The science of diversity
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St. Louis American See page B1
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Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
CAC Audited NOVEMBER 17 – 23, 2022
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Martin Mathews never stopped working for youths His impact is enduring and will last forever
Vol. 94 No. 34 COMPLIMENTARY
Johnson appeal rejected by STL County judge Special prosecutor: ‘Race played role’ with McCulloch
By Sylvester Brown Jr. The St. Louis American On Tuesday, Kevin Johnson’s daughter Khorry Ramey pleaded for her father’s death sentence to be vacated during a press conference in Jefferson City. She was 2 when her father shot and killed a Kirkwood police officer in 2005, and was later sentenced to death. Ramey recalled how her imprisoned father recently had the opportunity to meet and hold his 2-month-old grandson. “It was the most beautiful moment in my life. My dad was so happy,” said Ramey, “He’s not a bad person. He just made a terrible mistake.”
See JOHNSON, A7
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
The community turned out to say goodbye to Martin Mathews the co-founder of Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club in the city’s Penrose neighborhood Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2022. Special to the American Martin L. Mathews, co-founder of the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club and for more than 60 years a force for racial harmony in the region, died Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in hospice care at Evelyn’s House in Creve Coeur, Mo. He was 97 years old. Mathews will be remembered during a service at Graham Chapel on the Washington University campus at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. Mr. Mathews (and all who knew him always called him mister) built comity and community through his work with the club. He started in 1960 with Hubert “Dickey” Ballentine (members always called him “Mr. Dickey”) when the two met under a shade trade in Handy Park, a few blocks east of
n Mr. Mathews and Mr. Dickey, both talented former semi-pro baseball players, believed education and character development were the paths to success.
Kingshighway and south of Natural Bridge. In 2021 with Mr. Mathews then serving in an emeritus role, the club merged with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis. Under terms of the partnership, Mathews-Dickey retained its name, location and youth sports programs. Mr. Mathews and Mr. Dickey, both talented former semi-pro baseball players, believed
education and character development were the paths to success. Mr. Mathews said he used baseball, and later football, basketball and swimming as bait, a way of engaging young people to learn teamwork and discipline that could carry over to the classroom, then on to college and careers. Their teams known, as the Knights in baseball and the Bulldogs in football, were wildly successful, and turned out dozens of athletes who would become All-Americans in college, compete in the Olympics and join the professional ranks. But many more became doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, social workers and captains of industry. For their work, Mr. Mathews and Mr. Dickey were hailed by presidents, Democrat
See MATHEWS, A6
Bostic released after serving 27 years Convicted as juvenile, new law set him free
By Rebecca Rivas and Clara Bates Missouri Independent Standing on the Missouri Capitol steps moments after being released from prison, Bobby Bostic said the first place he planned to visit was his mother’s grave in St. Louis — a city he’d last freely walked in 1995. “I’m a free man all because of you all who supported me,” Bostic, 43, said on Nov. 9, 2022 while surrounded by friends and family donning
SPORTS
ESL Flyers dominate on way to state semifinals
matching sweatshirts that read “Bobby Bostic is Free.” “While I cannot change what happened so many years ago,” he said, “I will mentor and teach young people to take a different path than I did when I was a young child myself.” Bostic was imprisoned in 1995 for a crime he committed when he was 16, when he was an accomplice in two armed robberies in St. Louis.
Now-retired St. Louis judge Evelyn Baker sentenced Bostic to 241 years, with the first chance at parole being when Bostic turned 112. Baker sentenced him to die in prison without giving him an official life sentence. “Your mandatory date to go in front of the parole board will be the year 2201,” Baker told Bostic at his sentencing date in 1997.
See BOSTIC, A6 HEALTH
Confluence partners with Mercy-GoHealth
In three playoff games, the Flyers have been dominant on both sides of the ball, outscoring their opposition 146-0. That’s right, the Flyers have yet to be scored upon in the playoffs.
Confluence Academies and MercyGoHealth Urgent Care have partnered to provide students, staff, and families with easily accessible urgent care services.
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Photo by John Bazemore / AP
Democratic nominee for U.S Senate Sen. Raphael Warnock embraces a supporter during a campaign stop on the campus of Morehouse College Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Atlanta.
Young Black, Latino voters turn back predicted ‘red wave’ Their votes help Dems hold Senate
By Ariana Figueroa Young Black and Latino voters were critical in holding off the Republican “red wave” in several battleground states for U.S. Senate seats and in tight U.S. House races in the midterm elections, according to analyses by researchers and grassroot organizations. Young, diverse voters between the ages of 18 and 29 had the second-highest youth voter turnout in almost three decades, with youth voter turnout at 31% in the nine battleground states of Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to estimates by the Center for Information and
See VOTERS, A7
LIVING IT
Stringz EMB covers seasons with rap releases
Three months later and Stringz EMB’s “Black Summer” Ep is still going strong. EMB released the project on Aug. 9 featuring a vintage filter cover of him and his wife.
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