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VOTERS FIRE TRUMP, AND HIRE BIDEN Joe Biden projected winner of 2020 Presidential Election, ending Donald Trump’s tumultuous tenure as president
(Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.) (Design by Warren King)
African Americans in Pittsburgh rejoice in news of Biden victory
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JOE BIDEN WINS 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION — A COURIER SPECIAL REPORT
Black Pittsburgh plays critical role in 2020 Presidential Election
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH RESIDENTS DEWAYNE JOHNSON AND AHLEXXUS WHITE were among the many Black voters who voted on Election Day. (Photos by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)
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hen they said “every vote counts,” nowhere was that more accurate than right here in Pennsylvania. Specifically, Allegheny County, where the African American vote was instru-
mental in putting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden over the top, and sending Donald Trump, the current president, into political irrelevance. After a Nov. 3 Election Night that ended up span-
Trump in the state’s overall vote count and then passed Trump the previous day. The Associated Press saw Biden’s more-than 30,000-vote lead in the state with 98 percent of the vote counted, and on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 11:25 a.m.,
JASMINE SIMPSON voted for the first time in a presidential election.
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ning the rest of the week, Biden finally was declared the winner of Pennsylvania on Saturday, Nov. 7, after he had caught up to
called the state for Biden. Moments later, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and MSNBC projected Biden the winner of the presidential election,
as Pa.’s 20 electoral votes placed Biden over the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Fox News proclaimed Biden the winner of the election 10 minutes after the other networks. On Election Night, Trump originally had a 696,000 vote lead in Pennsylvania, and a lead in states like Michigan and Wisconsin, causing him to declare that he had won the election. But he was spreading fake news. As the days went on and the millions of mail-in ballots continued to be counted in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, Biden mounted a Kentucky Derby-style comeback. Television networks seemed happy to point out that many of the mail-in ballots left to be counted were from Milwaukee, Detroit, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, which have large numbers of Black votes. The vast majority of those Black votes were going to Biden, as viewers witnessed the tide turning in favor of Biden in real-time. Before Biden was declared the winner in Pa., he was named the winner in Wisconsin and Michigan, which had the Trump camp shaking in their boots. By Thursday morning, Nov. 5, all eyes were on the Keystone State; its votes were ultra-crucial to Presidential Election 2020. By Saturday morning, Nov. 7, it was all over. Biden had caught up to Trump and passed him, and with almost no Re-
publican mail-in ballots to count, it was clear Biden would grow his lead. As of Tuesday, Nov. 10, Biden had a 45,000 vote lead over Trump, with 98 percent of the state’s precincts reporting. In Allegheny County, 700,979 total votes were cast; Biden received 415,861, or 59 percent. Trump received 274,348 votes, or 39 percent. African Americans in the county overwhelmingly voted for Biden, meaning that the Black vote here in the Pittsburgh area (and Philadelphia) was the major factor in Biden winning the state. Biden is the president-elect, and his running mate, Kamala Harris, will become the first woman and first Black woman vice president in American history on inauguration day, Jan. 20, 2021. The New Pittsburgh Courier spent Election Day, Nov. 3, at various polling locations in Pittsburgh’s Black neighborhoods. From Dewayne Johnson, to Jasmine Simpson, to Devon Washington, Ahlexxus White and those in between, all the people interviewed by the Courier agreed on one thing; wanting Donald Trump out of the White House. “I really don’t want Trump back in this office, I’m sorry,” proclaimed Washington, the Hill District resident, to the Courier’s J.L. Martello. “We need Trump outta here,” exclaimed Johnson. “We need the right people
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DEVON WASHINGTON voted on Election Day.
in the (White) House, and so that’s why I voted.” The get-out-the-vote efforts in Pittsburgh’s Black communities prior to the election were fierce. Tim Stevens, President and CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project, orchestrated an early-voting campaign that was seen on billboards and buses in the area. The promotional messages clearly reminded African Americans to apply for, fill out, then mail-in their ballots, which would eliminate older voters’ chances of being in large Election Day crowds during the coronavirus pandemic. The campaign worked. The Courier observed less people in the lines to vote on Election Day in areas like Homewood, East Liberty, the Hill District and Wilkinsburg; many of the Black voters had already mailed in their ballots or dropped them off at the “Block Party”-style events in October in Homewood, the Hill, and the North Side. The weekend events last month gave voters the opportunity to drop off their mail-in ballots at what was called a “satellite voting center,” flanked by a DJ and other outside vendors. Others came to the satellite voting centers to apply for, fill out and submit their mail-in ballots all at once. People then received an “I Voted” sticker, which was proudly worn on their clothing for all to see SEE ELECTION A4
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for the rest of the day. Allegheny County’s Elections Division recorded roughly 334,000 mail-in ballots returned prior to Election Day, which turned out to be nearly half of all the ballots cast in the county. Though Pittsburgh resident Robyn Brown didn’t mail in a ballot, she was determined to cast her vote at Miller Elementary School in the Hill District on Election Day. “It’s good for everyone to vote because this depends on our future, not only for us, but for our children as well,” she told the Courier. Simpson, a Hill District resident, voted on Election Day, “just so I could do my part and feel like I tried to help a little bit, at least.” She told the Courier: “How are we ever going to see the change in the world that we want if we don’t vote for
the people who are going to bring that change?” Brown and Simpson were not asked by the Courier to reveal who they voted for in the presidential election, but CNN exit polls showed that 94 percent of Black women in Pennsylvania said they voted for Biden. Only four percent said they went with Trump. Black men in the state said they voted for Biden at an 89 percent rate; 10 percent said Trump was their man. White, who wasn’t old enough to vote in the 2016 election, said she was nervous casting her vote on Election Day. But what had her outright scared was the way the country was moving under Trump. “We need a change,” she told the Courier. “I needed to vote. It’s a need.” “You want (the president) to control or do you want him to dictate?” Washington added. “I feel like Joe
Biden should be able to step up and do better than Trump has.” Most African Americans were “done” with Trump years ago, but as racial tensions grew in the country with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, Black organizations nationwide knew they had to do everything possible to get Black voters to the polls to vote Trump out. Trump initially refused to admonish the White police officer who caused Floyd’s death, then seemed to side with the police on many issues rather than with Blacks who died or suffered at the hands of White police brutality. Trump was a president who had public spats with legendary Black figures like the late Rep. John Lewis and Rep. Elijah Cummings. He claimed there were “very fine people on both sides” during a White supremROBYN BROWN voted on Election Day. acist rally in Virginia in 2017. Biden claimed earlier this year that Trump “fanned the flames” on the racial divide in the U.S. Overall, the 2020 Presidential Election garnered
and Arizona, in 2016. But this time around, the Biden supporters in those states decided to turn Trump into a one-term president. Biden is leading in Georgia and Arizona as of Nov.
DARON GREEN voted on Election Day. the most votes in American history, at 147 million. Biden received 76 million, while Trump received 71 million, or eight million more than he received in 2016. The numbers proved that while Biden had immense support, neither racial division nor a perceived mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic stopped Trump from getting even more support than he did four years ago. However, in the electoral college game, Trump didn’t get enough support in the “swing states,” like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Trump won those states, plus Georgia
10, and won outright in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, thanks to voters like Curtis Parker, who came to the polls in the Hill District with his young son. “We gotta make a change. It’s time to make a change,” Parker told the Courier. “Our voices gotta be heard. I’m here because of the Black vote. Black lives do matter. As I told my son, voting is the most important thing that you have to do in life. Your voice has to be heard. If not, they’ll choose for us, and we can’t accept that.”
CURTIS PARKER voted on Election Day.
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RELIGION/METRO
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Praise & Worship ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH 91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Sunday Mass 10:30 A.M.
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Black art gallery Downtown shows no signs of leaving after vandals strike Blaqk House Collections getting plenty of support after front windows were shattered
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NICKY JO DAWSON stands in front of Blaqk House Collections, an art gallery, Downtown, which had its windows broken out on Nov. 9. Dawson is co-owner of the art gallery. (Photo by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Nicky Jo Dawson and Cynthia Kenderson, two Pittsburgh Black women who become co-owners of a new Black art gallery, Downtown, saw the pounds of broken glass on the ground inside their facility. But it’s going to take more than that to run them off. “We’re going to be here, we’re going to stay here,” Dawson told the New Pittsburgh Courier, Nov. 9, “and we’re going to continue to do for our community.”
COURIER EXCLUSIVE Barely a month into its existence, the Blaqk House Collections art gallery, located at 440 First Ave., Downtown, had its front windows and door shattered sometime between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., Nov. 9. While no art pieces inside the shop were stolen, Dawson told the Courier it would cost up to $20,000 to replace the front windows with shatterproof glass. Pittsburgh police initially were alerted to the vandalism on Nov. 9. There is no update on the investigation as of Courier press deadline, Nov. 10. Having a Black business in Downtown Pittsburgh these days takes money, connections and guts. Prior to the pandemic, rent prices had
been on the rise for storefront properties, while office-based properties’ prices were fluctuating. With that in mind, there were hundreds of supporters from multiple ethnicities that celebrated the grand opening of Blaqk House Collections on Oct. 9. Local artists like Morgan Overton and Keith Weston, a former boxer from Sheraden, proudly showcased some of their art pieces at the grand opening. Carol Speaks showcased art pieces from those inside Pennsylvania prisons, and the sales from the artwork would be given back to those imprisoned. Artist Tom Mosser showcased his “Big Faces” project, featuring portraits of Black Pittsburghers like Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Emmai Alaquiva, playwright and director Mark Clayton Southers, fashion designer Kiya Tomlin, and Chief Financial Officer for Carnegie Mellon University, Angela Blanton. Most of the pieces still can be seen at the art gallery. “Being Black is being art,” Dawson told the Courier in an exclusive interview, Nov. 9. “I feel like art cannot be confined to just paintings or sketches. Our voices are art; open mic, poetry, comedy, everything we do is artistic, and we don’t have the platform for it.” The idea of an art gallery had been on Dawson’s mind for more than
A PHOTO OF THE GLASS that was shattered at Blaqk House Collections. 10 years. With Kenderson, the idea finally came to fruition. Kenderson and Dawson have their own poetry gracing the walls of the art gallery, “amongst legends who do art in the city,” Dawson said. “Our opening day showed us that there are so many artists who can’t get exposure. We’ve had artists from New York and D.C. contact us, asking if they could bring their art down here.” The ambience of Black artistry at Blaqk House Collections has jumpstarted many local African Americans to rent
the facility for weddings, birthday parties and family photoshoots. Dawson said the hourly rate to rent out the facility has been reduced until 2021. “The mere fact that people want to get married around Black art” is music to Dawson’s ears, she said. The facility also has been booked for a future six-month engagement of Black empowerment forums for women. A kids exhibit will also occur next year. When news of the vandalism hit Facebook, Dawson said Black wom-
en were racing Downtown to show support to Dawson and Kenderson. Tanisha Long from Black Lives Matter Pittsburgh showed support. So did Terri Minor-Spencer, a celebrated community activist. And there were others from different ethnicities, like Jenna Chung, whose children made a custom card for the art gallery, which was taped to the wooden board outside where the glass was broken. The card read: “Thank you for being a window into the Black community.”
