A scoop of Black girl magic
St. Louis American See page A5
The
CAC Audited NOVEMBER 6 – 12, 2025
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
stlamerican.com
‘People should still be able to eat’ A volunteer loads groceries into the vehicle of a family during a food drive at Trinity Church in Florissant on Tuesday. The prolonged federal shutdown has disrupted SNAP payments that many families rely on to buy food.
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By Melanie Johnson and Nia Hightower For The St. Louis American heryl Davis pulled up to Trinity Church in Florissant on Tuesday evening in her minivan with her pregnant daughter-in-law to grab a box of groceries for her family. “It’s hard out here. People are not getting food stamps. People are losing their jobs. People should still be able to eat,” said the mother of four adult children as she waited in line for nearly two hours. “I’m going to make sure I stay in line to get what they got. Whatever it takes for my kids and grandchildren.”
See SNAP, A12
HEALTH
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SPORTS
East St. Louis has sights set on another state football title The Flyers took their first step last Friday night with an impressive 63-7 victory over visiting Plainfield East in a first-round playoff game at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium.
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St. Louis families turn to food pantries as SNAP funds lag
Classroom champions
INSIDE Most individual health insurance plans sold in Missouri will increase in price next year even as customers prepare to dig deeper into their own funds to replace costs previously covered by federal tax credits.
COMPLIMENTARY
A need for action – still
At age 90, activist Percy Green continues call for civil disobedience By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
‘It’s a blame game.’
Vol. 97 No. 30
Educators and future leaders shine at Salute to Excellence gala Webster University students, left to right, Elias Tannous, Reyla Audriana Green, Ava Monaco and Jack Dawson are honored as Donald M. Suggs Scholars during the Salute to Excellence Gala on Saturday.
Except for the stage, the room was dark for most of the evening. Yet the ballroom at America’s Center glowed with pride and promise as educators, students and community champions gathered for the Salute to Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala, present-
See GREEN, A12
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Cheryl Denise Smith Walker emcees an Oct. 7 ceremony honoring longtime St. Louis civil rights activist Percy Green.
Parents blindsided
Sudden superintendent firing rattles parents worried about classroom impact By Ashley Winters St. Louis American
ed Saturday by the St. Louis American Foundation. From the first word to the final ovation, the night celebrated the impact of investing in education — a field often unsung but essential to every community’s success. “For 38 years, the St. Louis American
When the St. Louis Public Schools board fired Superintendent Millicent Borishade last month, many parents were left blindsided, worried that the ongoing board turmoil could disrupt classrooms and student learning. Whitni Perry, whose 6-year-old daughter attends one of the district’s magnet schools, is among them. “All this drama is distracting from the real work that needs to be done — instructing the students and supporting the schools,” said Perry, who learned about the Oct. 24 firing from social media. “That highlights a stronger need for communication within the board for the sake of the community,” she said.
See SALUTE, A13
See PARENTS, A12
Photo by Lawrence Bryant / St. Louis American
By Kenya Vaughn St. Louis American
The recent “No Kings” rallies held in more than 2,700 cities across all 50 states, making it one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history, drew an estimated 7 million protesters. The demonstrations, organized in protest of President Donald Trump’s authoritarian actions and alleged corruption within his administration, were considered a success because of the massive turnout and largely peaceful conduct of participants. Renowned activist, Percy Green II, 90, regarded the protests as “a good start.” “It was a tremendous start, but we have to do more than that,” Green stressed. “We have to make the administration feel the consequences of their poor decision-making by eventually calling for a general working strike.” If the working class stopped working for a week or two and went to the streets, Green insists, it would have a much larger impact. Why? Because that type of messaging backed by large-scale, organized dramatic action will be more newsworthy and get the attention of the masses and all government officials, he said.