Bringing in the Votes in St. Louis?
Church Avenue, Courtesy of the New York Public Library, Circa 1954
During the Depression poet Maya Angelou, born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri lived with her Grandmother. Her Grandmother was a well connected political precinct boss who elected officials in St. Louis depended on for votes. As a result young Maya Angelou recalls men with seedy reputations regularly came to her Grandma Baxter’s house and “sat with church-like decorum and waited to ask favors from her.” In return for her favors “come election [days], they were to bring in the votes from their neighborhood. She most often got them leniency [when they busted by the police], and they always brought in the vote.” According to St. Louis natives, there pizza is distinctive and must try if you are visiting the city. “When I return to town for family events,” says one native, “often my first and last meals” is pizza. There made with a thin unleavened crispy crust, a blend of provolone, Swiss and cheddar cheeses, and a thick sweet sauce with lots of herbs in it. In addition, most of the toppings are sliced flat and put under the cheese. Because the pizzas are thin, they are most often large in diameter, and sliced into squares rather than traditional wedges like in New York or Chicago.
Editor Dr. Frederick Douglass Opie. Follow Dr Opie and share a link to the series