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THE CHILDREN OF JENNA CHUNG handed Nicky Jo Dawson an encouraging card. (Photo by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)
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BLAQK HOUSE COLLECTIONS CO-OWNERS Nicky Jo Dawson and Cynthia Kenderson are shown in the left photo. Artist Morgan Overton is shown in the right photo with some of her art pieces. The photos were taken during the art gallery’s grand opening, Oct. 9. (Photos by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)
BOXER KEITH WESTON, with his art pieces, and in the right photo, it’s Angela Blanton of Carnegie Mellon University, next to her portrait by artist Tom Messer.
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HEALTH
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Take Charge Of Your Health Today. Be Informed. Be Involved. What level of stress is normal during a global pandemic? ESTHER BUSH
Stress and COVID-19 This month, the “Take Charge of Your Health Today” page discusses stress and how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated its heavy burden. Stress is a state of mental and/or emotional strain. Stress can affect the immune, central nervous and digestive systems and overall health. The year 2020 has been a year of unforeseen challenges that surpass many of our wildest imaginings. The additional amount of stress that has weighed on so many of our shoulders for the past seven months has been almost unbearable. The COVID-19 global pandemic, murders of Black citizens by police, politics, economic losses and everyday stressors have affected our mental health. I write this Courier piece both in solidarity and with hope. Recognizing the long-term effects the pandemic could have on Black and Brown communities, researchers like Nadine M. Melhem, PhD, MPH, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, have responded to rapidly address this crisis. A National Institutes of Health series of reports titled “Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life” notes Black people not only have a greater number of stressful events in their lifetime compared with their white counterparts, the reactions to those stressors have a deeper psychological effect. Locally, we are witnessing how those stressors negatively affect Black and Brown communities. Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission’s “Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race” report, published last fall, noted that health, education and employment opportunities and gaps, intersected with racism and sexism, contribute both to the stress and lack of coping mechanisms that lead to an overwhelmingly higher rate of disease and death for Black residents of the region. Black and Brown communities’ reluctance to seek mental health care is heartbreaking. Systemic barriers, like lack of access to health care, disproportionately affect the Black community, deterring us from seeking help. Five years ago, the Center on Race and Social Problems in the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work noted that about half of the 14% of Black survey respondents sought help for the emotional distress and lack of emotional support they were experiencing. As highlighted during October’s Mental Illness Awareness Week, finding ways to connect and lighten the load of stress is critical. In our communities, resilience and collaboration have been key to surviving stressful situations. It is not uncommon to see the Pittsburgh community rallying together to fill in gaps in care. In response to March’s stay-at-home order, Steel Smiling, a Pittsburgh-based mental health advocacy group, launched a free weekly mental health and wellness program. This program was developed to ensure that Pittsburghers could get the support they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. While COVID-19 isolation has restricted traditional avenues of stress relief, these limitations have sparked ingenuity, and folks have responded with interactive ways to continue to engage with families and friends. Now is the time to discover new ways to release stress, as well. Activities like meditation, reducing screen time and aiming for a healthy work-life balance are just a few of the ways I practice self-care. Stress is a normal part of life, but it’s important to know when to Take Charge of Your Health and seek help. Be sure to tune in next month as we will discuss local resilience efforts in the Pittsburgh region. Take Charge, and take care; yours in the movement, Esther L. Bush, President and CEO Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh
The year 2020 has been difficult for most people in the United States. The stressors have been both universal and personal, yet heartbreaking and confusing. The COVID-19 global pandemic, the especially high mortality rate in the US, economic losses and individual everyday stressors could affect people’s mental health. No matter how people experience stress, it has been persistent and at unprecedented levels this year. Amid this mental health turmoil, helpers have emerged, including researchers. To understand how best to help people who are experiencing high levels of stress and mental health problems, researchers must first be able to define and characterize them. What level of stress is normal during a global pandemic? Nadine M. Melhem, PhD, MPH, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, studies stress responses. “From previous studies, we know that natural and human-made disasters are associated with increased risks for depression, post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and prolonged grief reactions,” she says. “Given the pandemic and the different ways that people are affected by it, we wanted to study how people are responding to this stress. Is it an acute, short-lived stressor? Or is it an event that will have long-term mental health consequences?” Dr. Melhem and colleagues designed the “COVID-19 Stress Response Study”—an online survey—to examine the effects of COVID-19 related stress on teenagers, adults and health care workers. The survey includes well-validated measures that screen for depression, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, grief reactions, suicidal ideation and behavior and sleep problems—all in order to assess clinically significant symptoms. This past summer, Dr. Melhem analyzed the results at that point from 7,353 participants. Though she says it is not a nationally representative sample, she says the results present a quick look during a pandemic so that public health strategies and interventions can be mobilized. The survey results indicate that, for perceived stress, almost everyone confirmed that they feel stressed. However, Dr. Melhem found high rates of clinically significant symptoms in the overall sample. “At this point in the study, 18% of respondents reported suicidal ideation and 55% of those who lost loves ones had intense grief reactions,” she says. “The rate of clinically significant symptoms of depression,
NADINE M. MELHEM, PHD, MPH anxiety, PTSD, and sleep problems ranged between 31% and 58%. These are high rates; I didn’t expect them to be this high.” Dr. Melhem reports that adolescents in the sample had even higher rates than adults. Adolescence is a time for brain and physiological development and is a devel-
ACTRESS TARAJI P. HENSON has started a campaign to help African Americans, who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, access free therapy during the outbreak. Henson is operating the campaign through The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, which she founded in 2018. It’s named in honor of her father, who suffered from mental health challenges after serving in the Vietnam War. (Photo: Screen capture from Instagram) opmentally sensitive period for the negative effects of stress; which could be intensified by the social distancing measures of a global pandemic. In the sample, race and ethnicity were not predictors of stress on their own, but they do enter into the analysis. For ex-
ample, white adults were more likely to report depression symptoms. PTSD was more likely to be reported in African American and Latinx adults. “We need to keep in mind that we still don’t know whether these symptoms are intense now but will decrease over time or whether they’ll be long lasting,” says Dr. Melhem. “The pandemic affects people differently; some people have lost loved ones, and some have lost jobs, so it’s going to vary. It also depends on how long the pandemic lasts and what comes next.” It is also important to note that mental health diagnoses include a constellation of symptoms. Thus, different people with the same mental health diagnosis can have different symptoms. In these unprecedented times, Dr. Melhem reminds readers that while people cope differently, it is important for people to mobilize their support systems to help them cope with their individual stressors. “Stress is a natural response to a lack of normalcy. We’re all trying to adapt to something we’ve never experienced before.” However, “If people are struggling with symptoms that are affecting their daily lives, they need to discuss their symptoms with a health care professional,” she says. The study is ongoing. Dr. Melhem says that participation in the study is not just for people who think they are stressed; it is for anyone. For information on how to participate in the study, call 412-246-6517, or the following links will provide more information: Adults: https://pittplusme.org/studyarms/ publicdetails?Guid=3f174f8d-aba6-4bfbba69-f539f804f1d7 Adolescents (ages 13-17): https://pittplusme.org/studyarms/publicdetails?Guid=30ce769e-538f-44f6-9cb9-0859cbfc9eda UPMC health care workers: https://pittplusme.org/studyarms/publicdetails?Guid=f87bf90b-a269-4433-a167-ab6 679b38985 National Suicide Prevention Hotline (available 24/7): 1-800-273-TALK (8255) suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ (has a chat feature) resolve Crisis Services (24/7, free to residents of Allegheny County): 1-888-7-YOU-CAN (796-8226) walk-in crisis center 333 N. Braddock Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15208 upmc.com/services/behavioral-health/resolve-crisis-services
Flu shots available for Allegheny County county residents The Allegheny County Health Department and partner organizations are working to ensure access to influenza (flu) vaccines. The flu vaccine can protect you from getting the flu and help stop it from being spread to your friends, family and neighbors. And, if you do get the flu, the vaccine reduces the risk of serious illness – such as hospitalizations and the need for intensive care. The COVID-19 pandemic makes it even
more important for residents to protect themselves by getting vaccinated because: Symptoms of seasonal flu and COVID-19 are similar The flu accounts for many fall and winter hospitalizations each year. Keeping individuals out of the hospital because of the flu means that hospital staff can focus on patients with COVID-19 Where Can You Get a Flu Shot? In addition to your primary care provid-
er, flu shots are available at local pharmacies, drugstores, community health clinics and at pop-up events. The Health Department has put together a flu map that shows locations and events where you can get a flu shot. Start by searching for your address or current location. The map is available at www.alleghenycounty. us/flumap. More information on influenza is available at www.alleghenycounty.us/ influenza.
A SIGN lets customers know they can get a flu shot in a Walgreens store. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings/File)
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NOVEMBER 11-17, 2020 A9
JOE BIDEN WINS 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION — A COURIER SPECIAL REPORT
Black Pittsburgh shows up to the polls on Election Day JAIMEE COPELAND,CINDY SAUNDERS
MICHAEL MORGAN, GREG MARSHALL
ALEYSHA LEACH, left, voted at Miller Elementary School in the Hill District on Election Day. (Photos by Courier photographer Rob Taylor Jr.)
