Posts Tagged ‘Ruth Smith’

Rumors that Dr. Henry Givens may step down as chief of Harris-Stowe State University were in abundance at the Missouri MLK Statewide Celebration Kick-Off Program the other night on the campus. However, Givens was in full command as an audience of 2,000 gave enthusastic hosanahs for the Rev. Al Sharpton.  The civil rights leader, who filled his keynote with humor, biblical tales and blunt street-talk, was caught twittering in Givens’ office, while Cong. Lacy Clay, Jr. and Cong. Russ Carnahan chowed-down.  KSDK, Channel 5′s most-watched education reporter and the station’s young, news/weather anchor Anthony Slaughter kept the program moving in a timely and pleasant pace. InBev AB’s John Furr and honorary chair of the event introduced Rev. Sharpton as “a transformational leader, a man who has challenged the American social and political establishment.”President Obama calls Rev. Sharpton ‘the voice of the voiceless and a champion for the downtrodden,”  said Furr. Rev. Sharpton mused, “You know, it’s amazing how many people marched with Dr. King.  They will tell you they marched with him and they are probably lying.”  Sharpton began his ministry at the age of  four.  Others getting their time in the spotlight were Robin Wright-Jones, Tishaura Jones, Mayor Slay, Charlie Dooley and Percy Green, who was heckled by an attendee, who was ejected from the room.  MIA was Gov. Jay Nixon, who only did a brief drive-by at a private pouring and then blew the Hood. On Sunday, just getting warmed-up from his Saturday night bombastic and poignant keynote, Rev. Sharpton accepted an invite to deliver a sermon to an SRO crowd at the Friendly Temple Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Drive. Faces in the crowd: the Rev. Earl Nance, Jr., James and Susan Buford, Merdean Gales, Ruth Smith, Gwen Packnett, Betty Thompson, Anita Banks, Frankie Muse Freeman, Stacy and Judge Jimmie Edwards, Judge Charles Shaw and wife, Kay, Argus publisher Yaphett El-Amin, Joe Keaveny and Lou Brock. (See photos taken by the Metro Evening Whirl).

Despite the death of Metro Sentinel’s publisher Jane E. Woods Miller, and the divorce of her daughter, Judy Woods-Williams from Mike Williams, Mike continues the newspaper under the banner of Sentinel Journals and he and his sis, Gwen Pennington, continue with the dream of Howard Woods‘ annual salute to the captains of industry as minority role models for minority students. A crowd of 500 attended at the paper’s Yes, I Can Dinner at the Polish Heritage Center in north St. Louis. Dr. Henrietta Scott of the St. Louis Community College focused on the African-American male at about the same time as the Tiger Woods was embroiled in escapades in Florida. Putting aside polics were: Mike McMillan, who served as general chairman; Mo. Rep. Allen Icet, who repped Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and mayoral chief Jeff Rainford. Seen in the crowd were: Renita Perry; Mohammed Salameh; Michael Yarborough; Judy Bentley; Daryl Jones; Rev. Dr. Williams Gillespie; Steve Warmack; Ald. Quincy Troupe; Apil Ford Griffin; Donald Calloway; Jared Boyd; Greg F.X. Daly; Robbie “Sweetie Pies” Montgomery; Ruth Smith; La Shonda Clay; Rita McMillan and Clarice Poindexter.