up the ladder. But equally important, he said, are the forces that drag them down.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015 “If you’re still stuck in this web of indebtedness, you’re not going to be economically mobile,” he said.

Experts cite many reasons why blacks might face more lawsuits, foremost among them the immense gap in wealth between blacks and whites in the U.S. It’s a gap that extends back to the institution of slavery and, more recently, to 20th century policies that promoted white homeownership while restricting it for blacks. Today, the typical black household has a net worth of $11,000, while that of a typical white household is $141,900.

In Jennings, that is a reality felt even in City Hall, where, along with the mayor, five of the eight sitting city council members (seven of whom are black) have been sued over a debt.

“I’m in a generational hole,” said Miranda Jones, 41, a Jennings city council member and executive with Better Family Life. She and her husband have been sued three times in recent years over debts, once resulting in the seizure of $800 from her bank account.

“Coming from East St. Louis from a poor family, I started off in debt,” she said.

She managed to transcend those circumstances to attain a college degree, but that accomplishment came with a load of student loan debt.

“I’m trying to break the cycle for my kids, and it’s very difficult,” she said.

MSD increases collection suits Sometimes it’s credit card bills that get pushed to the back of the line. Sometimes it’s an old medical bill or a loan with a 100 percent interest rate. And quite often, it’s the sewer bill.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District provides service to almost all of the city of St. Louis and the surrounding county. The bill is not usually a large one – the average monthly rate in 2012 was about

More online

Debt garnishment by St. Louis County neighborhoods https://projects.propublica.org/ garnishments/ 6 things to do to fix the system https://www.propublica.org/article/what-can-bedone-to-fix-the-debt-collection-right-now

$29 for a single family home – but MSD, unlike other utilities like electricity, lacks the power to shut off service to customers who fall far behind.

In 2010, MSD decided too many customers weren’t paying their bills, so it dramatically increased its collection efforts.

It went from filing about 3,000 suits in 2010 to filing about 11,000 in 2012, more than any other company that year.

Most of MSD’s customers are white, but the suits were largely filed against residents of black communities like Jennings. ProPublica examined MSD’s court judgments against residents of lower- and middle-income neighborhoods and found that MSD obtained judgments in the mostly black neighborhoods at a rate about four times higher than in the mostly white ones.

Latanya Graves is a 38-yearold single mother of three who lives in Jennings. After a period of unemployment, she had tried to save her home from foreclosure by taking out loans at sky-high interest rates – the only kind she could get.

And with other more critical bills to pay, she’d let her MSD bill slide.

Later, Graves’ choices resulted in lawsuits: She fell hopelessly behind on the loans when she was laid off from her clerical job a second time and didn’t see a way to catch up on her sewer bill. Then the suits led to garnishments. With the interest continuing to run on her high-cost loans, the debts had grown from hundreds of dollars to thousands.

For months at a time in 2011 and then again in 2012, a

quarter of her pay was gone.

“It’s a big burden on your shoulders,” Graves said. “You go to bed thinking about, ‘How am I going to pay these bills?”

Lance LeComb, MSD’s spokesman, said the company had no demographic data on its customers and treated them all the same. The racial disparity in its suits, he said, is the result of “broader ills in our community that are outside of our scope and exceed our abilities and authority to do anything about.”

MSD does have a program to reduce payments for lowerincome customers. According to an estimate released by MSD earlier this year, about 39,000 customers are eligible. But as of June, only about 2,300 were enrolled. MSD is “not satisfied with this level of enrollment,” LeComb said.

Fewer sources of support The clients at Beyond Housing, a St. Louis nonprofit that provides assistance to lowincome families, are roughly half white and half black.

But the staff has noticed a dispiriting difference: white clients are far more likely to have some kind of support to draw on, whether it’s their own assets or help from a family member.

For black clients, “so much of that kind of help has been already tapped out,” said Linda Ingram, the manager of the foreclosure intervention department. The lack of resources makes it harder for black clients to extricate themselves from debt.

By any measure, black households are worse off financially than white ones.

They make, on average, far less money. But more pernicious is the vastly larger gap in wealth between whites and blacks – a divide that is wider than it was 30 years ago. It stems largely from “differences in the capacity of one generation of parents to transfer their resources to the next,” said William A. Darity Jr., a professor of economics and public policy at Duke University. “And those differences are strongly associated with race.”

Black families have fewer assets like homes and cars, as well as less cash stashed away.

The gap remains even among families toward the lower end of the income scale: According to our analysis of the Federal Reserve’s 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances, the typical white family with annual income between $20,000 and $40,000 had about $2,010 in liquid assets, while the typical black family in that range had just $650.

Dora Byrd, 70, lives in Northwoods, a suburb that borders Jennings to the southwest, with her husband, Alphonso Byrd, 81. The couple married late in life after being introduced by their children. They are both retired after long careers, she as a domestic employee and he as a mechanic.

They live in the home Alphonso Byrd bought in 1968, when, he said, he was the first black man to move onto the block. “And then signs started going up like popcorn,” he said. The area is now 95 percent black.

Both have extended themselves to help their children. Alphonso Byrd put his name on his daughter’s house when she was faced with losing it to foreclosure, he said.

Dora Byrd allowed her disabled daughter to move into her former home after she moved in with her husband.

Both were sued by MSD when the sewer bills on those houses went unpaid.

In Dora Byrd’s case, MSD went after her bank account.

She’d been living primarily off of a monthly $600 Social

Security check. It’s illegal for federal benefits to be garnished, but at the time, she had both a checking and a savings account, and only the money electronically deposited into her checking account was automatically protected.

As a result, MSD was able to seize $645 from her savings account, more than a third of the money in her accounts, according to bank records.

LeComb, the MSD spokesman, said that the utility does not know the age of its customers, and that if Byrd had filed a claim in court stating that the funds were exempt, the garnishment would have been terminated.

Last week, Henderson, the mayor of Jennings, picked up her paycheck at city hall, and discovered that $185 was gone – garnished by MSD. The sewer district had tracked her down at her new job and taken the maximum allowed by law, a quarter of her biweekly pay.

Without it, Henderson said, she’s not sure she’ll be able to cover all her expenses, which include caring for her 8-yearold son. “I’m going to have to scrap and scrounge and rob Peter to pay Paul here,” she said.

When asked if she’d ever heard of the “head of family” exemption, Henderson said she hadn’t, but vowed to submit the forms as soon as possible to reduce the garnishment.

She was surprised to learn that she wasn’t alone – the pay of a council member had been seized by MSD last week, too.

Henderson said she’d be sure to tell her about the exemption, since the council member had a son of her own.

“We’re all in the same boat,” she said. “It’s the black community.”

Jonathan Stray contributed to this story.

Paul Kiel covers business and the economy for ProPublica, reporting on the foreclosure crisis, consumer debt and other financial issues.

Annie Waldman is a senior reporting fellow.

This story was co-published with Marketplace.

Edited for length and reprinted with permission from www.propublica.org.

n “That’s the kind of team we have, a high character team, willing to do whatever it takes to win a ballgame.”

– Kansas City Royals Lorenzo Cain after his team’s dramatic Game 4 rally in Houston

Sports

INSIDE

Cops don’t have leg to stand on in Sefolosha’s arrest ~ See ‘Sports Eye’ page B4 ~ B3

OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

Prep Football Notebook

Rams Roundup

Still undefeated

At least they won’t lose this week

With Palmer L. Alexander III

With Earl Austin Jr.

Eight teams on Missouri side have yet to lose This weekend marks the end of the regular season for the schools on the Missouri side of the river.

At this time next week, teams will be getting ready to compete in the district playoffs around the Show-Me State. Every team is guaranteed a game in Week 10 in the single-elimination district tournament.

As we close out the regular season, there are still eight teams on the Missouri side with undefeated records. They are CBC(8-0), Francis Howell (8-0), Fort Zumwalt North (8-0), Gateway STEM (8-0), Westminster (8-0), Brentwood (8-0), Kirkwood (7-0) and Eureka (7-0).

Still undefeated Earl on the Illinois side Austin Jr. with 7-0 records are Edwardsville, Althoff, Triad and Columbia. *One for the record books Washington High senior Jared Rennick ram himself into the Missouri state record books with one unforgettable performance last Friday night. Rennick rushed for 361 yards and scored a staterecord nine touchdowns in the Bluejays 84-57 victory over Wentzville Holt. That’s right, he scored nine touchdowns. In the same game, Holt quarterback Emilio Monsivais passed for 415 yards and six touchdowns. *CBC gets tested After scoring a series of blowout victories this season, top-ranked CBC finally received a challenge, courtesy of Christian Brothers of Memphis. The visiting Cadets trailed their brother school from Tennessee in the third quarter, but rallied to take a 28-21 victory. Senior running back Tre Bryant scored on a 48-yard touchdown run with four minutes to play to give CBC the victory. *Great follow up performance Two weeks ago, Hazelwood Central’s DeMontez Clark scored six touchdowns in the Hawks’ 40-20 victory over rival Hazelwood East. Clark was at

See PREP, B5

Rams have bye week after stinker loss in Green Bay

The St. Louis Rams looked to string together back-to-back road victories and head into the bye week with a record of 3-2. However, the only thing the Rams strung together was another frustrating loss 24-10 to the Green Bay Packers.

The most frustrating thing about this loss was this was yet another winnable game for the Rams. The Rams ran more plays, actually had more first downs, even gained more yards than the Packers.

The Rams defense held the high- powered Packers in check most of the afternoon with the exception of a miscommunication in the secondary, and prior to that a costly penalty Palmer L. by rotational defensive Alexander lineman Nick Fairley that turned a 3rd and 11, into a 3rd and 6. The Rams defense registered two sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble. Plus they was playing without the services of linebacker Alec Ogletree, who may be lost for the season with an ankle injury.

This loss is all on Rams coach Jeff Fisher. This team didn’t look prepared at all, keeping up with the theme that his team doesn’t play well outside of the division. Just look at the offensive totals in three of the losses this year: at Washington 10 points, at Pittsburg 6 points, and at Green Bay 10 points. Yet in both wins against division foes the Rams scored over 30 against Seattle, and 24 against the Arizona Cardinals.

When Fisher arrived in 2012 he stressed about the importance of the Rams winning the division. I couldn’t agree more. The only catch is that there are only six division games for the Rams. So what do you do about the other 10 games that

Photo by Wiley Price

University City’s Du’rl Singleton (12) stiff arms Ladue’s Alex Hahn during Saturday’s home coming game at U. City. The Lions would go down in defeat to the Ladue Rams 28-21.

See RAMS, B5

In The Clutch With Ishmael H. Sistrunk

Redbirds run out of gas

In the days and weeks leadIn reality though, it wasn’t the ing to the end of the regular number of wins that haunted season, many superstitious St. the ball club, it was the number Louis Cardinals fans hoped of injuries. and prayed the team would What the Cardinals achieved finish with 99 wins instead during the regular season was of 100. The logic behind the nothing short of remarkable. asinine aspiration was Cardinals players took due to the fear that the trips to the DL like they number 100 would were recurring characsomehow evoke some ters on Grey’s Anatomy. heinous hocus pocus The team lost important that would transform players for extended the best team in baseperiods of time. Adam ball into a bumbling, Wainwright, Yadier stumbling, whiffing Molina, Matt Holliday, machine overnight.

Matt Adams, Carlos Maybe those fans were Ishmael H. Martinez, Jaime on to something.

Garcia, John Jay, Sistrunk After all, the preLance Lynn, Randal vious two times the Redbirds Grichuk and others suffered won at least 100 games (2005, significant throughout the 2004) ended in bitter disapseason. Amazingly the team pointment. The 2005 team fell was able to continue plowing to an inferior 89-win Houston through opponents regardless Astros team in the NLCS. The of who was missing from the 2004 club was crushed and lineup or pitching rotation. swept away by the Boston Youngsters like Stephen Red Sox. In fact, the Cardinals Piscotty, Tommy Pham and have not won the World Series Grichuk stepped up big when after crossing the century mark the Redbirds needed a boost. since 1967. With Halloween Add Jason Heyward to that approaching, it would be easy list as well. Though he’s a vetto believe the number 100 eran of six seasons, J-Hey is somehow haunts the Cardinals. still only 26 years old.

Adam Wainwright in a familiar pose for Cardinals pitchers during a disappointing 3-1 series loss to the Chicago Cubs in the National League Divisional Series.

As the season wound down, the aftereffects of all the injuries began to show.

Manager Mike Matheny had the tough job of trying to balance between playing his hot,

young players and finding at bats for his returning vets in order to have them ready for

n The biggest injury was Molina’s. Molina is the “pitcher whisperer” and the heart and soul of the club.

the postseason. Martinez, the team’s interim ace, had to be shut down for the season. His shoulder couldn’t bear the burden of nearly 180 innings pitched. Fatigue had the talented Michael Wacha pitching like Waka Flocka minus the Flame. The biggest injury was Molina’s. Molina is the “pitcher whisperer” and the heart and soul of the club. His achy thumb turned him into an easy out at the plate and forced him to miss Game 4, when his hurlers needed him most.

Though it’s embarrassing See CLUTCH, B5

B4

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

Sports Eye

Cops don’t have leg to stand on in Sefolosha’s arrest With Alvin Reid

It took less than an hour dropped. last Friday for a Manhattan “I know what happened jury to acquit Atlanta Hawks that night. I feel like the forward Thabo Sefolosha of world now knows,” Sefolosha three ridiculous charges filed told reporters outside the against him by the New York courtroom. prosecutor.

Francesca Bortolomey, The 6-foot, 6-inch Sefolosha an assistant district attorney, was found not guilty of said in her closing argument misdemeanor obstruction of “the police don’t get to tell justice, disorderly the defendant how to conduct and resisting play basketball. The arrest. He allegedly did defendant doesn’t get to at least one of these say where a crime scene things while New York ends.” Seriously? If that police were breaking was the best the DA’s a bone in his leg in a office could come up scuffle in April outside with, why did this case a New York night ever go to trial? club. Sefolosha was Sefolosha, who was Alvin apparently not moving with former teammate Reid fast enough from an Pero Antic and several area that was near other people, admitted where another NBA player, calling the rude 5-foot-7Chris Copeland, had been inch police officer who first stabbed earlier. He also had the approached him a “midget.” nerve to try to give a homeless One wonders what would have person a $20 bill when police happened if he called him an pounced on him. idiot. Antic, who is white, was Sefolosha testified that he also arrested but charges were was ordered to move off the dropped. block on the order of “a vulgar Said Sefolosha’s attorney and confrontational officer.”

Alex Spiro: “They arrested When he gave the homeless him. They broke his leg out person the $20, he was taken of eyeshot and earshot of an to the ground and unrelated crime arrested. scene.” n He also Of course, the All that seems had the nerve to be missing from police had another to try to give version of the New York police incident that ended and prosecutor a homeless Sefolosha’s season, testimony is the person a and might keep him argument that this $20 bill on the injured list was an uppity when police for the beginning of N-word that the 2015-16 season. deserved what he pounced on Prosecutors said got. It’s probably him. the player, who obvious that the is black and hails NYPD will once from Switzerland, again be sued for acted “entitled” its actions. Should as he left the nightclub and the injury lead to a premature was told to move along. He end of Sefolosha’s career, he allegedly locked his arms could sue for tens of millions in front of himself to make of dollars in lost wages. it more difficult for him to And for those who are be handcuffed while being reading this and saying “this arrested. didn’t have anything to do Remember, he ended up with race. He should have just with a broken leg. The jury followed orders,” the color of obviously did. Prosecutors had Sefolosha’s skin apparently did the nerve to offer Sefolosha a play a role in the incident. plea deal that he rejected. If A surveillance video clearly he did one day of community shows the officer in question, service and stayed out of who is white, walking past trouble for six months, the Antic and other white patrons charges would have been and making a beeline to

It took less than an hour last Friday for a Manhattan jury to acquit Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha of three ridiculous charges filed against him by the New York prosecutor.

Sefolosha to confront him and tell him to move up the block.

Spiro said during the trial “the police officer saw a black man in a hoodie” and went directly after him.

Michele Roberts, NBA Players Association executive director, tweeted a response praising Sefolosha for fighting the charges and included “JUSTICE PREVAILS.” ESPN’s Dan LeBatard correctly questioned this response on his radio show.

“I’m not sure that this is justice prevailing. Given that he was even charged. Given that his leg was broken. This is a diluted form of justice that is prevailing. That is so

frustrating for black people,” LeBatard said.

“That the police would break his leg is frustrating.