SARAH SANGUILLEN, front, voted at Miller Elementary School in the Hill District on Election Day.
MICHAEL WILLIAMS, RASHEEDA PEOPLES
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A tale of third parties in the last two presidential elections
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“BY REFORMING THEIR EXEMPTION LAWS, states will not only protect families from destitution but will promote economic recovery by enabling families to spend their money in state and local communities,” said Carolyn Carter, NCLC deputy director and author of the report. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)
COVID-19 worsens debt collector harassment by Charlene Crowell For New PIttsburgh Courier
(NNPA)—As the final days of the 2020 election season drew to a close, major media across the nation focused on polls and prospects for the presidential candidates. At the same time, scant news coverage reported on a development affecting 68 million consumers: debt collection regulation. On October 30, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its 653- page regulatory revision for enforcement of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), originally enacted in 1977. Since that time, the debt collection industry has grown into a multi-billion industry with over 8,000 firms throughout the country. For Black America, debt collection was troublesome even before the COVID-19 pandemic. One investigation revealed that in three major cities—Chicago, Newark, and St. Louis—the rate of judgments for debt collection lawsuits was twice as high in mostly Black neighborhoods than in mostly White areas. Nearly a year ago, Urban Institute research found that debt collection disproportionately affects 42 percent of communities of color. By contrast, the national average of all consumers was lower
in double-digits at 31 per- cation is for each debt owed. cent, and a wider racial gap Multiple numbers and types among Whites at 26 percent. of debt collection can legalThe largest portion of debt ly multiply the number of for communities of color are allowed contacts and result medical services and student in harassment for already loans. Given the decades of struggling borrowers. discriminatory policies and Secondly, debt collectors practices that perpetuated who opt to contact consumthe nation’s racial wealth ers by electronic media, must gap, these disparities extend also offer consumers a “reato a lack of access to health sonable and simple method” care as well as a greater de- to opt out of these commupendence on debt to finance nications that include social higher education. For-profit media, emails and text mescolleges and institutions are sages. among the latest and most Commenting on the new visible financial predators. rule, CFPB’s Director, KathIn addition, the CFPB’s leen Kraninger, said, “Our own 2017 survey found that rule applies these protec44 percent of borrowers of tions to modern technologies. color reported having been …And our rule will allow contacted about a debt, com- consumers, if they prefer, to pared to 29 percent of White limit the ability of debt colrespondents. Even when ac- lectors to communicate with counting for differences in them through these newer income, communities of color communications methods.” are disproportionately sued But for the 233 consumer, by debt collectors. In fact, 45 civil rights and legal advopercent of borrowers living cates who filed public comin communities of color faced ments on the proposed rule, litigation, while only 27 per- the announcement sent cent of similarly situated mixed messages for what it consumers in White areas proposed as well as what it were sued. delayed. CFPB’s revised rule will “The devil is in the details, allow debt collectors to con- and we will have to scour this tact affected consumers up complicated rule to make to seven times within seven sure that it does not open days —or—within seven con- up new fronts for debt collecsecutive days of a prior tele- tors’ pervasive and abusive phone conversation about a treatment of consumers,” debt. It is important to note said Christine Hines, legisthat this allowed communi- lative director at National
Association of Consumer Advocates. “Through the guise of modernization, the debt collection rule could open the gate for collectors to aggravate vulnerable consumers with even more harassment and a flood of electronic communications.” Although the October 30 announcement does address the emerging modes of communications, it also delayed action on three specific areas of concern in debt collection. Guidelines on “zombie” debt, the term used to describe debts that outlived statutory limitations for collection, are expected to be announced this December. Similarly, debt collectors’ practices of leaving messages with third parties or on postcards was not addressed, nor was negative information on consumers’ credit reports. “As we face a dire and worsening economic crisis, we will be keeping a close eye on the ‘zombie debt’ rule, coming in December, which could leave consumers more vulnerable to deception and harassment,” said Linda Jun, senior policy counsel at Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund. “Collectors should not be allowed to bring expired debt back to life by luring people into making a small payment that revives a debt that would otherwise be past the timeline for a law-
suit.” Although consumers have a right to expect more and better financial regulation at the federal level, many advocates are calling for states to do their fair share on protecting consumer rights. A new survey from the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) analyzed how the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands currently protect wages, bank account assets, and personal property from seizure by debt collectors. Entitled, No Fresh Start 2020: Will States Let Debt Collectors Push Families into Poverty in the Wake of a Pandemic?, warns that once the pandemic recedes, families struggling to get back on their feet are likely to face a wave of debt collector lawsuits for medical bills, back rent, credit card debt, the balance due on repossessed cars, and even utility bills. It recommends that states “protect a living wage for working debtors—a wage that can meet basic needs and maintain a safe, decent standard of living within the community”. The report also recommends that states allow debtors to keep “a reasonable amount of money” to enable debtors to pay daily living costs such as rent, utilities, day care, and transportation. This gap in state regulation became evident when federal stimulus checks were deposited in families’ bank accounts and then garnished by debt collectors. Further, and according to NCLC, not one state currently meets five basic standards of debt regulation: • Preventing debt collectors from seizing so much of the debtor’s wages that the debtor is pushed below a living wage, • Allowing the debtor to keep a used car of at least average value; • Preserving the family’s home—at least a median-value home; • Preserving a basic amount in a bank account so that the debtor has minimal funds to pay such essential costs as rent, utilities, and commuting expenses, and • Preventing seizure and sale of the debtor’s necessary household goods. NCLC identified the worst states that allow debt collectors to seize nearly everything a debtor owns, even the minimal items necessary for the debtor to continue working and providing for a family. States receiving an F grade included: Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, and New Jersey. States rated with a low D grade include: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana,
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Maryland, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. “By reforming their exemption laws, states will not only protect families from destitution but will promote economic recovery by enabling families to spend their money in state and local communities,” said Carolyn Carter, NCLC deputy director and author of the report. Recalling its earlier research on the family wealth lost as a result of the Great Recession, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), holds that the effects of families of color losing $1 trillion of wealth, still hinders these same families a decade later. Until or unless regulators recognize that race and income are inextricably linked, harmful rules will only perpetuate the nation’s wealth gap. “We applaud the CFPB for dropping the safe harbor that would have widened the door for collectors to use state courts to sue consumers on wrong or incomplete information,” said Center for Responsible Lending policy counsel Kiran Sidhu. “But, the CFPB’s final rule does not do enough to protect communities of color, especially during COVID-19, who are still struggling to recover from the Great Recession because of discriminatory exclusion from the financial mainstream and predatory inclusion into high-cost loan products.” Sidhu also emphasized how the right kind of policy reform was important to stop debt collection law firms and attorneys from filing thousands of collection lawsuits each year that harass consumers on debts that may not even be owed. To phrase it another way —It’s hard to build family wealth when you’re burdened with heavy debts and harassed by abusive debt collection practices. No amount of collector harassment will result in payments when no funds are available to pay past due bills. Further, any policy that denies indebted consumers the ability to preserve essential services like housing or utilities is unsustainable. The financial disparities that Black America strives to endure would significantly diminish if an inclusive financial marketplace became a reality. The crux of many burdensome debts is the lack of affordable and accessible financial services. It is time to stop seizing our hard-earned monies. (Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)
Aspire to be rich…FILTHY RICH!! To be rich is to have an abundance of something. To be filthy rich is to have an abundance of something to serve you throughout your lifetime and leave enough of something behind to have an indelible impression on the lives of others. I recently saw a meme that read, I have 99 problems and money can solve about 73 of them. What about the other 26 problems? If you still have problems that you’re wrestling with after you’ve received an abundance of money, something other than your pockets is still broke. We all aspire to have an abundant life. We want to fulfill our goals and dreams. We want to provide for our family. We want to serve as a positive influence on those who come into our life. We want to do more of the things we love and enjoy. We want to be in a position to help others who are in need without depleting our resources, be it time, energy, or money. Before we can be a resource to others, we must first pour into our own tank. For, you can’t give that which you don’t have. You’re limited when you have little to nothing at your disposal. Having abundance gives you flexibility, freedom, and options. So often we get so caught up in chasing monetary and material riches by seeking B.B.D (Bigger, Better Deals), we poison our ability to be rich in other areas of our life. Leaving problems to solve that money can’t fix. Never trust that Bigger, Better Deals will bring you continuous smiles. I recently read a story about a fisherman. One day while he was out fishing, a banker paid him a visit. The banker was impressed with his slate of fish. The banker asked, “How long did it take you to catch
these fish?” The fisherman replied, “just a little while.” The banker replied, “Imagine if you put in more time, you can make a lot of more money.” The fisherman replied, “I make enough to provide for my family.” Puzzled, the banker asked, “What do you do with the rest of your time?” The fisherman replied, “I sleep in late, spend time with my wife and kids. Every weekend, I have a beer or two with my buddies.” The banker stated, “You should take out a loan to buy a bigger boat and spend more time fishing so that you can catch more fish.” The fisherman replied, “then what?” The banker said, then you can sell more fish and make a ton of money. The fisherman replied, “then what?” The banker said, “You can buy a fleet of boats, employ others to fish, sell more fish and make even more money. Before you know it, you’ll be filthy rich.” The fisherman asked, “How long will this take?” The banker replied, “about 20-30 years.” The fisherman asked, “then what.” The banker replied, “When you’re filthy rich, you’ll be able to sleep in late, spend time with your wife and kids. Every weekend, you’ll be able to have a beer or two with your buddies.” The fisherman smiled and replied, “I’m good. I have more than plenty right now.” The fisherman, who was rich in wisdom and understanding, knew that if he earned enough money to provide for his family, spend quality time with his family and had time to do fun stuff with his buddies, he was
living an abundant life. He was content with where he was in life. He didn’t need the Bigger, Better Deal that the banker was trying to sell him to feel fulfilled. Do you want to have an abundant life? Do you want to be content, feel appreciated, and valued? Would you like to do more of the things that mattered to you? Do you want to make a positive impact on the lives of others? If so, aspire to be rich! Filthy Rich! It’s about having an abundance of everything— or more than enough to make you feel whole. Below are some things we should aspire to be rich in: Rich in money: Being rich in money isn’t about earning the most money. It’s about earning enough sufficient to provide for you and your family needs, being able to save for future goals and have a life. It’s about being content with what you have, while aspiring for and working towards having more. Rich in knowledge and wisdom: When you know better, you do better! Seek knowledge and clarity in everything you do in life. No one cares about your best interest more than you. Be prudent about the decisions you make in life. Where we are today is the subtotal of the decisions that we’ve made over the years. Rich in adventure: Live! Have some fun. There’s stability in routine but there’s no growth or fun. Don’t always be so predictable. Try new things. Visit new places. Meet new people. Explore, learn, grow, be
adventurous. Rich in laughter: Laughter is good for the soul! If you’re not laughing or smiling, there’s a good possibility that you’re frowning or crying. Do something, watch something, or read something daily that puts a smile on your face or makes you laugh out loud. Rich in health: The body is our temple. We need to protect it, honor it and respect it. Seek to live a healthier lifestyle. Be mindful of what you put into your body and mind. Be active in cardio workouts, strength training, and flexibility training in an effort to be as healthy as you can be for as long as you shall live. Rich in family and friends: Family is your bloodline. Friends are family members you choose for yourself. Work towards having solid relationships with members of your family. Life is too short to be bickering with family and friends. Learn to respect your differences but honor and respect each other. Rich in love: Love breeds passion. Passion breeds a yearning desire to live, give, protect, and cultivate. What oxygen is to the body, love is to the soul. Love gives you purpose, motivation, and drive. When you’re void of love, you’re empty in life. Find someone or something to be crazy in love with. Rich in good deeds: When you do good by others, you feel good within. Pay it forward! Help out a fellow person when you can. It will make you feel good inside.
