Jamala Rogers
Missouri
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Articles by Jamala Rogers
Black women push party change
Black women have been the backbone of the Democratic Party for decades. We have saved the party at critical times and have little to show for it. In the last presidential election, we showed up nearly 90% strong. The party leadership has ignored criticism of their racial and gender biases, and now it’s all coming to a head. It’s shake-up time. Tired of being sick and tired, some Black voters, elected officials, and candidates are shaking up the Democratic Party, along with their Latino allies.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is dying the death of a thousand cuts.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is dying the death of a thousand cuts. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court stuck a dagger in the VRA’s guts with Shelby County v. Holder, striking down the formula that determined which jurisdictions had to get federal approval before making changes to their elections. Earlier this year, the high court took a machete to another critical section of the VRA with Louisiana v.
Author Archives: Jamala Rogers | The Way I See It
Posted inNews The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is dying the death of a thousand cuts. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court stuck a dagger in the VRA’s guts with Shelby County v. Holder, striking down the formula that determined which jurisdictions had to get federal approval before making changes to their elections. Earlier this year, the […] Posted inReligion Posted inLocal news
Sounding the alarm on Black youth suicide
The statistics on gun violence and children are shocking enough. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 17 in the United States, according to an analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mortality data. Add to that statistic the alarming rise in suicide among Black youth, whose suicide rates have risen faster than those of any other racial or ethnic group over the past two decades, and you really do have a public health crisis.
Saving the tools of Democracy
Most voters take the valued tools of democracy for granted. We can access them readily without thinking about how society got them, or who’s responsible for protecting them. The foundational, electoral, and direct democracy tools are deeply integrated into the fabric of society. It has only been under the current regime that significant attention has been given to understanding what these tools are and the potential consequences of losing them.
How the nation celebrates its 250th year
It’s been 174 years since the famous abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, issued his scathing address on July 4 celebrations. The nation couldn’t handle the truth then, and it cannot handle it now. The Trump regime is giving us a harsh reality check as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday. Coming out of jubilant Juneteenth celebrations, most Black people in the U.S. are feeling far less celebratory about the 4th of July in 2026.
When the Voting Rights Act Dies
A recent excerpt of Dr. Eddie Glaude’s response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on voting rights went viral. Glaude is a frequent guest on “MS Now’s Deadline: White House,” hosted by Nicolle Wallace. The Princeton University historian was eloquent as he expressed his rage at the further attacks on the Voting Rights Act of 1965. How many people are at the bottom of rivers in Mississippi because they tried to vote, he asked.
No to the proposed police budget
I heard all of it—every word. I felt every emotion. I stayed until the end, until the mayor officially adjourned the City’s 4-hour Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting. I thought I was in the queue to testify, but halfway through the meeting, I found out my submission was late. I could’ve left at that point, but it was too compelling. Nearly 100 citizens showed up to express their outrage about the bloated police budget that is being rammed down taxpayers’ throats.
Slavery by Any Name: Inhumane and Evil
We can’t remember if we don’t know. If we don’t know about the atrocities of slavery, we can’t fight for reparations. I heard about the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution on slavery about the same time I finished reading The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder that Inspired the Abolition of Slavery by Siddharth Kara.
A mother’s search for her son — and the truth
I first became acquainted with Christian Ferguson’s story on the June 11 news in 2003. My interest was piqued for several reasons, starting with the account given by his father, Dawan Ferguson. It was an illogical story that raised more questions than it answered. Christian was a 9-year-old with a rare congenital medical condition that required life-saving medication. That meant it was a race against time to find the nonverbal child before his body shut down.
Women’s sassitude should match our voting power
As Women’s History Month came to a close, I began pinching myself to see if I am awake. In 2026, with all the struggles and accomplishments of women, we still have women in positions of authority cowering to men for no other reason than their gender. That is what patriarchy looks like in this country, and it drives feisty feminists wild. Women constitute the most influential voting bloc of any constituency.
Epstein file distractions: Real or fake?
The Epstein files are a voluminous and ominous body of evidence spanning decades of alleged criminal acts. The Department of Justice acknowledges the total collection includes an estimated 6 million pages, along with 180,000 images and 2,000 videos. To date, only a fraction of these documents — roughly 3.5 million pages — have been released to the public, a move forced by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The pathology of hurting children and missing pages of Epstein files
Understanding the depravity of the Epstein pedophiles and their protectors is key to understanding what we have running this country. Trump and his MAGA minions have gone from corrupt clowns to racist warmongers, and everything in between. The country needs to find its moral bearings because the depravity of these sociopaths affects us all. When you can hurt children without thought or remorse, you are capable of anything.
