Learn about the dedicated individuals and organizations working to improve healthcare and therapeutic services for Black communities, and how St. Louis can come together to reduce recidivism and build stronger communities.
Keisha Lee, CEO of Annie Malone, image courtesy of Keith Watkins
Many Black and African American communities across the nation are at a disadvantage when it comes to healthcare, mental health, and therapeutic services. But some organizations and people run and operate those organizations who are healing the communities they serve by helping one child at a time and one family at a time.
Many dedicated people are rolling their sleeves up to help assist the Annie Malone Children & Family Services which is much needed since inner-city communities are under-served. Unfortunately, Missouri has the tenth-highest incarceration rate in the nation and our communities need to be aware of this and come together to reduce recidivism. Recidivism is the tendency of a convicted criminal to re-offend.
On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, Nexxt Time Café presented the event “The Response: What’s Next?”. This event was hosted by keynote speaker, Keisha Lee and two moderators, Duane Tolen and Etoya White.
The discussion opened with a panel of six people one of whom was St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. The other five panelists were Clay Farmer and four young men aged 16-21.
Moreover, each young man gave compelling tear-jerking stories about how they were at their lowest point in their lives until Annie Malone stepped in at the right time to intervene and offered a way out of the streets. Annie Malone Children & Family Services is a long-standing social service agency in the St. Louis area that has programs to reduce the presence of crises in our communities.
Keisha Lee, CEO of Annie Malone, began the discussion with “The state of the City of St. Louis” and what’s happening in our communities. Ms. Lee also talked about Annie Malone’s Economic Mobility Program (EMP) and the resources they have to offer.
The EMP is similar to a boarding school style and has day and evening programs. She puts young men with men who look like them and have been where they are. In addition, kids are being bullied or teased for what they don’t have like new clothes or the latest fashionable sneakers.
Keisha also stated that the Economic Mobility Program takes in young men aged sixteen to twenty-one and brings them into their care loves them and tells them “Hey, before you give up on school and turn to the streets come to this program and we’re going to help you get your HISET in 6 months. In addition, if you ever decide to go to college, you will already meet the qualifications.”
Four youths in the EMP got to share their input by participating in a panel discussion alongside Prosecutor Wesley Bell. We all know that as human beings, we make mistakes, but some mistakes can cost you a good stable future.
One moderator by the name of Duane Tolen, better known in the community as “Dee Tee”, is spearheading a program called From Boys to MenTORRs. Dee Tee stated that Keisha Lee approached him and presented him with an opportunity to join the Economic Mobility Program. He also stated, “This is something I was looking for because this is a holistic approach.”
As President/CEO of From Boys 2 MenTORRs the young men get an education plus incentives to stay out of the streets, they get prepared for work readiness and are guaranteed job placement at the end of the program.
The other moderator, Etoya White, a licensed professional counselor, discussed decision-making. He recited a quote “You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” At the time Etoya couldn’t remember the author of that quote but he uses it as his mantra. Etoya asked the question: “What’s going on in the mind of young brothers regarding decision-making.”
In conclusion, Wesley Bell, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney, stated,” We don’t have enough spaces where Black men talk about the issues that Etoya talks about in such an articulate way.” Wesley went on to say that so many of us are dealing with trauma that goes undiagnosed and so that trauma has not been dealt with in our community which doesn’t get talked about openly as it should.
#HealingCommunities #CombattingRecidivism #healthcare #AnnieMalone
