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CAC Audited MAR. 29 – APR. 4, 2018
COMPLIMENTARY
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50 years after the murder of MLK Activists look back on 1968 – and connect it to 2018 By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American Yolanda Renee King, the 9-year-old granddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, told about 800,000 people at the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. that she had a dream – not far from where her grandfather said those same words in 1963. “My grandfather had a dream that his four little children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” she said at the March 24 event. “I have a dream that enough is enough. That
n “If you would have asked us, the reason Dr. King was murdered was that he was coming to the conclusion that America was bankrupt.” – Mike Jones
this should be a gun-free world. Period.” The march was estimated to be the largest demonstration in the capital’s history, and
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hundreds of thousands of students across the country and throughout the world also mobilized in their own cities. “I just don’t know how to express how that made me feel – his granddaughter speaking out about gun violence,” said Damen Alexander Jr., a St. Louis University High School junior and a core organizer for St. Louis’ march of about 15,000 on Saturday. “It was amazing.” The call to action from this student-led movement was clear. This generation – which is the as-yet-unnamed generation after
See MLK, A7
Linda Brown Thompson passes at 75 Woman at center of historic Brown v. Board of Education school deseg case American staff Linda Brown Thompson, who as a little girl was at the center of the Brown v. Board of Education case that ended segregation in American public schools, passed away Sunday, March 25 at the Lexington Park Nursing & Post Acute Center in Topeka, Kansas. She was 75. The first of three children born to Oliver and Leola Brown, Linda Brown was 9 years old in 1951 when her father tried to enroll her at Sumner Elementary School, then an all-white school near her Topeka home. When the school blocked her enrollment, her father sued the Topeka Board of Education. Linda Brown According her family, The Thompson Topeka case in Brown was the brainchild of McKinley Burnett, who was president of the local NAACP at the time. The organization recruited families to stand as plaintiffs, resulting in a class of 13. Cases were combined with Brown’s complaint and presented to the U.S. Supreme Court as Oliver
See THOMPSON, A7
HeALtH SALute
‘We really help people’ Photo by Wiley Price
Members of the Head Start Children’s Choir Jayden Howard, Davion Thorpe, Reagan Anderson, Jayda Fayne and Neya Brook gave the sold out crowd at the 100th Urban League gala something to talk about March 24.
A century of service Seconds after Centene Corporation CEO and National Urban League Board Chair Michael Neidorff’s prerecorded message of congratulatory remarks – with regrets that he would be unable to attend the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Centennial Gala on Saturday, March 24 – he made his way to the podium. The audience was perplexed – until he provided a few additional remarks. “My wife and I are celebrating our 41st wedding anniversary tonight,” Neidorff said. “But this event is so important that we have to be here.” According to Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis President and CEO Michael McMillan, the entire region shared Neidorff’s sentiments.
n “If it hadn’t been for the Urban League, I would probably still be out here looking for jobs – and not knowing what to say in interviews.” – Sheldon Brown
“I want to thank each and every one of you for making this the largest Urban League banquet we have ever had,” McMillan said. “More than 1,350 came out to share this special evening with us.” The gala had star power in the form of Oscar-, Tony- and Emmy-winning actress Viola Davis as keynote speaker and
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American
Grammy-nominated R&B singer Eric Benet as post-program entertainment. “For 100 years this Urban League has been working to answer the call for change and to eliminate the disease of poverty,” Davis said. “You’ve been there for those who say, ‘Give me what I need and I can show you my potential.’” But – aside from the show-stealing Urban League Head Start Choir’s performance that blended Burt Bacharach’s “What the World Needs Now” and Nas’ “I Can” – the institution itself was the main attraction. “You’ve responded time and time and time again,” National Urban League CEO Marc Morial said of the top-rated affiliate in the nation during his prerecorded remarks. “And each time you’ve responded with force and passion.”
Martha, an 85-year-old North St. Louis County resident, relies on respiratory equipment to help her breathe at night. One winter her heating bill became unmanageable, and she faced disconnection. After a nudge from her pastor, she reluctantly sought out help from n “Winter Heat-Up St. Louis, a 100-percent volunteer time can be non-profit corporation that worse for helps seniors, disabled seniors. They and low-income families shouldn’t be with small children in 15 exposed to cold counties in Missouri and Illinois with their energy temperatures.” bills throughout the year. Heat-Up St. Louis – Dr. James placed Martha on the Knight, Heat-Up senior registry with her St. Louis board utility company Spire, vice chairman signed her up for budget billing, and stopped her disconnection by paying a $560 heating bill, working closely with the Community Action Agency of St. Louis County. Now her bills are manageable. “Winter time can be worse for seniors,” said Dr. James Knight, a vascular surgeon and co-chair of the Public Health and Safety Committee for Heat-Up St. Louis and its summer program Cool Down St. Louis. “They can lose an extremity from
See URBAN, A6
See HEAT-UP, A6
Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis honors rich history with eye on the future By Kenya Vaughn Of The St. Louis American
Heat-Up St. Louis is 2018 Health Advocacy Organization of the Year