Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt recently released the 2018 Annual Report on vehicle stops, and once again people are outraged by the raw data. Currently, Missouri uses Census data as the benchmark for determining what the raw data means. Census benchmarking is inexpensive and uncompli…

The proposed demolition of the Wellston Housing Authority, a public housing development that serves almost entirely Black St. Louisans, paired with an insufficient plan for maintaining the Wellston community repeats a troubling pattern of disinvestment in historic black neighborhoods. We cal…

Ask Farragut Elementary School fifth graders to name the first African-American licensed pilot, and they will tell you Emory C. Malik. How do they know? The answer is an exciting, interactive curriculum and great community partners.

After having just completed my very first session as a freshman legislator in the Missouri House of Representatives, I wanted to share some thoughts and observations.

We’ve all seen them. Driving around our city, they stick out—and not in a good way. You could say they’re broken, dilapidated or run-down.  You could also call them what they are: a nuisance.

Mr. Governor, take your fingers out of Missouri’s vagina.

The decisions made in the Missouri State Legislature at the end of this past legislative session will serve as a stain on America’s history of progress and equality.

North St. Louis is a living testament of a city in decay. There have been five people shot in the 4000 block of Shreve and Kossuth in one night with four now dead. There was another death in the 4800 block of Kossuth and another man shot in the leg on Shreve and Anderson – all within less th…

The Missouri Legislature just concluded session. It can be difficult to keep up with the many changes and shifts that occur in our state’s Capitol. Everyone is aware of the nationally publicized house bill 126 that limits abortions at eight weeks from conception. This is a blatant attempt to…

The National Urban League’s 2019 State of Black America report, “Getting 2 Equal, United Not Divided,” an unprecedented examination of the state of the black vote, was unveiled this week amidst a new push in Congress to protect voting rights and secure democracy. 

It is with sadness that I announce this will be my last session in the Missouri House of Representatives. This was a difficult decision that I have made for the sake of my health, particularly mental.

When I look at the immigrant child – a beautiful, young, seven-year-old girl – my heart breaks. They showed her picture over and over again on the news, and I looked at that little girl and thought of my biracial granddaughter of the same age.

I want to applaud St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones’ decision to raise the minimum wage to $15 for the working people of her offices. Her decision will lift families and communities across St. Louis and shows fellow elected leaders that supporting working people takes more than talk – it…

We can all objectively recognize that the current state of St. Louis city and county is unsustainable. The original sin of the City-County Divorce in 1876 has scarred our region. It has divided us economically, politically and morally. It has forced our municipalities to race each other to t…

As a member of Better Together’s City-County Governance Task Force, I concur with the general sentiment that our cause needs a serious restructuring.

Protecting fair, impartial adjudication is always essential and, for African Americans, now more than ever. Courts protect the rights of everyone, including businesses, individuals and even people who do not have access to the courts. Courts do this by making sure both sides are heard – whet…

The idea for a new park in Ferguson – Halpin Park, at 7533 Halpin Dr. – generated from a conversation Ella Jones, Ferguson City Council member for Ward 1, had with one of her constituents regarding an existing park (at 7486 Halpin Dr.) in Ward 3.  The Ward 1 resident expressed concerns about…

Imagine the following headline: "President Trump denies equitable funding for all children." If this story were real, the outrage and grandstanding would be unconstrained and land prominently in our daily automated news feeds. While the president has no involvement, this injustice has existe…

On April 15, I joined Washington University in St. Louis graduate workers and housekeepers in protest for a $15 wage and childcare for more than 1,000 working people on campus. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, we held a sit-in at Wash U Chancellor-Elect Andrew Martin’s office to bring …

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, establishes civil rights standards for educating students from historically underserved populations – like children of color, students with disabilities and those learning English a…

There are a lot of challenges facing the City of St. Louis, from crime, to affordable housing, economic development and more. While there are many daunting challenges facing our city, there is one that I believe we can accomplish in the near future – one that doesn’t need funding, but the ex…

As a black person it seems often in this world of today that we matter less, not more, and I wonder how do we really make a difference and what is that difference all about.

April is Fair Housing Month, when the nation celebrates the Fair Housing Act which was passed in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination 51 years ago. At a time of increasing racial division, a rise in hate crimes, and persistent disparities in the housing market, we must reco…

The National Urban League is proud to congratulate Lori Lightfoot, not only the first black woman elected as Chicago’s mayor, but the first openly LGBTQ person to serve in that office.

