ESL valedictorian also graduating with associate’s degree
@stlouisamerican
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@stlouisamerican
St. LouiS AmericAn The
CAC Audited MAY 24 – 30, 2018
stlamerican.com
Vol. 90 No. 9 COMPLIMENTARY
Business leaders invest $900K in North St. Louis Civic Progress, Regional Business Council fund programs to improve public safety By Ashley Jones For The St. Louis American “Today the business community is sending a clear and strong message to its most vulnerable neighbors, that it cares and that
it stands in purpose here with law enforcement to help prevent crime in their communities,” Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards said on May 16 at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis’ Martin Luther King Urban League Head Start Center. This message came in the form of a contribution of $900,000
from Civic Progress, the Regional Business Council, and 125 leading businesses in the region for crime prevention, intervention and enforcement in North St. Louis. Organizations receiving funding include the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis for its Save Our Sons program, Better Family Life (BFL) for its Neighborhood Alliance program, STL Youth Jobs, The Little Bit Foundation and the North Side Community School. This funding is primarily dedicated to an area of North St. Louis bordered by Vandeventer Avenue, Dr. Martin Luther See INVEST, A7
october 12, 1935 – mAy 15, 2018
Bishop C. Garnett Henning Sr. passes at 82 112th AME Church bishop, advocate for social justice and human rights
Little drummer man
By Kenya Vaughn and Sandra Jordan Of The St. Louis American
Malik Caesar, 5, beats a drum with Da Warehouse Warriors while marching in the Annie Malone May Day Parade on Sunday, May 20.
Steppin’ out A young girl cuts loose while marching with peers in the Annie Malone May Day Parade on Sunday, May 20. Photos by Wiley Price
Students remember victims of police violence ‘We are always watching,’ students warn police
Political activist
By Rebecca Rivas Of The St. Louis American On May 20, Mike Brown would have turned 22. A day before his birthday, about 50 high school students and supporters marched to St. Louis n “We don’t like being Metropolitan Police headquarters. engaged only after the Student organizers said bullets are fired. We they did not realize the want to show that we are significance behind their always watching.” chosen date for the Student March for Black Lives on – Damen Alexander Saturday, May 19, which was also Malcolm X’s birthday. They believe it did not need to be on a day of significance. “This is a pre-emptive action,” St. Louis University High School student Damen Alexander said. “We don’t like being See STUDENTS, A7
The global faith community is mourning the loss of spiritual leader and social activist Bishop Cornal Garnett Henning Sr. Bishop Henning, who served as the 112th bishop of the AME Church, passed away on Tuesday, May 15 at the age of 82. “He was an advocate for social justice and human rights wherever he served,” Bishop Clement W. Fugh, presiding prelate of the AME Church’s 5th Episcopal District, told the Los Angeles Sentinel. Through his ministry St. Louis was blessed by Bishop Henning’s global footprint and legacy of community building and activism. He spent six years as pastor of St. Peter AME Church in St. Louis (1968-1972), where Bishop Cornal the membership increased Garnett by more than 650 members Henning Sr. under his leadership. After eight years as pastor of Ward AME Church in Los Angeles, Bishop Henning returned to St. Louis to lead St. Paul AME Church – where he served from 1980-1992. He continued the transformational social activism that made him a beloved and powerful faith and community leader in Los Angeles.
Photo by Carolina Hidalgo of St. Louis Public Radio
Students took part in a die-in in front of St. Louis Metropolitan Police headquarters on May 19 to remember people killed by St. Louis police last year.
Bishop Henning was a founding member of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition and chairperson of its Political Action Committee. “The Clergy Coalition has made great inroads for public policy and to correct the wrongs against people of color,” Rev. Spencer Lamar Booker, pastor of St. Paul AME Church, said. “With the impactful leadership of Bishop C. Garnett Henning, I’m blessed to walk in his footsteps here at St. Paul AME Church. He left a legacy here at St. Paul as well as in St. Louis.” Bishop Henning also organized the St. Louis Superintendent-Clergy Committee to assist in the development of a positive relationship between the St. Louis Public Schools administration, the Board of Education and the black community, seeking to keep the lines of communication open and constructive. Rev. Booker said Bishop Henning “worked with the superintendent of schools in order to bridge the gap to assure that our children were getSee HENNING, A6