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POST-GAZETTE LOSES ALEXIS JOHNSON Second Black journalist to leave PG in four months Page A5
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 111 No. 43
Two Sections
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
OCTOBER 21-27, 2020
VOTING TAKES CENTER STAGE Young African Americans want their voices heard Poll shows 18-to-29 year olds enthusiastic about Presidential Election by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
We’re less than two weeks away from possibly the most important presidential election in American history, and all across the country, young people have invited themselves to the party. Shalaya Minor, a senior at Carnegie Mellon University, would bring Netflix and some popcorn to the polls if she could. The politics, international relations and psychology major from Philadelphia told the New Pittsburgh Courier she’s sure to vote in this Nov. 3 Presidential Election. “I’m thinking, who is going to impact my future in a positive way, who is going to impact my children’s future in a positive way,” Minor said. “Am I still going to be in debt? Am I still going to continue the same cycle of oppression that the Black community has been living in, or do I see a way out with some of the cer-
Neither did Calyx Deroche, 22, a graduate of Point Park University. But the only certainty is that Deroche will vote in the coming election. Deroche, who is from Atlanta, said she attended both presidential inaugurations of Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013. As soon as she turned 18, she became a registered voter, and voted CALYX DEROCHE AND SHALAYA MINOR are two of the many young African Americans who have committed to voting in the upcoming in the 2016 Presidential Presidential Election, Nov. 3. Some have already submitted their mail-in ballots; others will roll to the polls on Election Day. (Photo by J.L. Election as a freshman at Martello) Point Park. “I felt very hopeful and I felt like I had been a part of history,” Deroche told the Courier during an exclusive interview, Sept. 3. “The outcome wasn’t what I anticipated, and it was quite scary and depressing like it was for the majority of the people who voted with me, but it was very exciting to finally have a say in an election.” Traditionally, voting habits among 18-to-29 year olds haven’t been, well, much of a habit. But a national Harvard Institute by Rob Taylor Jr.
Port Authority hiring for a ‘Director of Equity and Inclusion’ Agency says new position crucial to improving its overall DEI strategy
A national Harvard Institute of Politics poll released in September revealed that 63 percent of the respondents 18-to-29 would “definitely be voting” in the coming election. tain candidates that are out there?” Minor, 21, said she has been doing research on the major party presidential candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. She didn’t tip her hat on which candidate would win her vote.
of Politics poll released in September revealed that 63 percent of the respondents 18-to-29 would “definitely be voting” in the coming election. Only 47 percent of respondents in SEE YOUNG PEOPLE A6
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Courier Staff Writer
While it isn’t directly because of the heightened awareness of racial injustice following the death of George Floyd, caused by a White Minneapolis police officer in May, the Port Authority told the New Pittsburgh Courier that they’re focused on improving their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts internally and externally now, more than ever before. Port Authority, the mass transit agency for the 1.2
COURIER EXCLUSIVE million residents of Allegheny County, is hiring for a newly created position, Director of Equity and Inclusion. In an exclusive interview, Katharine Kelleman, the agency’s CEO, told the Courier that it’s about time the Port Authority increased its Diversity, Equi-
KATHARINE KELLEMAN, right, the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s CEO, with Doris Carson Williams, president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania. Kelleman is leading the charge for the Port Authority to improve its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. ty and Inclusion efforts. “Not having been there before, we have to start somewhere,” Kelleman said during the Oct. 16 interview. “This is one position, and this position will grow an entire department that helps us internally
and externally.” Typically, the percentage of African Americans using public transit in a certain city or county is higher than the percentage of African Americans in that city or county. That holds true in Allegheny County,
where Blacks account for 14 percent of the population, but use buses and subways at a higher rate. And since the coronavirus pandemic began, there’s been virtually no SEE PORT AUTHORITY A10