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St. Louis American The
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
CAC Audited NOV. 28 – DEC. 4, 2024
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A day of reckoning for St. Louis region
By Ashley Winters The St. Louis American
Soledad O’Brien is an award-winning journalist who has long used her powerful voice to champion the fight to erase racism in the United States. On Thursday, Nov. 21, O’Brien was in St. Louis to lead an enlightening panel discussion that’s making its way around the country. Reckoning with Our Racial Past: Conversations for Our Shared Future is a traveling series about the impact of race and racism on communities. The Smithsonian Institution organizes it with the support of Bank of America. Communities across the St. Louis region, and the nation, continue to struggle with racial, social, and economic disparities, including education, housing, jobs, career training, and health. Keondre Harrison said watching the panelists collectively bring their ideas to the conversation around race and building equity across the board is a great start to turn back the decades of trauma and many disparities that have affected Black and
See RECKONING, A6
Vol. 96 No. 34 COMPLIMENTARY
Esther Haywood, champion of families, remembered St. Louis American
Photo by Taylor Marrie / St. Louis American
Gentlemen of Vision kick off the Reckoning With Our Racial Past Panel on 11/21/24 at the Grandel Theater.
The Honorable Esther Haywood of St. Louis was remembered as a fierce civil rights and social justice advocate, bold community leader political pioneer and trusted leader during her memorial service on Monday November 25, at Prince of Peace Church at 9350 Natural Bridge Road. A persistent champion of education, she was also a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, according to her daughter, Esther Haywood spent her entire career fighting for the disadvantaged, the underserved and the downtrodden,” said her Esther daughter Dr. Angela Haywood Haywood-Gaskin. “Whether it was her time as one of a handful of African American teachers helping to integrate the Shelby County Public Schools System, or her time remaining dedicated to her students in E. St. Louis school District 189 for 27 years, or her time on the Normandy School Board. “[She spent] nearly a decade in the Missouri General Assembly as a member of the House of Representatives fighting for working families, and appropriating additional funding for public education
See HAYWOOD, A7
SLPS improves academic scores
Still fully accredited Photo by Taylor Marrie / St. Louis American
11th Ward Alderwoman Laura Keys was among dozens of volunteers who braved a chilly Tuesday morning to help the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Schnucks Markets serve the community by providing over 700 turkeys and side dishes in boxes to recipients during the annual Urban League Turkey Giveaway. Cars began lining up near the Urban League headquarters at 1408 N. Kingshighway Blvd., before 6 a.m. for the noon start and the procession lasted for three hours.
Urban League turkey giveaway feeds 700 families
St. Louis American
Vehicles began lining up along Page Avenue before dawn, awaiting a Thanksgiving turkey and sides thanks to the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and Schnucks Markets. The partners hosted the annual Urban League Headquarters
Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, from noon to 3 p.m., meaning some recipients waited more than six hours to receive the valued holiday meal food Calling it a “cherished community tradition,” Michael P. McMillan, Urban League president and CEO, said 700 families will be provided with turkeys
HEALTH
Palliative care bypasses Black heart disease patients A study by Saint Louis University researchers paints a grim picture for many heart failure patients in America – and the outlook is worse for African Americans.
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for Thanksgiving. “This event is a true testament to the power of partnership and community,” said McMillan, President and CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. “We are deeply grateful to
See TURKEYS, A6
By Alvin A. Reid St. Louis American The St. Louis Public Schools district improved its performance during the 2023 school year, according to data compiled and released by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. SLPS saw its overall Missouri School Improvement Score [MSIP] score rise from 63.2% in the 2023 tally to 65.7% this year. The SLPS score released in 2022 was 63.8%. Among the categories that are examined by DESE are test scores, graduation rates, attendance and “school culture.” A school’s accreditation status is also determined on other factors, While SLPS is improving, it still falls below the 70% level that insures it would remain fully accredited. St. Louis area districts also falling short of the 70% benchmark are Hazelwood (65.7%), Jennings (69.5%), Normandy
See SLPS, A7
SPORTS
Flyers and Crusaders reach state final games
East St. Louis and Belleville Althoff will be trying to bring back state championships to the metro east area this weekend in Illinois on the campus of Illinois State University.
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