Mother Baltimore: Thank you!

We’ve made it to a year of Mother Baltimore!

This newsletter, intended to directly serve Black communities in the metro-east, was created on January 29, 2021. Writing this newsletter every week and finding topics to share with you all is a constant source of joy for me. And that wouldn’t be possible without you all subscribing, reading and sharing your thoughts about the newsletter with me. I greatly appreciate it. Reading messages on how much you all like Mother Baltimore is always a highlight of my day.

Alright, I don’t want to get too mushy. Thanks again, though. I can’t wait to see how the newsletter evolves over time. If you have any feedback or suggestions on Mother Baltimore and what you’d like to see included in it, feel free to reach out. My email is dsutgrey@bnd.com, and you can call me at 708-965-0774

Now, as always, here’s the latest news in southwestern Illinois:

With COVID cases still high, some southwest IL parents want remote learning for their kids

On Wednesday, Parents and Guardians United East St. Louis School District 189 hosted a press conference, which was covered by BND education reporter Megan Valley. They mainly advocated for remote learning. The group, which held a protest making similar demands last fall, has concerns about kids in District 189 returning to in-person classes on Monday, January 31.

More on parent-led organizing in East St. Louis:

Some East St. Louis parents demand schools provide remote learning due to COVID cases

Issues with student laptops are among concerns of East St. Louis parents

Cahokia Heights City Council approves new alderman, zoning board members

City council members in Cahokia Heights recently voted for the addition of a new alderman, among other things. The new alderman will replace Sheree Jethroe-Franklin, who resigned from her position last year to serve in the city’s water and sewer department.

More on Cahokia Heights government

Cahokia Heights elected official resigns, moves to different position for the city

Southwest Illinois’ newest city has 112 employees. How much are they being paid?

East St. Louis trauma center reflect on a year of counseling children and families

East St. Louis School District 189’s Wraparound Wellness Center was formed in January of last year. In this feature story by BND reporter DeAsia Paige, families and partners affiliated with the center talk about how it has significantly helped the East St. Louis community heal from traumatic events.

More on the Wraparound Wellness Center

Center created to help East St. Louis families heal from the emotional trauma of violence

East St. Louis schools continue to offer wraparound trauma care to students, families

What to do

This section of Mother Baltimore highlights upcoming events in the metro-east that are relevant to Black communities. If you have tips for events, send them to dsutgrey@bnd.com

Dress for Success-Men Helping Men

10 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Feb. 5, 7-11 at Sunshine Cultural Arts Center

The Sunshine Cultural Arts Center, Fifteenth Street Baptist Church and the Male Involvement of Greater East St. Louis will host a free suit giveaway next month. Shoes and ties will also be available at the event, and the items’ worth ranges from $400 to $1200. The Illinois Department of Public Health will administer free COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots, according to the flyer. Donations to the respective organizations can be made at the event. The Sunshine Cultural Arts Center is located at 630 N. 59th Street in East St. Louis.

What to watch

‘Janet’

Legendary singer, dancer and actress Janet Jackson will tell her own story in an eponymous two-part documentary. ‘Janet,’ which was announced last year, is tied to the 40th anniversary of the icon’s debut album of the same name. The first half of the documentary airs tonight at 7 p.m. CST on Lifetime and A&E. The second part will air tomorrow night.

What to read

‘Janet Jackson Is Still in Control’

In case you want a well-written primer on Janet Jackson’s legacy before watching her documentary tonight, this Allure profile of the singer has you covered. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robin Givhan interviewed the icon last year. In the story, Jackson talks about new music, being a pioneer for female artists embracing their sensuality and being in control of her own narrative. Givhan writes about the many facets of Jackson’s impact in the music industry:

With her 1993 album Janet she reconsidered modesty. For that cover, she’s topless, although it’s implied rather than revealed. Nudity was made plain on the cover of Rolling Stone, for which the only things shielding her from a waist-up, full-frontal reveal are two hands placed strategically over her breasts. It was an affirmation of control, Jackson says. Control, there’s that word again. She was taking ownership of her sexuality and her insecurities and putting her adult self in front of the public.

Today, such a spectacle is virtually a cliché: A woman doesn’t have full authority over her body until she feels she has the freedom to expose it. Participation in the skin game is a rite of passage for child stars who want to assert their adulthood. But before it became any of those things, it was a revelation. Jackson helped establish the vocabulary for the body-love messages espoused by Lizzo, as well as Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Miley Cyrus, and countless others.

That’s all she wrote!

Talk to y’all in two weeks!

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