Kevin Grady at October parent forum at Normandy High. Photo by John L. White of Post-Dispatch

On Monday, November 17th from 6:30-8:00pm, Faith Communities United will convene a community forum to discuss issues related to the recent HIV/AIDS issues at Normandy High.  The event will be hosted by Normandy United Methodist church, located at 8000 Natural Bridge Road.  All are welcome and encouraged to enter into the dialogue from a perspective of faith.

Panelists include: Dr. Delores Gunn (St. Louis County Health Department), Dr. Denise Hooks Anderson (President, Mound City Medical Forum), Lawrence Lewis (Program Manager, In the Spot), Nancy Hatman (Board member, Normandy School District), Gloria Farr (Ministry Director, Normandy UMC), and L.D. McGee (Concerned Parent of a Normandy Student).  Clergy members from Faith Communities United will lead the program.

Faith Communities United, Inc. is a non-profit coalition and partnership formed by clergy, faith organizations, health professionals and advocates to raise awareness and work toward prevention of HIV/AIDS in communities…

Here are some thoughts on one of my favorite paintings at the St. Louis Art Museum.

Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) was one of the great American painters of the twentieth century. He grew up in Harlem, and spent afternoons in a community center arts and crafts program. His gifts quickly caught the attention of Harlem Renaissance artists, and soon he found work through the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Lawrence achieved major recognition upon completing paintings of various historical figures. The lives of Toussaint L’Ouverture, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and John Brown supplied Lawrence with inspiration for his best-known groups of works. He also composed a series of paintings illustrating the northern migration of African Americans.

Beginning in the 1940’s, major art galleries in New York displayed his work, something never before accomplished by an African American. Over a sixty-year career of painting and teaching, Lawrence received countless awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Arts…