Carter G. Woodson wrote the seminal “Education of the Negro” in 1933. He critiqued the educational system of the day and the totality of its devastating impact on black people. The spirit of Dr. Woodson was evoked when I read a commentary on University City schools by Tom Sullivan. The first thing that smacked me […]
Posted inLocal news
‘Partnerships are everything:’ Jeanetta Hawkins is one of two Entrepreneurs of the Year
Jeanetta Hawkins has decorated nearly 4,000 events in her 30 years of running her event decorating and planning business called Personal Touches by Jeanetta, Inc. Yet last October, she found herself in the middle of an event-planning horror story. This time she was the bride. Two weeks before her wedding, an employee from the venue […]
Posted inObituaries
In Loving Memory of Erich Carter Piper
Erich Carter Piper, beloved son of Margaret Carter Piper Whitlock and the late Aaron Cleaves Piper, died on Saturday, November 20, 2018, after a brief illness. He is survived by his mother, Margaret, step-father Vernon Whitlock, long time mate Mary Blacknoll, sister Frances Guerrier, brother-in-law José Guerrier, niece Stéphane Guerrier, several step-brothers and sisters, and […]
Posted inHomegrown black males
From destruction to responsibility
Part of a year-long series, presented by The American and the Brown School at Washington University, on changing the narratives and outcomes of young black males in St. Louis. Growing up, I was told St. Louis makes people tough. It was said people came from all over the country to St. Louis to gain street […]
Posted inBusiness news
Chef Tyler Davis lands sweet gig as executive pastry chef at The Chocolate Pig
Chef Tyler Davis combines technology and creativity as executive pastry chef at the newest dining destination to open in the Cortex District, The Chocolate Pig, 4220 Duncan Ave. He is completely self-taught, being a true creative. He used this creativity in the past as a classically trained cellist, but his passion for feeding people and […]
Posted inLiving It
LeFlore installed as city’s Poet Laureate during City Hall civic ceremony
“As African Americans we have been written out of history, we have our history rewritten,” said Lewis Reed, president of The St. Louis Board of Aldermen. “What this does is that it adds to the official history of St. Louis what Shirley’s story is. We are here this day, to make sure Shirley’s history is […]
Posted inHigh school
Preview of state championship games
Much of the St. Louis high school football community will be convening at the University of Missouri in Columbia for this weekend’s Show-Me Bowl activities. The STL will be represented well as there will be five teams playing for state championships this weekend in what has been a tremendous postseason for area schools. The CBC […]
Posted inLocal news
Desegregating SLU
Saint Louis University is celebrating its bicentennial in 2018, but blacks and women have been admitted to the Jesuit icon in Midtown for barely half a century. Former Congressman Bill Clay was one of 11 black students who first matriculated at SLU in 1949, and The American asked him about his experiences. St. Louis American: […]
Posted inLocal religion
Temple Church of Christ celebrates centennial
The Temple Church of Christ, 2741 Dayton St., will host its Centennial Celebration from Friday, November 30 and Sunday, December 2. It is the oldest Apostolic Church in the St. Louis area. The Centennial theme is “Continuing the Legacy … Embracing the Future.” The current pastor is District Elder Ronald Earl Stephens (2008 – present), […]
Posted inHealth news
Addressing racial disparity in autism outcomes
The Center for Disease Control’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network most recently reported that 1 in 59 children, or about 1.7 percent, have an autism spectrum disorder. Historically, African-American children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder at a significantly lower rate than Caucasian children, but this gap has narrowed: across all network monitoring […]