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SLPS moves forward to preserve Sumner
Transforming school into ‘arts and activism’ institution
COMPLIMENTARY
Cori Bush appointed vice chair of judiciary subcommittee Wants radical love and compassion to replace a system that prioritizes incarceration and punishment
By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American
By Sophie Hurwitz Of the St. Louis American Ever since the historic Sumner High School was slated for closure in late 2020, community members have been rallying to save it. In Tuesday night’s St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education meeting, a motion was unanimously passed to move towards that goal by re-conceptualizn Sumner will ing the school as an not be with“arts and activism” out obstacles, focused institution. despite these Local arts organizations community 4TheVille, the St. collaborations: Louis Shakespeare its current Festival, The enrollment is Black Rep, and the down to 225 from Center for Creative Arts(COCA) will a peak of over be providing arts 2,000 decades related enrichment ago, and profiprogramming to the students at Sumner ciency rates on starting in the fall. standardized In addition tests in reading to 4theVille and and math among the Shakespeare those students Festival, the Sumner Recovery are low. Plan proposal was drafted and submitted by three alumni groups led by Jacqueline Vanderford (Sumner High School class of ’63), Michael Blackshear (class of ’77) and Dr. Robert L. Salter (class of ’68), respectively. “Sumner is one of the most important historic institutions in the State of Missouri. Its legacy transcends any neighborhood, school district, or municipality. Its vitality depends greatly on how we as a region decide to come together and nurture the institution,” said Aaron Williams of 4theVille upon submitting the proposal. “In 1907, the Colored Citizens of St. Louis made it clear that the institu-
Vol. 92 No. 50
Photo by Jennifer Sarti / St. Louis American
Sumner alumni Ronald Gregory ‘57 and brother of comedian and activist Dick Gregory, speaks at the SOS - Save Our Sumner event on Sunday, Feb. 28. tion of Sumner High School should be the standard bearer of how we prepare our next generation. Our effort is a continuation of that spirit. This opportunity has the potential to welcome a new standard for our education system.” The plan will begin as a three-year trial
run, during which four new student pathways will be provided: Music, Dance, Art, and Activism. During that time, in order to remain open, the school must increase enrollment by 10% annually by building more engaging pro-
See SUMNER, A7
U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) was made vice chair of the House Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security on Wednesday. “The people of St. Louis sent me to Congress to legislate in defense of Black lives and to be a voice for all those who have been dehumanized, displaced, and disregarded,” Bush wrote in a release. “For too long, our criminal-legal system has prioritized incarceration over justice, punishment over rehabilitation, and profit over people. If we want a system that truly delivers justice, we must replace the racism and white supremacy that has dictated our criminal law for decades with radical love and compassion for every person.” Bush noted that the St. U. S. Rep. Louis Metropolitan Police Cori Bush Department continues to lead the nation in police killings per capita and that the city’s path forward “requires leading with love – which means fighting for transformative policies, from decarceration to abolishing the federal death penalty and ending racial wage and health gaps once and for all.” The subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Federal Criminal Code, drug enforcement, sentencing, parole and pardons, internal and homeland security, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, prisons and criminal law enforcement. “St. Louis, we have the opportunity to make that change. I’m grateful to Chairman Jerry Nadler, Subcommittee Chairwoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and my colleagues for trusting our movement and trusting me—a proud activist in the fight for Black lives—as a leader on our committee.” Bush is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee in mid-December, at which time she said the appointment had been a long-time goal of hers, being something Bush said she aspired to since she first ran for office in 2016.
SLACO works to register, educate ahead of April election By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American The St. Louis Association of Organizations (SLACO) has worked with 33 neighborhoods since March 1 to register 25 new voters in the city for April’s election — an effort that will continue by educating voters through social media outreach. Those neighborhoods are located throughout the city and include Baden, Walnut Park West, and Hyde Park up north and Tower Grove South, Holly Hills and Marine Ville down south. Kevin McKinney, SLACO executive direc-
n “We are educating people on the voting process as well as who the candidates are.” – Kevin McKinney, SLACO executive director
tor, said that while their goal was to register 40 people before the registration initiative ended Wednesday, 25 new voters is about right for this time frame. The next part of the initiative, according to
McKinney, is sharing information about debates, forums and other informative resources through SLACO’s Facebook page and Twitter account. “Then the education [component] is to share information regarding the election to people that
are eligible to vote,” he said. “These are your candidates — these are what they stand for. So, we are educating people on the voting process as well as who the candidates are. Attend this Zoom meeting, check out this particular debate — making people aware these things are available to them for them to learn what the election is all about.” The executive director did note that the organization does not endorse or support specific candidates in any election. “So, we’re just notifying people of oppor-
See SLACO, A6