As an educator for 17 years with Saint Louis Public Schools, my role has consisted of being engaged and interactive with many children. This role has helped me understand and realize my purpose in life. I have been chosen by God to also educate women in who they are by building up their self…

When the St. Louis police arrested David Dixon in January, the judge set his bail at $30,000. Unable to pay, he was first held for six days at the city’s Justice Center and then moved to the Medium Security Institution, more commonly known as the Workhouse.

The Medium Security Institution (known as “the Workhouse”) is an obsolescent facility and closing it is both fiscally and morally responsible. 

Lately, I’ve found myself in a very odd and uncomfortable position. Although I consider myself an independent thinker and writer, many of my political positions lean liberally left. Imagine how uneasy it is for a guy like me to side with mostly Republicans on a very contentious issue: Title …

Does St. Louis take claims of racism seriously? Recall Blues Coach Craig Berube admitting to calling his black player an animal with “no racist intent?” As a consequence, Berube forfeited a game and lost some of his salary. If this bleak response flies, imagine what happens with lower-profil…

On March 13, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson issued Executive Order 19-04 establishing the Missouri School Safety Task Force. It is charged with conducting a statewide analysis of school safety and developing comprehensive, coordinated, and effective recommendations for school safety.

No human being should have to stay in jail because of poverty. Yet, every night people in the City of St. Louis, Missouri, and throughout the country sit in jail without being convicted of a crime, simply because they are poor – because they don’t have enough money to make bail.

You’re looking at a miracle. I had open heart surgery and two strokes.

In just a few weeks, we are asking the voters of the Ferguson-Florissant School District to be a part of history.

St. Louis city is in trouble, and the people who live in the city are in dire need of rescue. Mayor Lyda Krewson and St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger want to make changes to our city that a lot of black people know nothing about.

I spent the first years 19 years of my life residing in the Samuel Gompers Housing Projects in East St. Louis. During my earlier childhood years, I remember my neighborhood being a place where parents and elders looked out for the safety and nurturing of all children in the community.

CHICAGO – Finally, a spot of good news for a beleaguered city that has long been known as a hotbed of racism and government-sanctioned segregation: the promise of Chicago's first black, female mayor.

David Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, is a man of faith who has donated millions of dollars to medical, cultural and educational institutions and local nonprofits. He was named in a series of news stories alleging that he is funding a dark money group that intends to …

So here we are again, attempting to heal from another brutal and divisive election which was fought amongst Democrats. The March 5 Democratic primary in St. Louis was another example how the two-party system with winner-takes-all voting is not only hurting our city but destroying democracy. …

“Defenders of the status quo – advocates of the gun industry and the politicians paid to defend it – will tell you that events like these are virtual acts of nature, products of mental illness or bad parenting, beyond our ability to control,” said former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, responding …

A group of researchers at the Center for Health Economics and Policy at Washington University, including myself, recently analyzed the fiscal impact of a potential Medicaid expansion in Missouri from a state budgetary perspective. The report represents a non-partisan estimate of the direct i…

A school board holds great power when it comes to decisions with great local impact. Where the school goes, the community goes. Look no further than the Ferguson-Florissant School District.

Florissant is the oldest and largest city in St. Louis County, and only Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis and St. Charles are older in the entire Louisiana Purchase Territory. Founded by the Spanish governor of the Louisiana Territory in 1786, Florissant is older than St. Louis County, older than th…

Some things are so obvious they go without saying. Others, despite their obviousness, need to be said clearly and loudly. Judging by the sheer number of conversations carried out in hushed tones over the past few months, this piece falls into the latter category.

For hundreds of years, America’s criminal justice system has persecuted people of color. Across the political spectrum, people now know we need change. It’s time to reform our justice system, and St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is working to do just that.

My son, Michael Brown, did not volunteer to be a catalyst for change. But, for many, my son’s death was their first glimpse into the harsh realities of race and justice in America. When we remember Michael’s life and tragic death, we are reminded of just how much change we need in the St. Lo…

Metro Transit is heading into the final stretch in the development of its Metro Reimagined plan, which will impact MetroBus routes throughout St. Louis and in St. Louis County, including many that serve residents in the federally designated Promise Zone. Metro is to be commended for doing so…