Jeffrey Epstein, Elite Protection, and America’s Moral Collapse
For over thirty years, Jeffrey Epstein has been a known pedophile. We can reasonably conclude that by the time he was finally convicted in 2008, his perverted enterprise was fully operationalized on a global scale. Why else would U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta negotiate a non-prosecution agreement to avoid federal charges? Why else would the monster get away with a light conviction and even lighter sentence?
NFL Half-Times will never be the same
After witnessing Bad Bunny’s long-awaited performance, I wondered who could top this? Maybe that’s not the right question, because I wouldn’t say that Bad Bunny topped Kendrick Lamar. The last two half-time performances have been more than mere entertainment. Both have centered resistance to American colonialism and capitalism. We’re still talking about Lamar’s 2025 halftime show, and we’ll be talking about Bad Bunny’s for months to come.
Police behavior is the best case for local control
The St. Louis Police Department is taking a page from the growing police state created by Trump and his MAGA monsters: a budget bigger than any other department with a green light to surveil, kidnap, occupy, assault, and murder. On Monday, January 19, snow and extreme cold forced most St. Louis residents to prioritize safety and survival. Some were able to stock up on necessities to hunker down for a few days, while the unhoused scrambled to find warm and welcoming shelters.
Putting an end to redefining war
When I think about the Trump administration’s seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, I can’t help but think about the quote from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.” The peacemakers are losing ground. The United States was founded through conflict and built on war. Violence is part of its DNA and embedded in its identity.
The Elections were an opening, not an ending
If the Nov. 4 elections were measured on the Richter scale like earthquakes, they would likely register a magnitude of 4.0. The Richter scale indicates the strength of an earthquake and the level of destruction it causes. A 4.0 rating means those closest to the source of energy had minimal damage. While voters have reason to celebrate these historic victories, it will take efforts with intensities closer to 9.5 or 10 to counteract the destructive impact of the MAGA movement.
Workers Are More Stressed Than Ever
I’m not interested in increased productivity or reduction in employers’ costs; my greater concerns are about the health and well-being of workers, especially African Americans. I’ve been obsessed about the job situation in this country for the past several years. I’m keeping a watchful eye on the quality of jobs, but also the elimination of certain jobs based on automation. Elon Musk’s DOGE eliminated thousands of government jobs.
The making of the Black criminal
Every now and then, Black people of African descent must dip into the historic and ancient waters of our experiences in this country. This affirmation helps to clear our minds and to fortify the resolve needed to defy the relentless, negative assaults on our existence. The MAGA Movement is justifying sending the military into urban centers because of the crime and violence, equating blackness with criminality.
GOP and MAGA Are Playing Hard and Dirty, Dems Need to Catch Up
The GOP is following no rules, no ethics, and no morals. There is no fair fight under these circumstances. Democrats must fight to win by any means necessary. The president has blatantly disregarded protocols, traditions, and best practices. The constitution is being shredded, the public coffers are being raided, and the rule of law is being trampled. Sadly, we have not seen the Democratic Party really fight for its constituents in many moons.
St. Louis needs a communal response to the tornado
We miss the point that the trauma is only within the body and the life of the individual person and what I’m worried about is the trauma has been experienced by the earth itself. There is a risk associated with place — places that are abandoned, places that are physically destroyed, places that don’t have basic infrastructure. … This was greatly exacerbated by the tornado.
Jamala Rogers, Author at St. Louis American
Skip to content Posted inOpinion We miss the point that the trauma is only within the body and the life of the individual person and what I’m worried about is the trauma has been experienced by the earth itself. There is a risk associated with place — places that are abandoned, places that are physically destroyed, places that don’t have […] Enter the code sent to your email. Email address Enter your password Sign in by entering the code we sent to , or clicking the magic link in the email.
The only option is a righteous victory
Much of the chaos swirling around us is a deliberate distraction. Some of it is pure incompetence on the part of elected and appointed officials. What has become increasingly clear is that, regardless of the source of the chaos, the People must be the captains of our destiny. Our current dilemma is how to determine the balance between self-reliance and holding our government accountable.
Review of government’s response to the St. Louis tornado
The E3 tornado that ripped through St. Louis on May 16 resulted in an unplanned topography for the city. It also exposed the ever-present racial history of the planned neglect and abandonment of certain predominantly Black neighborhoods. Two of those Northside neighborhoods were hit particularly hard during the storm. Mother Nature’s fury has given St. Louis an opportunity to rebuild a different landscape that rises from a new common vision for the city. I have been a part of the recovery efforts.
The Independence Day Sucka Punch
I don’t like being the bearer of bad news, but looking out for my community is more important to me than being cast as a messenger of gloom. On July 4 while you were grilling burgers or still cleaning up from a man-made disaster, the MAGA regime signed into law a bill that will beat you down a few more economic notches. Because it is the biggest transfer of wealth in modern U.S. history, it cements the financial standing of the white billionaire class for decades to come.
