rican American men. Black men are three times as likely to be unem-
ployed as the rest of the population, according to League statistics.
They are also more likely to face additional obstacles, including insuffi-
cient training, having a jail record or arrest warrants, and lack of access
to child care. “Fifty-four percent of the men in the program have been
incarcerated at some point,” said Jamie Dennis, Save Our Sons program
director. Getting proper identification, “some men just have a jail ID,”
Dennis said, is another hurdle. Failing the background check is a fre-
quent problem. “We try to break down some of these barriers and find
felony-friendly companies willing to train these men and actually give
them a try,” Dennis said. The four-week program is centered around
what he calls the four pillars of employment: how to get a job, how to
keep a job, how to get promoted and how to keep your skills market-
able.
Training sessions help students evaluate their strengths and weaknesses
and learn how to sell themselves to an employer. Hiring managers from
local companies visit the classes to meet participants and discuss what
they’re looking for in job candidates.
Volunteer instructors and life coaches for the program resemble a
Who’s Who list of St. Louis’ business and civic leadership. They include
David Steward, co-founder and board chair of World Wide Technol-
ogy; St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Jimmie Edwards; Cedric Powell,
an executive with Anheuser-Busch InBev; Dupont executive turned
restaurateur Harry Parker; and Marius Palmer, CEO of Harris Cabs,
among others.
Together they address a curriculum that touches on the unwritten nu-
ances of life for many black men, and the obstacles that stand in their
way. “We teach them how to code switch – how to speak successfully
during an interview,” Dennis said. “Sometimes they need reminders –
take off your hat before you come into a building, smile when you greet
someone, stand up when you shake someone’s hand. Sometimes you
have to reorient individuals, because generational poverty affects the
way African Americans communicate with one another.”
Donlow describes the training course as something more, “a brother-
hood.”
“We call each other and keep each other connected,” he said of the
other participants. He refers to Dennis and McMillan as mentors and
keeps their personal cell numbers in his phone. And he’s thankful for
the help. “If you don’t have lights, they will give you assistance,” Don-
low said. “If you don’t have money for the bus, they will give it to you.
But you have to submit to their leadership, maximize your time and the
opportunity and take it seriously. They make it simple to be blessed.”
“They’re polishing and grooming you to
not just get a job, but how to keep a job
and advance and make yourself have added
value.” – Willard Donlow Jr.