Those looking for the who, the what and the WEAR need to turn the page – or click your mouse – back to the front of Living It. I won’t be repeating myself except to make it clear that the unofficial theme for The St. Louis American Foundation’s 39th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala was “So Fresh and So Clean.” We showed up at the new venue (St. Louis Union Station Hotel) and – in the words of social critic and scholar Clifford Harris, “Let ‘Em Know.” The good clothes the folks flexed with were top tier! Okay, let’s get into the afterparty. If the Education Salute crowd don’t do anything else, please know that we are going to slide. It can be “The Wobble,” “The Cupid Shuffle,” “The Fantasy Slide,” or the “Tamia Slide.” Trust, they all are getting done. Speaking of the Tamia, the fact that it was so dark up in that afterparty space was a blessing and a curse. The curse is that I got caught up in my train during the Tamia slide and was spinning like the Union Station Ferris Wheel before I caught myself. The blessing was that nobody could see me well enough to capture any footage – and I didn’t actually hit the ground, or have to hit my Life Alert button – so I’m safe to come back and pull out all the stops for Salute 40 next year. I don’t have the date yet, but trust that I will let you know as soon as I find out – and it will be epic!
Rakim’s rewind. Now you already know that Salute is going to get top placement, even if it messes with the chronological order of my weekend. That being said…on Salute eve I hit up City Winery to check out the God MC aka Rakim. Aside from Technician The DJ begging for wings and sparkling water on stage from the DJ booth, I had the time of my life. Can somebody tell me the secret for what has kept Rakim looking so young? He said over and over during the show that he was only 34 – and that’s the age that he sees when he looks in the mirror. If I didn’t know for a fact that he’s closer to 68 than he is to 34, I would believe him. And not only did he look good, he sounded even better. If I didn’t know better, I would say that he has a time machine that allows him to go and grab 1988 Rakim whenever it’s time to do a show. But for real, I’m convinced that those vintage hip hop acts that managed to stay in mint condition will be able to blaze the stage forever. He got it all the way in. And to the tall brother in the fedora who decided that he was Rakim’s unpaid hype man, I hope your performance was worth me having a crook in my shoulder from having to lean my whole body over and watch the show from under the table because it was the only way you weren’t blocking my view.
A round of applause for the Diamond Divas. If my concealer wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do and y’all saw a hint of baggage under these eyes, it was because after I caught the Rakim’s late show at The City Winery, I made my way to the Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation’s 6th Annual Domestic Violence Rally & Walk Saturday morning in the Mangrove. It was a sea of purple – and support – as the community rallied to raise awareness during Domestic Violence Awareness month. They had the whole Mangrove on lock. There were moments of raw emotion when folks shared their testimonies, but there was also plenty of fun and fellowship. I plan to make the Diamond Diva walk a part of my annual calendar.
Photo by Videll TheDesigner
Hitting up HSSU homecoming. Am I the only one who feels like Harris-Stowe’s Homecoming 2026 is gonna hit a bit differently thanks to “A Different World.” Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been to plenty – and each one I’ve attended has been a vibe. But I’m eager to see what the Thursday night bonfire is talking about. And you already know what the Midwest MarchDown is capable of. I can’t wait to say I told you so, because “Camp Stowe” (this year’s theme) is about to be litty lit lit! Visit www.hssuhomecoming.com for the details.