I am so blessed to be surrounded by incredible Black women in my life, and I know it is because that sense of pride and comfort with talented and caring women began in my home.

When Bill Lee donned a cheerleader uniform, fake pearls and a wig as part of high school senior year antics, he probably didn’t think the goofy costume would come back to bite him. But, more than 40 years later, the now governor of Tennessee is at the forefront of efforts to ban the innocent…

The Conviction Integrity Unit, established by Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner in her office, flagged the Lamar Johnson case in 2019.  The case illustrates two maladies that afflict American jurisprudence.  

In September of 2022 at the City of St. Louis’ annual Funds Committee meeting, I introduced the Banking for Economic Equity (BEE) Scorecard, which establishes Economic Justice accountability standards for banks that do business with the City of St. Louis. The Funds Committee, made up of the …

Yes, it is true that I will no longer be the Superintendent of the Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) at the end of December. No, I am not finished with my work for the young people of St. Louis.

The case of wrongfully convicted Lamar Johnson will go before Judge David Mason on Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. at St. Louis Circuit Court, in the Carnahan Courthouse, 1114 Market Street, St. Louis, 63101.

On August 3, 1810, Peter Johnson became the first person to be executed by the State of Missouri. By the time the U.S. Supreme Court found the death penalty unconstitutional in 1972, Missouri had already executed 285 people — most by hanging. Since the court reinstated capital punishment in …

The Missouri Supreme Court has set an execution date for Kevin Johnson, who killed a Kirkwood police sergeant at the age of 19.  Johnson is scheduled to die by lethal injection on Nov. 29 at the state prison in Bonne Terre.

Unquestionably, Venus and Serena Williams revolutionized women’s tennis.  With serves that approached the speed of light, fantastic agility, exceptional athleticism, and the grace of gazelles, they changed how women played tennis. 

Accordingly, the first requirement of successful employment is to “show up to work on time.”  My military friends have even explained to me that, “If you are just on time, you’re late!”

State Rep. Shamed Dogan has been the lone Black Republican in Jefferson City for eight years. He truly believes in the values of many conservative politicians and voters. He has proven it by voting for Voter Photo ID, several of the worst gun laws in the country, restrictive abortion laws, c…

While right-wing conservatives celebrate their long-fought victory to overturn women’s reproductive rights to protect the life of an unborn child, liberal lawmakers continue to drag their feet by engaging in infighting over proposed gun laws aimed at protecting every American in danger of lo…

On August 6 in 1880, the Republican candidate for president, James A. Garfield, spoke to thousands of supporters from the balcony of the Republican headquarters in New York City. Ten years before, in 1870, Americans had added the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, making sure that Blac…

I have a basic question that I ask related to policy making and leadership, and that basic question is, is it good for the children? Is it good for the children? If it’s not good for the children, we ought not be doing it.”

There have been at least 214 mass shootings in the United States so far this year.

Every time I view that scrawny, rag-tag bunch of rioting marauders attempting to destroy the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, the history-lover in me gets a bit of anxiety about an unrelated story to the insurrection.

Will Donald Trump be held accountable for the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and what was a multi-layered conspiracy to overturn the results of the presidential election?

Elections have consequences. We saw that with the County Executive election in 2015 and then again in the 2016 Presidential election. When you go into the voting booth August 2nd there are 3 questions you need to answer. Where are we as a community? Where do we go in the future? How do we ge…

The leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft was shocking but not surprising. The writing has been on the wall, in big bold letters, for years. The Court confirmed the authenticity of a draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eviscerate abortion access in the United States. Overturning Roe would b…

Those who would relegate women to second-class citizens and take away their basic autonomy over their own bodies are clear in their focus - and they have been for decades. So, those of us who are determined to protect women's autonomy over their own bodies must at least match, if not exceed,…

I spent a recent morning at a correctional facility having a conversation about gun violence. My audience, a dozen Black teens between 15 and 17, were all awaiting trial for murder. 

There is an axiom in American politics that we get the government we deserve. It is a simple enough concept, but I am generally unconvinced that this is true in a political context shaped by corporate capture, voter disenfranchisement, and antidemocratic electoral structures. And I am quite …

As we close another Black History month, I have been thinking about celebrations that center around those who fought to advance equal rights and freedom for Black and brown people.

With the influx of guns and stand your ground laws, it is increasingly difficult to prosecute cases involving guns in Missouri. Recently a man was killed on his property over grass clippings. According to witnesses, he pulled a gun first and subsequently was killed by one of the individuals …

Today we are witnessing an increased spirit of giving to help underserved communities across the United States. The Black Press of America acknowledges and takes public note of both the responsibilities and the opportunities for corporate leaders to be “Thy Sisters and Brothers Keepers.” Goo…

On Monday, we honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was not a celebration; it was an acknowledgement of the work that Black history makers in St. Louis have done and continue to do to advance his vision for racial justice. Above all else, it was a reminder of how much …

Dear Senator Roy Blunt and Senator Josh Hawley,

I have some great news. 

“There comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression. There comes a time, my friends, when people get tired of being plunged across the abyss of humiliation, where they experience the bleakness of nagging despair. There comes a time when people get …

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton did the right thing when attending the Ahmaud Arbery trial. They demonstrated the Black community’s solidarity when one of us is lynched.

The political and legal movement to criminalize abortion in the U.S. is on the brink of its biggest victory in 50 years. 

Black women leaders have been working on the issue of voting rights, calling for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, the Freedom to Vote Act and the Build Back Better Reconciliation Act, as well as for D.C. statehood.

“In everything give thanks.” That Bible verse can be hard to put into practice. Just by being alive we can be sure of having moments of sadness as well as happiness. When you’re active in politics, you experience both wins and losses. Sometimes it can be hard to feel grateful.

How much do your senators care about voter suppression? How committed are they to our most sacred constitutional right? What have they done, and what are they willing to do to defend it?