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St. Louis American The
CAC Audited FEB. 24 – MAR. 2, 2022
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
Vol. 93 No. 48
stlamerican.com
Arbery murderers guilty of hate crimes Slain man honored in Atlanta
By Isaiah Peters The St. Louis American Marcus Arbery was joined by relatives and friends in a procession through the Brunswick, Georgia subdivision where a trio of white vigilantes killed his son, Ahmaud Arbery, just over two years ago. Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, was in Atlanta on Tuesday as her late son was honored and state lawmakers passed a resolution declaring Feb. 23 Ahmaud Arbery Day in Georgia. Earlier on Tuesday, a predominantly white jury found Travis McMichael, 36; his father, former police officer See ARBERY, A7
COMPLIMENTARY
Commentary
Reflection from a resigning educator
By Anthony J. Kiekow For The St. Louis American
Photo courtesy of the AP
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump holds up the arms of Wanda CooperJones and Marcus Arbery, parents of Ahmaud Arbery, after a jury found three white men guilty of a federal hate crime.
African drummer David Jackson plays a conch shell after homegoing services for well-known poet, writer and civic leader Alice Windom whose casket was draped in a Pan-African flag. Services were held at Leonard Missionary Baptist Church.
Educator resignations are becoming as contagious as any coronavirus variant. On February 6, 2022, I joined the education exodus by submitting my resignation as the director of communications for a school district in suburban St. Louis. Retaining teachers has been a challenge for decades. Typically, teachers leaving the profession is attributed to low salaries. During the pandemic, superintendents, and administrators, who command six-figure salaries, Anthony J. have also joined the growKiekow ing list of those departing education. To prevent irreparable damage to the public education system, we must identify and address why educators at all levels are walking away. I believe unrealistic expectations and a lack of empathy are to blame. As a school communicator, my role is all about storytelling. I love finding new ways to tell positive stories about students. Unfortunately, since March of 2020, I have spent most of my time entangled in nonsensical interactions about COVID-19 with competing factions. On one side, there are people who believe COVID-19 safety measures are intrusive. They have deep-seated anger toward school districts that stems from the closures at the onset of the pandemic. On See KIEKOW, A6
Tenants talk tactics
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
A tribute to Alice Windom
Alice Windom, a fierce advocate for Black liberation, passed on Thursday, February 10, 2022, in St. Louis. She was 85. With her passing, we lost one of our greatest leaders, the likes of whom Missouri had never seen. Alice Windom attended Cote Brilliante Elementary School in St. Louis. She graduated from Sumner High School in 1953. She obtained her Bachelors’ degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, and her master’s in social work degree from the University of Chicago in 1959. Alice Windom was a nationalist, a PanAfricanist, a historian, a sought-after lecturer, and social worker. The quintessential and ratio-
n Alice Windom was a nationalist, a Pan-Africanist, a historian, a sought-after lecturer, and social worker. She was the quintessential and rational voice of logic and sanity. She was fearless.
nal voice of logic and sanity. She was fearless. She believed and fought for Black people’s right to self-determination. She was a relentless “keeper of the flame” in the fight to unite and elevate Black people from the doldrums of colonialism, neo-colonialism, oppression, racial inequities, and humiliation.
HEALTH
The pandemic: If history is an indicator, it’s far from over While the COVID infection rate has recently dropped, physicians fear that it will haunt the nation for years to come.
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By Karen Robinson-Jacobs The St. Louis American
She lived in Accra Ghana from 1962 to 1964 working as a secondary school teacher and a secretary to the Ethiopian Ambassador to Ghana. According to her biography, Alice Windom was part of the historic group of African American expatriates – W. E. B. DuBois, Maya Angelou, and John Henrik Clarke, who lived in Accra, Ghana. In 1964, she helped plan the itinerary for Malcolm X’s historic visit to Ghana. Alice Windom was the link that connected W. E. B. DuBois, the Pan African movement, and Malcolm X. She worked for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from 1964 to 1968 organizing international conferences in seven countries. She served as an organizer
They could have been describing a house of horrors: a leaky roof, black mold, neglected repairs, disrespect. The picture painted of potentially dangerous living conditions came from St. Louisarea tenants, part of a crowd of about 40 gathered in a community room Tuesday for what organizers hope is the beginning of a movement. Billed as a “Renters’ Town Hall,” the event gave tenants – most of them people of color – a chance to talk about current challenges and brainstorm possible solutions. From those concerns, and the residents expressing them, Action St. Louis, a grassroots racial justice organization, aims to build a local “tenants’ movement,” complete with a tenants’ “bill of rights.” “People shouldn’t have barriers based on their gender, their income, race, or anything else, in order to have access to safe, affordable housing,” said Kennard Williams, St.
See WINDOM, A6
See TENANTS, A7
‘Embodiment of Black love, African cultural heritage’ By Walle Amusa For The St. Louis American
Advocacy group encourages action for beleaguered tenants
BUSINESS
SPORTS
Conference delves into community inequities
Prep postseason basketball push is on
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The March 1-2 event will offer practical, and impactful strategies to promote inclusion as individuals and institutions.
The playoffs have tipped off on both sides of the river. See Inside Sports for insight into the great matchups.