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Florissant Resident Kennedy Mitchum Got Merriam-Webster To Rethink Its Definition Of Race Jun 15, 2020

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What’s in a word? The answer is a whole lot when it comes to words such as “race” and “racism.” And contemporary definitions of these terms can vary widely — both in dictionaries and in hearts and minds. Florissant resident Kennedy Mitchum recently grappled with this in an unusual way, and with striking results. After noticing some of her day-to-day associates citing Merriam-Webster’s definition of racism as a kind of dismissive proof text in conversation with her, the Nerinx Hall High School and Drake University alumna reached out to the dictionary’s editors, asking them to update the entry to better reflect the historical context of systemic oppression. Many emails later, the editors eventually came around, ultimately telling Mitchum that changes to the entries on “racism” as well as related terms are now in the works.

Obituary: Former St. Louis Police Captain David Dorn Dies At 77 Jun 12, 2020

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We remember former St. Louis Police Captain David Dorn. He served 38 years with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and served as Chief of Police for Moline Acres. Dorn was shot and killed on June 2nd after responding to an alarm at the pawn shop where he moonlit as a security guard. His death shocked those who knew him here in St. Louis, and those who didn’t across the country. Hundreds of people gathered on June 10th at the St. Louis Friendly Temple on Martin Luther King Drive for David Dorn’s funeral. He is survived by his wife, adult children and grandchildren.

Ed Wheatley Discusses 'Baseball in St. Louis: From Little Leagues to Major Leagues Jun 12, 2020

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In 2016, Ed Wheatley retired from his job as an engineer at AT&T. But Wheatley has kept busy — to the point that Reedy Press recently published his third book in as many years. Wheatley’s “Baseball in St. Louis: From Little Leagues to Major Leagues” surveys the city’s rich baseball history, from the Major Leaguers who got their start here to the semi-pro and amateur leagues that flourished for decades. In this conversation, Wheatley shares some of the remarkable facts he uncovered about baseball’s 160 years in St. Louis. He recalls the Khoury League, which began here in 1934, the Negro Leagues that provided a home for some gifted players shut out of the big leagues, and the high school and college teams that proved a major source of talent for the St. Louis Cardinals and more.

Meet Harris-Stowe President Corey S. Bradford Sr. Jun 12, 2020

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Corey S. Bradford Sr. chose a tough time to come home to the St. Louis metro. The native St. Louisan took office as president of Harris-Stowe State University on May 4 — an unprecedented time for higher education, which is grappling with both funding shortages due to the economic downturn and complications from the coronavirus. In this interview, he talks with Sarah Fenske about his career in higher education, his reasons for returning to St. Louis and the challenges Harris-Stowe faces in an uncertain time.

Duo Dogs Helps People With Mobility Or Hearing Issues Stay Independent Jun 11, 2020

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St. Louis-based nonprofit Duo Dogs has placed trained service dogs with clients in 38 states, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. Their dogs are taught a wide range of skills that make them the perfect assistant for people who have trouble getting around or have hearing disabilities. In this episode, we learn about how the organization trains their puppies to become the ultimate companion to those in need.

Ohun Ashe Seeks To Uplift Black Businesses Even As She Protests For Black Lives Jun 11, 2020

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The death of George Floyd has not just sparked action to protest against police brutality, but it’s also led to more conversations about how to support and uplift black Americans. Anti-racism books are selling out and topping best-seller lists, while infographics about how to best support local black-owned businesses are filling social media feeds. LaShell Eikerenkoetter, also known as Ohun Ashe, advocates for black lives in the streets as a frontline protester — and she does the same advocacy online for black entrepreneurs. She created For the Culture STL, a directory of black-owned businesses and events in the St. Louis area. She said support for the initiative has skyrocketed over the past couple of weeks. She host Sarah Fenske to talk about these two parallel efforts.

Wake Up' Film Takes On The Scourge Of Suicide Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

Alex Lindley and Danny Kerth are among the St. Louisans affected by suicide; they’ve each lost friends and family to it, including their mutual friend Ryan Candice. After Candice’s death in 2014, Lindley and Kerth started Project Wake Up — a nonprofit organization working to destigmatize mental illness and suicide, and raise awareness about providing adequate access to mental health care in the country. Their film, “Wake Up," highlights the voices of people from various walks of life along their mental health journeys. Kerth joins host Sarah Fenske to talk about the film’s future and ways it aims to spread awareness about various ways to seek help, including telehealth care.

How Disruption Compels Change Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

As a professor of political science at Washington University, Clarissa Rile Hayward had a front-row seat for the protests and disruption that followed the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014. She paid attention as activists blocked highways, demonstrated at a symphony performance and even interrupted brunch at fancy restaurants to agitate for the Black Lives Matter movement. And she found herself thinking about what tactics work, and why. Hayward recently published a paper detailing this new way of looking at disruption in the Journal of Politics. In this interview, she discusses her findings and how they apply to the current protests sweeping the globe.

Tory Sanders' Death In Missouri Gets New Push From Lawmakers, NAACP Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

Three years ago, a Tennessee man made a wrong turn and ended up lost in rural Missouri. The man, Tory Sanders, sought help from local law enforcement — only to end up dead in a Mississippi County jail cell eight hours later. Two top jail officials reportedly pressed down on Sanders' neck for more than three minutes even as a colleague urged them repeatedly to ease up. Then-Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley declined to prosecute anyone for those actions. Now, George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police is reigniting interest in Sanders' 2017 death. Host Sarah Fenske talks with Missouri NAACP President Nimrod Chapel Jr.

Finding Ways Forward For Rural Communities That Already Faced Big Challenges Pre-Pandemic Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

For Dr. Sameer Vohra and his colleagues, a focus on improving the lives of people in southern and central Illinois has long been at the heart of their work. But now, in the age of COVID-19, the urgency of their mission is more obvious than ever. Vohra leads SIU School of Medicine's Department of Population Science and Policy as its founding chair, and the coronavirus pandemic has magnified many of the challenges that the region’s small cities and rural communities already faced. In this episode, Vohra joins host Sarah Fenske to share his insights on these challenges — and what can be done to address them. The conversation also includes comments from Audrey Gough, the health director for Shelby County, Missouri, about what she’s observed on the other side of the Mississippi River.

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