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St. Louis American See page A3
The
CAC Audited MAY 27 – JUNE 2, 2021
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First Black woman named to Mo. Supreme Court
Vol. 93 No. 9 COMPLIMENTARY
Sonnier’s SLPS board quest comes to pass Appointed after April’s narrow election loss
By Sophie Hurwitz Of the St. Louis American
Photo provided by Gov. Mike Parson
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson shakes hands with Judge Robin Ransom’s daughter as Ransom looks on. Ransom is the first Black woman to be appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court.
Robin Ransom fills spot left by Judge Laura Denvir Stith’s retirement By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American Judge Robin Ransom on Monday became the first Black woman to be appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court. The St. Louis resident is only the fifth woman to serve on the state’s highest court since its founding in 1820 and is Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s first Supreme Court appointment. She will fill the spot left by the retirement of Judge Laura Denvir Stith in March. Ransom was one of three judges announced Friday who were the final considerations for the nomination. “Of course, it’s not lost on me, the historic nature of this appointment to be the first African American woman
appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court,” Ransom said during a news conference. Ransom said she grew up in north St. Louis, and is the daughter of a firefighter who worked and lived in a segregated engine house. She noted that her mother still lives in the Fairground Park neighborhood. “This is a very happy day for my mom, myself and my entire family and I am just very sorry that my father, who passed in 2007, did not live to see this day,” Ransom said. “But I know he is looking down and he is also very honored.” Ransom was appointed to serve on the Eastern District Court of Appeals by Parson in 2019, where she became only the second African American to sit on that court’s
n “Of course, it’s not lost on me, the historic nature of this appointment to be the first African American woman appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court.” – Judge Robin Ransom
See RANSOM, A6
Rev. Mia Garnette White preaches reflection, unity in COVID’s wake
First Congregational Church’s historic new pastor
Rev. Mia Garnette White bringing the word for the congregation’s first full service in a year on Sunday, May 23, 2021.
By Sylvester Brown Jr. Of The St. Louis American “I’m not really sure. I want to really articulate that this is a new time to be reinvigorated, to be creative in dreaming what our future can be. It’s a time for us to be restored in the mystery of the movement of the spirit.” Rev. Mia Garnette White, the new senior minister of First Congregational Church of St. Louis, United Church of Christ (UCC), was processing her sermon days before Pentecost Sunday, the day Christians commemorate the early church’s reception of the Holy Spirit. It was also the church’s first in-person worship service since the spread of the coronavirus last year. The sermon was to be Rev. White’s first since becoming leader of See WHITE, A7
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Alisha Sonnier ran for a position on the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education in April and narrowly lost. All that came between her and a third-place finish, which would have landed her a seat, was 29 votes. One of her supporters was then-Treasurer and mayoral candidate Tishaura Jones. Jones prevailed in her battle with Cara Spencer, and one of her earliest moves was to appoint Sonnier to the board. A seat came open when member Adam Layne took over as city treasurer. “I feel like it’s really historic to be appointed by the first Black female mayor of St. Louis,” Sonnier said. Alisha She credits her appointSonnier ment, in large part, to the activist community. “I feel like it’s a great show of what our movement is doing, and the power that we’re building,” she explained. She also sees this appointment as a chance to actually execute the plans she came up with during her campaign — something she thought she’d never get the chance to do after she lost the election. “Just…reflecting over everything that I had, you know, thought out and planned to do when I was campaigning and running, and then realizing that I was looking at that opportunity,” she said. “I feel like it’s such a privilege to serve. And I’m really honored to have it.” See SONNIER, A7
Battling the evils of unjust evictions Local leaders to provide financial assistance for housing
By Dana Rieck Of The St. Louis American Leaders in St. Louis County and city last Thursday took steps to ensure residents struggling to pay their mortgage or rent receive financial help. County Executive Dr. Sam Page signed a bill that allows St. Louis County to receive a federal grant of $29.8 million for rental and utility assistance, the second such grant the county has received this year. Similarly, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announced that $7.5 million in federal funding remains available to residents through a new program called “STL City ERA 1.” “Our priorities continue to be health and safety, opportunity for all, and good government,” Page said. “We have already dedicated more than $173 million to offsetting the financial and social burdens caused by COVID-19 in St. Louis County. These additional funds will help stabilize families struggling to stay housed.” Jones noted that the pandemic has highSee EVICTIONS, A6