Small schools have big dreams of state titles
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St. Louis American See page B3
The
CAC Audited SEPTEMBER 14 – 20, 2023
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The exceptional rule By Kenya Vaughn The St. Louis American
See LEADERS, A6
COMPLIMENTARY
How US military poisoned Pruitt-Igoe residents
Region’s best, brightest sparkle at 12th Annual Salute to Young Leaders
Rebeccah Bennett made a simple request of the record-setting, sold-out audience who came to support the 2023 cohort during the St. Louis American Foundation’s 12th Annual Salute to Young Leaders Thursday evening at The Four Seasons. “We invite you to express yourselves, fully, brilliantly and completely in support of Black excellence,” said Bennett, who served as emcee. “Let’s make our recognition commensurate with the impact that they are having on our families, our communities and our region.” To quote Harris Stowe State University President Dr. Latonia Collins-Smith as she – and practically the entire audience – unapologetically rooted for her team member Bennie Gilliam-Williams, “And did!” Praise was heaped on so heavily for him
Vol. 95 No. 24
By Sylvester Brown Jr. St. Louis American “We were just kids…we didn’t know any better. We didn’t know we were getting poisoned.” – Benjamin Phillips, former Pruitt-Igoe resident About 100 people gathered Aug 7 in St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church’s community center to relive a racial atrocity. They watched the 2021 documentary, “Target St. Louis Vol. 1,” written and Damien directed by St. Louis proD. Smith ducer and actor, Damien D. Smith. The film tells the harrowing story of how, in the 1950’s and 60’s, the United State Military conducted secret chemical testing on residents of low-income housing developments. Those structures included Cochran
Photo by Dawn Suggs / St. Louis American
Taking their seat and waiting for the the program to begin, blood families, chosen families and work families all came together to celebrate their “Young Leader” kin and honorees at The St. Louis American Foundation’s 12th annual Young Leaders Salute, held at The Four Seasons Hotel.
See TOXIN, A6
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Robin Proudie, founder and executive director of DLSUE. Proudie is a descendant of the enslaved that helped build SLU.
A proud family
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
To the rescue
University City firefighters move in to get control of a fire spreading quickly to two other homes in the 6500 block of Etzel Ave. late Tuesday just after 6 pm. A baby was taken to the hospital to be checked out but did not have serious injuries, according to the fire department. A spokesperson for the American Red Cross said a couple and their 10 children lived at the home where the fire started.
Slave descendents seek memorial on SLU campus
Ladue students remembered in emotional gathering By Laura Barczewski KSDK.com Ladue community members gathered solemnly in Stacy Park in Olivette on the night if Sunday Sept. 10 to remember three Black teens killed in a car crash Wednesday. Deion Robinson, Johnnie Ursery and Demetrius Ingram were all sophomores at Ladue Horton Watkins
HEALTH
Don’t ‘weight’ to walk
After learning that the childhood obesity rate in the Metro East was among Illinois’ highest, Melody McClellan took steps to reduce that number.
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High School. Ursery’s mother, Lynette, implored students and parents to help prevent future tragedies. “There is no such thing as a snitch,” she said. “We need to do away with that. And we need to understand that it is important to drop a tip. If you don’t want to tell, tell somebody else that will tell. So that things like this can
By Ashley Winters St. Louis American Members of the Descendants of the St. Louis University Enslaved (DSLUE) have launched a petition urging the university to atone for its use of enslaved ancestors by developing a memorial/monument on the university’s campus. The non-profit organization was formed to honor and preserve heritage and legacy, repair historical harm, and educate the public about SLU’s history, according to Robin Proudie, its founder and executive director. She said there was a cordial introductory meeting with SLU President Fred Pestello on November 11, 2021. Earlier
be avoided and none of us will be grieving.” According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the driver was speeding and veered off the road crashing into a home. The car crash happened in University City, killing all three of them and leaving hundreds of people in mourning.
See LADUE, A6
See SLU, A7
BUSINESS
CDA continues transformation of neighborhoods Neighborhood Transformation Grants were announced in March 2023 to seek community-driven proposals for housing production, home repair, capacity building, and more.
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