But the idea that you are more likely to end up in that courtroom with a broken leg and police have conflicting stories? And, if you are black, (if) you have to enter that courtroom you have to do so scared because so often the black person who is unarmed is being shot by the police and statistically police are not convicted of this behavior.

Man, oh man how are we in a place where this is justice being served? (Sefolosha) having to go through any of this (is wrong); fighting charges that are wrong and the jury comes back 40 minutes later and tells (prosecutors) ‘get the hell out of here. The police are not credible on this.’

“He wasn’t guilty of anything. That’s really dispiriting. It seems clear that the police were lying.

The jury came back with a verdict that the police were lying. I don’t know how you dispute (this) jury in a criminal justice system that has been subconsciously and consciously bias (against defendants in cases involving alleged police abuse) that just came back with the verdict that police were lying when it came to breaking a NBA player’s leg.”

Two weeks ago, The St. Louis American detailed a local case in which a jury acquitted Keyon Bennett, 20, of four felony charges based on testimony of a white police officer. According to the story “the jury did not believe that … Bennett pointed a gun at Officer James Zwilling before he fired one or possibly more shots at Bennett in the Greater Ville neighborhood.

They did not believe Bennett was carrying a gun at all, as Zwilling testified.”

A juror told The American that 10 of 12 immediately didn’t believe that the police officer was not telling the truth.

It did not take long for the other two to come to the same conclusion.

Was justice served for Bennett? Or did he literally and figuratively dodge a prison sentence and a bullet that could have killed him?

Another ESPN commentator, Bomani Jones, wondered on Thursday why Sefolosha’s trial was not generating more press coverage. The same is true of Bennett’s case in St. Louis. A jury – not protestors, Bennett’s family or Black Lives Matter supporters – came to the conclusion a police officer lied in court in a case that involved him shooting at a fleeing unarmed man.

The Post-Dispatch did not follow The American’s reporting – which had named sources on every side of the courtroom – nor did any other area news agency. Incredible.

Back in New York, the Civilian Complaint Review Board, the city’s independent agency that reviews alleged police misconduct, concluded last week that a plain clothes police officer used excessive force when he tackled retired tennis star James Blake in front of a hotel last month. The video of the arrest went viral within minutes of it first airing and after police realized that they had attacked the wrong man.

The board has recommended the most serious punishment for Officer James Frascatore, who is white, which could lead to suspension or dismissal.

Frascatore has faced other allegations of excessive force.

Like Sefolosho, Blake has not said if he will take legal action against the NYPD. But as LeBatard said, “I don’t know if you give Sefolosha money that justice has truly been served.”

Alvin A. Reid is a panelist on KETC channel 9’s mostpopular show “Donnybrook,” and is also a radio commentator and author.

B5

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

Teachers strike threatens Flyers season ESL’s path to the playoffs after forfeits is perilous

The current are in serious jeopardy. At teacher’s strike in East St. press time the Flyers had Louis may put a wrap on the accumulated a total of 35 2015 Flyers’ football season. playoff points.

It would be The Flyers haven’t unfortunate for the competed on the field senior players who since a 35-26 loss have worked since to conference rival last winter in the Belleville West on weight room. In September 26. Since addition, there was then, the Flyers have the work during those forfeited games hot days during the against Edwardsville summer months in and Belleville East, Maurice 3-on-3 drills, 7-on-7 thus making their Scott camps, the whole 9 overall record 3-4. yards.

With just two The Flyers’ chances of weeks left in the season, qualifying for the state playoffs the chance of East St.

From The East Side With Maurice Scott

Louis participating in this season’s playoffs comes down to this scenario.

If the teachers end their strike by Thursday, and 51 percent of the students are in class on Friday, according to the Illinois High School Association, the Flyers can play their regularly scheduled game Friday night against the Collinsville Kahoks. They would finish

RAMS

attempt was partially blocked.

Left guard Jamon Brown looked like a turnstile at the South entrance of the St. Louis Zoo with Packers’ linebackers running past him unabated.

And what’s a Rams game without Roger Saffold en route to the locker room? Man. It’s like he has a speed pass or something going to the team

trainer.

Right tackle Rob Havenstein played as if he was wearing cement cleats. Center Tim Barnes just let Packers linebacker Clay Matthews walk past him, and he nailed QB Nick Foles. Foles went from scanning the defense waiting to have the ball snapped, to looking up at the sky at cloud formations waiting for one of his lineman to help him off his back.

Foles was absolutely horrendous. Some of that was the fault of the line and guys dropping the ball, which is just sad. But, my goodness, when he did have time he threw the football like his eyes was closed. He underthrew a bomb to Tavon Austin who had a step on his defender, causing Austin to slow down.

But the icing on the cake: The Rams were trailing by two scores, it was 4th and 7 and coach Fisher elected to have

receiver Donnell Williams have hooked up for 11 touchdowns.

Summit will provide Gateway with its toughest competition of the season to date. The Falcons are 6-2 against a very rugged slate in the Suburban XII South Conference. The Falcons have a well-balanced offense, led by quarterback Brenden Keller (1,280 yards and 21 touchdowns), running back Sam Pennington (848 yards and seven touchdowns) and wide receivers Bam Gilmore and Jordan Haliburton (13 TD receptions combined).

The defense is led by Andrew Bujnak.

Other Top Games this Week Vianney (5-3) at Fort Zumwalt South (6-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

Rock Bridge at CBC (8-0), Friday, 7 p.m.

Kirkwood (7-0) at SLUH (6-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

Ritenour (3-4) at Chaminade (6-2), Friday, 7 p.m.

Althoff (7-0) at Cahokia (3-4), Friday, 7 p.m.

Borgia (6-2) at Westminster (8-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Hillsboro (6-2) at University City (4-4), Saturday, 1 p.m.

St. Charles West (5-3) at Ladue (6-2), Saturday, 1 p.m.

Eureka (7-0) at Hazelwood East (5-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.

umnist Adam Kilgore talked about the “power shift in the National League Central.”

Nonsense. Should the Cubs go on to prove Marty McFly as a soothsayer and win the organization’s first World Series since 1908, they’ll still remain under the behemoth shadow of greatness cast by the St. Louis Cardinals. The NL Central will be a three-headed monster for years to come.

Still, it’s painful to go out to the Cubs, regardless of the circumstances. Whether it’s a daily dose of Wheaties or Flintstone vitamins, the Cardinals training staff need to find out a way to get and keep its players healthy for next season. Playoff losses to the Cubs

don’t go down easy. For now, Cardinals fans must borrow the Cubs official motto: Maybe next season!

Continued from B3 are on your schedule?

This is his fourth year at the helm. The scheme on both offense and defense has remained the same, and the Rams still can’t get over the hump, or bump, or lump. And some of his decision-making is just quite bizarre.

Starting with offensive game plan, I can’t understand how the Rams go the entire first quarter without putting the ball in the hands of WR Tavon Austin. He is by far the most dangerous offensive option for this offense. When he gets the ball, it opens up everything and everyone else.

Rookie running back Todd Gurley has put up back-to-back monster games on the ground.

And you can attribute that to the use of Austin more; even

PREP

Continued from B3 it again, this time against Hazelwood West as he rushed for 376 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns in a 27-9 victory. *Freshman of Influence Freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman of Vianney has enjoyed an excellent firstyear varsity campaign with the Golden Griffins. Coleman has 650 yards receiving and seven touchdowns. Last week, Coleman had six receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns in Vianney’s 49-28 victory over Farmington.

CLUTCH

Continued from B3

to ever lose to the Chicago Cubs, the baby bears must be given credit for pummeling the Cardinals out of the postseason. This wasn’t the usual band of bums we’ve come to know and laugh at in Chi-town. Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon have made the organization relevant again. They finished the regular season with 97 wins, including an eight-game winning streak. The Cubs’ big bats hit 171 home runs during the regular season and seemingly matched that total in the NLDS against the Cardinals as they teed off on Cardinals pitch-

The St. Louis Rams’ Todd Gurley tries to avoid Green Bay’s Nate Palmer during the Packers 24-10 win over the Rams on Sunday. sending him in motion has kept defenses on their heels, leaving gaping holes for Gurley to run through. When Austin is not being utilized, Gurley has gotten stuffed like a Build a Bear at the line of scrimmage.

And the blocking up front has been very skittish or just flat-out bad. Greg Robinson got blown up, and a field goal

Earl’s Pick Game of the Week Summit (6-2) at Gateway STEM (8-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m. – A very interesting non-conference battle that will get both teams ready for the district playoffs.

Gateway STEM wrapped up the Public High League title last weekend with a 47-0 victory over Miller Career Academy. The Jaguars have shut out five of their last six opponents.

The defense is led by Fabian Harris, who has four sacks and three interceptions; and Shaun Kyles, who has 10 sacks. Quarterback Antonio Cunningham and wide

ing. Weary Cardinals pitchers served up four-course meals to nearly everybody in the Cubs’ lineup, including a postseason record with six home runs in Game 3.

After years of watching the Cardinals rule the NL Central, the Cubs finally got took their revenge by brute force. They took decades of frustration out on the baseball – over and over again. Regardless of the inning, the count or the pitcher, Cubs batters were locked in and knocking the ball out of the park.

Unsurprisingly the kneejerk national media is ready to crown the Cubs as Cardinals conquerors who will now rule the division for years to come. Washington Post col-

up the regular season on October 30 against the O’Fallon Panthers.

If East St. Louis plays and wins both games, they will try to receive an at-large playoff bid from IHSA the following night on October 31 when the playoff pairings are officially announced. No teams in Illinois can make the playoffs with a 4-5 record.

Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @ IshmaelSistrunk

So, if the kids don’t report to school by Friday, the season is virtually over.

Scott’s notes East St. Louis junior basketball standout Jerimiah Tillmon has transferred from the program. The 6’11 junior left last Friday for powerful LaLumiere Prep in Laporte, Indiana. Tillmon is the No. 1-ranked player in Illinois regardless of class, and one of the top players in the class of 2017. He played for the St. Louis Eagles this summer.

his erratic place kicker Greg Zuerlein attempt a kick of 63 yards. What was that about?

He couldn’t make a kick of 53 yards, he had another kicked blocked, and you actually thought he was going to make a 63-yard kick?

I think I’ve seen it all. At

Some of the street patrol in East St. Louis think Eagles’ President Tim Holloway had a hand in the transfer.

When asked about why Tillmon’s mother didn’t make a statement prior her son leaving, he told me, “There wasn’t a story regarding him transferring.” Really?

However, East St. Louis should still be one of the top teams in the area with Marquis Chairs, Karon Randolph, Antonio Johnson, Reyondus Estes and Arthur Carter leading the way.

least they won’t lose this week.

For more Rams Roundup please subscribe to youtube. com/stlamericanvideo and you can also hear me on weekly podcast @NTheZone with Arlington Lane II.

St. Louis American Prep Athlete of the Week

Jocelynn Horton Incarnate Word Academy – Girls Tennis

The talented senior has been a mainstay for the Red Knights as the team captain and No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles positions throughout her career.

Horton led Incarnate Word to the Class 1, District 5 championship last week at Lutheran North. It was the fourth consecutive district championship for the Red Knights. Horton won all of her singles matches during the district tournament to lead the Red Knights. She also paced IWA to a championship in the Parkway Doubles Tournament.

Horton has been ranked as one of the top players in her age group throughout her prep career. She is currently ranked No. 6 by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) St. Louis District in the Girls 18 age division.

B6

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

Financial Focus

By Charles Richards

Will you be ready for retirement?

Local McDonald’s supports Normandy Schools Normandy Schools Collaborative Superintendent Charles Pearson accepts a $600 donation for school supplies from local McDonald’s owner Roy Williams. The donation is in the form of Office Depot gift cards, which also includes a 20 percent discount when the cards are used at the Office Depot in Bridgeton. Williams is the owner of the Northwoods McDonald’s, located in the Normandy Schools community.

ABNA

continued from page B1 “My parents wanted me to be a medical doctor,” he said.

“But my mother was in the accounting realm, and always had side jobs” – entrepreneurial enterprises in their native Nigeria that included selling private school uniforms and sliced bread – “and I was her sidekick. I learned about negotiations, forming relationships and calculating profit margins.”

Prior to quitting their jobs, the Adewales lived very frugally and saved about 30 percent of their combined income for a few years, knowing that they also had to support their growing family.

“Our business did not require

n “Being an entrepreneur is all about taking risks. You have to be committed.”

– Abe Adewale

a lot of startup money,” said Nicole, who quit her job first.

“We wanted to ensure our financial security without jeopardizing our family’s security.”

With four daughters and a growing business, the Adewales knew they could not do it alone.

“From about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., we are business partners,” Nicole said. “After those hours, we are husband and wife, and parents. We also have a great

village with my parents and people at work. You have to engage the community to help you reach your goals.”

The Adewales serve as mentors to other business owners and well as students. As head of ABNA’s philanthropic efforts, Nicole has formed strategic alliances with the St. Louis Science Center, the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE) and FIRST Robotics.

“You hear a lot about not having a lot of young African Americans in STEM fields,” Abe said. “We are doing our very best through programs like NSBE and FIRST to develop that feeder program or pathway for young kids.”

ABNA Engineering Inc.: www.abnaengineering.com.

National Save for Retirement Week is observed Oct. 18 – 24 this year. And this week has some weight behind it, as it is recognized by the U.S. Senate for its importance in encouraging Americans to prepare themselves financially for retirement. Are you doing all you can?

Many of your peers aren’t. About a third of working adults have no retirement savings or pension, according to a survey by the Federal Reserve. And more than half of workers report that the total value of their household’s savings and investments, excluding the value of their primary home and any defined benefit plan (such as a traditional pension), is less than $25,000, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2015 Retirement Confidence Survey.

Such figures help explain why many people are unsure if they’ll ever be able to retire. Nearly 40% of the respondents in the Federal Reserve’s study either have no intention to retire or plan to keep working for as long as possible.

Of course, if you enjoy your career, or just simply like to work, you may be in no hurry to retire. But

you may want to put yourself in a position someday when work is optional – not mandatory. To reach that point, consider taking these steps:

$5,500 – or $6,500, if you’re 50 or older – to an IRA. A traditional IRA offers taxdeferred earnings, while Roth IRA earnings can grow tax free, provided you don›t • Estimate your cost of start taking withdrawals retirement. At what age do you plan until you›re 59½ and you’ve to retire? When you do had your account retire, will you stay home at least five years. and pursue your hobbies, Plus, you can n Every or will you travel the fund your IRA dollar that world? Will you do with virtually any doesn’t go some consulting or other type of investment part-time paid work, or you choose. Try into a debt will you volunteer? By to “max out” your payment answering these and IRA every year. could be other questions, you invested can at least estimate • Control your costs during your your debts. for your retirement years.

Control your retirement. debts as much as • Contribute to your possible. Every 401(k). Contribute as dollar that doesn’t much as you can afford each year to go into a debt payment your employer-sponsored retirement could be invested for your plan, such as a 401(k). At a retirement. minimum, put in enough to earn your employer’s matching contribution, These aren’t the only if one is offered. A 401(k) or similar steps that can help you plan is a great way to put money move toward a comfortable away for retirement, because your retirement – but they can earnings can grow on a tax-deferred certainly help get you on the basis. And you may have a dozen right path. or more investment vehicles within your 401(k), so you can build a Edward Jones, its portfolio that’s appropriate for your employees and financial goals and risk tolerance. In 2015, advisors cannot provide you can contribute up to $18,000 to tax or legal advice. You your 401(k), or $24,000 if you’re 50 should consult your attorney or older. or qualified tax advisor regarding your situation.

• Fully fund your IRA. Even if you participate in a 401(k) or other For further information employer-sponsored retirement contact Charles Richards plan, you’re probably still eligible at (618) 257-2397 or to contribute to an IRA as well.

1-800-EDJONES In 2015, you can contribute up to

Check out the latest Edition of

PARTYLINE Page C12

C1 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

Cabaret with Kingsley

Staging social justice in STL

National theatre community elite convene here for ‘Every 28 Hours’ collaborative American staff The nationally acclaimed Oregon Shakespeare Festival and New York’s One-Minute Play Festival are teaming up with over a dozen St Louis theatres to co-produce “Every 28 Hours,” a national partnership focused on the widely shared (and contested) statistic that a black person is killed by the police every 28 hours

Every 28 Hours producer Jacqueline Thompson with St. Louis actors Tiffany Knighten, Kenyatta Tatum and Reginald Pierre perform in a social justice theatre workshop in spring of 2015.

in the United States.

The “Every 28 Hours” plays will consist of 60-plus one-minute plays inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, with participation by playwrights and across the nation.

