Robert Kirkland serves the community through food
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
91 years serving, empowering and advocating equity in St. Louis
CAC Audited FEB. 27 – MAR. 4, 2020
Vol. 91 No. 49 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
Alderman Sam Moore passes at 71
SALute to Young LeAderS
‘Ten years of black excellence’ 2020 Young Leaders saluted with passion Mistress of ceremonies Rebeccah Bennett was pleasantly surprised when families at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 10th annual Salute to Young Leaders took her encouraging a “that’s my baby!” response to honorees and raised it to the next level.
By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American Mikel D. Whittier was the final name to be called as part of the 2020 cohort at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 10th annual Salute to Young Leaders on Thursday, February 20. His uncle, Casheam Bridges, could not hold his peace. “I want to say something,” Bridges shouted, interrupting the rousing applause that came Whittier’s way. He wasn’t on the podium. He was in the audience. After yelling out, “That’s my nephew!” Bridges took the liberty of a moment to express just how proud he was of Whittier, See YOUNG LEADERS, A6 Photo by Wiley Price
Marching MLK for peace The Peace Be Still coalition, led by James Clark of Better Family Life, marched down Martin Luther King Boulevard in North St. Louis at night on Monday, February 24 to kick off a week of advocacy for peace. A parallel march was held at the same time down Martin Luther King Boulevard in East St. Louis.
No homeless student left behind DESE, Riverview Gardens agree to improve services to families in transition Scott C., a junior at Riverview Gardens High School, loves to play football and can play the saxophone, violin, piano, and guitar. However, in his freshman year, he was not able to participate in school activities because of his absences. That year, he missed almost 120 days because he was homeless — and the school district allegedly did not properly register him for classes or transportation, according to the August 2018 federal lawsuit filed against the Riverview Gardens School District and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The other student named in the federal
By Chris King and Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Longtime Alderman Samuel L. Moore III, who represented St. Louis’ Fourth Ward in North St. Louis, passed away Tuesday, February 25 at the age of 71. “When he didn’t make it this year to the candlelight service, I knew he was sick,” said Jeanette Culpepper, his lifelong friend, who hosts an annual New Year’s Eve vigil for victims of gun violence. “We grew up at church together from kids,” Culpepper said. They worshipped at Williams Temple Church of God in Christ. “When his father got his own church, and my father got his, we still stayed together up under the bishop at Williams Alderman Temple,” Culpepper said. Samuel L. Current Williams Moore III Temple COGIC Senior Pastor Bishop Lawrence Wooten was still weeping quietly when reached in Atlanta, where he is attending a COGIC meeting and heard the news. “He was a very close friend,” Bishop Wooten said. “We worked together for the betterment of our neighborhoods and communities. “He was a genuine, loving person, a caring person.” Bishop Wooten remembered Moore as See MOORE, A7
Photo by Wiley Price
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Bishop Wooten: ‘He was a great humanitarian and lover of people’
n “This settlement will help address the disproportionate impact of educational deprivations on communities of color.” – Luz María Henríquez of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
lawsuit is Miles M., who loves physics and hopes to design a video game one day. But his academic success was hampered as a freshman
when he missed several months of school because he was homeless. As with Scott C., the lawsuit claims that the school allegedly violated the federal McKinney-Vento Act, which requires school districts to enroll homeless students and provide transportation, as well as offer the necessary academic, mental health and wellness support systems needed to succeed. Now the two students’ stories have changed the way the school district and the state will be addressing homeless students. “It is incredibly important to me that the district and state understand the challenges my family and I faced and the barriers I had to deal with while just trying to get a good education,” Miles M. said. See HOMELESS, A6
McKee’s finances questioned at E&A City wants answers on whether small hospital could accept Medicare and Medicaid By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Developer Paul McKee Jr.’s hospital project in North St. Louis caused yet another stir at the Board of Estimate & Apportionment meeting on Wednesday, February 19. The developer — who is currently embroiled in litigation with the City of St. Louis for defaulting on his NorthSide Regeneration development agreement — asked the Board of E&A for an extension on its deadline to NorthSide has sufficient financial backing for the hospital. The original deadline for the project was on December 31, and McKee’s team asked See McKEE, A7