Pride of the East Side
Staci Yandle confirmed to federal bench, local entrepreneur opens McDonald’s
Amid the news regarding military upheaval in Iraq, the recent confirmation of East St. Louis native Staci Yandle to the federal bench may have been easily buried in the national headlines and was certainly downplayed by most local media. But, in the now infamous words of Vice President Joe Biden, “This is a big #%@ deal.”
If, a few years down the road (say, under a Hillary Clinton presidential administration), we find Staci being considered for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court then you’ll understand what I mean.
Staci, a local attorney, who happens to be openly lesbian, was nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois by President Barack Obama at the recommendation of Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), another ESL native.
Durbin praised Yandle, whose stellar legal reputation for representing “the little guy” is reflected in her rating of “unanimously qualified” from the American Bar Association.
She is a dignified woman from a distinguished family. Her mother and sister were present and recognized by Yandle during her confirmation hearing, as was her late father, Robert Yandle who, coincidentally, was one of my 5th grade teachers. Mr. Yandle gave me my appreciation for jazz by playing it during our classes. Her brother, Brian Anthony, is a well-known radio personality who formerly worked in the St. Louis market.
You may have also missed the story of Jimmy Williams, another East Boogie homeboy and president of the McDonald’s African-American Consumer Market. As an entrepreneur, Jimmy owns multiple area McDonald’s restaurants and recently acquired, remodeled and re-opened his newest McDonald’s in his hometown, at 25th and State Street.
The grand re-opening included local leaders and community members, including Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee. “This is a business decision, but in many ways, a personal decision,” Williams said. “I’m from East St. Louis, and wanted to be a part of the regeneration of East St. Louis.”
If that wasn’t enough, Williams (whose father, the late James Williams Sr., was elected as the first African-American mayor of ESL back in 1972) has partnered with other St. Louis and Metro East McDonald’s owners to provide $75,000 in college scholarships to 25 deserving local students. It’s in keeping with McDonald’s business model of giving back and paying it forward.
As a proud native of ESL, I am encouraged by these achievements by Staci and Jimmy and suspect that they will serve as a continuous source of pride and encouragement for East Boogie when the headlines on the evening news or in the local newspapers cast “the 618” in a not-so-flattering light.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com; Twitter@JamesTIngram.
