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Brother Melvin Hubbard El honored for dedication to families Page A3
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 112 No. 43 Two Sections
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OCTOBER 27-NOVEMBER 2, 2021
PITTSBURGH, LET’S MAKE HISTORY
COURIER ENDORSES ED GAINEY FOR MAYOR Rep. Gainey would be Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor by The Courier Editorial Board
STATE REP. ED GAINEY
Rep. Gainey has repeatedly said that he is the best choice to make Pittsburgh a “city for all.”
This Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers, our beloved pride and joy, will head 133 miles northwest to Cleveland to face the Browns, the team (and city) we love to hate. But if there’s one thing Cleveland has over us here in Pittsburgh, it’s that 53 years ago, its residents broke barriers by making Carl B. Stokes the first African American mayor of a major U.S. city. Since 1968, Black mayors have popped up pretty much everywhere — Cole-
man Young, the first Black mayor of Detroit (1974), Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago (1983), David Dinkins, the first Black mayor of
even in places with smaller Black populations — Carl Brewer became Wichita, Kansas’ first Black mayor in 2008, Daniel Brown became Knoxville, Ten-
ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 2 To see a list of candidates endorsed by the Courier, see Page B3. New York City (1990), Michael B. Coleman, the first Black mayor of Columbus, Ohio (2000)... The list goes on and on,
nessee’s first Black mayor in 2012, Corey Woods became Tempe, Arizona’s first Black mayor last year, and Kim Janey, a Black
woman, is Boston’s current mayor, after the city saw 54 White men serve as mayor in the city’s 199-year history before her. Pittsburgh, it’s time for you to join the party. The New Pittsburgh Courier emphatically endorses state Rep. Ed Gainey, a proud African American family man, the pride of joy of Peabody High School and Lincoln-Lemington, for mayor of the City of Pittsburgh. If Rep. Gainey is elected by you, the residents of Pittsburgh, on Nov. 2, he SEE GAINEY A4
Garfield Lemonius spreading wealth of knowledge to students Recently named Dean of Point Park’s Conservatory of Performing Arts by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Take a trek to Downtown Pittsburgh, and you’ll notice tall skyscrapers, slightly cooler temperatures due to the three rivers, and if you look close enough, you’ll see one of the top collegiate dance programs in all of America. Point Park University’s dance program is the real
deal — ranked No. 5 in the U.S. in 2018 by OnStage Blog, and among the top 25 Dance programs for 202021 by DanceUS.org. At the helm of the heralded Point Park dance program is Garfield Lemonius, the Jamaica-born, Canada-raised man of many moves who recently became Dean of the school’s Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA).
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The department of dance is included in COPA, along with theatre and cinema arts. Lemonius is also artistic director of Pittsburgh Playhouse, the university’s performing arts space that is now located Downtown, adjoining Point Park. “It is hard to describe what it is about dance that I enjoy so much to make me choose it as a professional career,” Lemonius, who first joined Point Park as a guest artist in 2009 and became a full-time faculty member in 2011, told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “The training to become a dancer is extremely arduous and incredibly taxing both mentally and
physically. I sometimes asked whether I chose dance or did dance choose me, but the feeling I get from dancing is indescribable — insatiable. How can I explain how movement feels palpable, almost visceral, so that someone understands? I know that when I dance, and while it is work, let’s be clear, I cannot fathom doing anything else. I love art and how art is expressed through movement; it’s social commentary; it can transform, heals and brings community together.” Lemonius received his SEE LEMONIUS A6
GARFIELD LEMONIUS