They will be developed and premiere in St. Louis.

The project was created under See JUSTICE, C5

Photo provided by Every 28 Hours

Prime Patti

Kingsley Leggs will star in The Black Rep’s Night of Art and Cabaret on Saturday, October 17.

Broadway veteran returns to his Black Rep roots for benefit show, art auction

R&B diva shows out for Cedric and Friends 2nd Annual Benefit Gala

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American “It’s always good to come home,” said Broadway veteran Kingsley Leggs. “To reconnect with friends and family – and remember where you came and where things started for you.”

For Leggs, the road to Broadway began with the Black Rep. And to return the favor, he’s performing in a fundraiser that features himself and Katy McGrath in a Cabaret performance and silent art auction on Saturday, October 17.

His portion of the show will include an Al Jarreau tribute.

“I’m from the old school, so I try to hold onto that flavor and that energy,” Leggs said. “He was always a favorite artist of mine when I was coming up – when I was working at The Black Rep many years ago.”

It’s been many years since Leggs has graced the stage for the Black Rep as a company member. In the time since, he’s been seen on Broadway – including originating roles in “The Color Purple” and

By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American

With the help of her incredible band Patti LaBelle put soulful seasonings on “Stay With me and “Keep Forgetting.”

See PATTI, C5

See REP, C5

• Only Online • ‘Beasts of No Nation’ premieres on Netflix this Friday

R&B grand diva Patti LaBelle was everything any fan could hope for as she headlined Cedric The Entertainer’s 2nd Annual Cedric and Friends Gala benefit for the Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion at SSM Healthcare Saturday night at Peabody Opera House.

Although more brief than usual, all of the elements of one of LaBelle’s storied live performances made their way into the mix over the course of the set, which lasted just under an hour.

She kicked her heels off mid-show. She danced around as the band jammed with a groove that appeared to be no parts of that of a 71-year-old. She flapped her arms during the part of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” where she sings about the bluebirds flying. And then there were the signature notes that can only be

The Pulitzer ‘hacks’ Kota sculpture

Innovative exhibition introduces African funerary art to American game designers

By Chris King Of The St. Louis American The aching depiction of war torn Africa through the eyes of an abducted child soldier lands on Netflix October 16. Stunning portrayals from Idris Elba and 14-year-old Abraham Attah will haunt viewers as they are given an unfiltered view of the trauma experienced from both sides of the battle.

www.stlamerican.com

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation touts itself as part art museum, part laboratory, with a commitment to innovation as firm as its commitment to showcasing the world’s finest art. With its new exhibition “Kota: Digital Excavations in African Art,” the Pulitzer has fulfilled its dual mission to an unprecedented degree.

“Kota” is a name given to a body of funerary sculpture produced in what is now Gabon

and the Republic of Congo, between the 17th and 20th centuries. Bringing more than 40 of these evocative, highly prized sculptures to St. Louis would itself be an historic occasion – and the show is already a milestone for being the Pulitzer’s first exhibition of African art, co-curated by Kristina Van Dyke, who started the project when director of the Pulitzer.

But it’s the “Digital Excavations” aspect that makes this show truly unprecedented. Van Dyke See ART, C4

Reliquary guardian figure. 19th century Obamba. Gabon. Courtesy Galerie Alain Bovis

Calendar

C2

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015 The Fox Theatre welcomes Gladys Knight and The O’Jays.

For more information, see CONCERTS.

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., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., UMSL International Studies Program presents Peter Mawanga & the Amaravi Movement. Touhill Performing Arts Center, One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, call (314) 516-4100 or visit www.touhill. org.

Sun., Oct. 25, Stevie Wonder: Songs in The Key of Life Performance, Scottrade Center. For more information, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Thurs., Oct. 29, Janet Jackson: Unbreakable World Tour, Chaifetz Arena. For more information, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Nov. 13, 8 p.m., The Fox Theatre welcomes Gladys Knight and The O’Jays.

The Fox Theatre. For more information, visit www. metrotix.com or call (314 5341111.

local gigs Thur., Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m., Mildred Thimes Foundation 10th Annual Benefit Concert feat. Denise Thimes with Monique Marvez. Proceeds will benefit pancreatic cancer research. The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.thesheldon.org.

Sun., Oct. 18, 3:30 p.m., Groov’ng at The Griot with Cheryl Brown & Jeffrey Hardin. A cornucopia of musical genres including R & B, Blues, Gospel, and more by sultry songstress Cheryl Brown and versatile vocalist Jeffrey Harding set the stage for an early evening, familyfriendly concert. The Griot Museum of Black History, 2505 St. Louis Ave., 63106.

For more information, call (314) 241-7057 or visit www. thegriiotmuseum.com.

Sun., Oct. 25, 6:30 p.m., Divas 123 presents An Evening of Jazz for Charity.

Proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Signature Room, 9002 Overland Plaza, 63114. For more information, call (314) 477-1042.

Wednesdays, 6-10 p.m., Lexus Len’s “Wednesday Night Live” featuring: Cheryl Brown, Jeremiah Allen, Jeff Taylor, Gerald Warren & Amos Brewer, The Marquee, 1911 Locust.

special events Fri., Oct. 16, 9 a.m., St. Louis World Food Day 2015. John Burroughs School, 755 S. Price Rd., 63124. For more information, visit www.

STLWFD.org.

Sat., Oct. 17, 10 a.m., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Omicron Theta Omega Chapter and Harris Stowe State University present HBCU Awareness College Fair.

Emerson Performance Center, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103.

For more information, email henscsc@gmail.com.

Sat., Oct. 17, 1 p.m., 3rd Annual Brew in the Lou. Concordia Seminary, 801 Seminary Place, 63105. For more information, visit www. lesastl.org.

Fri., Oct. 23, 5:30 p.m., Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma hosts 2015 Hope and Healing Gala. Celebrate the St. Louis international community and enjoy keynote speaker, Dr. Benjamin Akande, followed by a special performance from Gitana Productions, Inc. St. Louis City Center Hotel, 440 S. 14th St., 63103.

For more information, call (314) 266-8216 or visit www. stlcenterforsurvivors.org.

McCaskill, author of Plenty Ladylike: A Memoir. 140 E. Jefferson Ave., 63122. For more information, call (314) 821-5770.

Mon. Oct. 19, 6 p.m., BJC HealthCare hosts author LeAnn Thieman, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Nurses.

Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel, 191 Westport Plaza Dr., 63146. For more information, visit www.bjc.org/chickensoup.

Mon. Oct. 19, 6 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Lynn Cullen, author of Twain’s End. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731 or visit www.leftbank.com.

Featured Event Fri., Oct. 23, 9 a.m., Mavis Thompson and the License Collector’s Office host Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Forum. St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. mbe-wbe-dbelicensecollector.eventbrite.com. Please RSVP to (314) 6223306 or RayWi@stlouis-mo.gov.

(In LECTURES)

Sat., October 24, 2015 at 6 pm. The Dr. James Whittico 100th Birthday Scholarship Gala at the St. Louis Airport Marriott. For more information, contact Dr. Jacaqui Turner @jsturner47@ msn.com.

Thur., Oct. 29, 5 p.m., LaunchCode Mentor Center Liftoff. Celebrate the opening of LaunchCode’s new Mentor Center, a tech education hub in North St. Louis for youth and adults. 4811 Delmar Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www.launchcode.org.

Sat., Oct. 31, 11 a.m., As You Go Events presents Operation 31: A Halloween Haven.

Get yourself all dressed up and bring the little ones out to a safe place for fun, trick or treating, activities and a costume contest. Bridgeton Machinist Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Rd., 63044.

For more information, call (636) 492-1750 or visit www.facebook.com/ AsYouGoEvents.

Sat., Oct. 31, 6 p.m., Jane Doe Advocacy Center presents the 3rd Annual Justice Gala.

The evening includes a murder mystery mock trial dinner theatre, open bar and silent auction. Mahler Ballroom, 4915 Washington Blvd., 63108.

For more information, call (314) 329-5339 or visit www. justicegala.com.

Sat., Nov. 7, 6 p.m. 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis Black Tie Gala, Hyatt Regency At The St. Louis Arch. For more information, call (314) 367-7778 or visit www.100blackmenstl.com.

Sat., Nov. 14, 6 p.m., The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis (BGCSTL) annual gala, the Great Futures Gala, formerly known as All That Jazz, The “Great Futures Gala is the largest fundraiser benefitting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis with close to $300,000 being raised for community’s youth. Hyatt Regency at the St. Louis Arch in downtown St. Louis. For

ticket information, visit www. bgcstl.org.

Fri., Nov. 20, 11 a.m., World Wide Technology, Inc. presents The St. Louis American Foundation’s 11th Annual Salute to Excellence in Business Awards & Networking Luncheon. Four Season Hotel St. Louis, 999 N. 2nd St., 63102. For more information, call (314) 5338000.

comedy Thur., Oct. 29, 7 p.m., She Say He Say Sketch Comedy Show Premier. The show is a blend of late-night talk TV, parodies, satire and special performances that depict multi-cultural, pop and historical stereotypes. Emerson Performance Center, Harris Stowe State University, 3026 Laclede Ave., 63103. For more information, visit www. shesayhesaycomedy.com.

literary Thur., Oct. 15, 7 p.m., St. Louis County Library hosts author Damon Tweedy, author of Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine.

Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information, call (314) 994-3300 or visit www.slcl. org.

Sun., Oct. 18, 2 p.m., Kirkwood Public Library hosts Senator Claire

Tues., Oct. 20, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Robbie Montgomery, author of Sweetie Pie’s Cookbook.

399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731 or visit www.leftbank.com.

Wed., Oct. 21, 7 p.m., Poets Read for Black Lives Matter.

399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731 or visit www.leftbank.com.

Thur., Oct. 22, 7 p.m., Left Bank Books hosts author Edward L. Morris, author of Wall Streeters: The Creators and Corruptors of American Finance. 399 N. Euclid Ave., 63108. For more information, call (314) 367-6731 or visit www.left-bank.com.

theatre Oct. 15 – 18, UMSL Fine Arts and Communication Department presents Medea.

Touhill Performing Arts Center, One University Blvd., 63121. For more information, call (314) 516-4100 or visit www.touhill.org.

Sat., Oct. 17, 3 p.m., Freshstart Productions presents “How Bad Do You Want It,” a benefit stage play for The Katherine Dunham Museum, The Sun Theatre, 3625 Grandel Square, St. Louis 63108. For more information, call 314.330.3442 or visit www.JLDFreshstartprod.com Sat., Oct. 17, 5:30 p.m., The Black Rep presents A Night of Art & Cabaret. 6662 Olive Blvd., 63130. For more information, call (314) 5343807 or visit www.theblackrep. org.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015 Sat., Oct. 17, 7 p.m., Kingdom Vision presents How Did I Get Here? This gospel stage play tells the story of a young lady who grew up in the church, but when she became successful she thought she no longer needed the church. She soon found out she couldn’t handle the pressures of life on her own. Ivory Theatre, 7620 Michigan Ave., 63111. For more information, call (314) 535-0555.

Oct. 21 – Nov. 5, The Fox Theatre presents Matilda the Musical. Matilda is the captivating musical masterpiece that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination and the inspiring story of a girl who dares to change her destiny.

527 N. Grand Blvd., 63103.

For more information, call (314) 534-1111 or visit www. fabulousfox.com.

Through Oct. 25, Upstream Theater presents De Kus/ The Kiss. When a lonely stand-up comic and an anxious housewife meet on a country path, they embark on a journey toward an unknown and surprising fate... where one kiss could change the entire world. Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand Blvd., 63103.

For more information, call (314) 863-4999 or visit www. upstreamtheater.org.

Nov. 6 – 7, COCA Theatre Company presents Songs for a New World. A contemporary pop/rock musical, which introduces the audience to an array of characters ranging from a young man who has determined that basketball is his ticket out of poverty to a woman standing on a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue.

What emerges is a world on the brink of change filled with extraordinary people moving it forward. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 561-4877 or visit www.cocastl.org.

arts Fri., Oct. 16, 6 p.m., Pulitzer Arts Foundation hosts

C3 stroller, wheelchair, pet, and bicycle friendly. All proceeds from the event will go to LUNGevity Foundation for lung cancer research, education, and support. Creve Coeur Park, 13236 Streetcar Dr., 63043. For more information, visit www. breathedeepstlouis.com.

Kota: Digital Excavations in African Art Opening Reception. The Kota exhibition will run through March 2016. 3716 Washington Blvd., 63108. For more information, visit www. pulitzerarts.org.

Through Dec. 13, COCA presents Daniel Burnett’s Denizen Kim. The opening reception will be held Friday, Oct. 9, at 8:30 p.m. 524 Trinity Ave., 63130. For more information, call (314) 3837685 or visit www.cocastl.org.

spiritual

lectures/ workshops Thur., Oct. 15, 4:30 p.m., For the Sake of All presents Community Action Forum: Investing in Quality Neighborhoods in St. Louis. City Garden Montessori School, 1618 Tower Grove Ave., 63110.

For more information, call (314) 622-1250 or visit www. forthesakeofall.org/events.

Sat., Oct. 17, 9 a.m., Woman’s Place will present a free workshop on THE PAIN OF BREAKING UP. Workshop will explore the pain of a loss not recognized by others, grieving a relationship that ‘was bad for me’, and healing strategies for moving through loss. Preregistration is required by calling 314-645-4848. Located at 8300 Morganford Rd. St. Louis, MO 63123.

Sat., Oct. 17, 1 p.m., St. Louis County Library presents Be Prepared: Older Adults and Winter Weather. Are you ready for winter? Join us for a panel discussion, audience Q&A and information from community organizations.

Light refreshments will be provided. Reservations are requested. Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., 63131. For more information or to register, call (314) 615-4426.

Tues., Oct. 20, 5 p.m., Small Business Legal Clinic.

Festival Of Praise Tour starring Kim Burrell, Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin, Hezikiah Walker and more. See SPIRITUAL.

Admission is $15. Grace Hill Women’s Business Center, 2125 Bissell St., 63107. For more information or to register, call (314) 584-6700 or visit www.gracehillwbc.org.

appetizers and drinks. Drunken Fish in Ballpark Village, 601 Clark Ave., 63102. For more information, call (314) 3459481 or visit www.bit.ly/ SeptemberFridayMeeting.

Fri., Oct. 23, 9 a.m., Mavis Thompson and the License Collector’s Office host Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Forum. Learn about licensing, getting certified, legal assistance, bank financing, bonding and more.

If you are a MBE/WBE or DBE owner or are thinking about starting a business, get the information and certifications that you need to help supercharge your growth.

This event is free. St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, 5600 Oakland Ave., 63110. For more information, visit www. mbe-wbe-dbelicensecollector.eventbrite. com. Please RSVP to (314) 622-3306 or RayWi@stlouismo.gov.

Wed., Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m., The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis hosts The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Workshop. This free workshop is to help students and their families to understand how to navigate applying for financial aid. Attendees will learn about different sources of financial aid (federal, state, and private) and how to implement a successful scholarship search. 8215 Clayton Rd., 63117. For more information, call (314) 725-7990 or visit www.sfstl.org.

Fri., Oct. 23, 4 p.m., Accelerate St. Louis “Friday Meeting”. Network with St. Louis startups and investors, and enjoy complimentary

health Fri., Oct. 16, 7 p.m., Get Sexy Movement presents Sexy Pole Glow. Glow in the dark fun for everyone with teaser classes in pole dancing, twerk,

video vixen, and more. There will also be herbalife samples, appetizers, wine, and prizes.

The Dollhouse Studios, 1428 Washington Ave., 63103. For more information, call (314) 898-8898.

Saturday, Oct. 17 – Nov. 21, St. Louis County Public Health presents Slide into Fitness. This class focuses on good nutrition, healthy selfesteem, and fun exercises for 12 to 17 years old and their parents or legal guardians.

Each class will include classroom instructions and slide dance aerobics. The class is free but advanced registration is required. For more information or to RSVP, call (314) 679-7870 or email tprowell@stlouisco.com.

Sat., Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m., LUNGevity Foundation presents Breathe Deep St. Louis. More African Americans die from lung cancer than any other race. Help us improve the survivorship of lung cancer for all families. This course is

Sat., Oct. 17, 9 a.m., District Missionary Antoinette Watson and the W.B. Laird District Women’s Department present Women’s Summit 2015. Come to the well that never runs dry and be renewed, refreshed, and revived. Bring an item to benefit Almost Home – diapers, wipes, gloves, scarves, hats, and clothing for children 4 and under and young women.

A.O. McDonald Family Center, 11410 Old Halls Ferry Rd., 63033.

