When I took office on April 20, nearly 100 days ago, I knew that my election to this office was unprecedented. To be a Black woman, a single mother, a native to the North side who still lives there, I knew St. Louis was not used to a leader like me.
There is no question that the future of our community will be tied to the employment opportunities that exist in our area. Especially as we emerge from the traumatic impact the pandemic created for many young men and women across St. Louis, our focus remains heavily on promoting the right wo…
Missouri’s highest court has ruled that the voter-led initiative to expand Medicaid is constitutional, correcting a circuit court ruling and rebuking a Republican legislature that has used every tool in its political toolbox to prevent Medicaid expansion.
The right-wing majority on the Supreme Court just undercut the Voting Rights Act again. Having gutted the section that required pre-approval of state voting laws to protect the rights of minorities to vote in Shelby v. Holder, Republican-appointed justices now have castrated the backup claus…
“The 21st century Jim Crow assault is real. It's unrelenting, and we're going to challenge it vigorously. While this broad assault against voting rights is not unprecedented, it's taking on a new and, literally, pernicious forms. It's no longer just about who gets to vote or making it easier…
St. Louis County will soon receive about half of the $193 million it was awarded from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.
Have you ever known anyone who measured their self-worth by the size of their bank account or by their physical appearance?
The state of Missouri, the “Show Me State,” is in the heart of America.
A year after the death of the great civil rights icon John Lewis, a group of Texas Democratic lawmakers is following Lewis’s lifelong call for people to make “good trouble” and “necessary trouble” to secure equality and justice for all.
During a recent St. Louis Regional Health Commission patient advisory board meeting, the agenda included an update on Medicaid expansion. One of the representatives said, and I quote, “Yes, we need to talk about that. I’m mad.”
During the civil rights movement’s struggle against discrimination and voter suppression in Jim Crow America, the Black Church was a source of refuge and resolve. Today, a new wave of voter suppression laws is targeting Black voters, and new generations of Black clergy are bringing their mor…
During the past year, a reckoning has happened across the country.
For decades, the Black press has been a vanguard of the Black community’s history and guardian of its future. As we sit at a crossroad of progress and regression, hope lies in strengthening this storied institution.
The far-right attack on voting rights is fierce. And the unwillingness of some Senate Democrats to challenge rules that allow a Republican minority to block voting rights bills is making some question whether we can turn back the tide of voter suppression. As the Black Voters Matter Freedom…
For two and a half years, enslaved Black Americans in Galveston, Texas, were both free and not free. According to the soaring words of the Emancipation Proclamation, as of January 1, 1863, they were “thenceforward, and forever free” with the full endorsement of the U.S. government.
Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic movement of civil rights scholars and activists in the United States who seek to critically examine the law as it intersects with issues of race and to challenge mainstream liberal approaches to racial justice. Critical race theory examines social, c…
Paid family and medical leave is getting all the attention right now, and there is no doubt that the United States needs to catch up to the rest of the world. Offering federal paid benefits to parents or caretakers to assist with new child responsibilities or care for those long-term illness…
When I meet people for the first time and hand them my business card, there is almost always that moment of surprise -- that split second when they are creating a scenario in their minds of how I became Chairman and CEO of a highly esteemed community bank.
January 1, 1863, marked the first official day that the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, effectively freeing enslaved people from the bonds that considered them property. However, it wasn’t until nearly two and half years later on June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers visited Galvest…
History is contested because the telling of history is powerful.
A year ago vehement protests were continuing in the light of the murder of George Floyd, 46, by former police officer Derrick Chauvin; while onlookers begged him to stop and fellow police officers stood by, as if giving silent assent.
"The lie of massive, rampant voter fraud is serving the same function today as it did during the rise of Jim Crow. It stokes fear in a segment of the population that democracy is in peril, and thus provides cover for laws that target Black voters with race-neutral language in the 21st centur…
Happy Pride month to Black LGBTQ readers and to all of us who love LGBTQ people!
Access to safe, reliable transportation is about more than just getting from point A to B – it has the potential to open countless possibilities for brighter futures for individuals and communities. But this critical resource is not readily accessible for all our neighbors. We must prioritiz…
Recently the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an opinion piece by Eric Scroggins of Opportunity Trust. In his commentary Scroggins invokes the words “white supremacy” in regard to public education in the St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS).
May 25 marked one year since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis with a police officer’s knee on his neck.
I hope you’ve paid attention to the chatter following the “bombshell” announcement that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms would not to seek another term this Fall.
St. Louis has ushered in a new era by welcoming its first African American woman
Judge Robin Ransom became the first Black woman to be appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court.
While the economy generated 916,000 jobs in March, it only generated 266,000 in April, essentially slowing the previous month’s momentum.
I’m going to give Texas Republicans their props.
Thanks to the voters who elected President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, we now have a Department of Justice that actually cares about justice.
I just had the honor of delivering the commencement address at Tennessee State University.
In the St. Louis region, nearly one in five kids live in poverty, according to the United Way’s Community Needs Assessment released in 2020 – a staggering figure.
Two weeks have passed since Derek Chauvin’s conviction in the murder of George Floyd. But the images from that moment are seared in our memories forever: the murderer, led away in handcuffs; the Floyd family, Philonise Floyd, speaking through tears, at the microphones after the verdict; the …
Chauvin conviction marks a turning point on police accountability, but work remains if the nation is to achieve real justice
The conviction of George Floyd’s murderer is a small step toward accountability in a system that is not designed to safeguard the lives of Black people. Progress toward racial equity will require that we push for accountability in all our systems, places of work, and places of worship. This…
In the long arc of the nation’s history of racially-motivated voter suppression, 2021 will stand as a clear and distinct moment that changed everything that came after.
“Whether you live in Penrose or Holly Hills, South Broadway or Natural Bridge...I will be a mayor for you and your family, whether you supported me or not.”~ Mayor Tishaura Jones
People who care about equal justice under the law should be very happy about President Joe Biden’s first set of judicial nominees.
Once again, we are witnessing an outbreak of gun violence in our region – both mass and individual shootings. We have seen too much of this in recent months, and it is only increasing.
Justice is on trial in the United States.
As leaders of organizations that are committed to racial justice and whose work seeks to counteract myriad forms of neglect, abuse, and systemic oppression in St. Louis, we are keenly interested in any plan that promises jobs, economic investment, and inclusive growth for our region. We beli…
The Souls to the Polls movement encourages African American church attendees to get out and vote. The churches that promote this movement cannot, because of their 501-c-3 status, endorse candidates. They can, however, emphasize the gospel of social and economic justice and preach the gospel …
When I joined The Normandy Collaborative, less than a year ago, I worried that there wouldn’t be an appetite for true reform. My question during the interview process was whether the Normandy Schools Collaborative Board had a commitment to bold change. They assured me that they did and hav…
President Joe Biden has nominated extraordinary women of color to high-level jobs in the Biden-Harris administration. Many of them are being attacked and smeared by the far right. That’s why People For the American Way has launched the #HerFightOurFight campaign.
Since 1987, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has celebrated Women’s History Month to recognize the role women entrepreneurs play in building and strengthening our local and national economies. Women have transformed the face of entrepreneurship across America in both urban and ru…
It is time for a maximum push for a new minimum wage.
