We came. We saw. We Saluted! The only thing I love more than being right is being able to be right AND say I told you so. And that’s exactly what I get to do as I give my Salute rundown! Aside from me having to drive all the way to my Aunt Louise’s house and wake her up so she could help me out of my dress, I have not a single complaint about the St. Louis American Foundation’s 38th Annual Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala. The gala was glamorous, elegant and distinguished. And the after party was even more lit than I guaranteed it would be! Napoleon Dynamite wishes he could work it like Webster University Suggs Scholar Elias Tanuess! He turned America’s Center out! When I tell you he was on the dance floor from the first song until the very last one, understand that it is not an exaggeration. Lord, I miss the days when my bladder would allow me to do anything all the way through without a bathroom break involved. But anyway, he needs a dance scholarship along with that Suggs scholarship after how he put it down Saturday night. My, my new unofficial get down godson Elias wasn’t the only dancing machine at Salute this year. Former Mayor Tishaura O. Jones was giving life as she was getting it in. The turn up was real! She debuted her sister locs at Salute – and let that hair down, both proverbially and actually. But honestly, how could anyone resist? DJ Kut, DJ Homicide and DreCo were a dream team when it came to keeping the party cracking! One of my favorite moments was watching the baby stampede that took place as folks did a mad dash to the dance floor for “Boots on the Ground,” had me hollering on the inside. You would have to if you almost got knocked over by a woman of a certain age in an evening gown and kitten heels trying to run to the dance floor while flicking her hand to the beat as soon as she heard, “Where them fans at?”
Salute to excellence in fashion. I know I tortured y’all with that first item, because the reason you came here is to see who wore what. Nearly everyone in the building was “so fresh and so clean” so I know I’m going to accidentally leave some people off. Charge it to my head and not my heart. Let’s start with the undisputed champion of fashion for the Salute 38. Three words. Mary Elizabeth Grimes! Stellar Performer in Education and Fashion is how she will be entered into the Salute history books. Carol Daniel said she is going to get her body snatched so she can steal that glorious black gown. And if I could consistently stay on somebody’s Peloton, Carol would have to fight me for it! Even though she probably wears Oscar de la Renta to the grocery store, I still wasn’t expecting to be gagged like that! Alright, let’s get into the rest of the stunners! I’ve decided to break them down by category, so I won’t get so deep into my descriptions that I won’t have room to name all the people I have in mind.
Shimmering sistas. Le’Erin Wagner, Dr. Kaci Shahid and Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith.
Green Goddesses. Kira Cobb, Brittanie Skye, Erika Wilson, Dr. Cierra Wourman and Gabrielle Young. Was it me, or did it feel like there were enough shades of emerald at Salute this year to reenact that one scene from “The Wiz?”
Black like the omen. Jasmine Furr, Nicole Shurn, Charmaine Aaron, Jeanetta Hawkins, Janet Williams, Monique Abby and Raphaella Prange (she had a pop of gold, but still…).
The youngsters. E’Sabel Merriweather, Dadra Smith and Reyla Green (her personality won me over).
Couples of cuteness. Dr. Flint and June Fowler, Wayne Haley and Camille, Cornell Thirdkill and Taydrea Moore, Leah and Jason Spiros and Dr. Michael and Channon Peoples. Channon, those purple gloves to match your husband’s velvet tux destroyed me in the best way possible!
A family affair. Danielle Smith, Path Smith Thurman and Solomon Thurman, Toni Bailey and Errin Braddock and The Peoples (as in the rest of Dr. Peoples’ family)
Red.Hot.Fire. Tishaura Jones, Nicole McConnell and Josephine Drake
Distinguished gentlemen. Brandon Williams, Ono Ikanone, Melvin Moore, Michael McMillan, Dr. Michael Triplett, Shannon Rochon, Carlos D Shae and Travis Rainey – Sir, that African print tux jacket and bowtie were absolutely everything!
Farewell Prime 55. I spent the last two weeks a nervous wreck about the possibility of losing The Ambassador, it never crossed my mind that another staple establishment would go to glory on me! When I found out on Facebook that one of my favorite Black-owned eateries would be bowing out of the restaurant scene, I was utterly shook to capacity. Was I the only one grieving the late, great Orlando Watson all over again? I was in my feelings like Drake. Well, not exactly like Drake, but you get my drift. Him and Tony “T-Luv” Davis did a beautiful thing when they introduced the St. Louis region to their unique take on the Black upscale dining experience. And I honestly thought that once they passed the five-year mark that they would be around forever. Well, not forever, but you know what I mean. If somebody had given me the slightest clue that they were closing down, my deep freezer would be full to the brim with their crab cakes and shrimp and grits! Everything must change, and nothing lasts forever. We had some good times – particularly the times when St. Louis stars Cedric The Entertainer and Nelly came through and turned the spot out with events, and when the legendary entertainment reporter Kevin C. Johnson was surprised with a party and a proclamation. Because I know T-Luv, I know that this was the best business decision. I want to shout out the whole Prime 55 team, and the patrons, who kept it around for six years – which we all know is a major win in the “here for lunch, gone by dinner” restaurant industry.