Sun., Oct. 18, 10 a.m. & 4 p.m., New Sunny Mount Baptist Church 38th Anniversary Worship Service.

4700 W. Florissant Ave., 63115.

For more information, call (314) 389-4544 or visit www. newsunnymountmbc.org.

Sun., Oct. 18, 3 p.m., St. Matthew C.M.E. Church will be “Celebrating Seventy Years of God’s Faithfulness.”

Guest Speaker will be Bishop Sylvester Williams, Sr. of the Third Episcopal District.

The public is invited to attend.

The church is located at 312 Attuck St., Kirkwood. The host Pastor is Rev. Renee T. Johnson, for more information call (314) 965-7144.

Nov. 2 – 9, Church of God in Christ 108th International Holy Convocation. This year’s Convocation will feature dynamic speakers, including Bishop T.D. Jakes and Bishop Paul S. Morton; major label Gospel music artist; a job fair and health fair; Christmas in November; community outreach and much more. America’s Center, 701 Convention Plaza, 63101. For more information, visit www. cogic.org.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

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Clockwise from top left:

ART Continued from C1 invited the collaboration of Frederic Cloth, her co-curator, and his innovative method of investigating Kota sculpture is what structures the exhibition.

A Belgian computer engineer with considerable skill as a draughtsman, Cloth became fascinated with Kota sculpture about 15 years ago. Struck by how little is known about this body of work, he began to draw Kota sculptures that he saw in galleries, museums and publications, trying to understand their detail with the intimacy of a copyist.

Cloth’s line drawings of the Kota sculptures that appear in the show are the first thing you see stepping into the exhibition (and form the core of a catalogue with a uniquely understated beauty).

Drawing Kota sculptures, Cloth began to isolate all of their variable details. Faced with more detail and variation than he could sort out himself, he developed a computer algorithm and used it to explore

the tradition of more 2,000 extant sculptures he had drawn.

Doing so led him to fresh conclusions.

For example, he noticed that no matter how you sort the corpus of Kota figures by similar traits, you find two female figures for every one male. This led him to conclude that the funerary sculptures were made in groups of three, with two females and one male. This is a remarkably specific conjecture for a set of sculptures about which almost nothing is known.

It also has tangible repercussions in the 21st century world of collectors and gallerists, since it results in specific female sculptures now being grouped (at least by Cloth) alongside specific male sculptures that are especially prized – and highly appraised.

The Pulitzer exhibition, of course, does not stoop to venal considerations of resale value.

Instead, it invites guests to join Cloth’s investigative method in various ways.

It’s nice to imagine that Cloth’s own painstaking drawings might inspire visitors to sketch the sculptures (Pulitzer staff will be happy

to give you a pencil; no pens).

The curators more deliberately invite guests into a multi-media room where it’s possible to interact with Cloth’s database using a touch-screen table where you can move around cards corresponding to the sculptures in the show. Guests are invited to try their hand at making their own groupings of Kota sculptures according to whatever variables they notice and prioritize. This game-like process is broadcast on the walls of the room using data clouds of light.

The Pulitzer takes the innovation a step further – in the basement, where a former storage room has been turned into 3,700 square feet of new exhibit space. Much of that space is given over to Kota sculptures, including a set of more innovative and quirky pieces, where the artists experimented with asymmetrical design. There is also a lounge space where local game designers Rampant – who devised the interactive game on the main floor – will be artists in residence. They will keep office hours at the Pulitzer to help guests continue their digital explorations of African

Frederick Cloth’s drawing reflects his attempts to understand how metals were attached to the wood sculptures. The show opens Friday, October 16.

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation exhibition “Kota: Digital Excavations in African Art” includes an interactive game designed to explore this African sculpture tradition created

by Rampant, local game designers who are also artists in residence.

Reliquary guardian figure. 19th century Sango. Gabon.

Courtesy Galerie Alain Bovis

art after they have seen the show.

The Pulitzer exhibition does include one funerary sculpture with at least remnants of the original ancestral remains that it guarded back in Africa.

We know the sculptures guarded ancestral remains

because missionaries in Africa photographed local men bringing in Kota figures to be destroyed as part of the belief system they were abandoning.

There are, in fact, exactly six known period photographs or drawings of Kota sculptures in their cultural context. And

even these images may reflect the bias – indeed, hostility – of the Europeans who documented them, as Van Dyke told The American during a private tour of the show while it was being constructed.

“These images were made by missionaries and explorers known to have helped bring the tradition to an end,” Van Dyke said.

Taking the most charitable view of this exhibition, the Pulitzer is, in its own way, working to repair the damage done to these powerful cultural figures by creatively enlarging our knowledge of them.

Computer game designers in America are admittedly a far cry from African people making sacred sculpture to guard their ancestors. But the Pulitzer is an art museum and a laboratory, so it is getting in where it fits in.

As the placard reads at the entry to the (very comfortable) lounge at the Pulitzer where Rampant will be keeping office hours: “A space for hacking, thinking, and creating new data ...”

“Kota: Digital Excavations in African Art,” opens at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Ave., on Friday, October 16 and runs until next March 19. Tribal Art published a dual-language (English/ French) Special Issue #5 “Kota: New Light / Nouveaux eclairages) in association with the Pulitzer exhibition.

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

PATTI

Cedric the Entertainer

Continued from C1 described as being in the key of Patti.

The night literally ended on a high note with LaBelle, but even before she graced the stage Cedric The Entertainer and company kept what could have been a somber evening fun and light.

The purpose for the gala – which is presented along with WorldWide Technology and The David and Thelma Steward Foundation – is to raise funds for a Health Pavilion to be created to honor Cedric’s mother, Rosetta Boyce Kyles, at SSM. Kyles passed away in June and counted the care she received from SSM among her blessings during her battle with cancer that began in 2009.

Her presence was still felt thanks to a video tribute and a light that shined on the front row seat that she would have occupied.

“My legacy will be that I

REP Continued from C1 “Sister Act.” But he’s quick to give his hometown company credit for laying the foundation for his career in theatre – and relishes in the opportunity to support its founder and producing director, Ron Himes. “Ron gave me my first job as a professional actor in the working world,” Leggs said. “That was my first paycheck – it was a small one, but it was my first check.”

When he returned home from Benedictine College in Kansas in the early 1980s, the Black Rep was one of the few places a young, black actor could get steady work. Just like Leggs, the theatre was just carving out a space for itself. It

really cared,” she said in the video. “I hope that people will say that ‘she was able to provide a place for us where we can get the health care that’s needed.’ I want that women’s pavilion to be a place where every woman counts.”

With the help of her incredible band that included

“Natural Bridge and Newstead’s own” Alex Evans, LaBelle put soulful seasonings on “Stay With me and “Keep Forgetting.”

Familiar favorites such as “Love Need Want,” “If Only You Knew” and “New Attitude” took fans down memory lane. She flexed her

was only six years old and was experience.” operating out of a church on And “everything” was 23rd Street. inclusive of, but not limited to, “Being one of the original the creative and production side company members, I really do of professional theatre. know when it was like 12 or 13 “I swept the floors. I opened of us and we were the doors I locked in every show and n “I’m from the the doors. I hung doing all of these up pictures in the old school, so I things,” Leggs lobby. I wrote said. press releases. try to hold onto Contributing I went to take that flavor and to the foundation pictures for the and legacy of the show,” Leggs that energy.” theatre gave him said. “I ran sound. a comprehensive I stage-managed. experience.

– Kingsley Leggs I got to do “It was a place everything.” where I learned Seeing The every aspect of Black Rep theatre,” Leggs persevere has said. “We were been a source a small, fledgling company of inspiration for Leggs as he and we needed manpower. I continues to grow in his craft was fresh out of school and after more than 30 years on the hungry and wanted to learn and stage. wanted to act and wanted the “The Black Rep has seen

ability as a song stylist with her covers of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and her go to finale of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”

The audience was delighted by two unlikely covers of blueeyed soul singers Sam Smith and Michael McDonald, a St. Louis native. Her “Stay With Me” cover – that also gave her backup singers a taste of the spotlight – was the highlight of the evening.

For his comedy portion of the show, Cedric gave the crowd a laugh when he talked about doing comedy in the South, where fans brought soul food to the shows to comfort him when they got word that his mother passed.

Cedric’s set was brief, but well received – as was his opener J.J. Williamson, who joked about not being able to do his 10-year-old son’s homework.

In his thank you remarks, Cedric announced that the gala had raised more than $700,000 since its inception and he expects to see them all next year.

its struggles, but it keeps on ticking like the Energizer Bunny,” Leggs said.

He also has great respect for The Black Rep’s commitment to sharing the stories of people of color on stage.

“In an entertainment climate that says ‘you must do this or that to stay afloat,’ he stays true to the mission of the theatre – which is to produce works for, by and about us as a people,” Leggs said of Himes. “That’s a rare thing today.”

The Black Rep’s Night of Art and Cabaret will take place at 5:30 p.m. beginning with an art auction and reception (cabaret show begins at 8 p.m.) on Saturday October 17 at the Black Rep administrative offices, 6662 Olive. For more information, call 314-534-3810 or visit www.theblackrep.org/ Oct 17.

JUSTICE

The event will culminate with public performances on October 24 at the Dellwood Community Center and the Continued from C1 Kranzberg Arts Center.

“The ‘Every 28 Hours’ the leadership of Claudia plays is an exciting and Alick, associate producer necessary project to be doing of Oregon Shakespeare at this place and time,” Festival and Dominic D’Andrea said. “The deep D’Andrea, producing artistic injustices that marginalized director of The One-Minute populations face in this Play Festival. Jacqueline country are staggering – and Thompson, a professor no place better represents this of acting and directing at tension than in Ferguson. ” University of Missouri-St. Partnering theaters and Louis, is also contributing. institutions will underwrite Many of the nation’s costs for representative artists top theatres – among them to work in residency within Chicago’s Steppenwolf St. Louis for one week.In Theatre October 2016, Company, the participating Guthrie Theatre n “The event will companies in Minnesota, are expected culminate with ACT in Seattle, to restage the performances on plays developed The Berkeley Repertory in St. Louis October 24 Theatre at their own at the Dellwood and Woolly theatres across Mammoth in the country.

Community Washington, “We are in a Center and the D.C. – will time of change gather in for the U.S.,” Kranzberg Arts St. Louis to Alick said, “and Center. learn about the reflection the St. Louis on this current community Civil Rights and the local Movement contexts of racial is exciting conflict and arts activism. because of the power and The Black Rep, Kathryn number of talented voices Bentley, That Uppity Theatre collaborating. Our project Company, The Repertory is informed by thoughtful Theatre of St. Louis, St. leaders in activism, Louis Shakespeare Festival, performance, civic leadership Salt House Collective, and communications. The Mustard Seed Theatre and St. work is hard and inspiring Lou Fringe will participate in and necessary.” the project.

Public performances “Ferguson is the for ‘Every 28 Hours’ will heartbeat of the movement,” take place on Saturday, Thompson said. “This project October 24 at the Dellwood is a brilliant creative conduit Community Center (10266 to share its pulse with the W. Florissant Ave) at 2 world.” p.m., and the Kranzberg Arts In a week-long residency, Center (501 N Grand Blvd.) participants will tour at 8 p.m. Both performances important historical St. Louis are free and open to the sites and collaborate with public. local playwrights, directors For more information and actors in collaborative on the Every 28 Hours writing sessions and readings collaborative, visit http:// of the plays in both St. Louis www.oneminuteplayfestival. city and North County near com/2015/06/18/every-28the site of the shooting of hours-a-national-call-toMichael Brown Jr. action/

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

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By Melanie Adams

Getting to the ‘route’ of the problem

A map of St. Louis in 1875 from the Missouri History Museum exhibition “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis.”

History Museum explores bias and geography Over the past year St. Louisans have had the opportunity to critically examine the racial climate of the region. This included looking at issues within the legal system, education, and healthcare, as well as in interactions with law enforcement. These important issues are daunting if you are one individual looking for a way to make a positive impact on them. How do you initiate change in a system with seemingly overwhelming problems?

The best place to start is to look at your own habits when it comes to interacting with people who may be different than you, whether that be race, religion, ability, or even geographically.

I must admit that I am guilty of geographic discrimination.

I will read about a new restaurant and get excited until I see that for me to enjoy their cuisine, I am required to drive to O’Fallon. Or there is a great speaker coming in town, but he or she will be at the county library headquarters on Lindbergh, and again I question whether I want to drive all the way out to Frontenac.

Why can’t the speaker be at the Schlafly Library branch or, even better, at the Central Library downtown? I will wonder.

There is really no reason for my geographically focused discrimination, because

everything in St. Louis is really only 20 minutes away.

My rationale for staying within about 10 minutes of my neighborhood is driven by convenience. I can drive 10 minutes in any direction and find almost everything I need and 15 minutes for the things I don’t need, but prefer.

But for many, the rationale for staying near their neighborhood may be a fear and misunderstandings about people who live in other areas of the region. The viral video about the Delmar Divide showed abandoned buildings and block after block of decay.

This may be one image of North City, but there are also images of vibrant churches and organizations working to create positive spaces for people to both live and visit that are not shown on the nightly news.

It is natural for people to be more comfortable in familiar surroundings and where they feel welcomed. There are times – when I am in the county at certain stores, malls or public spaces – when I feel that people are staring at me and wondering why I am in that specific place. I have definitely felt like an outsider 15 minutes from my own house. This feeling of being welcome (and how we welcome others) got the Museum thinking about how we can use maps of the region to help explore issues of personal bias.

From this idea, and our current exhibition, “A Walk in 1875 St. Louis,” the Museum created “Do My Routes (Roots) Contribute to Oppression?

Using Maps and Commutes to Explore Unconscious Bias.”

This program will explore the history of St. Louis using

maps and how our routes and other choices have unintended consequences for the greater St. Louis region.

There will be two opportunities for you to participate in this program, once at the Library Research Center and once at the History Museum. The programs are identical, just different days/ locations.

The St. Louis region has a lot of work to do to create a welcoming and just community for everyone. The Missouri History Museum is happy to do its share by providing opportunities for people to learn the history of how and why we got to this place. I hope you will consider joining us to explore your routes.

Do My Routes (Roots) Contribute to Oppression?

Using Maps and Commutes to Explore Unconscious Bias Wednesday, October 21 6:30pm • FREE Library and Research Center, 225 S. Skinker Boulevard, 63105 Wednesday, October 28 6:30pm • FREE AT&T Foundation Multipurpose Room, Missouri History Museum Join us for one of these two opportunities to explore the history of St. Louis maps and how our routes and other choices have unintended consequences for the greater St. Louis region.

African American Artists Create Art for Public Places As travelers rush in and out of Lambert Airport and visitors leisurely stroll pass the entry doors of Cahokia Mounds, how often do they notice the art created to engage them in these public spaces. Clara Coleman, curator and recently retired Curator of Interpretation at Laumeier Sculpture Park defines public art as “works of art that are designed specifically for, or placed in, outdoor spaces or areas physically accessible to the general public.” Recently the Saint Louis Art Museum Friends of African American Art members traveled throughout the metro area to view public art by created

by African American artists.

Members and their guests were delighted by first-hand stories, histories, and experiences of artists Edna Patterson-Petty, Solomon Thurman and Preston Jackson.

Our first stop was LambertSt. Louis International Airport to see A Whimsical View by Edna Patterson-Petty, of East St. Louis. Installed in 2011 as one of nine screens, A Whimsical View is located near Gate A8. It is a mixed media design using watercolor paint, paper, and bits of fabric trim which are pressed between glass. An internationally acclaimed textile artist famous for her beautiful quilts, Edna explained that the artwork was influenced by the concept of a deconstructed quilt design.

In the lower-level baggage claim area of the airport is another work of art completed 25 years ago by artists Solomon Thurman and Spencer Taylor. Reflecting back to the political and social climate of the time was the backdrop of Solomon’s enlightening historical narrative of Black Americans in Flight, an 8-foot x 51-foot multi-panel painting that pays tribute to AfricanAmerican achievements in aviation from 1917 through the late 1980s. The immense mural features among many others Willa Brown (first

(Left to right) – Preston Jackson, Edna Patterson-Petty, Solomon Thurman

African American woman commercial pilot) and Guion Bluford (first African American in space).

The group departed the airport to visit Laumeier Sculpture Park in southwest St. Louis County where curator Clara Coleman whisked us off to see art by renowned sculptor Richard Hunt and Pearl Fryer in addition to The Space Between Scott and Plessy (which references Dred Scott and Homer Plessy). After lunch, the group headed to Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site to meet artist Preston Jackson. The massive bronze set of doors depicting birds of prey in flight titled Cast Bronze Building Facade and Entry and Exit Doors was a perfect site to hear about the career of Jackson who also recently completed the Miles Davis sculpture in downtown in Alton, IL which was unveiled in mid-September.