(Money Coach, Damon Carr can be reached @ 412216-1013 or visit his website @ www.damonmoneycoach.com)
NATIONAL
B2 NOVEMEBER 11-17, 2020
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Blacks and other voters of color restored democracy in America in 2020 Presidential Election by Sunita Sohrabji and Pilar Marrero For New Pittsburgh Courier
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—In a country that is polarized and hurt by Covid-19 and a divisive leadership, a massive turnout of voters resulted in a close election where Democrat Joe Biden was pushed across the finish line by large majorities of voters of color. On Saturday, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were the projected winners of the 2020 elections, relegating Donald Trump to a one term, even as he refused to concede, and his lawyers tried legal maneuvers to argue electoral fraud. The Democratic presidential ticket reached that goal mainly because communities of color rejected the Trump Administration by large margins, explained experts who discussed the numbers, the history, and the motivations of electoral choices by communities of color in the United States in a briefing with ethnic media. Election eve surveys and exit polling confirmed that the majority of White voters voted for President Donald Trump, but that Asian Americans, Latinx, and Black voters turned out in record numbers to oust the incumbent, and to propel the first woman of color into the White House. According to the American Election Eve Poll by Latino Decisions, 56 percent of Whites voted for Trump. A CNN exit poll found a similar number, 57 percent of Whites voting for the President. But voters of color were a different story. According to the LD poll, 70 percent of Latinos, 89 percent of Blacks, 68 percent of Asians and 60 percent of American Indians voted for Biden. “I want to thank people of color and communities of color for saving our democracy,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice at the Nov. 6 briefing organized by Ethnic Media Services. “Speaking as a White man, I
level, seventy percent of Latinos voted for Biden. That’s a clear pattern”, he said. Theodore Johnson, a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, said that a summer of protests for racial justice along with the disproportionate numbers from COVID-19 and record levels of unemployment in Black communities, galvanized Black voter turnout in record numbers to remove Donald Trump from office. “That explains why we’re seeing Atlanta change Michigan, Philadelphia change Pennsylvania, Milwaukee change Wisconsin, and Detroit change Michigan,” he THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL TICKET recaptured the White House mainly because com- said. “That’s the enthusiasm and power munities of color rejected the Trump Administration by large margins. of the Black vote.” Overall Black voters come from a community that win an election when you have were pragmatic, Johnson noted, voted in the majority for Donald mobilized minorities and Latinos Trump. And if it were not for the in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Albu- pointing to South Carolina where they opted for Joe Biden over KaAfrican American, Latinx, and querque”. Asian American Pacific IslandLatinx voters were critical in mala Harris or Corey Booker. er Community, we would not be flipping Arizona blue, said Nuno “They picked the candidate they celebrating the victory that we’re Perez of Latino Decisions, point- thought had the best chance of celebrating today,” said Sharry. ing to counties such as Maricopa, winning over White voters.” Johnson attributed the small It was a very close election, Pima, and Yuma, which all have increase in Black males voting a cliffhanger that lasted from significant Latino populations. Tuesday November 3rd until Latinx voters also made their for Trump to those Black RepubSaturday morning, November presence known in Florida, licans who had opted to vote for 7th, when the official numbers handing Biden victories in Mi- the first Black president in 2008 made it clear that Biden-Harris ami-Dade, Tampa Bay, Orlando, and 2012 and who were now rehad clinched the 270 electoral and Broward County. In Miami, turning to the Republican Party. Asian Americans turned out in college votes needed. Cuban Americans threw their significant numbers for the 2020 That polarization and the states support behind Trump. in which the Biden advantage Nuño warned about taking election, said John C. Yang, presplayed out made it clear that lop- some outliers, like the Cuban ident and executive director of sided democratic votes by people vote in Miami-Dade and a cou- Asian Americans Advancing Jusof color had an outsize role in the ple of counties near the border tice/ AAJC. Some 300,000 were results. in Texas where Trump did much first-time voters. Exit polls plus pre-election Stephen Nuño-Perez, a senior better with Latinos, to project polls showed there was much analyst at Latino Decisions, that into the larger narrative. whose firm conducted an elec“Yes, Latinos are not a mono- more enthusiasm to vote, Yang tion eve poll of ethnic voters in lith, and yes, they are a monolith, noted. Between 65 percent-70 key battleground states, said they do respond to certain types percent of AAPI voters supportthat “it’s extremely difficult to of messaging and at the national ed Biden, with 30 percent voting
for Trump, consistent with voting patterns in 2012 and 2016. While one-third of Asian Americans live in the 10 battleground states, and it would be easy to attribute the margin of victory in Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania to the AAPI vote. But Yang said it was the common values that brought Black, Latinx, Native and Asian Americans together that provided the margin of victory for Biden in those states. Yang recalled June 16, 2015, when Trump rode down an escalator at Trump Towers to announce his bid for the White House. “That was a defining moment for me and changed my career path. When he talked about illegal aliens being rapists and gangsters and criminals, he was talking about me because I was at one point an undocumented immigrant.” Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today, discussed the impact of the Native American vote, indicating that a large number of Native Americans ran for elected office and that next year’s Congress will have a caucus with three Republicans and three Democrats. “This will give a bipartisan spin on Native issues,” he said. Native Americans were also elected to state Legislatures including Arizona and Kansas. Sharry, of America´s voice, said that the massive vote by minorities was also a rejection of Trump’s flagstone issue: xenophobia and racism. “An American public was forced by Donald Trump and his extremism to choose, and they chose to come down on the side of refugees and immigrants. This is a statement of what a multiracial majority in America said through this election. They said ‘we want to be a welcoming country. We don’t like Trump’s separation of families.’”
(Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Ethnic Media Services)
President-elect Biden praises Black vote for historic win, firing of Donald Trump by Barrington M. Salmon For New Pittsburgh Courier
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—After four years of feeling under siege from a racially hostile White House and after a week spent awaiting the results of a nail-biter election, supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden finally exhaled when it became clear that President Donald Trump was booted from office. Black America and the rest of the country learned shortly after noon on Saturday, Nov 7 that former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris would be America’s next president and vice president of the United States. Biden’s home state of Pennsylvania provided the final push that lifted the Biden-Harris ticket past the vaunted 270 electoral votes. Harris, a Howard University graduate, is the first woman and the first of Black and Asian descent to be elected vice president. President-Elect Biden was quick to give the Black vote the credit it deserved. During his acceptance speech Saturday night, he acknowledged the importance of the Black vote, telling his audience that he wouldn’t have won the Democratic primary or the hard-fought contest without the overwhelming support of Black voters. “To my campaign team, and all the volunteers, to all those who gave so much of themselves to make this moment possible, I owe you everything,” Biden said. “And to all those who supported us: I am proud of the campaign we built and ran. I am proud of the coalition we put together, the broadest and most diverse in history. Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Progressives, moderates and conservatives. Young and old. Urban, suburban and rural. Gay, straight, transgender. White. Latino. Asian. Native American.” He then added, “And especially for those moments when this campaign was at its lowest—the African-American community stood up again for me. They always have my back, and I’ll have yours.” A full-throated endorsement by Rep. Jim Clyburn just before the South Carolina primary brought the faltering Biden campaign back to life and 61 percent of Black South Carolinians checked Biden’s box. In the presidential contest, at least 89 percent of African Americans voted for the Biden-Harris ticket, according to the American Election Eve exit Poll by Latino Decisions. That same poll found that 56 percent of Whites voted for Trump, a number reconfirmed by CNN exit polls, which calculated the White vote for Trump at 57 percent. Moments after the race was called, media
THE MOMENT THAT MILLIONS WERE WAITING FOR, when CNN projected Joe Biden had become the president-elect on Saturday, Nov. 7. and cable outlets showed scenes of spontaneous outbreaks of street dancing—accompanied by music, lusty singing, raucous cheers and honking horns—in cities as disparate as Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Atlanta, San Francisco and Oakland. Black Biden supporters expressed immense relief and joy that an aroused public joined hands to usher out the jarring, abrasive, racist Trump regime. After 1,459 days of the Trump Administration, with its pervasive and proven racism, support of racial hatred, pervasive lies, division and chaos, millions across the nation seemed to breath freely. “I feel excitement. It’s a beautiful day,” said Alexandra Jones, a third-generation Washington DC native, Howard University alumnus and educator Saturday evening. “On Tuesday, I didn’t think Biden and Harris were going to win. But last night the calm came through, I thought it, felt it and finally claimed it. I feel relief. It’s amazing to see humanity triumph. A collective group of very different people, many of them outsiders, came together as one.” It is a delicious irony that despite years of Democratic Party brass overlooking, barely tolerating and often neglecting the issues, needs and concerns of African American voters, Black folks ended up being the decisive factor. Overwhelming Black support in the urban cities, other urban areas and the suburbs of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia translated into significant caches of votes that propelled the Biden-Harris ticket to victory. It came after a fractious campaign, a major struggle and a long, arduous vote count. More than 101 million Americans cast ballots in early voting and an estimated 41 million more voted on Election Day. Exit polls indicate that Biden and Harris got the sup-
port of the majority of Millennial and Gen X voters, as well as new and returning voters. They also captured the majority of the Latinx, Native American and Asian and Pacific Islander vote. But the African American vote—organized and mobilized by primarily Black female organizers, workers and strategists for years before 2020—laid the groundwork for the Democratic Party to blunt the 48 percent of the electorate who voted for President Donald Trump. African Americans voted in record-breaking numbers despite a concerted effort of widespread voter suppression and voter manipulation by the Trump administration and the Republican Party. Trump spent much of the election campaign trying to delegitimize the electoral process; claimed that he would only lose if the election was stolen; and interrupted the operations of the US Postal Service in an effort to disrupt mail in voting. Tiffany Cross, an on-air political analyst, author and cable news veteran, said during a post-election interview on MSNBC that African-Americans have again saved America from itself. “We saw the coalition after the South Carolina primary. Black voters are very pragmatic and look at who will do the least harm to our communities,” she explained. “And Biden was certainly helped by having Kamala on the ticket. Black women voters are the Democratic base. We have to ask why the other side didn’t vote for the greater good.” Cross acknowledged the considerable support of the Latinx, Indigenous and Asian American/Pacific communities, “but certainly, by far, Black voters were dominant supporters giving him this victory. I anticipate that African Americans will hold this administration accountable for some of the things they voted in the promise for. We voted for a country that has never loved us back, but
we still voted with expectations of what this country might become for us after we built it for free.” Black Votes Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown said in a Nov. 9 MSNBC interview that the massive nationwide protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May and the demands from Black Lives Matter activists and their allies that police departments be defunded police departments and law enforcement held accountable, bled over into the election. America witnessed the largest social justice movement ever this summer which represents a paradigm shift, she said, and new energy from young and new voters who’re rooted in the BLM and ‘defund the police’ movements and moved into the Democratic fold. Brown said she expects Biden’s words and promises to translate into action in the form of the administration’s cabinet choices, the other appointments it makes and the policies it pursues. “There is a group of Black women who I am a part of whose has an agenda to deal with political inequities in Black communities,” she said. “Sixty-eight percent of Black women are wage workers and they are frontline workers who have been devastated by coronavirus. We need a package for working class women.” Brown, who spent the last several weeks on a bus tour in Southern states and the Midwest canvassing, registering, organizing and mobilizing Black voters, said other demands include expanding healthcare coverage for millions of Americans, and holding police departments and law enforcement across the country accountable, “for the safety of our community.” “We also care about the environment, policies that look out for climate change, and protecting our country and the world, particularly climate control, said Brown, an award-winning organizer, political strategist and jazz singer. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Brown said they hope the Biden administration and the Democratic establishment don’t do as they have done too often in the past: being excited that the grassroots got them elected and once the election is done, abandoning or sidelining these communities. “Whoever brings you to the dance certainly you should stay with them,” said Brown. “Americans brought the collective victory … but we have to acknowledge that Black voters were key in this win. It’s profound what they did. We would not have seen these victories without Atlanta, Detroit and Milwaukee. We usually see Democrat shift to the right after elections. I hope this time is different.”
OPINION
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
NOVEMBER 11-17, 2020
B3
Voters to Trump: ‘You’re fired!’
Guest Commentary
America the bruised America has been injured, bruised, and healing will take time as the smoke is clearing from the recent elections. Two Americas have been revealed. On the one hand, we have those citizens who truly believe in the ideals of democracy and equal opportunity for all. On the other hand, the covers have been pulled off of a large group of Americans who don’t believe in the ideals of democracy for those other than themselves. They have been living side-by-side with other Americans, but the catalyst of a Black American as president, in the form of Barack Obama, seems to have pushed some people over the edge. With this as a backdrop, Americans have experienced a gradual erosion of civility the past four years. This will not be healed overnight. Donald Trump has done as much as he can to create schism among the American people. The toxicity spread throughout America has revealed a wound that can only grow if nothing is done soon. The 2020 elections have revealed what has been there forever. The country was founded on violence, and violence has continued. So, the vitriol exhibited by a wide swath of voters has been there all along, and this group has been disproportionately represented by supporters of Donald Trump. The boiling hatred and resentment have revealed the adherents of the Confederacy who have not gotten over the fact that they LOST the Civil War. It is probable that due to voter suppression tactics a lot of American’s votes were not counted. Being able to participate in the political process is one of the major hallmarks of American democracy, so in that regard, we have already lost a lot. What in years past was demonstrated in a land grab from Native Americans and the forced labor (enslavement) of Black people—which later morphed into Jim Crow and violent killer cops, segregation and all manner of mistreatment—is finally taking its toll on America. There is something that exists that is called Karma by adherents of Eastern religious philosophy. If it is taken to be true, then the Karmic reckoning of America is at hand. And it is bigger than the office of the presidency can fix alone, because this has been a long time coming. To be sure, there are a large number of Americans of all cultural and racial groups who genuinely do believe in the tenets of democracy and the rights of all citizens. The American democratic model is one of the best social experiments on the planet. This is probably why so many people risk life and limb to come here. They envision a better quality of life than what they had at home. Regarding African Americans—yes, life has been very rough in America. But as the saying goes, diamonds are created under pressure. Another version of this is seen in the building of muscular strength that is the result of exercise. The lesson that life on Earth gives us is that strength comes with resistance. Our challenges and hardships are the vehicles through which success can be garnered. Triumph arises out of tragedy. Every African American descendant of slaves in this country has had to overcome incredible hindrances, yet today many are succeeding beyond what anyone could have imagined years ago. Do we think that Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Denmark Vesey, Frederick Douglass, et al, could have envisioned a time when an Oprah Winfrey, Bob Johnson, Tyler Perry, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Venus and Serena Williams, Simone Biles, and numerous other high achievers would have reached their successes in such a relatively short period of time post-slavery? Black Americans have come a mighty long way! So, we are at a crossroads. America is faced with whether or not we will rise and slay the racist and violent sociological demons within or find a way to live together in peaceful and productive harmony. This will not be determined by politicians; it will depend on whether or not those on the side of righteousness OUTNUMBER the selfish laggards that want separation and genocide as part of their agenda. The next chapter of America is being written now, and we will know the answers soon. Hopefully, we will get good news! In the meanwhile, reparations need to seriously be considered and provided to American Descendants of Slavery for the suffering endured. (Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)
Founded 1910
Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm
Rob Taylor Jr.
Jeff Marion
Office Manager
Managing Editor
Circulation Consultant
John. H. Sengstacke
Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)
(NNPA)—After days of post-Election Day counting, Democrat Joe Biden has defeated President Donald Trump to become the nation’s 46th commander-in-chief. With all eyes on Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona, it was the Keystone State’s 20 electoral college votes that put Biden over the top, and helped America send the message Trump had become known for years earlier during his “Apprentice” reality television show: “You’re Fired!” “Trump finds out Biden won while he’s playing golf,” Washington Informer Journalist Anthony Tilghman tweeted, as Trump played golf at his National Club in Sterling, Va. Reportedly, it’s the 410th day the President spent at one of his namesake properties since taking office. “This election is about so much more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it,” Sen. Kamala Harris, the Vice President-Elect tweeted alongside a video. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started,” she added. When Biden and Harris are swornin on January 20, 2021, the California Senator will become the first
Stacy M. Brown
Commentary Black Vice President in U.S. history. After what’s expected to be the most contentious and violent post-election in American history, inauguration ceremonies will occur. Demonstrators had already gathered outside of vote counting centers around the nation, mainly as the country waited anxiously for results from Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada. Chants of “Stop the Count! Stop the Count,” turned to “Stop the Steal! Stop the Steal! At state buildings by pro-Trump supporters at state buildings. The President egged on the commotion, tweeting false claims about voter fraud and that the “Democrats are trying to steal the election.” With little question, Black voters
pushed Biden over the top. Biden trailed the President in Pennsylvania, but as the count included predominately Black Philadelphia and surrounding counties, Trump’s lead disappeared, and the Democrat prevailed. That scenario repeated itself in Georgia, where Atlanta and Fulton County also came through for the former vice president. “At this historical moment, the voters have made it clear that they want a country that works for all people. They want a country that is not broken by racism and bigotry,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson wrote in a statement. “They want leadership that can create opportunities for all Americans to succeed in all aspects of society, without fear of over-policing, discrimination, and destructive policies at our expense. “This election transcends party and gives voice to the voters who want affordable health care, economic stability, quality education for their children, and wholesale relief from the pandemic and structural inequality. How we move forward from here and begin to repair our nation is critical.”