Learning the Art of the Lie
They all have learned the art of looking into the television camera and telling a bold-face lie. They can tell another lie that contradicts the previous lie without blinking an eye. During trump’s first run as president, most people of reason called it what it was. This man was a big liar, telling whoppers at the drop of a hat. The media tried to maintain decorum and deference afforded to presidents by using all kinds of euphemisms.
No Kings Protests Reveals the Fight Against Authoritarianism
The No Kings protests cannot be a moment of temporary anger. It must be shaped into a multiracial, nonpartisan movement to oppose homegrown authoritarianism. The No Kings protests cannot be a moment of temporary anger. It must be shaped into a multiracial, nonpartisan movement to oppose homegrown authoritarianism. Recent activities by the Trump administration singularly and collectively sent powerful messages to the world. The dueling fronts were in full motion.
We won’t be distracted by war
Since trump and his rich buddy Elon Musk had their public breakup a couple of weeks ago, the country has gone to war with Iran. The Big Ugly Bill is still being pushed through the U.S. Senate but with less enthusiasm by lawmakers after some serious threats by Musk about any support of the bill. The bill is a trillion-dollar tax break for the wealthy elite and a big, ugly, “disgusting abomination” for the rest of us.
St. Louis will be tested by a tornado
There has been a river of tears since the EF3 tornado hit the St. Louis area on May 16. Tears are still being shed by the families who were victimized by the fury of Mother Nature, and also the friends and volunteers who came to their rescue. My moment came a week later in the ruins of a ravaged Northside neighborhood. It wasn’t just the utter devastation. I’ve witnessed disasters including the Great Flood of 1993 here and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
High Time to Invoke the 25th Amendment
The constitutional crisis that people kept warning the world about is now front and center. It’s time to take definitive, decisive action. The wanna-be dictator shared an AI-generated photo of himself as the Pope days after the real Pontiff’s death. Further, trump claimed he was the number one choice for Pope Francis’ replacement. That was in poor taste like a lot of his other buffoonery. The serial liar and convicted felon has normalized his narcissistic and bizarre behavior.
MAGA and Black History in the Show-Me State
Those who believe in democracy will have to accelerate our efforts. The longer it takes us to build a united front against fascism, the more ground we lose. Those who believe in democracy will have to accelerate our efforts. The longer it takes us to build a united front against fascism, the more ground we lose. Missouri was a slave state, so most enlightened people consider it to be more Southern than Midwestern. Then there’s the infamous Dred Scott case in St. Louis.
The St. Louis governance model: Default to plantation
Former Missouri State Attorney General and now Senator Eric Schmitt was crystal clear in his analysis of the campaign to rid St. Louis of its Black, female legislators. Sure, his post-election post was braggadocious in nature but do not get lost in the tone. Focus on the words which confirmed my declaration that there has been a campaign to rid St. Louis of any Black, forward-thinking elected officials, Making St. Louis white again.
Confronting Trump-Musk Oligarchy: United Front Against Fascism
One defeat will not be enough to stop the chainsaw to the government or the looting of public coffers. The People will have to confront the trump-musk oligarchy. The People will have to confront the trump-musk oligarchy in big, bold ways. We will have to hit them at the ballot box, in the streets, at the state houses. There’s a quote that I’ve been thinking a lot about when I look at the U.S. Left’s response to the destruction by the trump-musk duo: “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good”.
One-term Black mayor a calculated plan
Even before Mayor Tishaura Jones was sworn in as the first African American female mayor, the murmurs of the curse started to swirl. Would she break the curse or fall victim to it? We will find out soon enough. How is it that Black mayors in St. Louis don’t get a second chance to course-correct while mediocre white mayors get multiple chances. The first two Black mayors were male. Freeman Bosley, Jr. and Clarence Harmon were both one-termers, both allegedly cursed.
Moving But Not Together: A Different Strategy Needed to Protect Women's Lives
When I think about the March theme, I wonder where’s the “moving” and who is the “together.” The women’s group that instituted Women’s History Month declared this year’s theme to be “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” Many people don’t know the origin of the Women’s History Month that we are celebrating. The National Women’s History Month Alliance took a page from Black History by first advocating for a Women’s History week in 1980.
Making St. Louis White Again
Share The St. Louis primary election is evidence that the MAGA disease has infected our politics. With the slash and burn actions of the trump regime on the federal level and the anti-urban power grabs on the state level, there was some hope that St. Louis could be a genuine refuge against the anti-democratic forces sweeping across the land. Moving towards a vision of equity and inclusion for all citizens hit a temporary bump on March 4.