As the Friends of African American Art members and guests headed back to the Art

Museum, we concluded our day with one final stop on the campus of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville—East St. Louis Center. The group was greeted by an enormous and bejeweled toddler-friendly Mosaic Turtle sculpture proudly displayed near the Head Start program building. Created by Edna Patterson-Petty and affectionately named “Monty the Turtle” by preschoolers, the turtle sits in view a gigantic sculpture by Richard Hunt titled Of the River Mounds and Bridges. Hunt’s steel sculpture symbolizes connections between the Mississippi River, earthworks or mounds of the indigenous Mississippian culture, and contemporary industrial bridges of St. Louis-East St. Louis area -- a perfect way to end a perfect art-filled Saturday afternoon.

To learn more about Friends of African American Collectors Circle membership, visit www. slam.org or email renee.franklin@slam.org

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 – 21, 2015

Celebrations Anniversary

Nuptials

Birthdays

FREE OF CHARGE

Happy 4th Birthday to Thomas Jay Butler on October 18!

Love, Jerry, Tiffany and Timothy

Dan and Lillian Whitley celebrate 55 years of marriage on October 15! You are our inspiration.

Love you!

The Whitley Family Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Washington announce the marriage of their daughter, Alana, to Mark McGhee, son of Lambus and Darlene McGhee on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at Second Missionary Baptist Church in Kinloch, Mo.

Reunions All reunion announcements can be viewed online!

Beaumont Class of 1970 will be celebrating their 45th Class Reunion Saturday, October 24,2015, at Catering to You.12775 New Halls Ferry Rd,63033. For more info please contact: Oneita (Meeks) Murphy: (314) 322-4205, Chuck Campbell: (314) 5204581, Toni (Brady) Hopson: beaumontclassof1970@gmail.

com, or see our Facebook page.

Beaumont High School – Class of 1980 has planned its 35 year class reunion.

However all BHS Alumni are welcome to attend. Fri, Nov 13 – Sun., Nov. 15, 2015 Hotel Lumiere; Info available on www.eventbrite. com; Search on Beaumont Class of 1980. We need your home and/or email address immediately. Cutoff for reservations is Sat., Oct. 31, 2015. For more information, please contact: Terri Harris Pruitt: terrilynnhpruitt@att. net, 314-478-8923; Janice Lindsey Alphin: jmaphin1@ yahoo.com, 314-330-7881.

Call evenings only please.

Beaumont High Class of 1984 can stay updated via our Facebook page “Beaumont Class of 1984”. We meet the last Friday of every month.

Contact Rochelle Williams at rochellewilliams001@yahoo. com.

Roosevelt High School Class of 1990 is hosting a “Rough Rider Alumni Reunion” and is inviting classes ‘87-‘93 to join them Saturday October 24, 2015 from 7pm -1am at the Bus Drivers Hall located at 1600 S. Broadway St. Louis, MO 63104. Tickets are $10 in adv. and $15 at the door.

For more info, contact Talisha Shelton at (314)363-1064 or on Facebook @Roosevelt class of 90.

Happy 6th Birthday to our sweet Janiya L. Lovett-Davis on October 14. She’s a smart Kindergartener who attends Kipp Wisdom Academy. She’s such a big help at school and at home. Everybody loves her!

Happy 57th Birthday to our beautiful mother, Virshelle J. Sims, on October 19. We hope you have the most amazing day ever!

Love, Your children

Soldan Class of 1965 presents: “On the Road Again” to Washington, DC. Cost: $479 per-person, double occupancy, 6-Days and 5-Nights, Thurs. June2- Tues.

June 7, 2016. First payment due now $75 each person.

For more information and reservations contact: Corinne Stuckes (636)-294-4373, Brenda Yancey (314)-8301334 or Isaiah Hair, Jr. (314)387-7592 email: cstukes@ charter.net.

Soldan Class of 1971 is planning its 45th year reunion for: June 17-19, 2016 at the Ameristar Casino Resort & Spa. In addition, the class will present a Harvest Dance from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 at the Barrington Downs

Clubhouse, 3898 Grand National Drive, Florissant, Mo. 63034. Tickets are $15 each and may be purchased in advance only. No tickets will be sold at the door.

B.Y.O.B. Set ups available.

For tickets and more information call 314-3859554 or 636-486-2621.

St. Louis Community College needs your help identifying STLCC alumni.

Alumni are encouraged to visit the website: www. stlcc.edu/foundation/, to become members or update information. For more information, contact Ashley Budde, coordinator of alumni relations, at abudde6@stlcc. edu, or 314-539-5145.

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, graduation, 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: St. Louis American Celebrations c/o Kate Daniel 2315 Pine St. St. Louis, MO 63103

Reunion notices are free of charge and based on space availability.

We prefer that notices be emailed to us!

However, notices may also be sent by mail to: Kate Daniel, 2315 Pine St., St. Louis, MO 63103 Deadline is 10 a.m. on Friday. If you’d like your class to be featured in a reunion profile, email or mail photos to us.

Our email address is:

reunions@ stlamerican.com

Religion

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ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

Preacher’s son brings his faith to Marine Corps

Photo by Cpl. Jonathan Boynes

Lance Cpl. Nathan Battle, an administration specialist currently deployed with Marine Wing Support Squadron - 371, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command from St. Louis, helps a customer while deployed in Southwest Asia on August 19.

By Cpl. Jonathan Boynes 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade Lance Cpl. Nathan Battle is an administration specialist currently deployed with U.S. Marine Wing Support Squadron–371, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command.

“I grew up in the church,” said Battle. “My father was a pastor, and his father was a pastor. I also have several uncles who are pastors. The church and God are central for me and my family.

It gives me inspiration and helps me put a lot of my life in context.”

Battle grew up in St. Louis and lived here until he was 18 and decided to join the U.S. Marine

Corps.

This decision came after Battle had attended Marine Week St. Louis. Marine Week includes static displays of aircraft and amphibious vehicles, dynamic exhibitions of raid force insertions, Marine Band performances and recruiting information booths. Battle said he was so enthralled with the displays and demonstrations, he immediately sought out a recruiter.

Nearly three years later, Battle has learned to connect the values he brought to the institution with those he’s gained as a Marine.

The service’s core values of honor, courage and commitment are fully compatible with his own personal convictions.

“Humility and faith are pillars

for me,” said Battle. “When times get hard, I calm myself down and focus on these things. They remind me to be mindful of my limitations as well as to stay completely open and accepting to whatever life brings my way.”

Battle doesn’t just reserve these ideas and mental comforts to himself; he also willingly and fervently expresses a desire to use his beliefs and religious understanding to help others in need.

“Working in admin has worked to my benefit, in a way,” said Battle. “I know pretty much everyone in my unit. They know my religious background, and often times come to me if they feel that they are in need of prayer. I am always willing to help, and it leaves me with a

really good feeling knowing that I can help provide comfort for people.”

Battle’s beliefs bring an air of comfort to his workplace.

“Battle is a very easy-going guy,” said Sgt. Julius Griffin, administration chief with MWSS371. “He is very well liked within the unit and seen as helpful by many people. I think that because he deals with so many people, he has a positive influence on the unit. As an administrator, you are in a position to help people. If you can bring a positive attitude and are enthusiastic about your work, the benefits become immeasurable.”

Battle has taken his personal religious philosophies and combined them with Marine Corps values to develop a unique form of leadership.

“My favorite quote is, ‘Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence,’” said Battle. “I want to help as many people as I possibly can and I pray that the influence I have is a good one.”

Reprinted with permission from U.S. Department of Defense.

HE Gave, WE Give Revival Leonard Missionary Baptist Church, 1100 N. Compton, will host “HE Gave, WE Give Revival” from noon to 7 p.m.

October 21-23, with free food 9:30-11:30 a.m. daily. Guest evangelists will be Pastor Adrian C. Hendricks II of Jefferson City and Pastor Theodis “Preach Boy” Cochran of Memphis, Tennessee.

Bishop Steven G. Thompson, host pastor, promises “preaching, teaching, anointing, baptizing, healing and deliverance” and urges the public to “shop in our free store: clothing, shoes, toiletries, toys.”

The Message

Divinity in weakness Do you have an addiction, a weakness, something you are aware of but just cannot shake on your own? It may be a secret, your secret, something you dare not reveal.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 says, “To keep me from becoming conceited, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

If I’m the only one shouting right now, it’s okay.

It is through our warts that God demonstrates to us and the world that He is Lord. Can you imagine experiencing the “perfect power” of the Lord?

Apparently it’s as easy as looking in the mirror and making an honest assessment of who you really are and who you should be striving to become.

If you know and accept yourself to be a child of God, then you must attempt to be an example of God’s Word and His work. The only thing standing in your way is admitting to yourself that you can’t go it alone. You and I need help, and that help comes only from one source. It’s the perfect source and comes with consequences. The consequences begin with recognizing that there is Columnist divine purpose in your particular set of James weaknesses.

Washington When you get a hand from the Lord to overcome your addictions, your passions, your vanity, your shortcomings, you get so much more than you bargained for. According to this part of the Bible, you also get Christ’s power to work with.

Isn’t that something?

No wonder Paul continues by saying, “That is why, for Christ’s sake I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

By itself, you might wonder how Paul comes up with this conclusion. But when taken in the context of the entire passage, isn’t it true that out of many impossible situations and circumstances, God rescued you?

How many testimonies do you need to hear before you give God the praise He deserves? Or is it that you can testify on your own about frailties that have become strengths to be relied upon and give you wisdom to share?

All I’m saying is stop fighting yourself. Stop denying your insecurities. Accept them and give them too, over to the Lord. Then step back and watch God do His thing with your life. He’ll do things you never could. Then watch Him revel in those who see His divine work through you.

ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015

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Celebrity Swag Snap of the Week Following yet another successful gala, Cedric The Entertainer made his way to Status Saturday to unwind. Video Model Ayisha Diaz and Niddy were just some of the high profile folks who popped in at HG.

Detiny and Nikki came through to party alongside Erica Mena of “Love and Hip Hop New York” Friday night @ HG Diddy made his way through the massive crowd of the ‘Justice or Else’ Million Man March 20th commemoration Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C. Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Felicity, Herb, and Asia segued out of their weekend @ The Surge @ OBar

A gala to remember with my girl Patti. Miss Patti LaBelle will make for a tough act to follow for Cedric and Friends Benefit Gala. I’ll bet the folks will be lined up to attend for Cedric The Entertainer’s worthy cause of raising funds for The Rosetta Boyce Kyles Women’s Pavilion at SSM Health from now after the way Patti put it down for year two! I was so glad that the mood was light even though Ms. Kyles, Cedric’s mother, passed away in June. I actually cackled when Ced joked about the folks from down South bringing greens and sweet potatoes to his shows as a token of their condolences. His show was quite brief, but I’m glad he made provisions for Patti to have more time on stage.

When I tell you that Patti put her ankle into that show and made up for the last two lackluster performances she served St. Louis please believe it. At first I was a bit nervous. She was clearly going through some hot flashes with her request that the fans be turned off, then on – then back on. I was like, “what is this, ‘Menopause The Musical?” I couldn’t have been more wrong. Because the way she worked that stage, I’ll be telling folks that 71 is clearly the new 30! The only indicator that Ms. Patti gave of her age (besides her telling us) happened when she accidently called Cedric’s mama the wrong name. What?

She did it, not me. Patti was absolutely everything. And her background singers – especially the male one – slayed just as much as she did. So did her bass player Alex Evens who is “Straight Outta Newstead and Natural Bridge.” But back to Patti…she took her time twirling and delivering high notes that shouldn’t be humanly possible for somebody who has been singing for more than 50 years, which meant when it was all said and done she only sang about three songs. But I’m not the least bit mad. If I had it my way she would have given us about 30 more minutes and worked in “When You Talk about Love” and “Right Kind of Lover” but other than that I must say that my fandom for Ms. Patti is now in the stratosphere. The “who’s who of urban St. Louis” was deep in the building and dressed to the nines, tens and elevens! And I must say that Arika Parr’s postbaby bounce back is real.

One time for The Internet. I know at this exact moment 85 percent of y’all are thinking “why is she pumping up the world wide web like we don’t know this particular element of technology has added convenience to our lives in ways that we can’t even imagine.” Well, I’m talking about the band. Yes, there is a band called The Internet – and just like I was telling y’all about getting hip to dial up back in 1995, it would behoove you to get familiar. I was put on to them through the NPR Tiny Desk Concert Series. I clicked “play” not knowing what to expect from the lead singer who puts me in the mind of Poussey Washington from “Orange is the New Black.” But when I tell you she has some serious flow as well as the soulful sounds of an R&B singer. Folks have been comparing her to Lauryn Hill when she was in her prime. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, but she is the business. I said ALL of that to say I finally got a chance to see them live last week and as much as I thought I was vibin’ off of the YouTube clips…I had no idea. They had my undivided attention at the Fubar. I was so into the show that I didn’t do any sort of my customary mingle action...or could it have been that it was so hot up in there I felt like if I moved I would fall out?

Either way, I did peep some of my favorite folks in the building – Staci Static of Old School 95.5, Shadzilla and Jesiree Jenkins. And as per usual, Needles slayed on the wheels of steel.

Raphael and DJ Kimmy Nu got the party going @ Mood Friday for the All Black party

Siera and Muffin came out to The Surge Sunday night @ the Obar

www.stlamerican.com

The Michael Jackson factor Rustic Goat. Friday the “Ballads of Michael Jackson” show had me quietly believing in reincarnation after I scooted out of the Rustic Goat. It was more packed than I’ve seen the venue in a minute for a live band performance. And the show went so well that Michael Jackson actually showed up to partake in a performance. What? Y’all can call him an impersonator if you want to. But after seeing what this performer delivered, I’m scared I might resort to copying hardcore Elvis fans and claim that he’s still alive and performing as an impersonator when he wants a taste of the spotlight again. I’m telling you that anybody who saw this man moonwalk and hunch the stage down will cosign. He was DEAD ON. Not to take anything away from the performers – including Justin Hoskin, Rollyn K. Moore and the talented folks in the building like Tasha B. Mz NV and the others – but that Michael was like nothing I’ve ever seen before in real life. If it wasn’t Michael (as you can see I’m still fully not convinced),he was probably looking down from Heaven chiming in with kicks and a “hee, hee, hee…” or two.

Jon B’s redemption song. The good news is that Sunday night Jon B. made good on his promise to skip back to the Lou after his headlining performance for the Omega Psi Phi Labor Day party fell through due to undisclosed circumstances. The bad news is that the Omegas didn’t have the crowd they probably would’ve had because plenty of folks didn’t believe he would. I made my way to the Ballpark Village expecting the stomp down action of the Q-Dogs to be my only entertainment. I was dead wrong. I only a snippet of it, but Jon B put on a cute little show. Omega and St. Louis’ own Joe Torry was in the building. And Charlie Chan Soprano served on the tables. Even though it wasn’t wall to wall, the folks made the most of it and it was like a “School Daze: Where Are They Now?” update with all-the-way grown men commencing to high kicks and the “nasty Que” barks that had the general population who came to the beer garden looking all nervous every time they heard one. The only things missing were a fleet of gold boots and shirts getting ripped off mid-stomp. I also got a chance to share a moment with two of my favorite STL Ques OF ALL TIME – Roy Robinson and Christopher Edwards.

Erica Mena from Love and Hip Hop New York showed Crystal of HG Nightlife some love @ Fetish Friday

Daren Bates and Tre Mason of the St. Louis Rams were just a few of the STL stars in VIP Friday night @ HG

Sheena J and Mariah came slid through HG Friday night Jeezy was among the countless celebrities who made their way to the ‘Justice or Else’ Million Man March 20th Anniversary Saturday in Washington, D.C. Photo by Lawrence Bryant

Julie and Shawni kicked off their weekend @ HG Friday night Photos by Lawrence Bryant & John Scott

Begins Wednesday

Fabulous Fox Theatre October 21november 1 314-534-1111 • MetroTix.com

Private Schools D1 • October 15 - 21, 2015 • The St. Louis American

YWCA honors Whitfield senior as 2015 Future Leader Four runners-up also receive scholarships Whitfield High School senior The YWCA Future Leader Noa Rose has been selected is chosen during a week-long as the 2015 YWCA Metro St. academy at the YWCA in Louis Future Leader. which the participants take Noa is an exceptional student part in panel discussions, and an active participant in presentations and other extracurricular activities at exercises designed to highlight school and in the community. leadership qualities.

