Andrea Y. Henderson
Andrea Henderson joined St. Louis Public Radio in March 2019, where she covers race, identity and culture as part of the public radio collaborative Sharing America. Andrea comes to St. Louis Public Radio from NPR, where she reported for the race and culture podcast Code Switch and produced pieces for All Things Considered. Andrea’s passion for storytelling began at a weekly newspaper in her hometown of Houston, Texas, where she covered a wide variety of stories including hurricanes, transportation and Barack Obama’s 2009 Presidential Inauguration. Her art appreciation allowed her to cover arts and culture for the Houston African-American business publication, Empower Magazine. She also covered the arts for Syracuse’s Post-Standard and The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina.
Andrea graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and earned her master’s degree in arts journalism from Syracuse University. For three years, she served on the board of the Houston Alliance of Fashion and Beauty as the media chair, and she is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. When the proud Houstonian is not chasing a story, she enjoys catching up on her shows, getting lost in museums and swimming in tropical waters.
Follow her journey through St. Louis via Twitter and Instagram at @drebjournalist.
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The University of Missouri System is halting the use of diversity statements in its hiring practices. UM President Mun Choi said in an email Monday that officials will now send a “values commitment” to job applicants instead of DEI statements. -
A recent study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis found that racial discrimination is linked to depression among college-educated Black Americans.
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The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released its preliminary 2021-22 grade level and end-of-course assessments. Students are not performing at pre-pandemic levels.
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Gov. Mike Parson issues a drought alert for 53 Missouri counties that are experiencing extreme heat. His administration is supplying water to farms and ranches through state parks and conservation areas.
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Dr. Colleen P. McNicholas, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said Missouri’s ban on abortions has led doctors and pharmacists to deny patients vital medications. She said patients who need lifesaving abortions are now at risk, because doctors have to wait for guidance from lawyers.
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In the U.S., Black women have the highest maternal mortality rates. St. Louis-area doctors and abortion rights advocates say if Roe v. Wade is overturned and Missouri bans abortion, Black women would be at risk.
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The Nature Conservancy in Missouri has developed a geographic tool to show people in the St. Louis region places with low tree canopy rates, poor air quality and flooding issues.
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Missouri traffic stops declined significantly in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic as stay-at-home orders were in effect. But the state Attorney General's Vehicle Stops Report shows African American drivers were 71% more likely to be pulled over by Missouri police officers last year than white drivers.
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A week after the Minneapolis jury’s verdict, Black people in the St. Louis region are struggling to reconcile a brief moment of relief with painful reminders that police continue to use deadly force against Black people. They’re also seeking ways to heal from generational trauma — through therapy, yoga, meditation and spending time outdoors.
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Over 62,000 people in Missouri will not be able to cast a vote in today’s presidential election because they are on probation or parole. Ex-offenders and activists are calling for lawmakers to quickly restore the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people, so they can elect people who will improve their communities.
