C1 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN • JAN 30 - FEB 5, 2014

Grand celebrations in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in St. Louis abounded this month.

A personal favorite was hosted at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ in the city’s West End. The annual joint service with Westminster Presbyterian Church and Union Avenue Christian Church was remarkable. Reverend Allen Grothe (Pilgrim), Rev. Mark Miller (Westminster) and Rev. Dr. Suzanne Webb (Union Avenue) orchestrated

an all-inclusive service for their members and the neighborhood. The churches’ joint choirs offered beautiful music opening with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “Give Us the Wings of Faith,” “My Lord, What a Morning” and “We Shall Overcome.”

Rev. Grothe presented the weekly children’s church message. Program highlights included quotes from Dr. King including: “Peace is not

merely a distant goal that we seek,

See POTPOURRI, C4

POTPOURRI WITH DANA G. RANDOLPH

The former NAACP president and CEO – the youngest in the history of the organization –will speak on the Civil Rights journey in the special talk entitled “We Got What We Fought For, But We Lost What We Had” at The Loretto-Hilton on February 17th at 7:30 p.m.

www.stlamerican.com

•Only Online • Webster University

welcomes Ben Jealous

See PLAY, C4

Check out this week’s

PARTYLINE

Page C8

Afriky Lolo performers Kyleigh Patrick, Jordan Young, Christian Kelly, Najaah Muhamad and (back) Caph Gueu

Stage, film

and TV star

Phyllis Stickney

anchors Ntozake

Shange’s classic

By Kenya VaughnOf The St. Louis American

“If you can’t say it, Ntozake says it for you,” actress Phyllis Yvonne Stickney proclaimed when she spoke of her upcoming role in the Black Rep’s latest adaptation Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.”

“Plus, she’s from St. Louis – so support your homegirl. We’ve got to learn to celebrate our prophets at home.”

Stickney will be taking the stage as The Lady in Purple when “For Colored Girls…” makes a limited engagement run at the Missouri History Museum through February 9.

“For Colored Girls…” carries the audience through a range of emotion through a series of vignettes performed by seven women.

The Black Rep’s production also stars Marsha Cann, Evan De-Bose, Chelsea Drape, Linda Kennedy, Patrese McClain and Andrea Purnell.

“It’s not all young girls; it’s not all mature women. It’s a truly integrated cast, which is something that I think is very different and very exciting,” Stickney said.

“This production brings all the colors together, but it also brings all the generations together – which gives us different perspectives and vantage points.”

Shange dubbed the work a “choreopoem.” Its unique blend of song, dance and monologue quickly captured the theatre scene in the early 1970s and never let go.

“What is brilliant about this

By Danie Rae, Style BrokerFor The St. Louis American

When it comes to becoming a certified designer brand, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. One has to be mindful of so many factors, ranging from fabric selections and thread quality to logo design and model selection.

That’s why my hat goes off to these three up-and-coming designers/brands right here in the St. Louis area. Shan Keith, Traces of Truth, and N3VRMND the BRAND are three of the area’s most promising apparel brands. We shot them and their premiere pieces to give a glimpse into

what they have in store for 2014.

Shan Keith -

Shan Keith Designs

As a contestant on Lifetime’s reality show “Under the Gunn,” designer Shan Keith is destined for fashion greatness. Now, I have a tendency to be a design snob when it comes to fabric usage, garment construction and pattern pairings, and Shan slays all three categories. His line “Shan Keith Designs” consists of garments for women, men and children, and he plans to expand his

line to include licensing and branding of other apparel items like home goods, and cosmetics.

“I want to capitalize on my 15 minutes of fame and make Shan Keith a household name,” he said.

Follow him on social media sites @ShanKeith and catch him on “Under the Gun” every Thursday on Lifetime at 8 p.m.

Tracie McKeown -

Traces of Truth Jewelry

When asked about her niche as a

Dancing for Dr. King

Harris-Stowe hosts first Artist in Residence

American staff

Harris-Stowe State University will host its first artist in residence, Synthia Saint James from February 2-8, with a lecture presentation 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 5 in the Emerson Performance Center’s Bank of America Theatre, 3101 Laclede Ave.

Saint James is a world-renowned multicultural visual artist, author, popular speaker and architectural designer who has garnered numerous awards over her 40-plus year career, including the prestigious Trumpet Award and an honorary doctorate degree from Saint Augustine’s

College, both in 2010. She is most celebrated for

designing the first Kwanzaa stamp for the United States Postal Service, for which she received a History Maker Award, and for the international cover art for Terry McMillan’s book Waiting to Exhale.” Her paintings have graced the covers for more than 70 books, including books by Alice Walker and Iyanla Vanzant.

“Ms. Saint James has the ability to capture and illustrate the ‘black experience’ in stunning and colorful ways, and I have been a fan of hers for many years,” said Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Michelle McClure. “It is an honor that

Synthia Saint James designed Kwanzaa

stamp, ‘Waiting to Exhale’ cover

we will have her on campus during Black History Month so that she can share her expertise.”

During Saint James’ stay in

St. Louis, the artist will interact with Harris-Stowe students in the

See ARTIST, C4

STL designers to atchPhyllis Yvonne Stickney

Artist Synthia Saint James will speak about her life and work 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 5 at the Emerson Performance Center. She will be Harris-Stowe State University’s first artist in residence February 2-8.

w

Traces of Truth Jewelry Shan Keith Designs N3VRMND the BRAND

The top three local brands for 2014

See DESIGNERS, C4

Hair: Ronnisha Britton

MU: Keisha Reece

Photos: Lawrence

Bryant

Models: Candace

Kohl of West Model

and Talent, Von

Ricco Lane and

Aneesah Warfield

Dana G.

Randolph

“For Colored

Girls…”

returns to

Black Rep