Family members of Kennedy Holmes test positive for coronavirus
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited APRIL 2 – 8, 2020
92 years serving, empowering and advocating equity in St. Louis
Vol. 92 No. 2 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
‘North St. Louis deserves to be tested’ Black St. Louis left behind in COVID-19 testing, supplies By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American CareSTL Health received an alert in late February regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. As a federally qualified health center (FQHC), CareSTL got word that they needed to put their emergency response plans in place and get ready to be emergency responders, if needed. CareSTL Health has four locations in North St. Louis city, where the residents are overwhelmingly African-American. And the
Angela Clabon
health centers don’t turn anyone away. “It was a normal process for us to actually set up a COVID-19 preparedness team, and that’s what we did,” said Angela Clabon, CEO of CareSTL Health. “But what we were not expecting was to have a lack of supplies and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) that made it very difficult for us to respond. And we are still in that space.” As the St. Louis region began confirming positive cases on March 7, CareSTL immediately volunteered to provide a testing site and facility. However, it only received five testing kits — a total of five tests — on March 20,
n “We were not expecting to have a lack of supplies and Personal Protection Equipment that made it very difficult for us to respond. And we are still in that space.” – Angela Clabon, CareSTL Health
See TESTING, A7
october 6, 1921 – mArch 27, 2020
Rev. Dr. Joseph Echols Lowery passes at 98 ‘Dean of Civil Rights Movement,’ co-founder of Southern Christian Leadership Conference By Chris King For The St. Louis American The Rev. Dr. Joseph Echols Lowery, who was hailed as the “dean of the Civil Rights Movement” upon his receipt of the NAACP’s Lifetime Achievement Award, made his transition peacefully at home on Friday, March 27, at the age of 98, the Lowery Institute confirmed. He was surrounded by his daughters. Dr. Lowery had assumed and executed a broad and diverse series of roles over the span of his nine decades: community organizer, pastor, servant, The Rev. father, husband, freedom Dr. Joseph fighter, non-profit leader Echols and, always, advocate for Lowery justice. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, on October 6, 1921, he became a civil rights advocate in the early 1950s, when he headed the Alabama Civic Affairs Association, which led the movement to desegregate buses and public accommodations. In 1957, with friend and colleague Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he was a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He served as vice presSee LOWERY, A6
Pandemic burials Photo by Wiley Price
Fishing through the pandemic Allie Sullivan enjoys a nice day outside fishing while practicing social distancing at the lake in O’Fallon Park, Friday, March 27. Sullivan has been fishing at the park in the O’Fallon neighborhood for the last 10 years.
Federal court asked to protect jail inmates from COVID-19 A coalition of local and national civil rights organizations have asked a federal judge to take action again in ensuring that St. Louis residents aren’t being held in city jails because they can’t afford to pay cash bail. “With the spread of this virus and the unique public health threat posed by prisons and jails, it is more critical than ever to ensure that no one in this region is jailed for their poverty and without the process they are due,” said Blake Strode, executive director of ArchCity Defenders. “Unfortunately, we know that many are.
n “This danger is a result of the close quarters in which people are held, poor sanitation practices, lack of ready access to supplies for hand-washing and other steps to prevent transmission.”
The communities we serve are disproportionately and adversely impacted by this crisis, and we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to help mitigate that harm.” In June 2019, a federal judge ordered that
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
cash bail in the city of St. Louis was unconstitutional. As a result, 119 St. Louis residents who were being held, pre-trial, on account of not being able to afford their cash bail were released. Now as the region faces a dramatic increase of COVID-19 cases in Missouri (the state’s number of reported cases crested 1,000 this week), the virus is expected to have a “deleterious impact” on jail populations in the Medium Security Institution (known as the Workhouse) and City Justice Center, the coalition said. On Monday, March 30, the coalition filed motions asking the federal judge to issue a
Cemeteries have been compelled to change procedures for committal ceremonies during the COVID-19 pandemic by practicing social disn “We know we tancing. While the way each cemetery have to do this carries out its direcfor the health tive may vary, each of the common has the comfort, safety and health of good,” DeWitt said. “It is going families, officiants and burial workers to prolong cloin mind. sure.” At St. Peters’ Cemetery – Matthew DeWitt in St. Louis, Superintendent Bill Baumgartner said during this pandemic they are following everything recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or ordered by elected leaders. They are limiting employees and those
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‘Exposure to this virus should not be based on one’s financial circumstances’ By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Cemeteries make changes to graveside services in response to COVID-19