Vashon defeats Webster Groves in battle of defending state champions
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FEBRUARY 19 – 25, 2026
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Vol. 97 No. 45 COMPLIMENTARY
Breaking barriers
Five Black women rise to captain at St. Louis Fire Department By Ashley Winters St. Louis American In a profession where women were once a rarity, six Black women now wear the bars of captain inside the St. Louis Fire Department. Licole McKinney, Jessica Jackson, Pamela Saunders-Isaac, Elizabeth McCormick and Cicely Tucker were promoted this month to fire captain — the first time five Black women have risen to the rank simultaneously. Alongside veteran Capt. Carolyn Moore, they bring the total number of Black female captains in the department to six. The milestone comes nearly four decades after the department hired its first woman firefighter in 1987. Since then, 33 women have joined the ranks. Ten have
The milestone comes nearly four decades after the department hired its first woman firefighter in 1987. Since then, 33 women have joined the ranks.
been promoted to captain, and two have advanced to battalion chief. This year alone, 53 fire officers were promoted: 42 captains — 12 of them Black — and 11 battalion chiefs, none of whom were Black.
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Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
Front row, left to right, Fire captains Licole McKinney, Jessica Jackson and Pamela Saunders-Isaac. Second row, Fire captains Elizabeth McCormick and Cicely Tucker.
Educator Dannielle Davis blends STEM, culture and community By Nia Hightower St. Louis American
Photo courtesy of the AP
The Rev. Jesse Jackson waits while son Jesse Jackson Jr., introduces him to delegates at the United Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 1996, in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention.
A legacy of hope Rev. Jesse Jackson’s voice reshaped America — and echoed in St. Louis
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By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American y the time Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr.’s voice fell silent this week, it had already left an indelible imprint on American history — and on St. Louis, where his words and presence intersected with defining chapters of the region’s struggle for justice. Jackson, the civil rights giant whose voice, presence and moral authority shaped generations of activism, politics and public life, died Tuesday at age 84. “His unwavering commitment to justice, equality and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” Jackson’s family said in a statement announcing his death. “A tireless change agent,
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Betty Thompson and Rev. Jesse Jackson, circa early 1980s.
Dr. Dannielle Joy Davis’ work in St. Louis spans university classrooms, community initiatives and conversations with families shaping how their children learn — even as her scholarship has created opportunities for students on international stages. Colleagues say that reach extends well beyond campus. “She is absolutely a great connector,” said Jimmy Davies, founder and CEO of Every. Black and a longtime collaborator. “She has introduced me to different people over the years.” Davis, a professor of higher education at Saint Louis University, has built her career at the intersection of scholarship, community engagement and cultural responsibility. Her work, she says, is guided by a global understanding of Black experiences. “I think that looking at education through a diasporic lens has strengthened my practice as a leader in the community, as a scholar, as a scholar-activist,” Davis said. That lens has shaped initiatives most visibly Dannielle through the Circle of Davis Excellence Network, a series of STEM-related programs Davis created to support underrepresented youth in grades 6-12, that also focuses on homeschooled students. Through the network, Davis consults with more than 200 homeschooling families in the St. Louis region. About 3% of K-12 students in the U.S. are homeschooled, according to the Pew Research Center. Of households that homeschool, 12% identify as Black, according to U.S. Census data. Davis believes many families choose
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