Making St. Louis White Again
The St. Louis primary election is evidence that the MAGA disease has infected our politics. With the slash and burn actions of the trump regime on the federal level and the anti-urban power grabs on the state level, there was some hope that St. Louis could be a genuine refuge against the anti-democratic forces sweeping across the land. Moving towards a vision of equity and inclusion for all citizens hit a temporary bump on March 4.
The Clownocracy
James Baldwin once said, “Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” It’s also incredibly time-consuming. If you’re Black and poor, that’s a double whammy. The American electorate came into 2025 exhausted from emotional fatigue and financial stress. Since the November election, the implementation of Project 2025 has accelerated.
Raising the racial equity bar through elections
In his groundbreaking book, The Broken Heart of America, one of the ambitious goals Walter Johnson sets out to explore when looking at St. Louis is to answer the question, “what happened here?” For me, the tone that goes with the words is one of bewilderment. Johnson is a native Missourian and Harvard University professor of history. He believes the starting point of answering that question is the acknowledgment that St. Louis is a reflection of U.S. history.
The Way I See It Archives
Posted inThe Way I See It In his groundbreaking book, The Broken Heart of America, one of the ambitious goals Walter Johnson sets out to explore when looking at St. Louis is to answer the question, “what happened here?” For me, the tone that goes with the words is one of bewilderment. Johnson is a native Missourian and Harvard University professor […] Countdown to the 23rd Annual Salute to Excellence in Business: Tickets On Sale Now!
Organization for Black Struggle and the YCPD celebrated their 45th anniversary
Robin D.G. Kelley recently brought his analytical brilliance to a weekend of activities in St. Louis that celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Organization for Black Struggle (OBS) and the Youth Council for Positive Development. Kelley currently teaches history at UCLA. A respected radical scholar, Kelley’s prolific body of work is extensive. It includes seven books and several in the making.
Believing Our Power: Mr. Charlie’s Ice Ain't Colder
Every move we make must be calculated and in concert with others committed to stopping the rise of authoritarianism and the dismantling of civil and constitutional liberties. There’s an old Southern saying that has been passed down throughout the generations by Black folks that is vanishing from our cultural vernacular: Mr. Charlie’s ice is always colder. It is still a compact and descriptive explanation of internalized oppression.
Neoliberal Austerity Policies May Be the Root of All Evil
I often hear people repeat the adage, “Money is the root of all evil.” My response is always, Give me a ton of money, and I’ll show you what good can be done with it! I understand the sentiment because it seems the people with money use it to get more wealth and more power for themselves at the expense of the masses. The working class has been conditioned to believe their money is not as powerful as the rich elites'. It’s time to debunk that dangerous myth.
Dear white people (letter #3)
Dear white people, I’ll never say I speak for all people of African descent or for other people of color. However. I’ve been in many spaces across the country since my last letter to you five years ago. I can say that there’s a lot of anger and outrage towards white people right about now. You are blamed for the deteriorating state of the country. The tolerance of most non-whites is low. We are sick and tired. Literally.
The Trump victory means we who believe in freedom cannot rest
THE WAY I SEE IT After the disgusting and terrifying election of trump, former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill conceded by saying that Trump “knows America better than we do.” This is the same candidate for U.S. Senate who also didn’t “know” Missouri in 2018 when the experienced politician lost to kid wanna-be trump Josh Hawley. The Democratic leadership has been stuck on stupid for several election cycles and our fragile democracy is already paying a hefty price.
The untreated wounds of Central Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) High shooting survivors
I really don’t know why there has been no concerted response. Maybe it’s because of the general chaos in this society that we don’t focus on the needs and concerns of children and youth. Maybe it’s because adults don’t really know how to respond. I refuse to believe it’s because we do not care. But when a student survivor of St. Louis’ first school shooting came to me for a platform to express her discounted pain, I wondered about us as a society.
The Trump victory means we who believe in freedom cannot rest
After the disgusting and terrifying election of trump, former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill conceded by saying that Trump “knows America better than we do.” This is the same candidate for U.S. Senate who also didn’t “know” Missouri in 2018 when the experienced politician lost to kid wanna-be trump Josh Hawley. The Democratic leadership has been stuck on stupid for several election cycles and our fragile democracy is already paying a hefty price.
Missouri can stand tall in Nov. 5 election
The conservative playbook for America—Project 2025—had been unleashed before the terrifying move of Donald Trump into the White House in 2016. Like a lethal virus, components of the authoritarian strategy accelerated during his four years in office, and it infected all branches of government. While democracy has taken some significant hits recently, the Nov. 5 election can reverse this backward trend.
Fentanyl's Persistent Grip on the Black Community
The recent news of drug overdose deaths seemed like a light at the end of a long and tortuous tunnel. For people like me who have lost a loved one to fentanyl, it offered a glimmer of hope for others. For people like me who organize in distressed Black neighborhoods and who carry Narcan daily on their person, the reports of this promising trend did not match up with my reality.
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