Family pleads for children’s health, safety
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St. Louis American See page A12
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CAC Audited SEPTEMBER 16 – 22, 2021
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Vol. 93 No. 25 COMPLIMENTARY
Former staffers blast use of Homer G. Phillips’ name Nearly-complete clinic called a ‘second-rate facility’
By JoAnn Weaver The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Zenobia Thompson, a nurse who graduated from the Homer G. Phillips School of Nursing, opposes use of the hospital’s name by Paul McKee.
“This is a second-rate facility,” Zenobia Thompson, former head nurse at Homer G. Phillips Hospital said of a new clinic bearing that name in north St. Louis during a panel discussion at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine on Wednesday. Panel members Dr. Mary Tillman, Jobyna
Foster, retired nurses Thompson, Wanda Trotter, and Johnnye Ferrell agreed that use of the name is disrespectful. “Here at Saint Louis University, they have created a beautiful hospital,” Thompson said. “To call the new facility they are building in North City a hospital, and in the name of Homer G. Phillips, is a political violation.” Panelists weighed in on the name of the hospital being used for a three-bed urgent
care facility being built in North St. Louis as part of the Northside Regeneration plan. Retired pediatrician Dr. Mary Tillman said, “They are banking on the fact that the mapping agency is creating a small health center for people who are insured and have the means. They do not want a bunch of people who do not have money to come to it.
See PHILLIPS, A7
St. Louis Schools Collaborative works on COVID safety By Sophie Hurwitz The St. Louis American
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
Smile for the birdie
Jannis Williams and her grandson, Mekhi Robenson, 9, a student at Blossom Wood Day School in Hazelwood, take a picture with PGA pro golfer Christian Heavens from East St. Louis, Illinois following the Accenture Youth Golf Clinic Thursday, Sept. 9, at Norwood Hills Country Club.
Two weeks into the school year, many students and parents are still on edge: the delta variant is spreading, and vaccines still aren’t accessible to children under the age of 12. St. Louis schools are presenting a united front against COVID-19 in response to the uncertainty. On Wednesday, Sept. 8th, members of the St. Louis Schools Collaborative — comprised of St. Louis Public Schools, plus most major charter schools and networks in the city — released a statement reaffirming their commitment to COVID safety in schools. Kelvin Adams, SLPS superintendent, wrote in a statement, “We, as school leaders, are working together to address the greater concerns of the pandemic and ensure healthy school environments for all students, families, and staff.” The collaborative meets monthly to share health and safety best practices, and began meeting about a year ago. “What the pandemic has taught us is [that] we can come together, and we really have far more in common than we do that’s not,” Candice Carter-Oliver, CEO of Confluence Academies, said. At SLPS, as well as several charter schools in the district, a vaccination is mandatory for teachers and staff. Some charters, including the Confluence Academies system, have chosen not to mandate staff vaccinations. Others, including See COVID, A7
Alderman accused of harassing Black deacon
Police called during third incident involving Prop R signatures By Dana Rieck The St. Louis American
A North St. Louis deacon says Alderman Joe Vaccaro, Ward 23, harassed him multiple times while the deacon was outside the Hampton Schnucks collecting petition signatures for Proposition R on behalf of Show Me Integrity’s campaign Reform St. Louis. Charles Chatman, a deacon at Saints Fellowship Mission, said Vaccaro has harassed him on three separate occasions, telling The St. Louis American that Vaccaro threatened to tear up his signed petitions, called him a liar and tried to stop voters from
NEWS
Making sense of new multiracial America
The multiracial population, which was 9 million in 2010, grew to 33.8 million by 2020.
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n “This is the reason we the people need to take back the power and at least have the ability to vote on making changes.”
Deacon Charles Chatman with Reform St. Louis collects signatures to get Proposition R on the November ballot on Tue. Sept. 14, 2021, in the Hampton Village Plaza.
— Deacon Charles Chatman
reading the petition, among other things. “He told them they shouldn’t read it and shouldn’t sign it,” Chatman said. The situation escalated to police involvement during their third encounter when a store manager called officers to diffuse the situation. Even though no one from the store asked him to See DEACON, A7
BUSINESS
NAF launches high school academies in St. Louis
NAF is expanding its national network for the 2021-2022 school year with 50 new academies in cities across America, including St. Louis.
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Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
SPORTS EYE
NFL Black QBs are a force to reckon with
Seven Black quarterbacks led their respective teams into the opening season games and, all but two, brought home impressive victories.
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