Flyers, Lions, soar and roar to big wins
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St. Louis American See page B3
The
Serving, empowering and advocating for equity in St. Louis since 1928
CAC Audited SEPTEMBER 8 – 14, 2022
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‘Our university is a jewel’
HSSU President Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith named 2022 Stellar Performer By Alvin A. Reid The St. Louis American Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith was serving as Harris-Stowe State University provost and vice president for Academic Affairs when the HBCU’s president abruptly departed in May 2021. The university’s Board of Regents knew it had an answer to the sudden change readily available, one who had thrived in the field of education and had
On March 1, 2022, Dr. LaTonia Collins Smith was named the 21st Harris-Stowe State University president. She became the university’s first African American woman to serve as president.
devoted much of her outstanding career to Harris-Stowe. Smith was named interim president on June 1, 2021 and guided the school through a summer and first semester of achievement and excellence. Her work was exemplary, and her devotion to students, faculty, and staff was infectious. Harris-Stowe did not miss a beat during her time as interim
See COLLINS, A7
Vol. 94 No. 24 COMPLIMENTARY
Last in a series
Building on what was there
Rehabbers work to restore aging structures By Karen Robinson-Jacobs For The St. Louis American This story was reported in partnership with Type Investigations where Karen Robinson-Jacobs is an Alfred Knobler fellow.
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
For Tenesia Brown, supervising broker with Keys Realty Group, the road to rehabilitating vacant, dilapidated properties in north St. Louis has been paved with mold, and costs that exceed sales. Still, the real estate investor says she’s “not a quitter,” and is aiming to work with others to get vacant properties into the hands of homeowners, despite the hurdles. “I literally lost on that [first St. Louis] project,” said Brown, referencing a home on Blair Avenue that cost $160,000 to rehab and sold in March for $93,000. “But overall, it turned out awesome on the inside,” she said. “I think that regardless, it was … okay, it’s all worth it. “The architecture and the brick properties in St. Louis are amazing and just to see them dilapidated the way that they are, it was like wow. They have beautiful homes here. What is going on around here?” As of mid-August, St. Louis had nearly 10,000
See REHABBERS, A6
UM-St. Louis’ eye on history
Photo by Wiley Price / St. Louis American
St. Louis Treasurer Adam Layne spoke about the important role the Direct Cash Assistance program (DCA) played in assisting residents with much-needed financial assistance after flooding damaged their homes. The press conference was held Wednesday morning, Sept. 7, at City Hall.
DCA program proves worthy of its investment
“Because with diversity, there’s strength.”
By Sylvester Brown Jr. The St. Louis American
More than 9,000 families assisted
By Ashley Winters The St. Louis American Saying “there aren’t too many problems money can’t fix,” Mayor Tishaura Jones was joined by Treasurer Adam Layne and other officials in heralding the success of the Direct Cash Assistance (DCA) program during a City Hall press conference on Wednesday. The DCA program was funded through the American Rescue Plan which provided a one-time payment of $500 to more than 9,000 eligible St. Louis households. Helping thousands of families who were facing economic hardships gain some financial stability to reenter the workforce.
BUSINESS
AMICSTL will be a hub of north side economic future
An economic comeback on the bity’s north side has received a financial windfall from President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislative triumph.
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n “There aren’t too many problems money can’t fix.” – Mayor Tishaura Jones
“A lot of effort went into ensuring there were thoughtful outreach strategies to include underrepresented communities, including seniors and housing for unstable families,” said Layne, whose office conducted 18 in-person application events to increase outreach to senior homes, schools, and to those who need
Dr. Elder is nation’s first Black woman Optometry School dean
additional support by submitting the application digitally. According to the DCA summary report, the first in-person application event in December of 2021 served 550 St. Louisans. Over a threeday span the event served 750 people in the city of St. Louis. The United Way of Greater St. Louis and community partners provided assistance to the unhoused community, the undocumented community, and outside organizations who participated by assisting those with unique needs. The program received 10,000 applications. The United Way also assisted those who
Born and raised in a S. Carolina home with two elementary school teachers as parents, Keshia S. Elder and her siblings had little choice but excel in academics. “Education was very important in my family. My parents expected us to do well,” Elder recalled. It wasn’t an issue of if we were going Dr. Keshia to college but where we were going S. Elder to college.” It seems that parental mandate for academic excellence has paid off. As of the first of this month, Dr. Keshia S. Elder, will serve
See DCA, A6
See ELDER, A7
HEALTH
LIVING IT
SLU COVID-19 vaccine trial seeks volunteers
King Yella a king of photography
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Not all treatments for various illnesses are the same for all people. The larger number of Black volunteers in clinical trials, the greater chance of finding the right path to proper treatments.
Known as King Yella, the photographer’s career spans almost 30 years. He first got his taste of the life as a child sitting on the lap of his father.