All Entries Tagged With: "educational NoCo"
Get a sneak peek at the “Spanish Lake” movie
Confronting North County's history of racial tension head on, the new documentary "Spanish Lake" will be previewed on April 18.
As you may remember, NOCO fans, I wrote about the “Spanish Lake” documentary last July. That’s the film currently in production by NoCo native Phillip Andrew Morton, who is bravely tackling some very emotional and complicated issues by exploring the history of “white flight” in North County.
Morton grew up in Spanish Lake and now lives in Los Angeles, where he’s able to view St. Louis’ unique “cultural challenges” through a much broader lens. After spending the past year interviewing dozens of current and former residents, he has certainly riled up LOTS of people, but I happen to think that’s a good thing.
I hear from both sides of this saga all the time – the people who left North County and the people who stayed behind. I also hear from those who absolutely love living in NoCo, today. What I don’t get is, if you moved away, why do you feel the need to bash the place where I live, right now? And if you stayed but really wished you had left, well, that’s easy too. Go ahead and move. It’s not too late.
But to keep complaining over and over and over, blaming black people and HUD and whoever….that’s just not healthy. So let’s just pull this scab and get it over with. Yes, North County has changed. So has every other inch of the planet, because life IS change.
All we can do is learn from the mistakes of yesterday and hopefully develop better solutions for today. That’s where Morton’s film comes in.
Featuring a broad cross-section of viewpoints, from flat-out racism to an emotional stew of hopefulness, anger and malaise, the documentary uses personal stories to ultimately frame larger questions about race, class, migration patterns and government policies. It’s not quite done yet, but what you can see is a preview screening of extended clips, debuting at the Shuttered Film Fest on April 18.
Morton will be there to lead a discussion, as will producer Matt Jordan Smith. Admission is free.
“Spanish Lake” will be the first of four films presented during Open/Closed, a five-day conference focused on the problem of vacant properties in St. Louis. It will be screened Wednesday, April 18, 7:30pm, at the Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Boulevard. All are welcome.
Former Express Scripts CEO giving free lecture
FROM THE NEWS WIRE:
As a businessman for more than 20 years, Harlan Steinbaum has made thousands of decisions. However, one call became his career defining moment.
Steinbaum, former chairman of Express Scripts, will discuss that moment and his new book based on his experiences, “Tough Calls from the Corner Office” during a Business Forum at 5:30 p.m. April 10 in 126 Social Sciences and Business Building at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
He had a long and successful career in business as an innovator and leading executive in the retail drug industry. Steinbaum was chairman and chief executive officer of Medicare-Glaser, a large retail pharmacy chain in the United States. In 1972, he sold his company to Pet, Inc. with the hope of growing it more. He stayed on as group president, but wasn’t happy with the direction the company was taking. In a completely unorthodox business move, he negotiated to buy back the company– a decision that became his greatest and toughest call as an executive.
Under his leadership in 1982, Medicare-Glaser went on to become a public company listed on NASDAQ. In 1986, Medicare-Glaser and GenCare joined together to form Express Scripts, a Fortune 500 company. He served as the first chairman and CEO of Express Scripts, until retiring in 1989.
“Tough Calls from the Corner Office” chronicles Steinbaum’s experience as well as personal stories from other top business executives about the single most important business decision made during their careers
Copies of “Tough Calls from the Corner Office” will be available for purchase and signing. The event is free and open to the public and sponsored by the College of Business Administration at UMSL.
Flo Valley commemorates Women’s History Month
During its final week of activities marking Women's History Month, St. Louis Community College @ Florissant Valley will host a lecture on female body hair.
FROM THE NEWS WIRE:
March is Women’s History Month and for students and staff at St. Louis Community College, they’re not just learning it – they’re living it. Over the past 50 years, STLCC has prided itself on providing students the opportunity to expand their knowledge beyond the textbook. Some students learn visually, some audibly and others through hands-on experience.
For Women’s History Month, students and the St. Louis community will be given the opportunity to learn from those who help form and change our idea of what it means to be a woman. St. Louis Community College- Florissant Valley will host a variety of events, all free and open to the public. Here’s what’s coming up during the final week of March…
Monday, March 26
Hairy Women: How Shaving (or not) Can Change the World: An interactive presentation on how the female body has been a site of resistance and social advocacy throughout history, with particular focus on women’s hair. Emerson Lobby 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Tuesday, March 27
Women involved in Animal Conservation: film and discussion of women that strive to help protect animals and educate others. TC 202, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 28
Christine Giancola – An Artist’s Talk: Informal Gallery Talk with Artist Gallery. ADMIN, 2nd floor, Administration building, 1:30 p.m.
Groundbreaking Women: A 50th Anniversary Celebration: Panel discussion and reception with women who have been ‘groundbreakers’ in their field.
Terry M. Fischer Theatre 6:30-9 p.m.
Thursday, March 29
Women of Words: This event provides campus members the opportunity to read works from published women authors and/or writings by Florissant Valley’s female students, faculty, and staff at an open mic. You need not be a woman to read at this event. IR South Lobby, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Miss Representation: film and discussion. Explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media’s limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman. Terry M. Fischer Theatre 6:30-9 p.m.
Ongoing through April 5
The Work of Rene Marie Muhl. Contemporary Art Gallery, IR 111. Gallery hours: M-Th 10 a.m.-4 p.m. F-Sat 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Artist Reception: Thursday, April 5, 6-8 p.m.
St. Louis Community College @ Flo Valley is located at 3400 Pershall Road, 63135. For a campus map, look here. And for more info on Women’s History Month activities, contact Janice Nesser-Chu at (314) 513-4861.
Public input sought for sustainable regional plan
If you’re a resident of Ferguson or any of the surrounding communities mentioned above, the East-West Gateway Council of Governments wants to hear from you. This local nonprofit recently received a $4.7 million grant from the federal government, which will be used to “create a regional plan that builds the capacity of local and regional leaders to implement sustainable practices by sharing knowledge, best practices, and resources; connecting local, regional, state and federal planning efforts; and making federal and local investments more effective and efficient.”
In other words, they want to listen to citizen input and then develop long-term strategies to meet six core goals:
- Provide more transportation choices
- Promote equitable, affordable housing
- Enhance economic competitiveness
- Support existing communities
- Coordinate policies and leverage investments
- Value communities and neighborhoods
During this three-year process, there will be public meetings in 11 different Community Planning Areas. For our Ferguson area, the first meeting is tomorrow night, 6:30pm, at the St. Louis Community College Training Center, 3400 Pershall Road. If you live in Spanish Lake, Glasgow Village, Bellefontaine Neighbors or Riverview, your meeting is March 20, 6:30pm, at Trinity High School, 1720 Redman Road.
If you can make it to either of these events, wonderful! If not, you can still participate in the process by completing this community survey. You can also learn more about the St. Louis Regional Sustainable Communities project, which is what this whole thing is called, on the RPSD website.
Are you getting ready for the big day? NOCO is a proud sponsor of the 3rd annual Live Well Ferguson 5K