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris defeat Trump and change history (NNPA)—After days of counting in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona, President Obama’s former Vice President, Joe Biden, and California Senator, Kamala Harris, won the 2020 race for the White House. News of their victory sparked spontaneous celebrations around the country. In Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York and Atlanta people took to the streets on foot and in cars in celebration with Biden flags and signs. Times Square filled with a crowd unseen in months since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March. In Washington, DC, cars honked horns driving up and down Connecticut Avenue and around the White House. A large crowd assembled at Black Lives Matter Plaza on 16th Street as close to Lafayette Park as they could get near The White House. Streets around The White House were fenced off creating a large perimeter around the streets that would allow people to get clear video and still photos of the building. The level of celebration in several cities was reminiscent of the revelry seen after a sports team
Lauren Victoria Burke
Commentary wins a championship. Bottles of champagne were opened on the street and music played loudly. Relief after four years of Donald Trump’s decision making and endless controversies, tensions and policy decisions were clearly on display in public. The backdrop, 235,000 Americans dead as the result of the coronavirus pandemic, was not lost on the man who will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. In his first speech after being elected, President-elect Biden said he would, “marshal the forces of decency, the forces of fairness, the forces of science, the forces of hope” and promised his first job would be tackling the coronavirus epidemic. “Our work begins with getting
COVID under control,” Biden told thousands of people in Wilmington, Delaware. On November 9, Biden will formally announce a task force to confront the COVID-19 crisis. “In an election of record-breaking turnout, the American people have made clear who we are and who we aspire to be. Difficult times are ahead, but I have no doubt President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris have what it takes to help us build back better. I look forward to working with them to tackle the challenges ahead, from defeating the pandemic to addressing the racial and economic inequality that continues to grip our nation,” wrote Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) after Biden was declared the winner. Trump is unlikely to admit the loss and concede. In the end, on January 20, 2010 at noon, the federal government and all executive power will be in hands of Barack Obama’s former Vice President and now the new President of the United States, Joe Biden.
(Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA.)
Why racism endures In many spaces, our nation appears to be dumbstruck by the racist behavior and discourse that harkens back to the pre-Civil Rights era. When pondering our ability to divorce ourselves from race-based division and marginalization, it is important to embrace a reckoning, i.e., an unavoidable national self-reflection regarding the resilient racist culture that is America. The founding of the early colonies ran concurrently with a newly emancipated church. Protestant Christianity, as we know it in America, was in its infancy with many practitioners still unable to write their own names, much less able to apply biblical hermeneutics. Religious wars left the church very accustomed to violence against all divergent religious beliefs, even in the smallest way. A bloodthirsty, merciless way of viewing non-believers allowed the colonists to dehumanize Indigenous Peoples, Africans and, for a moment, Catholics. Slavery was contested by a minority of religious voices, but they were muted by stronger dogma and the cooperating need for economic growth in a land where greed now was conflated with a misplaced old testament view of God’s blessing. Further, the American economic system was framed by powerful White men whose money and socio-political influence were palpable. As with the “electoral” voting system, the economic system was designed to benefit them— “White men who owned property.” The “free-market” system they designed was driven strictly by profits and losses and heavily benefitted by free slave and low-wage labor. The amalgam of dehumanization rooted in a misappropriation of the Bible and the need for a cheap workforce birthed and nurtured the American slave trade. Of course, Irish and Italian immigrants (Catholics) and poor Whites, got caught in the oppression as the
Stacy Johnson and Jack L. Daniel
Commentary country expanded and approached its independence from England, but between their pushback and, more importantly, Delgado and Stefancic’s (2012) Interest Convergence, it was more advantageous to allow the “scoundrels” unearned privilege rather than risk a mutiny that might disrupt the oligarchical progress that became “America.” By any means necessary, Blacks had to remain a sub-human species of their own to insure uninterrupted and limitless prosperity. This was the DNA that made America, the evidence of which has been highly visible over the last four years. All too many Americans are programmed for racism—down to their respective cellular levels, “instructing” them to feed it, breathe it, and reproduce it because strict capitalism requires it to survive. It does its work in the shadows where it’s often imperceptible to the American body until it has created a mass of tissue so ugly we’re compelled to perform cosmetic surgery because not only are we confronted by it but the whole world can see it. Racism endures because we only remove the conspicuous ugly tissue; we never heal the system that grew it. To do so would be “un-American.” We agree with John Shoop and Marica Mount Shoop (June 15, 2020) who wrote, being anti-racist means using one’s “power and privilege to actively dismantle the systems that concentrate White wealth, White power hoarding, and White defensiveness…” As such, racism will endure until we replace the “diversity
and inclusion Rooney Rule” gradualism with the “Einstein Rule” calling for a paradigm shift, i.e., quit doing the same thing over and over and expect a different result. Fortunately, we have an instructive moment which, if it became a protracted movement, could contribute to the end of racism in America. We, the people, elected a Black woman with distinguished career achievements, a child of multi-racial immigrant parents, a graduate of a Historically Black University, an AKA member of the Divine 9, a wife, and a mother to serve as the first female Vice President of the United States. We reached across a vast array of human differences in order to achieve a result that fundamentally redefined who can become our Vice President. Locally, let us continue to quit doing the same thing over and over by, for example, electing the first non-White as Mayor of Pittsburgh since it became a chartered city in 1816. Let’s end the practice, since 1787, of only a White man serving as Chancellor at the University of Pittsburgh. Let’s cease the practice, since 1777, of only White men serving as Governor of Pennsylvania. Most importantly, as Vice President Elect Kamala Harris indicated, we must make sure that such “spectacular firsts” are not the last, not simply brilliant comets that only periodically return. We must never forget Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s words: “… But removing Trump will not remove the infrastructure of an entire party that embraced him; the dark money that funded him; the online radicalization that drummed his army; nor the racism he amplified and reanimated,” If we were to address these issues throughout American society, if we were to set aside petty differences, then we would proceed to heal our nation’s racial divide, and, in doing so, be the world leader in ending racism.
FORUM
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Exhale. Inhale. Roll your sleeves up. (TriceEdneyWire.com)—It took five days for the 2020 election to be called for former Vice President Joe Biden. Five days with me peeled to the television and the Internet. Five days holding my breath. Five days, meditating and praying for strength. I could not imagine four more years of Trump. I actually started going through my belongings, trying to decide which one would make the cut for my move to Ghana (yes, if the Chump had won, I was seriously considering a transcontinental move). At 11:34 on Saturday morning, the good news trickled down. Biden won. Kamala Harris is Madame Vice President (MVP). People were sending funny and smart text messages. From one friend— “ladies keep your shoes on, there is glass on the floor.” “Exhale. Savor the feeling.” Kamala’s win is a “dancing in the street” victory for Black women, for all women, for our nation. From Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Well, on November 7 joy came in the morning,
Julianne Malveaux
Commentary the afternoon, the evening. All around the country, people celebrated. Some of us were buoyed by the celebrations, especially their intergenerational, multicultural, masked participation. But as horns honked, people hollered, and people hoisted “you’re fired” signs outside the White House, some of us wondered how much change, exactly, we could expect from Biden-Harris. Inhale. Inhale the fact that Donald John Trump was an extreme symptom, but not the cause, of the structural inequities that plague our nation. Inhale the fact that all the executive orders in the world can’t fix the racism that is baked in the cake we call the United States. Inhale their names, the disturbing roll of Black folks killed by White socalled “law enforcement” officers. Inhale the macro and micro aggressions that impact our lives. I will not be pessimistic in this optimistic moment, nor will I ignore the amazing history we experienced in this election. I will simply say, as I often do, that voting is not the most, but the least we can do. This election reminds us that Black Votes Matter, that Turnout matters, that, in the words of Rev. Jesse Jackson, “the hands that picked peaches can pick presidents.” There was no blue wave, this was a scrappy contest, with margin, in some cases, less than one percent. There was no takeover of the Senate (yet), and Democrats lost seats in the House of Representatives. And more than 70 million people affirmed Donald Trump, which reveals the stark division in our nation. Exhale (relief). Inhale (recognition). And then just roll your sleeves up and get to work. Yes, there is much work to do. There are two elections for Senate seats in Georgia. They’ll be decided on January 5, and if Democrats can pull both off, President-elect Biden will have the Senate he needs to make policy changes. Meanwhile, 45 has seventy days to wreak havoc on our nation. He can randomly fire folks, mismanage agencies (more so than he already has), develop harmful executive orders. As of this writing he has yet to concede the election, even though he has no possible chance of winning. His refusal to smell the coffee slows the transition process, but since this is about him, not about our nation, he really doesn’t care. Yes, we have work to do. We need to roll up our sleeves and get to it. Civic engagement is not a seasonal thing, it’s an all the time thing. We get the government that we choose to participate in. So kudos to the folks like Melanie Campbell (National Coalition of Black Civic Participation), LaTosha Brown (Black Voters Matter), Stacey Abrams (Fair Fight) and the many others who raised awareness, got the vote out, and then protected it. Inhale. Exhale. Get to Work! (Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist and author. For more information please visit www.juliannemalveaux.com or email booking@juliannemalveaux.