She maintains a 3.88 GPA Noa will receive a while playing Varsity scholarship from the Future Basketball and Varsity Lacrosse 2015 YWCA Leader Program to assist in her for Whitfield.

Future Leader education. The four YWCA Noa has been named to the Future Leader Runners-Up Noa Rose Whitfield Principal’s Honor chosen along with her also - Whitfield Roll every year since 2011. will receive scholarships.

School In addition, Noa is a member The YWCA Future of the United Synagogue Leader’s accomplishments Youth, the Jewish Community are showcased at the annual Relations Council Student-to-Student YWCA Leader Lunch, which recognizes Program and the JCRC Jewish-Muslim exceptional women in the workplace and Teen Dialogue Group. the community.

High schools challenged to drive safe and buckle up

2015 YWCA Future Leader Runners-Up: Sarah Bostic - Francis Howell High School; Alexis Cushshon - Hazelwood Central High School; Allison Gilmore - Webster Groves High School; Olivia Martin - Mary Institute and Country Day School (MICDS)

City Garden Montessori gets Environmental Institute National Fish and Wildlife Foundation partners with Wells Fargo on $74K The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with Wells Fargo have approved an award of $74,327 to City Garden Montessori School to support the Creating an Innovative Outdoor Environmental Institute for Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grade Students project.

Representatives from Wells Fargo Advisors presented a large check to City Garden Montessori School on Tuesday, September 21.

“We are ecstatic about this new opportunity for our students,” said Christie Huck, executive director.

“The outdoor learning space for City Garden students will be an extension of the Montessori classroom. City Garden students will use the outdoor environmental institute to learn mathematics, environmental ethics, science, cultural, and social economic lessons.”

“At Wells Fargo, our success depends on healthy, sustainable communities, and we’re committed to responsible environmental stewardship

The Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program launched in 2012 as part of Wells Fargo’s commitment to provide $100 million to environmentallyfocused nonprofits and universities by 2020. The grant program is designed to support projects that link economic

Calling all Missouri high schools to compete in the 2015 “It Only Takes One” campaign for an opportunity to win prizes for your school while educating young drivers about safe driving habits and safety belt use. Sponsored by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety and ACT Missouri, the statewide competition will run from October 1 to the end of the school year.

It’s important that young drivers realize it only takes ONE text, ONE drink, ONE call, ONE reach, ONE distraction to cause ONE fatal moment but that ONE clicked safety belt could be the difference between life or death in a car crash.

“Six out of ten young drivers and passengers killed in 2014 Missouri vehicle traffic crashes weren’t buckled up,” said Bill Whitfield, executive committee chair for the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. “Through education, competition and fun, the ‘It Only Takes One’ campaign can make a difference with young Missourians and save lives.”

Young drivers are overrepresented in crashes both nationwide and in Missouri.

Although comprising only eight percent of Missouri’s licensed drivers, they were involved in 17 percent of the 2014 fatal and serious injury crashes. Traffic

See CITY GARDEN, D2

See DRIVER, D5

City Garden Montessori School Outdoor Environmental Institute for Pre-Kindergarten through Eighth Grade Students project.

in all our business decisions,” said Laraine L. Davis, VP, Community Relations.

City Garden’s outdoor institute will not only maximize student’s access to hands-on applications of Common Core standards and National Standards, but will also increase student and teacher access to premiere local teaching institutions

and important departments within those institutions. In fact, the planning process for this grant has already engaged some excellent partners.

Other organizations that are providing resources for this project include Monsanto, The Francis R. Dewing Fund, The Missouri Botanical Garden, Gateway Greening and DTLS Landscape.

Safe driving campaign educates to save teen lives

Rosati-Kain has $4.5M upgrade

Three-story addition is centerpiece of school’s facility improvements On the very first day of school, in the very first class period, senior Sarah Nolte staked out her new favorite place at Rosati-Kain High School – the learning commons and adjacent library in the foyer of the school’s freshly minted, $4.5 million addition.

She sat at a table in the spacious, airy area – think HGTV’s “open concept” to the extreme – reading a book and basking in natural light coming through windows facing the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis to the west and a fabulous, brick-paved courtyard to the east.

“I love the library,” Nolte said.

About a dozen students, including a half-dozen in the glass-walled collaborative room, felt similarly, though the maintenance crew was in scramblemode getting the commons ready for them. The previous day, Aug. 23, the commons had been cleared of furniture for the blessing and ribbon-cutting, which featured Archbishop Robert J. Carlson and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay.

“They’re moving the furniture in there this morning, and they can’t do it fast enough for the girls to use it,” joked See ROSATI, D5

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OCTOBER 15 - 22, 2015 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

Lutheran school forms Friends of River Roads

Sharing ‘example of stewardship and caring with our students’ On Sept. 27, River Roads Lutheran School celebrated its ministry and mission. Located at 8623 Church St. in north St. Louis. The 146-year old school serves children in PreKindergarten through 8th grade in the heart of the city’s historic Baden Neighborhood.

The event was sponsored by the newly-formed Friends of River Roads, a service group that hopes to inspire and coordinate efforts of area Lutheran churches, civic groups, corporations and individuals seeking to make a difference in North St. Louis.

The effort began this spring when Immanuel Lutheran Church in St Charles raised $25,000 in financial assistance for the school, which later turned into $50,000, thanks to a matching grant from Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis.

“After the events in Ferguson, it prompted us to examine how can we be proactive in reaching out with hope and love to our

neighbors,” said Rev. Scott Schmieding, Immanuel’s Pastor.

In August, the group unveiled its second “partnership project” - a new library on the school’s second floor. The remodeled space features cozy reading spots, a giant giraffe and original paintings by celebrated St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc, who created pieces specifically for the space.

The St. Charles City County Library Foundation donated books to the effort; another donor, River Cliff Lutheran Church in Atlanta, donated 50 boxes of books. The project was initiated by a group of students at River Roads.

“We feel so blessed to be able to share these example of stewardship and caring with our students,” said Yvonne Boyd, River Roads’ principal. “When they see us all working together as a community to support one another, that’s a powerful thing.”

Other projects have included

River Roads Principal Yvonne Boyd with students in the school’s new library.

the donation of robotics equipment to boost the River Roads’ STEAM program, mulch to spruce up the school’s playground and labor to fix plumbing issues in the school’s ageing building. Group

members say the partnership has been rewarding for all involved. “We are blessed to be a blessing,” said Pastor Schmieding.

River Roads and Immanuel are members of the St. Louis-

based Lutheran Elementary School Association (LESA), a Recognized Service Organization of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod that represents more than 30 elementary schools and

high schools - including three National Blue Ribbon Schools and three National Lutheran Exemplary Schools and five related agencies. For more information, visit www.

LESAstl.org.

North Side Community performs well on state test Charter school has UMSL as sponsor

North Side Community School, a small public charter school, serving North St. Louis city performed best among charter schools in recent state tests, with 65 percent of their students passing math.

NSCS works closely with their sponsor, University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL) by identifying and dealing with our needs to better assess our students’ academic performance on an ongoing

basis. UMSL provides guidelines and accountability factors for success for students.

NSCS has implemented a data-driven assessment approach and have created Data Teams among the faculty.

Admission Open House Sun, Oct 18, 2015 3:00-5:00p CAMPUS TOURS 5:00-6:00p PLAY & PICNIC

“This was an amazing year of learning for our students and the 2015-2016 school year promises to be even better,” said Principal Stella Erondu. “We have our highest enrollment yet, a newly

dedicated science lab to help facilitate increased learning and new professional staff dedicated to the continual wellbeing of our students.”

North Side Community School is a pre-k through grade

5 elementary school that began in 2009 with only 50 students and has grown to an enrollment of 400 students. The school is located on N. Euclid between Natural Bridge and St. Louis Avenue.

CITY GARDEN

wanted a better future, is elementary school, serves the Botanical Heights, Forest Park Southeast, Shaw, Southwest Gardens and Tiffany neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis. The mission of City Garden Montessori is to provide a high-quality education to a diverse student

population, following the Montessori philosophy, and to cultivate young people who value and respect themselves, others, the environment and the world community. City Garden has consistently been one of the highest-performing charter schools in St. Louis region.

WYDOWN-FORSYTH HISTORIC DISTRICT

Unforgettable.

AGE 3 - GRADE 6

ForsythOnline.com

Continued from C1 development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment.

City Garden, started by entrepreneurial parents who

OCTOBER 15 - 21, 2015 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

New City School has unique ambiance

Independent elementary school invites parents for tours New City School is an independent elementary school for students from preschool through sixth grade, located in the Central West End. New City embraces all of a child’s academic strengths, and fosters a love for learning, appreciation for diversity of all

types, empathy, and awareness and celebration of self. Our graduates not only excel academically, but they are also leaders in their communities in the finest secondary schools in St. Louis.

In addition to being one of the first and preeminent multiple intelligences schools in the country – utilizing the theory of multiple intelligences as a classroom tool to capitalize on each student’s unique learning strengths – New City School has a unique ambiance that you have to experience in person to understand.

We prepare students to succeed in the real world,

not just to do well in school.

Excelling in school is just the beginning! We, as a school community, are responsible for helping our students become good, caring people, and for teaching them that learning is fun so that they see themselves as learners both now and in the future.

Ready to see how you can have it all – academic excellence, diversity beyond the numbers, joyful learning, and personal intelligences – at New City? Schedule a tour today on our website, www. newcityschool.org, or call 314361-6411.

Central Christian School: engaging and challenging Annual Admissions Open House is on Friday, November 13 Founded in 1957, Central Christian School provides an engaging and challenging academic environment for children ages 3 through sixth grade at an urban campus near downtown Clayton.

Their vision is to be a diverse, academically and spiritually excellent community for each unique child. That vision is coming to fruition every day at Central.

The school’s 296 students represent the St. Louis metropolitan area coming from 45 zip codes and 65 churches. A Learning Center provides enrichment for gifted learners and academic support for children with learning

challenges.

The community is also racially diverse (66 percent Caucasian, 26 percent AfricanAmerican, 6 percent MultiRacial, 1 percent Asian, 1 Hispanic) and desires to broaden that diversity to include international students, after becoming governmentcertified to offer student visas.

“We’re excited to one day offer an education rooted in Biblical truth to children from all over the world,“ shares Christan Perona, Director of Admissions.

In the wake of Ferguson, parents at the school entered a dialogue on stewarding their diversity that continues today. Each month, moms and dads gather before school for Courageous Conversations, a place to discuss race and culture through the lens of a Christian worldview. Parents are encouraged to share their

experiences, ask questions, and build friendships with those who are different from them.

Central Christian School is truly distinct because of their modest tuition, broad admissions policy, and commitment to stewarding diversity. However, despite their students’ diverse learning abilities, in nearly every standardized subtest last year, Central students outperformed public and private schools. Their unique, integrated curriculum prepares children well for middle school and beyond. They graduate from Central with what they need to know, along with the ability to think critically and problem-solve.

Central invites you to their annual Admissions Open House on Friday, November 13 from 9-11am. For more information, visit www.centralschoolstl.org.

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Public vs. private school

OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2015 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

What’s with all the judging? public schools. She says she sometimes feels judged when people say to her, “Oh, we’re By now, I am familiar with sending our kids to private what I refer to as “the look.” school.”

I see it nearly every time I “It feels like they’re have a conversation with people insinuating that I am somehow who favor private schools. It doing less for my child by goes something keeping them in like this: “Where public school,” n “So a lot of do your girls go to said DeNeen, school?” they ask. the conversawho has a blog When I tell and also runs tions I’ve heard them a public a business school not too called Fabulous are, ‘Oh, do you far from our New Blogging, York home, there not think the which provides is a slight pause, schools are good education about and I know what’s social media going through enough?’ or ‘Are and Web design their minds: My in addition to children are worse you afraid of the blogging. off because they “They don’t experiences your don’t go to private mean to send kids are going to that message, school.

Let me be clear but that’s how it that I haven’t ever have?’ “ -- comfeels, and so I get heard those exact ments that she defensive like, words, but I know ‘Why is your kid says feels like it’s what people so special?’ My are thinking. “coded language” kids are just as Where we smart, and I want choose to send accusing her of just as much for our kids to school them,” she said racism. is a loaded topic with a chuckle. that can come Elena to symbolize a Sonnino’s parent’s values, daughter, a thirdincome and grader, is now in worldview. But public school after the public versus private school attending a private Montessori debate doesn’t even enter the school. Sonnino says she often equation for a majority of senses people wondering why, Americans who can’t afford if she can afford private school, private school tuition. So why she wouldn’t choose that all the judgment? option.

Julie DeNeen of Clinton, The tone of judgment Connecticut, can relate. is subtle, said the northern Her three children are in Virginia mom, who is also

By Kelly Wallace Of CNN

a founder of the site Live.

Do.Grow, a social media strategist and a writer. “It’s a little bit like, ‘Do you belong to the country club or do you belong to the neighborhood pool?’” she added with a laugh.

But the judging is not strictly limited to the private school camp. Public school advocates can be just as opinionated.

Just ask Lyz Lenz of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who plans to send her two children, now 8 months old and 3, to private school until high school.

“So a lot of the conversations I’ve heard are, ‘Oh, do you not think the schools are good enough?’ or ‘Are you afraid of the experiences your kids are going to have?’ “ – comments that she says feels like “coded language” accusing her of racism.

“It’s really not any of that,” said Lenz, who hosts a blog in her name. The decision, in part, comes from her and her husband’s experiences: She was home-schooled until high school; he attended private school until his high school years.

“We do want our kids to be in a place where we hope they

can thrive and not maybe be held back by disciplinary issues or other things,” she said.

But even as Lenz explained her rationale to me on the phone, she admitted she couldn’t help but get defensive.

“It’s so hard,” she said.

There is an equally charged conversation going on between parents who send their children to traditional public schools and those who choose charters, which receive public funding but operate independently.

Micky Morrison, who has two children in public school in Islamorada, Florida, says the conversation can get so heated that she and her friends, who are sending their children to charter schools, try to avoid the subject.

“It’s kind of just out of a mutual respect, that they’ve made their choices, and I have my beliefs,” said the author and founder of BabyWeightTV. “It’s sort of like politics ... one of those things that we don’t even bring up.”

Lela Davidson sends her children, ages 13 and 15, to a charter school in Rogers, Arkansas.

“If you are choosing a

private school or you’re at a charter school, you are going to be in the minority,” said the author of “Blacklisted From the PTA” and “Who Peed on My Yoga Mat?” “So I find myself probably over explaining our choice,” she said with a laugh. And in some cases, “I feel I am sometimes justifying our choice.”

Parents get defensive, said Rebecca Levy, whose twin daughters attend a New York public middle school.

“They’re not always honest,” said Levy, founder of the video-sharing site for tweens called KidsVuz. She says her daughters have had bad teachers in the past but says private school parents might not be as willing to admit that some of their children’s teachers have been less than stellar.

“I certainly have friends at certain private schools who would never say that to me because they feel they have to justify the money they’re spending,” she added.

Adding to the complicated brew of judgment and insecurity about each parent’s

school choice are assumptions about a family’s values and income level, many parents said.

‘I think it’s an issue about money,” said a mom of three who goes by the name “Miss Lori” online.

When she applied to private school for her youngest, she immediately got questions about how she can afford the tuition. Her answer: scholarships.

“It’s an age-old thing of the haves and the have-nots, and the divide between the two has become so vast,” said the children’s television host, social media strategist and Babble. com contributor.

Sadly, the chance of eliminating the judgment that goes along with our modern and often hyper-involved parenting is about as likely as keeping teens off Instagram.

Today’s parents are too often “worried about what the nextdoor neighbors think of where they’re sending their kids to school,” said Janis Brett Elspas, host of the blog Mommy Blog Expert. Her triplets are juniors at a private high school. Her son, now in college, attended public school for the end of middle and high school.

All the judgment might dissipate as more education options become available, she said.

One of the most important issues for parents has always been making sure their children get the best education possible.

But perhaps the stakes are even higher in today’s uncertain uneconomic times.

After all, it used to be that a child who went to a good school went to a good college and got a good job.

“That domino sequence does not exist anymore,” said the children’s TV host “Miss Lori.”

“I think that is why it’s so scary in terms of looking at where do I send my kids to school. ... If you find a good public school, there’s not a guarantee that the dominoes are going to fall and your kids are going to be OK.” The St. Louis American is an affiliate of CNNWire.

OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2015 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

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ROSATI Continued from C1

DRIVER Continued from C1 crashes are the leading cause of death for people 15-20 years old. Research indicates that driver distractions are the primary cause of fatal collisions.

In addition, one of the greatest risk factors faced by young drivers is the number of passengers in the vehicle.

Studies have confirmed that with the presence of just one passenger, young drivers are twice as likely to be involved in a fatal crash. Also, results of a 2015 survey among Missouri young drivers indicate that 31 percent are not wearing safety belts.

The program consists

of two surprise safety belt checks at each registered high school to measure student safety belt usage, and also

n “Six out of ten young drivers and passengers killed in 2014 Missouri vehicle traffic crashes weren’t buckled up.”

– Bill Whitfield, Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety

includes creative educational campaigns that promote safe driving throughout the school year. In addition, schools have

the opportunity to submit a 30-second video spot aimed at encouraging their peers to buckle up and drive safe.

Schools with the best educational campaigns and public service announcement will be supported by the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety. The support will be used to further educate the students on the importance of safety belt use and safe driving habits.

Sign up your local high school to participate in the “It Only Takes One” competition online at www.savemolives. com/itonlytakesone before October 31.

You can also follow SaveMOLives on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, #saveMOlives and #ArriveAlive.

Sister Joan Andert, SSND, Rosati-Kain’s president.

The courtyard also became a magnet after the doors were unlocked from the commons.

First, one student went out to populate the courtyard patio furniture, then another, then three or four, then a steady stream.

“They’re out there feeling at home,” Sister Joan said. “The girls aren’t going to be shy about taking advantage of the opportunities.”

The three-story addition is the centerpiece of the school’s facility upgrades. In addition to the learning commons/ library on the first floor, it has a spacious chemistry lab on the second floor and a large incubator space on the third.

“Incubator space” is a fancy way of saying “much-needed space for extra-curricular activities.”

Rosati-Kain’s robot from

the FIRST competition takes up a corner of the room, with the rest available for multiple uses, such as play practice, setbuilding, Mass, you name it. A large wooden cross makes its home in the room as well. And the addition has an elevator to make the entire school accessible.

Space and access had been issues at Rosati-Kain, but not anymore thanks to the school’s first addition since 1941, Pearl Harbor Day to be exact, when the gymnasium was dedicated on the east side of the building.

A convent was built in the 1960s, but it was razed for the addition.

The addition encompasses 12,000-square foot, with a like amount in the 1920s main building renovated and reshaped. The students returned to an updated and larger physics lab, new labs for publications, video and digital, renovated classrooms and suite/ offices for administration, including guidance counseling and advancement services.

The students started making

the space their own from the get-go, with returning sophomores, juniors and seniors adjusting to the new digs, and freshmen moving in for the first time to what just seemed like normal to them, in a manner of speaking.

“It’s lot different from from grade school,” said Destiny Young, a St. Roch School graduate who described the first day of high school as “stressful, but exciting.”

In the new chem lab, veteran teacher Karen Daues gave the students a test to determine the students’ knowledge coming in. They sat on purple chairs at two-seat tables “that are really nice,” Nolte said. “Last year, we had tiny desks.”

Sister Joan clearly enjoyed the first day of school, watching the students take over the spaces.

“That’s what it’s all about, making the space great for the students,” said Sister Joan.

“The students are really excited about this; it’s good to have them back.”

Independent • COeduCatIOnal • Grades 7-12

Open HOuse for prospective students and their parents

Saturday, October 24 9 am Pre-register at jburroughs.org

755 South Price Road • St. Louis, MO 63124 • 314-993-4040

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OCTOBER 8 - 14, 2015 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN

Students devour free books

Reading is Fundamental and Macy’s partner on giveaway

Students at Confluence Academy-South City reading their books from Reading is Fundamental and Macy’s.

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Founded 1957

OPEN HOUSE

Friday, November 13, 2015 9:00–11:00 AM

EARLY CHILDHOOD

OPEN HOUSE

Wednesday, January 13, 2016 8:45–10:15AM

700 S Hanley Rd, Clayton 63105 | 314.727.4535 | centralschoolstl.org

Thanks to a grant from Reading is Fundamental and Macy’s, students at three Confluence Charter Schools have new books to take home for their own enjoyment.

More than $8,300 worth of books were purchased for students in grades preK-5 at Aspire Academy, Confluence Academy-Old North and Confluence Academy-South City.

The books include hardbacks, paperbacks, fiction and non-fiction, leveled readers, chapter books and series titles.

There are books about bugs and frogs, football players, baseball players, Disney princesses, ABCs and 123s, popular kids’ TV show characters, historical figures and historical moments, timeless classics like “Curious

George” and more.

Each school held special events for students to pick their own books.

“My students were very excited to have their own book to take home,” said Linda Kraushaar, a first grade teacher at Confluence Academy-South City.

“They were giggling and sharing the books with each

n “The day after they chose their books, many students told me that they read the book at home.”

– Linda Kraushaar, Confluence Academy -South City

other in the library and when we got back to the classroom.

Students were excited to share the books with their families, too. The day after they chose their books, many students told me that they read the book at home.”

In December, South City students will get another chance to select a book from the RIF and Macy’s donations. The children will choose their books before school dismisses for winter break.

“The Reading is Fundamental book grant provides the opportunity for my students to have books available at home,” said Kraushaar.

Students are able to have a book on their reading level to practice all of the important reading skills we have been working on in the classroom.

The more practice the students have to read, the better readers they will become.”

Teachers and students from each school wrote thank you notes to send to RIF and Macy’s for their generosity.

This is the third year in a row that Confluence has received grant money from the book program.

“I was amazed to see their excitement over something as simple as a book,” said Kraushaar. “They were able to go home and share their excitement and love of books with their families. They are very excited for the next book they’ll receive.”

Boys reading their books from Reading is Fundamental and Macy’s in the library at Confluence Academy-South City.

Page 2

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

October 15 – 21, 2015

Dr. Whittico: The epitome of greatness

At an early age, I was certain that I wanted to be a physician, even though I saw very few people who looked like me doing so, nor were there any on television. At that time in my life, I had to use the fictional character of Dr. Marcus Welby as my example and motivation. Kids today probably have no idea who he was and nor do they know how popular that show used to be. But he had the career that I wanted and pursued until I achieved it.

Now fast-forward 30-something years later and picture me meeting a local medical legend by the name of Dr. James M. Whittico, Dr. James M. Jr. In my lifetime, I’ve had the pleasure of Whittico, Jr. meeting many celebrities, politicians, and diplomats, but I must admit getting to know Dr. Whittico far outweighs those encounters. Because he is indeed a jewel to not only me, but this entire community, on Saturday, October 24, 2015 at the St. Louis Airport Marriott, Mound City Medical Forum with host its annual Scholarship Gala as well as celebrate the 100th birthday of this outstanding physician.

As I think about what Dr. lips Hospital before volunteerWhittico means to me, I woning in the US Army in 1942. der how many people truly He had the honor of being understand how remarkable the first black doctor from this man is. And if you are Missouri to become a military reading this and can honestly hospital chief surgeon. He say that you do not know eventually rose to the rank much about him, then you of Lt. Colonel and later was have obviously not been in St. awarded a Bronze Star Medal Louis very long. Not only has for combat service.

Dr. Whittico served as a medDr. Whittico has been ical provider, but he has also recognized with numerous been a civic leader with work, other awards including a such as the Black Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award Denise Hooks Roundtable. in Health Care from The St. Anderson, M.D. The son of a West Virginia Louis American Foundation. doctor, Dr. Whittico recalls Although those awards were fond memories of riding with his father, most likely special to him, they could not Dr. James Whittico, Sr., in a horse-drawn compare to the joy and pride Dr. Whittico buggy to perform house calls. His father, displayed about caring for his patients. born about 20 years after the emanciProviding exceptionally compassionate pation of slaves, was a fine physician care was standard for Dr. Whittico and and probably laid the strong foundation every patient received VIP service. His for the type of physician Whittico, Jr. patients and colleagues absolutely adored would soon become. Dr. Whittico’s father him and respected his opinion. worked during some fairly oppressive In addition to his local service, Dr. times, yet persevered, which in turn Whittico’s leadership also extended taught Whittico, Jr. that same fortitude. nationally. He served as the president of Dr. Whittico, a now retired surgeon, the National Medical Association in 1968 graduated in 1940 from Meharry Medical and was very passionate during that time College in Nashville, Tennessee. He then about increasing the number of blacks in furthered his training at Homer G. Philmedical school. Dr. Whittico is also cred-

ited with being the first NMA president to successfully invite a sitting president of the United States, Dr. Lyndon B. Johnson, to address the organization.

I could write for days about the many accomplishments of this great man and how he has inspired generations of doctors. Several years ago, his fellow colleagues and I were so impressed with Dr. Whittico that we wanted to honor him by creating a scholarship in his name. This scholarship is given to a medical student who has shown tremendous leadership and has proven their dedication to underserved communities.

The way Dr. Whittico practiced medicine and the way he treated people was an extraordinary gift that he possessed.

He exemplified a level of professionalism that is often lacking in today’s health system. Simply put, Dr. James M. Whittico, Jr., has lived a phenomenal life dedicated to others!

Therefore, please join us and help us give Dr. Whittico his well-deserved recognition and help us to be able to pass on his legacy to the next generation!

Yours in Service, Denise Hooks-Anderson, M.D. Assistant Professor SLUCare Family Medicine yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com

Your Health Matters

A bi-monthly special supplement of the St. Louis American

October 15, 2015 Your Health Matters provides up-to-date information, from an African-American perspective, about one of the most important subjects in evryone’s life – their personal health.

Donald M. Suggs, President and Publisher Kevin Jones, Senior Vice President, COO Dina M. Suggs, Senior Vice President Chris King, Editorial Director Denise Hooks Anderson, M.D., Medical Accuracy Editor Sandra Jordan, Health Reporter Debbie Chase, Director of Health Strategy & Outreach Onye Hollomon, Barb Sills, Pamela Simmons, Sales Michael Terhaar, Art/Production Manager Angelita Jackson, Cover Design Wiley Price, Photojournalist

St. Louis American The

October 15 – 21, 2015

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

For breast cancer patients, there is Gateway to Hope

Page 3

By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American Finances can strain quickly when a family member is in treatment for a major health condition. Such was the case for Staci Owens of Florissant, Missouri. The 38-year-old wife and mother of two was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of this year.

Within 24 hours of learning she had breast cancer; she also found out she needed genetic testing because she was under age 40; learned what happens if hormone markers came back positive or negative; learned about surgery and treatment options; and how much time and how often she would need to be off work. Owens said she left the doctor’s office discouraged.

“I had only been at the job as a nurse for six months, so I had not accumulated FMLA; I had very little accumulated time off; I had no job protection,” she said.

Looking at a summer of cancer treatment and tight funds just added additional stress.

“We have a two-income household.

One income cannot support us.”

A short time later, Owens researched online and found the St. Louis-based breast cancer support organization Gateway to Hope. Its recently launched Insurance Premium Program gave Owens and her family the support they needed while she underwent chemo and surgery.

“It happened after I got my port placed and I started realizing the financial impact of what this was going to look like to my family,” she said.

Owens was looking for assistance because she was going to be out of work – and needed a liaison or someone who could help her find assistance.

“I called Gateway to Hope and one of their nurse managers picked up the phone and she and I talked for 45 minutes to an hour,” Owens said. , “She told me about all that they could do, how they could help me – where they would enter and where they would exit and the type of services they provide and they removed a piece of that financial stress for me.”

The piece of financial stress Gateway to Hope removed for Owens was reimbursing her for the cost of her health insurance premiums.

Funded entirely through corporate and private sector donations, the Insurance Premium Program will assist patients undergoing breast cancer treatment and reconstruction with the payment of health insurance premiums. It is open to individuals who live in Missouri and Illinois who are struggling with resources

Staci Owens recently returned to work as a nurse following breast cancer chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery.

Insurance premium reimbursements from the corporate and privately funded organization, Gateway to Hope, relieved financial strain and stress for her family while she underwent treatment.

Photo by Wiley Price

to help cover their treatment, and who meet the clinical and financial eligibility requirements. Patients accepted into the program are free to choose their insurance plan and their health care provider.

“Our hope is to remove some of the financial burden that comes with a breast cancer diagnosis so that these individuals can focus more of their energy on their health and getting better,” said Dr. David

Caplin, cofounder of Gateway to Hope.

“This initiative allows us to broaden our reach tremendously. The ability for us to

See HOPE, page 5

uly

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Page 4

October 15 – 21, 2015

Affinia Health Care receives grant from ACS and NFL to fight breast cancer

The National Football League’s A Crucial Catch Initiative has provided another year of funding to support increased access to breast cancer education and screening resources in underserved communities through the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Funding from the initiative allowed ACS to award a $50,000 Community Health Advocates implementing National Grants for Empowerment (CHANGE) grant to Affinia Healthcare to increase breast cancer screening rates within St. Louis. Affinia Healthcare was one of 32 grant recipients to receive

grant funding to implement strategies to address the unequal burden of breast cancer within communities across the country.

“The fight against breast cancer begins with awareness and early detection, followed by access to resources,” said Yvonne Buhlinger, MSW, CHCEM / vice president, Development and Community Relations. “Affinia Healthcare serves a diverse community and support is needed to bridge many gaps, ranging from myths, to help with transportation and a caring hand to hold when a result is positive and a diag-

Regional earthquake exercise to take place at Jefferson Barracks Many buildings in eastern and southern Missouri, including the St. Louis area, would likely sustain major damage if a large earthquake struck the state. To prepare for this possibility, structural experts throughout the region will practice their response to a simulated massive earthquake in St. Louis Oct. 16-17.

The event will, conducted by the Missouri Structural Assessment and Visual Evaluation (SAVE) Coalition, takes place at the Jefferson Barracks Post in south St. Louis. The coalition is a group of volunteer engineers, architects and building inspectors who are trained to determine quickly which buildings are safe to use, and which should be evacuated after a disaster.

The Missouri National Guard will host the exercise.

“A major earthquake is the worst-case scenario for structural damage. This exercise will help us determine if we’re ready to handle it,” said Ben Ross, SAVE Coalition Board Chairman. “Our volunteers, along with visiting experts from surrounding states, will quickly deploy to determine whether buildings are safe to enter, or whether families can stay there. Unlike other disasters, an earthquake

occurs without warning, so we’ve got to be ready in advance.”

Nearly 200 participants from Missouri and surrounding states will take part in the exercise. In addition to assessing buildings, participants will test new technology to report the results in real time, to quickly compile and report building conditions to elected officials.

Missouri’s SAVE Coalition includes more than 1,000 volunteers who are available to assist when a disaster such as a tornado or earthquake causes so much structural damage that local officials need help determining the safety of buildings.

The Missouri State Emergency Management Agency helps coordinate activities of the SAVE Coalition, whose members have assisted the state during five disasters, including the May 2011 Joplin tornado.

The New Madrid Seismic Zone, centered in southeast Missouri, produced some of the largest earthquakes ever in the continental U.S. from 1811 to 1812. It is also the most active seismic zone east of the Rocky Mountains, with about 200 minor earthquakes occurring each year. Scientists say there is a 25 to 40 percent chance of a major earthquake occurring in this zone in a 50-year timeframe.

nostic test is needed. This grant affords Affinia Healthcare the opportunity to enhance our fight against breast cancer in all of those fronts.”

The 12-month project began with “A Crucial Catch Day – Your Day to Fight Breast Cancer” on Tuesday, October 13 at Affinia Healthcare (formerly Grace Hill) 2220 Lemp Ave. with breast health education, free mammogram screening appointments and drawings to win autographed St. Louis Ram’s merchandise.

Through the CHANGE program, the ACS provides grant opportunities to increase breast, cervical and colorectal

cancer screening rates in those communities. Since 2011, CHANGE has awarded nearly 350 grants within underserved communities across the country, providing more than 1.3 million outreach and education interactions and over 460,000 cancer screenings.

Since 2009, the NFL has donated $8 million to the American Cancer Society in support of the fight to end breast cancer, funded primarily through the sale of breast cancer retail merchandise and the American Cancer Society is the sole beneficiary of the net proceeds.

SLU enrolls first U.S. patient in rare heart disease trial Earlier this year, investigators at Saint Louis University enrolled the first U.S. patient in a worldwide Phase 3 clinical trial of a medication to treat patients who have a rare form of heart failure due to a gene mutation. The mutation results in transthyretin (ATTR)-mediated familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy, or FAC, a form of heart failure that has been under-recognized until recently. Part of a syndrome called “Transthyretin mutant amyloidosis” or “TTR,” the disease impacts an estimated 40,000 people worldwide but has a higher incidence among African-Americans in the United States.

