Mother Baltimore: Take care
I don’t have much to say this week except I hope you all are doing well and staying safe!
Now, here’s the latest news in southwestern Illinois:
East St. Louis High School’s computer science class is growing, especially among girls
East St. Louis Senior High School was named among 27 schools in the state that were honored for increasing the number of girls taking advanced computer science classes. BND education reporter Megan Valley talked to the teacher and students in the high school’s AP Computer Science class about the recent achievement and plans for getting more kids exposed to coding and programming.
More on East St. Louis School District 189:
East St. Louis recognized for females in honors computer classes
East St. Louis parents hold another protest to demand a remote learning option
East St. Louis crash sends nine children to the hospital, police say
Nine children sustained injuries due to a car crash that occurred on Wednesday morning in East St. Louis. The children were riding in the passenger seat of a van heading near the intersection of 26th Street and Ohio Avenue when it was struck by an SUV.
More on car crashes in the metro-east:
Belleville woman sentenced on DUI charge for causing fatal motorcycle crash
Southwest Illinois woman killed while walking wrong way on state highway
An empty lot in East St. Louis will soon become a source of renewable energy
Ameren Illinois will build a $10.2 million solar field across from East St. Louis Senior High School. The clean energy facility, which will be the first in the city’s history, was announced during a groundbreaking ceremony last week. Construction for the site is expected be completed later this year or early next year.
More on renewable energy in southwest IL:
Ameren Illinois to build solar energy facility in East St. Louis
Southern Illinois lawmakers helped kill energy bill that would force coal plant closure
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
Spring Planting Party
9 a.m.- 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 at Preston Community Garden
Preston Community Garden will host a planting party to gear for the spring season and to teach gardening skills to those in the community. The garden is located at 733 N. 11th Street in East St. Louis.
What to watch
‘Bel-Air’
Putting a modern, dramatic twist on the beloved 90’s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Bel-Air” takes a deep dive into the harrowing journey of Will Smith as he escapes the streets of West Philadelphia to live with family in the affluent California neighborhood. The reboot airs on Thursdays on Peacock.
What to read
How Black feminists defined abortion rights
As the Supreme Court currently decides on whether to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that grants women the right to abortion, Princeton University professor Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor wrote about the need for more discourse about reproductive justice and the history of Black women’s fight for it in the broader conversation on abortion rights. Taylor’s argument evokes more awareness of what Roe v. Wade and those opposing it are missing—abortion access and what that looks like for non-white women:
For…. other Black feminists, reproductive freedom, including access to birth control and abortion and the right to have children on their terms, was the most basic element of self-determination in a society where their choices were heavily circumscribed by racism, gender, and class position. As a result, Black women activists not only took up the immediate questions concerning reproduction but they also raised issues about child care, employment, welfare, and the other material necessities that could help women take care of their children and choose to bring them into the world.
That’s all she wrote!
Talk to y’all in two weeks!
Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can sign-up for Mother Baltimore here. If you’d prefer to unsubscribe from this newsletter, you can do so at any time using the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of this message.
Want to learn more about the origin of Mother Baltimore? Click here.