A tale of third parties in the last two presidential elections In the 2016 preser, elections are won J. Pharoah Doss idential election, by the actual vote I rejected the count, not the numnominees of the ber of people who two major parties decided not to vote, and voted for the and out of the people Libertarian Party that voted many of candidate. I never them, like me, chose voted for a third a third party. So, party in previous how did the third elections because parties affect the I thought I was throwing away my election, if at all, in these traditionalvote. (Which I actually wanted to do ly democratic states? in 2016.) I also thought third parties Here’s what happened in two of did more damage than good. them. In 1992, Democratic presidential In 2016 Trump defeated Clinton candidate Bill Clinton defeated in Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes, Republican incumbent George H.W. but the Green Party received 50,000 Bush by an electoral count of 370 to votes. (The Libertarian Party got 168. However, independent presiden- 147,000 votes.) If the Green Partial candidate Ross Perot was on the ty wasn’t on Pennsylvania’s ballot, ballot in all 50 states. Perot captured there’s no guarantee all 50,000 Green 19 percent (19,743,821) of the nation- Party votes would have gone to the al vote, the largest amount outside Democratic candidate, but it’s safe to of the two major parties since 1912. conclude Clinton would have received Votes for Perot presumably took votes the majority, which could have made away from Bush (39,104,550), which a difference. Trump also defeated aided Clinton (44,909,889) to the win. Clinton in Wisconsin by only 23,000 In 2000, Ralph Nader was the Green votes and, again, the Green Party reParty presidential candidate. Nation- ceived 31,000 votes. (The Libertarian wide, Nader received 2.74 percent of Party got 107,000.) the vote. That’s a dismal percentage In September 2020 the Democratic compared to Perot, but the 2000 pres- Party played political hardball and idential race came down to a recount made sure the Green Party wasn’t in Florida. Republican George W. allowed on the ballot in PennsylvaBush eventually defeated Democrat nia and Wisconsin due to technicalAl Gore by 537 votes, however, 97,421 ities. (Not submitting filing papers Floridians voted for the Green Party. in person and a wrong address.) But The Florida exit polls reported 25 the Libertarian Party remained on percent of Nader voters would have the ballot in these two battleground voted for Bush, 38 percent of Nader states. voters would have voted for Gore, In the 2020 Presidential Election, and the rest would have stayed home, Democratic candidate Joe Biden deadvantage Gore. feated Republican president Donald In 2016, there were multiple third Trump in both Pennsylvania and parties on the presidential ballot, Wisconsin. Biden won Pennsylvania varying by state, but the two with by 45,000 votes and Wisconsin by national name recognition were the 21,000 votes. However, if the LiberLibertarian Party and the Green tarian Party took votes away from Party. If third parties are factions the Republican candidate, then the divorced from the two major parties, Libertarian Party took 77,000 votes then the Libertarian Party is sepaaway from Trump in Pennsylvania rated from the Republicans and the and 38,000 votes away from Trump in Green Party is separated from the Wisconsin. Democrats, with each faction taking If the Green Party harmed the votes away from the major party Democrats in 2016 then the Libertarthey mirror. Shockingly, Republican ian Party harmed the Republicans in presidential candidate Donald Trump 2020. The difference is, the Demowon 5 states that were traditionalcrats eliminated their problem while ly Democratic strongholds by very the Republicans never noticed the narrow margins. Pundits blamed potential threat that was actually on this debacle on a lower-than-expected the ballot. voter turnout, i.e., Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton didn’t receive the Obama turnout of 2012. Howev-
Check It Out
A huge victory – and more work to do (TriceEdneyWire. com)—After four Ben Jealous exhausting years of President Donald Trump and four excruciating days of vote counting, the election was called for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Saturday. Hallelujah! Those days of counting felt agonizingly slow to many of us, but the momentum was always on our side: Democratic voters—mostly Black voters—in and around Philadelphia, Detroit, Milwaukee and Atlanta delivered the battleground state votes needed to deny Trump a second term. In Nevada and Arizona, Latino and Native American voters provided crucial votes. News that Pennsylvania put Biden over the top sparked dancing in the streets and tears of joy in many households. So did the sight of Kamala Harris making her historic appearance as our next vice president—the first woman, first Black woman, first South Asian woman, to be elected to the White House. In his speech Saturday night, Joe Biden made it clear that he understands how much he owes to Black folks. “The African American community stood up again for me,” he said. “They always have my back, and I’ll have yours.” We will all need to help Biden make good on that commitment with policies that address our communities’ needs. There’s a lot to do. We need a more effective response to COVID-19 pandemic and its particularly hard impact on the health and economic well-being of people of color. We need a vision and a plan for an economy that does not leave Black communities behind, an economy where opportunity is widely available and prosperity is widely shared—not one that strips wealth out of middle-class and lower-income families and funnels it to the richest people in the world. We need to eliminate voter suppression strategies—and resist ongoing efforts by Trump and his allies to delegitimize and overturn his decisive
Commentary
defeat. We need to confront the systemic racism that leads to police killings of Black men, women, and children—killings for which justice far too often is delayed and denied. We need to address the corruption of our federal court system by Trump and Senate Republicans and the hardright judges they have spent four years packing into our federal courts, which we can no longer count on to uphold our constitutional and civil rights. All those jobs will be made so much harder if Republicans maintain control of the Senate. The unprincipled obstructionist Republican leader Mitch McConnell has turned that half of Congress into a graveyard for legislation the American people need to advance the vision of a more just society for which we just voted. So, we have work to do, right now, in Georgia, where two U.S. Senate races are headed for runoffs in early January. Both races feature corrupt, Trump-enabling Republicans who represent the worst kind of politician. Both are being challenged by smart, progressive Democrats who will help Biden and Harris achieve good things for the American people. Those victories in Georgia are achievable, largely in part to the brilliant organizing work of my dear friend Stacey Abrams. She responded to her own unjust defeat in Georgia’s race for governor in 2018 by leading a coalition that registered hundreds of thousands of new voters and turned the state blue this year. She believes Democrats can absolutely win the Senate runoffs, and that the outcome of those races will help determine whether we have access to health care and access to justice in the U.S. The excellent Democratic candidates, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, need and deserve all the support we can give them. Defeating Trump and electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was a huge victory. Let’s celebrate, get a good night’s sleep or a long nap, and get back to work.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Marc Morial
Commentary
Black lives and Black livelihoods were at stake in this election (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“You know what, they don’t have enough voter suppression tactics to stop this movement.” — Keith Mayes, professor of African American studies and African American history at the University of Minnesota. As grief and despair over the racially-disproportionate impact of the COVID pandemic and police brutality erupted in unrest across America’s cities this summer, the National Urban League mobilized to channel the protests in the streets into power at the polls. If anyone had any doubt that Black votes matter, this week’s presidential election put those doubts to rest Massive voter turnout in cities with large Black populations was key to a shift in four states that determined the outcome of the election. Voters in Philadelphia and Atlanta appear to have turned out in even greater numbers than in 2008, when Barack Obama was swept into office, while voters in Milwaukee and Detroit turned out in higher numbers than any election since then. This turnout is all the more remarkable considering the tsunami of voter suppression measures directed at Black Americans in the years since then. As the National Urban League’s State of Black America report last year made distressingly clear, Black voting rights have been attacked over the last decade at a level not seen since passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. President Trump’s campaign seems determined to continue the unconscionable trend, as it has throughout the entire election season. He has initiated legal action to invalidate ballots in at least three of the four states where Black voters made the difference—Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia—and in Nevada, where Latinos make up almost 30 percent of the population. These swing-state cities with large Black populations are also where the U.S. Postal System failed to deliver a significant percentage of ballots on time. In Pennsylvania, the Trump campaign is specifically trying to throw out absentee ballots that were not delivered by Election Day. Only about two-thirds of absentee ballots in Philadelphia were delivered by Election Day—one of the lowest levels in the country. A federal judge has threatened to hold Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in contempt of court. It’s outrageous that any campaign would try to throw out any citizens’ votes. But to focus these efforts on Black Americans —who have paid in blood for the right to vote – is abhorrent. Telling people, “Your votes should not be counted” is an especially brutal way of saying “You’re not considered a full citizen. You are not equal in the eyes of the law.” It gives validation to White supremacists and extremists threatening violence over the election. Casting a ballot—and having that ballot counted—is the fullest expression of citizenship in America. It is the only way Americans can determine our future, protect our rights, seek equal treatment in economic and social life—and hold our leaders accountable. We should not lose sight of the fact that the day after the election, the country set a record for reported cases of coronavirus, with more than 107,000 new cases recorded on Wednesday. More than 232,000 people have died, with Black Americans dying at twice the rate of Whites. Six of every ten Black households are facing serious financial problems since the pandemic began. Almost a third can’t pay their rent or mortgage. Federal relief is nowhere in sight. Black lives, and Black livelihoods were at stake in this election. Black votes have determined its outcome. During an interview on CNBC Wednesday night, Shepard Smith asked me how the nation can come together and unite after this divisive election. Part of my answer was, we need leadership at the top. But these efforts by the Trump campaign to invalidate our votes will only drive us further apart. I’m proud of the National Urban League’s historic efforts to register, educate and engage voters through our campaign, Reclaim Your Vote. Protest To Power, and our partnerships with other initiatives like Oprah Winfrey’s Own Your Vote and Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote. I’m proud of the way we fought back against the sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service that slowed delivery of ballots. Most of all, I’m proud of the nation’s Black voters, who responded adversity and suppression with patriotism and determination. As efforts to stop vote counting, invalidate votes, or cast doubt on the votes of Black and Brown citizens, continue, the National Urban League will continue to defend our most sacred right.
New Pittsburgh Courier
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WALGREENS Add more care to your career at Walgreens! Now Hiring Customer Service Associates, Pharmacy technicians, Shift Leaders www.walgreens.jobs RESIDENT COORDINATOR, OUTREACH/SUCCESS COORDINATOR – MILITARY FOCUS, AND HOUSEKEEPING F.T. (DAY TIME) Pittsburgh Technical College is seeking qualified applicants for the following positions: •Resident Coordinator (live-in position) One year of previous School Housing experience •Outreach/ Success Coordinator – Military Focus Master’s degree required •Housekeeping, F.T. Day, (7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) 2 yrs. work experience in related field. Must pass criminal background check. Immediate opening at our North Fayette campus near Robinson Towne Center. Apply to www.ptcollege.edu (Employment with PTC) or www.workforptcollege.com . EOE M/F LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices
Estate of PATRICIA A MOORE A/K/A PATRICIA A FOLEY, Deceased of Pittsburgh Estate No. 00027 Of 2014, Thomas J Moore Adm., 210 5th Street, Pittsburgh, PA to Andrew Gross, Esq, Gross and Patterson, LLC, 707 Grant St. Suite 2340 Bldg., Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Estate of MR. JOHN DiNUNNO A/K/A GIOVANNI DiNUNNO, Deceased of 1050 Wilson Place, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Estate No. 02-20-05586, Ms, Diane DiFelice, 200 Broadway Street, Level B, Coraopolis, PA 15108, Executrix, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Offices of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108 Estate of ANNA B, WESTEHOFF Deceased of Haysville, Estate No. 05197 Of 2020, Rose Ann Schoedel 298 Griffin Road, Sandy Lake, PA 16145, Exec or to Micheal J. Saldamarco, Esq., Attys. Ste 100, 908 Perry Hwy, Pittsburgh, PA 15229 Estate of ELIZAVETA REZNIK A/K/A ELIZAVETA V. REZNIK, Deceased of Bethel Park,Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 002-20-04138, Yulya Catena, Executor, 740 Bayberry Drive, Bartlett, IL 60103 or to Aubrey H. Glover, Atty. BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of JAMES GRISE A/K/A JAMES D. GRISE, SR., Deceased of Munhall, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 02-20-05086, James D. Grise, Jr., Executor, 130 Red Oak Lane, Munhall, PA 15120 or to Robin L. Rarie, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017
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OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on December 08, 2020, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for: Pgh. Chartiers Early Childhood Center Finish Floor Replacements and Miscellaneous Work General and Asbestos Abatement Prime Pgh. Classical Academy 6-8 Bleacher Demolition Project General Prime Pgh. Miller PreK-5 Comprehensive Plaster Repair and Painting General, Mechanical, Electrical and Asbestos Abatement Prime Pgh. Perry High School CTE Cosmetology Relocation General, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical and Asbestos Abatement Primes Pgh. Perry High School Bleacher Demolition Project General Prime Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on November 02, 2020 at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR ARMED AND UNARMED SECURITY FOR HIGH-RISES AND NORTHVIEW HEIGHTS WELCOME BOOTHS RFP #350-14-20 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Armed and Unarmed Security for High-rises and Northview Heights Welcome Booths RFP #350-14-20 The documents will be available no later than November 2, 2020 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 10:00 A.M. on December 1, 2020. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 10:00 AM on December 1, 2020 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Proposals may uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HCP website and within the RFP. Sealed proposals may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org. Questions or inquires should be directed to: Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via call in; on November 17, 2020 at 10:00 A.M. Please see call in information below: Join the audio conference by phone: United States - Washington, DC +1.202.602.1295 Access Code 598-776-271# The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP’s has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation.