Paul Hauptman, M.D., a SLUCare cardiologist and professor of internal medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, says the treatment could be revolutionary for those with familial amyloidosis heart disease.

“Right now there are no approved treatments and prognosis for patients is generally poor,” he said. “To have a potential therapeutic option to offer patients is remarkable.”

Hauptman noted that familial amyloidosis is often not considered an initial diagnosis of heart failure and many patients with TTR gene mutations are not correctly diagnosed until months or even years of worsening symptoms.

“Many times it’s not until patients fail to respond to conventional therapy that the diagnosis might be considered,” Hauptman said. “Clues to the possibility that TTR is involved include thickening of the walls of the heart and an unusual appearance of the heart muscle on imaging with echocardiography.”

Patients with familial amyloidosis may have some of the following symptoms: • Heart failure symptoms including shortness of breath, swollen legs, feet or ankles and fluid in the lungs • Abnormal ECG • Enlarged heart • History of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome The ongoing study is sponsored by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the new investigational medication.

This is a double-blind trial, meaning both the investigators and the participants are unaware of the treatment the participant is receiving.

The trial period for each patient lasts 18 months. Patients are evaluated at specific points in the trial at Saint Louis University Hospital; however, the weekly shots are given by a home health care professional.

Clinicians who may have patients with the TTR gene mutation and wish to be evaluated for study participation should contact the office of the clinical research nurse coordinator at 314-577-8876.

Researchers want to enroll about 1,000 patients at 27 sites worldwide.

Participants must be 18 years of age or older, have a history suggestive of cardiac amyloidosis and be willing and able to comply with protocol required assessments.

More information is available at DiscoverMyHeartFailure.com and endeavourtrial.com.

October 15 – 21, 2015

HOPE

Continued from page 3 now be able to provide funding to more individuals who need assistance paying their insurance premiums, in addition to providing donated care and treatment, is revolutionary for our organization.”

Owens conducted regular self-exams and discovered the unusual lump herself.

Her breast cancer was discovered at an early stage; however, testing indicated she had a type of breast cancer that was very aggressive. Doctors recommended chemotherapy prior to undergoing surgery.

“At that point, we had all the tests back and all the genetic testing back and the hormone markers back and I was triple negative with breast cancer,” she said.

Research indicates about 15 to 20

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS percent of breast cancers in the U.S. are deemed triple-negative, which means the three most common types of receptors known to fuel breast cancer growth (estrogen, progesterone and the HER-2/neu) are not present in the tumor. If the targeted receptors are not present, the tumor does not respond to hormonal therapies and medications, and they recur and spread more rapidly than other types of breast cancers. While anyone can have triple negative breast cancer, it occurs more often in young women, African American women and women with the BRCA1 gene mutation.

“My BRCA1 and BRCA2 came back negative, so I do not carry the gene, so I won’t be passing that on to my children.

That was comforting,” she said.

“So I asked my doctor, ‘Can this kill me?’ and he said, ‘Yes, it can, but the hope is that it doesn’t. We are being as

aggressive with this cancer as it is being with you,’” Owens said. She said it was a turning point for her in her treatment and Owens chose a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction.

In addition to insurance premium reimbursement, Owens was a beneficiary of Gateway to Hope’s Thelma’s Gift, which helps ease everyday financial burdens for women and families impacted by breast cancer.

“They give a certain amount of stipend a month for rent, utilities, and also they do gas cards for to and from treatment,” Owens said. “For me it was particularly helpful, because when I was off work … when I had to miss work for chemo – next week, I would not get paid for that.”

After recovering from surgery, Owens recently returned to work as a floor nurse at an area hospital and this is thankful for the love, support, prayers, throughout the

Page 5 process and the assistance of Gateway to Hope.

“This is an organization that truly does help and go to their website and call their number – they will help you in the manner they can help you, because everything is patient-specific,” Owens said. “If they can’t help you, they will point you in the direction that they can.

They helped the Owens family get through a very tough time.

“They are just a phenomenal organization. Just don’t be afraid to reach out to people who want and who are willing and who are able to assist you – and who are genuine in their concern.”

To learn more programs and services, call Gateway to Hope’s Breast Cancer Lifeline at 314-569-1113 or visit www. gthstl.org.

uly

Page 6

Asthma Free asthma and allergy clinic by Saint Louis University students at the HRC, every other Wednesday afternoon 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. by appointment with SLU physician Dr. Raymond Slavin.

The clinic offers allergy skin tests, pulmonary function tests and asthma and allergy education. It is located in the Victor Roberts Building, 1408 N. Kingshighway, between Martin Luther King Drive and Page Blvd. For more information, call 314-720-1522.

Behavioral Christian Hospital offers free and confidential psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations at the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. For more information, call 314-839-3171.

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Health Resources

portvictims.org, visit or call the 24-hour hotline 314-OK-BE-MAD (652-3673) or visit www.supportvictims.org.

Bike helmet safety The St. Louis County Health Department provides free bicycle helmets to St. Louis County residents between ages 1 and 17 by appointment only. Proof of residency is required. For the location nearest you, visit www. tinyurl.freebikehelmets.

Breast Cancer Gateway to Hope offers no-charge medical and reconstructive treatment for uninsured breast cancer patients in Missouri. Contact 314-569-1113.

Christian Hospital Key Program offers support and education to patients with chronic mental illness to prevent increased severity of symptoms and to reduce the need for inpatient re-hospitalization. Call confidentially to 314-8393171 or 1-800-447-4301.

Dental Free Dental Hygiene Clinic - No charge dental exams, x-rays, cleanings and other dental services for children and adults provided by dental students at Missouri College. Patients needing more extensive dental work (fillings, crowns, etc.) will be referred to local dentists. For information, call 314-768-7899.

Crime Victim Advocacy Center provides no cost support for persons affected by criminal acts. Email peggy@sup-

Diabetes CHIPS Diabetes Support Group is open to anyone and meets on Wednesday

October 15 – 21, 2015

evenings from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. For more information, call 314-652-9231.

who are uninsured. For more information, call 314-533-0534.

SSM St. Mary’s Health Center provides free, Diabetes Support Group sessions the second Tuesday of every month from 6 – 7 p.m. to address health management issues. It’s located at Meeting Room 1 on the second floor, 6420 Clayton Rd. in St. Louis. To register, call toll free 866-SSM-DOCS (866-776-3627).

Nutrition Food Outreach provides food, meals and nutritional education/ counseling to eligible persons living with HIV/ AIDS or cancer in St. Louis. For more information, call 314-652-3663 or visit www.foodoutreach.org.

St. Louis Milk Depot - SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital is a breast milk depot for the Indiana Mother’s Milk Bank. Milk Depot staff will store and ship your milk to IMMB. For more information, call (314) 242-5912.

Fresh Food Coop Community Helpings Coop sells fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods at wholesale prices in locations throughout the St. Louis area and Metro-East. For more information, visit www.communityhelpingscoop.com.

Health Partnerships The Center for Community Health and Partnerships: Building Bridges for Healthy Communities works to develop and support beneficial community-academic partnerships to address the health needs of the St. Louis. For more information, email publichealth@ wustl.edu; phone 314-747-9212 or visit publichealth.wustl.edu.

Prostate Cancer The Cancer Center of The Empowerment Network at 6000 W. Florissant in St. Louis provides information on prostate and other types of cancer, and services and support. For more information, call 314-385-0998.

Prescription Cost Help Schnucks Pharmacies – now offers certain prescription prenatal vitamins for free and offers no-cost generic prescription antibiotics at select locations.

Information Missouri 2-1-1 offers referral and information on a wide range of social service and helpful resources. Call 2-11.

Wal-Mart Pharmacies – offer select prescriptions for $4 or less for a 30-day supply or $10 for a 90-day supply.

View the list at www.walmart.com/ pharmacy.

Lupus A Lupus Support Group in North St. Louis County meets the third Thursday of the month from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Community Room #1 at Northwest Health Care, 1225 Graham Rd. in Hazelwood. RSVP to the Lupus Foundation of America at 314-6442222 or email info@lfaheartland.org.

Respiratory Health Free lung function screening - Christian Hospital Breathing Center at Northwest HealthCare, 1225 Graham Rd. For more information, call 314-953-6040.

Free flu shots for patients being treated for an illness or injury at Downtown Urgent Care (314-436-9300), North City Urgent Care (314-932-1213), Creve Coeur Urgent Care (314-5486550) and Eureka Urgent Care (636549-2100).

Medical CHIPS Health & Wellness Center offers no cost medical, dental, psychiatric, chiropractic health care for uninsured children and adults by appointment only. $25 annual fee requested.

For more information, call 314-6529231 or visit www.chipsstl.org.

Boys & Girls Clubs Dental & Vision Clinic at Herbert Hoover Club, 2901 N. Grand, St. Louis. Open yearround for members at no additional fee by appointment only. Teeth cleaning, braces, x-rays, root canals, some extractions; vision mobile unit, comprehensive exam and glasses, if required.

Make an appointment by calling 314355-8122.

Salam Free Saturday Clinic, 10 a.m.

– 2 p.m. at the Isom Community Center at Lane Tabernacle CME Church, 916 N. Newstead, St. Louis, Mo. for those

Sexual Health St. Louis County Health Department offers free, confidential testing, counseling and treatment at the North Central Community Health Center, 4000 Jennings Station Road, St. Louis, MO 63121. For more information, call 314-679-7800.

The SPOT offers private, reproductive, mental and behavioral health services at no charge to youth ages 13-24, Monday – Friday, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. at 4169 Laclede Ave. For more information, call 314-535-0413 or visit http://thespot.wustl.edu.

STI testing and treatment at North City Urgent Care and Downtown Urgent Care. For more information, call 314436-9300.

October 15 – 21, 2015

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Page 7

Dispelling myths about influenza shots

During the flu season, one of the best defenses against influenza that anyone can have is to get vaccinated. This is the twelfth year that Barnes-Jewish Hospital is offering over 20,000 free flu shots to our community in October. Free flu shots are available at multiple locations on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last.

Here are answers to some common myths that prevent some people from getting annual flu vaccines:

Myth 1: The seasonal flu shot can give you the flu Reality: The seasonal flu shot does not contain live influenza virus, so it cannot give you the flu.

The flu virus contained in the vaccine is attenuated, meaning it is a dead virus and is no longer infectious. The nasal mist used as an alternative to the flu shot (FluMist) does contain live flu virus, but the virus was engineered to remove the parts that actually spread the illness.

Myth 2: The flu shot won’t protect me – I was vaccinated last year and got sick anyway Reality: Strains of the flu virus are constantly evolving, so the flu shot you get each season is different from the

one you got the previous year. The CDC tracks the different strains of the flu virus and develops a new vaccine for each season. The seasonal flu shot is designed to protect people from the most common form of flu predicted for the year. If you received a flu shot one year and still got sick, that does not mean the vaccine this year will not protect you.

Myth 3: Flu is only really dangerous to the elderly or the very young Reality: Although those populations may be more susceptible to the deadlier effects of the flu, everyone is at risk of the dangerous effects of the flu.

Prolonged fevers and dehydration from the flu can lead to brain damage and organ failure, even in a healthy adult. In addition to protecting yourself from getting the flu, you decrease the spread of disease for everyone.

Myth 4: I am pregnant, so I should not get the flu shot because it might harm my unborn baby Reality: The CDC recommends that all women who are pregnant during flu season receive the seasonal flu shot.

According to the CDC, influenza is more likely to cause severe illness and death in pregnant women than in

non-pregnant women. The effects of the flu virus on a pregnant woman’s immune system, heart and lungs can endanger her life and the life of her unborn child.

For more information, visit barnesjewish.org/flushots.

Barnes-Jewish free flu vaccine clinics Sun. Oct. 18, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church 5515 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr., St. Louis, Mo. 63112, free onsite parking

63133, free onsite parking

Sun. Oct. 25, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Christ the King Church of Christ 11370 Old Halls Ferry Road, Florissant, MO 63033, free onsite parking Wed. Oct. 28, 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., Shalom Church City of Peace, 5491 Lindbergh Blvd., Florissant, MO 63034, free onsite parking Thurs. Oct. 29, South City Family YMCA 3150 Sublette, St. Louis, Mo. 63139, free onsite parking

Wed. Oct. 21, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monsanto Family YMCA 5555 Page Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. 63112, free onsite parking

Wed. Nov. 4, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., Emerson Family YMCA 3390 Pershall Rd., Ferguson, Mo. 63135, free onsite parking

Fri. Oct. 23, 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., O’Fallon Park Rec Complex 4343 West Florissant, St. Louis, Mo. 63115, free onsite parking

Thurs. Nov. 5, 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., BRIDGE – Centenary United Methodist Church 1610 Olive Blvd. 63103, free onsite parking

Sat. Oct. 24, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Beyond Housing St. Vincent’s Community Center 7335 St. Charles Rock Rd., St. Louis, Mo.

Fri. Nov. 6, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., Carondelet Park Rec Complex 930 Holly Hills, St. Louis, Mo. 63111, free onsite parking

Page 8

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Calendar Thurs. Oct. 15– Fri., Oct. 16, Health Literacy Missouri Tribute Awards & Summit, Doubletree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis. For more information, visit healthliteracymissouri.org.

Sat., Oct. 17, 8 p.m. – midnight, The Breakfast Club’s Pink Posse Roundup for a Cure, St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation Complex, 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Dr., St. Louis 63106. $15 per person. For more information, call 314-972-8883 or email bci@breakfastclub-stl.org.

Sat., Oct. 17, 1 p.m., Older Adults & Winter Weather, at St. Louis County Library, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, 63131, presented in partnership with Saint Louis County Older Resident Programs (CORP). This is a discussion on winter weather preparedness, featuring a panel discussion, audience Q&A and information from community organizations. For more information, call 314615-4426 or visit slcl.org.

Sat. Oct. 18, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Mammothon, Northwest HealthCare, 1225 Graham Rd., Florissant, Mo. 63031.

Reservations required by calling 314653-4333.

Sat., October 24, 2015 at 6 pm., The Dr. James Whittico 100th Birthday Scholarship Gala at the St. Louis Airport Marriott. For more information, contact Dr. Jacaqui Turner @jsturner47@msn.com.

Sun., Oct. 25, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Free Kidney Health Check for ages 18 and older at Saint Cecilia’s Catholic Church Gymnasium, 5418 Louisiana Ave. St. Louis, 63111. Risk factors include diabetes and high blood pressure.

Check includes blood pressure, BMI, educational materials and ACR urine test for albumin for persons at risk for kidney disease. Preregister by calling 314-961-2828 ext. 482, email Suzanne.

McComb@kidney.org or visit kidney. org/KEEPhealthy.

Sat. Nov. 14, Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America St. Louis, 11th Annual Trivia Night, JCC Staenberg Family Complex, Creve Coeur. For more information, visit aafastl.org.

Fridays & Saturdays, 11 am – Noon, Get Pumped! Free Slide/Zumba classes, O’Fallon Park Recreation Complex YMCA, 4343 W. Florissant Ave. 63115.

Sundays, 10 a.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous Group 109 meets in the 11th floor conference room at Christian Hospital, 11133 Dunn Road at I-270/ Hwy. 367. This is an open meeting for alcoholics, drug addicts and their family and friends.

Mondays, 7 p.m. – “Tobacco Free for Life” support group – free weekly meetings at St. Peters Mo. City Hall.

Supported by SSM Cancer Care; RSVP initial participation to 636-947-5304.

Tuesdays, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. – Alcohol and Drug Informational meeting, Christian Hospital, Professional Office Building 2, Suite 401. For information, call 314-839-3171.

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – STEPS Schizophrenia Support Group This nationally recognized program provides education and support for those with schizophrenia. Group is facilitated by an experienced STEPS nurse. For more information, call 314-839-3171.

Free psychiatric and chemical dependency evaluations are confidential at the Christian Hospital Center for Mental Health. Call 314-839-3171.

October 15 – 21, 2015

ADA 25 STL celebrates milestone victory for people with disabilities This year marked the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) an on Saturday, October 3, St. Louis joined cities around the nation in celebrating this landmark legislation with an outdoor festival on the grounds of the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park.

The event included music, food trucks, special museum exhibits, vendor booths, job fair, the Disability Rights Museum on Wheels, the ADA Legacy Project Freedom Bus, and other activities designed to bring together the entire community to learn about disability.

The event was hosted by the Missouri History Museum in partnership with the Starkloff Disability Institute and presented by Centene Corporation.