Mother Baltimore: Just a little repect
Today would’ve been Aretha Franklin’s 80th birthday. In honor of the Queen of Soul, here are some of the lyrics to her 1967 hit “Respect” that stay with me and remind me of Franklin’s unyielding self-assurity that dominates nearly all of her songs:
Ooh, your kisses, sweeter than honey
And guess what? So is my money
All I want you to do for me, is give it to me when you get home
Now, here’s the latest news in southwestern Illinois:
Former Belleville man files complaint alleging East St. Louis police officer beat him
A former Belleville East student alleges that an East St. Louis police officer severely attacked him during an encounter last week. The East St. Louis Police Department is currently investigating the incident. BND reporter DeAsia Paige talked to witnesses about the alleged beating.
More on East St. Louis Police Department:
East St. Louis cops want police chief held accountable for ‘hostile work environment’
After 6 years of negotiations and promises, East St. Louis cops still waiting on 2% raise
‘Learn as you earn’ programs pay southwest Illinoisans to become teacher’s aides
Community Development Sustainable Solutions, an East St. Louis nonprofit, announced the rollout of a new program that creates a pathway for parents in East St. Louis, Brooklyn-Lovejoy, Cahokia Heights and Madison school districts to become teacher’s aides. BND reporter Kelsey Landis covered the press conference this week where community leaders and state officials celebrated the launch of the program in the region.
More on Community Development Sustainable Solutions:
East St. Louis has always celebrated Juneteenth. Now, leaders want equity
East St. Louis nonprofit to host Black History Month event about Juneteenth
The East St. Louis Higher Education Campus has a new director
The Illinois Community College Board announced Leonard Cruise as the new director of the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus. Cruise previously served as a site administrator for the campus, along with serving on the Belleville school board.
More on East St. Louis schools:
East St. Louis High School’s computer science class is growing, especially among girls
East St. Louis trauma center reflects on a year of counseling children and 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
Empire 13 Cleanup
9 a.m. on Saturday, April 23 on State Street
Empire 13, a Belleville-based grassroots organization, is partnering with East St. Louis for an 89 block action cleanup on State Street in an effort to make the area clean “for the first time in decades”. For more information, contact JD Dixon at jddixon914@gmail.com or 618-304-2107
What to watch
‘Atlanta’
“Atlanta” is finally back. The critically-acclaimed FX series returns for Season 3 after a four-year hiatus. Created by and starring Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino), the series follows a group of friends trying to make the best of their struggles while living in Atlanta. New episodes of the hit show airs on Thursdays at 9 p.m. CST
What to read
I’m a Black woman with OCD, anxiety and depression. Here’s what I want people to know
For Refinery 29, Houreidja Tall wrote about her experiences with debilitating mental health and finding ways to cope. Tall shares traumatic experiences in the piece while contextualizing what having obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression looks like for Black women and the lack of awareness surrounding it. In the personal essay, she writes:
It’s the ultimate betrayal when you’re fighting your brain every single day. I’ve been in therapy and psychiatric treatment for 10 years now with countless mixes of medications to try to manage the symptoms of my OCD, depression and anxiety. I was afraid that these disorders meant I was unlovable and a burden, and, to be honest, I still worry about this. My healing has not been linear and will be lifelong; I know my OCD and anxiety will never fully go away.
That’s all she wrote!
Talk to y’all in two weeks!
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