U.S. Rep. Bush garners federal resources to help serve communities
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Karine Jean-Pierre continues historic firsts Named White House press secretary
By Alvin A. Reid The St. Louis American
White House press secretary Jen Psaki introduces incoming press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during a press briefing at the White House, Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Washington.
The national firsts for Black women in America continued last week when Karine Jean-Pierre was named White House press secretary. “This is a historic moment, and it’s not lost on me,” she said on May 5, 2022, when asked about her appointment during a White House press briefing. “I understand how important it is for so many people out there, so many different communities, that I stand on their shoulders and I have been throughout my career.” Several area Black women who have built outstanding careers and businesses in communications
See JEAN-PIERRE, A6
Photo courtesy of The AP
Vol. 94 No. 7 COMPLIMENTARY
COVID’s impact on the Black Church
‘There’s no camaraderie anymore. They’re throwing kisses from a distance.’ – Rev. Tommie L. Pierson, Pastor of Greater St. Mark’s Family Church By Sylvester Brown Jr. The St. Louis American A Jan. 22, 2022, CBS News report detailed the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on churches nationwide. According to the news report, even with help from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, thousands of congregations across the country are struggling to stay afloat financially or minister to their flocks. Rev. Tommie L. Pierson, says his church, Greater St. Mark’s Family Church in St. Louis County, is still reeling from the effects of the pandemic. “It really hurt our church,” Pierson confessed. “We were closed for about a year. The greatest impact was financial. We happen to be one of those churches with a lot of bills, so it hurt us pretty bad. We’re still feeling the pain even though we’ve been open for the past several months. People are not coming back like they were.” The CBS report shared statistics from Faith Communities Today, a multi-faith research coalition. Of the nearly 15,300 congregations surveyed in its 2020 report, the coalition noted how the pandemic exacerbated already existing problems, especially with churches with small congregations with already lean budgets.
Grad chapter Biology majors Trinity Cole-Reid and Jaida Felton showing thanks and excitement to family and friends during Harris-Stowe State University’s graduation Saturday, May 7, 2022.
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2022 Salute to Young Leaders selected Premier networking event is back in-person, bigger than ever
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Advocates say more Black women will die if abortions are banned
By Andrea Y. Henderson St. Louis Public Radio
Black doctors and abortion advocates in St. Louis say that Black women will suffer the most if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortions legal. If the high court rules that way, as a draft opinion obtained last week by Politico indicates, states could ban abortions. Missouri has a “trigger law” that would ban
SPORTS
Teams seek to take fast lane to state track titles The postseason track and field state series began last weekend with small school district competitions throughout Missouri.
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abortion in most cases. Abortion advocates say Black women seeking an abortion would have to travel to Illinois or other states where it is legal. That would be difficult for those who have to take off work without pay, arrange child care and find transportation to other states, said Dr. Jade James, an obstetrician and gynecologist for SSM Health. “Women are going to have to make decisions about where to go, how to get there and what to do,” James said. “In terms of
seeking quality abortion care, some women unfortunately, are going to seek abortion care and are going to receive what we consider substandard care.” Many Black women would not be able to overcome those barriers. That could force them to carry risky pregnancies to term and lead to more Black women dying during childbirth, James said. “When we talk about maternal mortality,
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By K. Michael Jones The St. Louis American A diverse group of 25 accomplished AfricanAmerican professionals under age 40 has been selected as the 2022 class of Salute to Young Leaders award recipients. Nominated by colleagues, friends and family, they are chosen by their peers and will be profiled in the May 26 edition of The St. Louis American. They will be honored at the St. Louis American Foundation’s eleventh annual Salute to Young Leaders Networking Awards Reception, presented by Midwest BankCentre, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 26 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. This year’s cohort of Young Leaders includes the director of academic success at a local university, a workforce development specialist at a major St. Louis non-profit, a marketing and communications manager from one of the largest health systems in the U.S., a content manager for St. Louis’ largest IT company, and an IT program manager
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SPORTS
Young St. Louis inventor hits bullseye
Celebrationg the soul of Shirley LeFlore
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Akeem Shannon’s Flipstik is now available at Target. His startup gained momentum after his “Shark Tank” appearance.
The evening featured a performance of Rivers of Women, a compilation of poetry and songs LeFlore-Ituen wove together from her mother’s words.