St. Louis American The
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
NOV. 27 – DEC. 3, 2025
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The hunger to help
Vol. 97 No. 33 COMPLIMENTARY
Finding food and hope Families get both at Urban League holiday drive
By Ashley Winters St. Louis American
Photos by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Gibron Jones, left, co-founder of Confluence Farms in North County and executive director of the North Sarah Food Hub, prepares meals with Gina McCline Lawrence and Mike Bell.
When the pantry runs dry, these farmers step in
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By Melanie Johnson For The St. Louis American lack farming has been a way of life for Gibron Jones and his family since he was a 6-year-old boy growing up in North St. Louis. His mother and father picked and cooked food from the garden they started at their Walnut Park home near Goodfellow and Emma. “I was blessed to have a family with humble poor beginnings,” Jones says. “The reason why we grew our food was because we couldn’t afford to spend money at the grocery store.” Food insecurity and the lack of fresh food were struggles Jones saw his parents try to combat by giving away bags of produce to neighbors. The family’s garden included 75 tomato plants, berry bushes, lettuce, corn, squash, onions and more. “I was out there trying to work the tiller as a kid, so to be doing this work now is a full-circle moment,” Jones says. Across North St. Louis City and County, families face some of the most persistent food deserts in the
BUSINESS
By Denise Clay-Murray For The St. Louis American
Houston-based healthcare company Nutex Health, Inc. says it will soon reopen the former medical facility on Jefferson that most recently operated as “Homer G. Phillips Memorial Hospital,” renaming it Archview ER and Hospital. The micro-hospital will offer 24/7 emergency and inpatient services, diagnostic imaging and clinical lab testing. The announcement marks the second attempt in two years to run a hospital inside the long-vacant building, a site whose name and history had previously sparked deep debate among residents and alumni of the original Homer G. Phillips Hospital in The Ville. Archview will be Nutex’s first micro-hospital in Missouri. The physician-owned, publicly traded company operates more than two dozen micro-hospitals, specialty hospitals, outpatient departments and other facilities in 11 states. Karen Johnson, the facility’s chief nursing officer and former CEO of Homer G. Phillips Hospital, is leading the project.
See HOSPITAL, A13
See EDUCATORS, A13
Gibron Jones gets help on his farm from his son at their Hazelwood facility last week.
Hospital to reopen under new name By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American
Pastors, and political engagement groups are calling for a mass boycott ahead of the holiday retail season to flex Black political muscle and put economic pressure on corporations.
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Community brought them together Black male educators bond while learning how to better serve their students
History still shadows the site
Community organizers call for mass boycott
See FOOD, A12
When Darion Murdoch talks about the students he serves as principal of Flynn Park Elementary School in University City, his face lights up. He calls them his “babies,” and making sure they have what they need to thrive is his priority. Murdoch grew up in the community where he now works, so he knows the value of seeing someone who shares your background in a leadership role. He’s also part of the 1.3% of the nation’s 3.8 million public school educators who are Black men, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That means he does not always have colleagues who can Darion Murdoch, principal of Flynn relate to his experiences, he said. Park Elementary Last week, School in however, he was University City among more than 1,500 Black male teachers who spent three days in Philadelphia learning from one another, exchanging strategies and building community. Ian Buchanan, an educator and executive leadership coach, put the word out to Black male educators in the St. Louis region that he was organizing his annual trip to the Black Men in Education Convening, held Nov. 20-22.
See FARMERS, A12
INSIDE
Cars wrapped around the block outside the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis headquarters this week as volunteers handed out Thanksgiving meals. For many families, the drive-through line offered more than food — it offered reassurance. Hope. A reminder that someone still sees them. President and CEO Michael P. McMillan stood amid the bustle, greeting volunteers who showed up in the hundreds on Tuesday. “It always feels good to see so many people from the community come volunteer and help us,” he said, noting that the energy was as nourishing as the meals being boxed and loaded into waiting trunks. The Urban League expects to serve more than 3,500 people this year, distributing more than $300,000 worth of food, toiletries and other resources across St.