COMPLIMENTARY

stlamerican.comVol. 83 No. 45CAC Audited

FEBRUARY 9 – 15, 2012

Tickets going fast for Young LeadersTwenty awardees, including Harlan Hodge and Amber Simpson,will be honored at reception Feb. 23.

By Rebecca S. RivasOf The St. Louis American

People who make a wrong move duringparole or probation are the major drivers ofMissouri’s growing prison population. In thepast 20 years, the state’s prison populationhas doubled, and corrections spending hastripled.

And 71 percent of state prison admissionsare people who break probation or parole,

By Kenya VaughnOf The St. Louis American

“And this is amateur night. I’d hate to seeit when the pros show up,” Bill Cosby saidof David Peaston at the legendary ApolloTheatre following one of the St. Louissinger’s soul-stirring performances in the late

1980s. Cosby was visibly

stunned by Peaston’sinterpretation of the jazzstandard “EverythingMust Change.” He lookedbehind the curtain asPeaston headed backstage,then looked at the crowdin awe as they rose for asecond standing ovation.

Peaston’s instantlyidentifiable voice – histrademark falsetto scatvocal improvisations, inparticular – had that effecton people.

He passed Wednesday,February 1, 2012 of com-plications from diabetes at

the age of 54. His death was internationalnews, covered by the Washington Post andthe Hollywood Reporter and many othermedia.

“He had the range, depth, soul, all of itwrapped up into one person,” said MarabethE. Gentry, president of the NationalConvention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses.“He would sing you up out of your seat!”

Gentry’s father (the late minister of musicemeritus Joshua Gentry) recruited Peaston tosing a solo at Westside MB Church. They

DavidPeastonpassesBeloved St. Louissinger gone at 54

Photo by Wiley Price

See CENTER, A6

By Sandra JordanOf The St. Louis American

First the Youth and Family Center revived the oldCochran Community Center as a resource facility bathed innatural light and stabilization activities for children, teensand older adults. Now the center is set to revive an impor-tant community health component, sickle cell anemia educa-tion and awareness in the St. Louis region and across thestate.

Rodney Francis, executive director of the Youth andFamily Center, said the organization is assuming responsi-bilities for the United Way-funded program after sickle cellprograms in St. Louis and Kansas City were dissolved.

“We will continue to do the education component, thesupport group component and will continue the family sup-port component as well,” Francis said.

Sickle cell anemia is a group of inherited blood disorders

New sickle cell support center

See PEASTON, A7

Youth and Family Center takes over United Way-funded program� “We seek buy-in, but wedon’t turn anyone away.”

– Rodney Francis,Youth and Family Center

By Rebecca S. RivasOf The St. Louis American

Minority participation goals mustbe reached deliberately and withagreement on all sides, said ClaudeBrown, who was hired as a facilitatorlast month by the Metropolitan SewerDistrict to broker a deal on minorityworkforce goals among minority,union and trade groups.

However, the district has been“talking” about workforce goalsamong stakeholders for a long time,MSD Trustee James Buford said atthe Feb. 7 MSD stakeholders rela-

MSD TO CONTRACTDISPARITY STUDYMinority inclusion goals at stake as $4.7B in work awaits

See MSD, A6

DavidPeaston

tions committee meeting. “They know their positions, they

� “If we wait for everyone atthis table to agree on whatwe’re proposing, then we’dbe at this for 10 years.”

– James Buford,president of the Urban Leagueof Metropolitan St. Louis

MSD trustee James Buford

Public forum onprison reformWorking Group onSentencing and Correctionsreports to community

See REFORM, A7

Nik Ray, an after-school coordinator for Youth and Family Center, helps Nehtia Hazelwood, 5, Michael White, 5, and Elijah Oden, 6,in the computer lab.

MARCH 13, 1957 –FEBRUARY 1, 2012

Photo by Wiley Price