Stenger, elected on ‘swirling rumors,’ eats a subpoena in public
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St. LouiS AmericAn The
91 years of serving the St. Louis community
CAC Audited MARCH 28 – APRIL 3, 2019
Vol. 90 No. 53 COMPLIMENTARY
stlamerican.com
‘Diapers impact almost every aspect of a family’s stability’ Jessica Adams, founder and executive director of the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, prepares diaper packets to be distributed to the 44 partner organizations that give out about two million diapers to 40,000 children throughout the region every year.
St. Louis Area Diaper Bank recognized at Health Salute on April 26 By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Photo by Rebecca Rivas
As a broke graduate student with four children, Jessica Adams was barely squeaking by financially after her divorce. She was able to provide for her children – and stay in school – with the help of food stamps and utility assistance. But there was one expense that she couldn’t find help with. Adams’ youngest child was in diapers, and families
can’t use food stamps or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to buy diapers. Adams remembers going to the food pantry one day and asking if they had any diapers. She immediately felt embarrassed and ashamed when the woman told her that they never carried them. “If a food pantry is there to help people,” Adams said, tearing up at the memory, “and if they didn’t have diapers,
See DIAPERS, A7
SLPS board candidates debate Seven candidates vie for two open spots on April 2 ‘By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American It seemed like a softball question. Should teachers in the Saint Louis Public Schools teach creationism and intelligent design in the classroom alongside evolution? Yet surprisingly, the firm “no” responses only came from three of six Saint Louis Public School (SLPS) Board of Education candidates who were present at the forum on Monday, March 25. The debate was moderated by the League of Women Voters and hosted by the St. Louis Young Democrats and Democrat groups for the 5th, 7th and 15th Wards. One candidate – Barbara A. Anderson – said that schools should teach both. Photo by Wiley Price
See SLPS, A7
‘Topping out’ the teen center McCluer High School students signed the final beam during the “topping out” ceremony for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis’ new $12.4 million Boys & Girls Clubs Teen Center of Excellence in Ferguson. The final steel beam included signatures of donors who contributed to the funding of the project, community partners, club members and staff. The center will offer afterschool and summer programs to teens and youth (ages 12-18) in the North County area.
Integrating Rosati-Kain Norma English Thompson broke the color line five years before Brown v. Board Norma English Thompson transferred from Kinloch High School to RosatiKain in 1949 – before school integration was mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.
By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American Norma English Thompson helped pave a new path that allowed black girls to attend Rosati-Kain Catholic High School in n “At that time, there St. Louis. She transferred from wasn’t any social media Kinloch High – I just had a mouth, and School to RosatiI told everyone that I met Kain in 1949 who inquired about it.” – before school integration was – Norma English Thompson mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. After attending two years at Kinloch, she was chosen by Holy Angels Parish to be one of six or so outstanding See THOMPSON, A6
Photo by Wiley Price
Ferg-Flor to elect two school board members Two African Americans among three candidates with cumulative voting on April 2 By Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American Three candidates are seeking to fill two school board spots in the Ferguson-Florissant School District Board of Education race on Tuesday, April 2. They are Sheila Powell-Walker, Constance “Connie” Harge and Leslie Suzanne Hogshead. What is different about this school board race is the use of cumulative voting. Cumulative voting means while each voter gets a total of two votes for the two open seats, a voter can choose to give both of their votes to one candidate or give one vote each to two candidates. In 2014, the ACLU of Missouri sued and won on behalf of some district residents and the NAACP, because the previous voting method See FERGUSON, A6