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No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 a.m. on December 2, 2020. Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing. Port Authority of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. The Board of Port Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh
HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
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ACHIEVE! School Choice Guide New Pittsburgh Courier November 11-17, 2020
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NOVEMBER 11-17, 2020
ACHIEVE! SCHOOL CHOICE GUIDE 2020
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
ACHIEVE! SCHOOL CHOICE GUIDE 2020
CCAC to hold Virtual Open House on November 14, for prospective students, their families and friends PITTSBURGH—The Community College of Allegheny County will host a Virtual Open House on Saturday, November 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This event will provide prospective students, their family members and friends with an opportunity to learn more about the CCAC enrollment process, academic program options, student engagement opportunities and more. Attendees will learn how students can save up to $2,200 per class or $63,000 by spending their first two years at CCAC. Participants will be able to interact with faculty and staff in a virtual environment and will learn how to enroll in one of CCAC’s nearly 160 degree, certificate or diploma programs to meet their educational and
career goals. In addition, informative breakout sessions will be offered on the following topics:
* Admissions * Athletics * CCAC Centers * Career Services * Counseling
* Faculty Presentation * Financial Aid * Military & Veterans Services * Registration & Advising * Student Life * Student Success & Perkins Office * Supportive Services Attendees will also learn about: * Programs designed to facilitate easy transfer to four-year colleges and universities * In-demand careers that offer strong wages and career growth * Scholarships, grants and financial aid opportunities * Day, evening, weekend and online course offerings For more information, visit ccac.edu or email admissions@ ccac.edu.
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Join the Propel Schools Family
ON THE FRONT COVER - Propel School’s innovative K-2 Reading Initiative ensures that all scholars are reading at or above grade level by the time they complete second grade and setting the foundation for years of continued education achievement. All children deserve the opportunity to succeed in school, despite the challenges they may face. Propel Schools rejects the idea that poverty or ethnicity determines life outcomes. That is why Propel’s 13 public charter schools provide each scholar with resources, support and opportunities that might otherwise be inaccessible to them— and why we pursue a highly qualified staff. Families value Propel Schools for its individualized learning environment, small class sizes, and its committed, caring educators. Propel’s K-2 Reading Initia-
tive ensures our scholars are reading at or above grade level by the time they complete second grade. Our STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) integrated curriculum is enhanced by partnerships with local organizations such as Carnegie Mellon University, Grow Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh CLO and PPG Industries. We offer a free afterschool program that provides scholars with continued learning opportunities while offering parents peace of mind. Propel high school scholars can participate in the Career Pathways program in which they will graduate from high school with up to 31 college credits at no cost. Propel Schools strives to set a new standard for public education by: •Nurturing scholars’ social identities •Teaching technology as a core skill •Offering embedded emotional support The right school can be the difference between a life defined by limitations or by achievement. At Propel Schools, our educators redefine school and our scholars defy expectations. Our enrollment process is based on a blind lottery system. Families can apply for the 20212022 school year before December 31, 2020. Come check us out at www.propelschools.org/apply.
Founded 1910
Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Rob Taylor Jr. Managing Editor The New Pittsburgh Courier acknowledges Graphic Designer Warren King and Advertising Coordinator Ashley Johnson for their contributions to the Courier’s 2020 School Choice Guide.
Worried about the COVID learning slide? 4 steps parents can take (BPT) - School is so unpredictable this year, it’s hard not to worry about the what ifs. What if my child falls behind due to distance learning? What if my kids have trouble getting back to in-person learning? It’s an anxious time for many parents. In fact, a recent Understood/ YouGov survey of 2,000 parents of 5- to 17-year-olds, shows that 71 percent are worried that their children will face challenges this year. For parents of kids who are diagnosed with or show signs of learning and thinking differences, that number is 79 percent. And nearly half (48 percent) of all parents are worried about their child being left behind because of the “COVID slide.” The shutdowns last spring gave parents a window into their children’s learning and behavior. And for some, it raised new questions - and concerns. Questions like: * Why is my child so daydreamy? * Is it normal for kids to have meltdowns this often? * Why is my child still struggling with reading? * Do other kids have this much trouble following directions? Nearly four in 10 (37 percent) parents surveyed by Understood have noticed new or different behaviors in their child during the pandemic. Trying to make sense of challenges or differences isn’t always easy.
But getting answers allows parents and professionals to get kids support at early as possible. “Every child is unique, so it’s difficult for caregivers to know which behaviors are normal for their age and which might be flags that something else is going on,” says Bob Cunningham, executive director of learning development for social impact organization Understood. “Families are spending more time together and some may have started to notice things they didn’t before. The good news is there are some easy steps they can take.” What are learning and thinking differences Kids develop at different rates, so it can be hard for families to interpret what they’re seeing. Some of these struggles can also be a sign of learning and thinking differences like dyslexia, ADHD and dyscalculia (a learning disability in math). At least 15 million children in the United States- one in five- learn or think differently. They may struggle with different skills, including reading, writing, math, focus and following directions. Sometimes those challenges are obvious, but other times the signs can be confusing. For example, difficulty with spelling can be a sign of a reading challenge. Not being able to tell time might be a problem with math.
Because the signs of learning and thinking differences aren’t always clear, Understood developed a free tool called Take N.O.T.E. in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics. It’s designed to guide families to get answers about what they are seeing in their child. 4 steps to start finding answers The Take N.O.T.E. tool centers on a simple four-step process: • Notice if there’s something going on with your child that’s out of the ordinary. • Observe and keep track of patterns in your child’s behavior. • Talk to your child, teachers, aides and caregivers about what you’re observing. • Engage with trusted professionals, like pediatricians. “Not knowing what different behaviors or struggles mean or how to help can feel stressful and overwhelming for parents and caregivers,” says Cunningham. “These four steps can help you learn more and move down a path to best help your child. Everyone who learns and thinks differently should feel supported at home, at school and at work.” Visit u.org/takenote to learn more and access Take N.O.T.E. in English or Spanish. You’ll find a free digital resource with the tools to notice, observe and track patterns in your child’s behavior.
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Urban Academy: Charter School Pioneers The Urban Academy is the school that pioneered the charter movement in the city of Pittsburgh. Since 1997, the school has committed to engaging our students, their families, and the greater community to develop smart and kind global citizens who understand the importance of academic excellence and Black people worldwide. Our staff is committed to integrating Black culture, traditions, and history into our instructional landscape. We expect greatness from our students, and we
remind them that their greatness is rooted in the legacy of King & Queens. With an extended school year, the Urban Academy has ten more instructional days than other schools and districts. Our scholars engage in grade-level academic programs that encourage each student’s growth and success, as they meet and exceed the Pennsylvania Core Standards. Even during a pandemic, our school has maintained an unrelenting focus on academic excellence, rigor, and pride for all students.
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Penn Hills School District enrolling new and returning students The Penn Hills School District is actively enrolling new and returning students. We invite you to Be Part of Something Bigger! Top 10 Reasons to Choose the Penn Hills School District:
1. Innovative, licensed teachers and dedicated staff members with an average of 19 YEARS experience in education (17 years at Penn Hills). 2. High quality special education program that focuses on academics, daily living skills and
cultural diversity while preparing students for post-secondary education or meaningful employment. 3. Penn Hills Cyber Academy with drop-in centers for in-person support and NCAA approved courses.
4. Culturally based curriculum with a wide selection of honors, Advanced Placement and elective courses that embrace the growth mindset. 5. New state-of-the-art high school and elementary school. 6. Free breakfast and lunch program for ALL
students. 7. Opportunity to explore career and technical education programs. 8. Expansive list of extracurricular activities that include choral, band and award-winning musical productions at all three schools. 9. Championship caliber athletic teams with
a rich tradition of excellence. 10. Join a diverse population of over 3,000 students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences that welcome you as part of our “PHamily”. Please visit our website at www.phsd.k12.pa.us for more information.
Environmental Charter School builds personal connections The Environmental Charter School is a tuition-free K-9 charter school in Pittsburgh’s East End. ECS combines the academic rigor of the best public schools with a multi-disciplinary, “out-the-door” learning approach rooted in real-world problems that build active, engaged, and empathetic citizens. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our community, ECS was one of the first schools in Western Pennsylvania to launch a virtual program. Since then, ECS has worked with our families to understand their individ-
ual needs and provide support in those areas. From safely distributing academic kits to hosting socially distanced events, ECS is dedicated to building personal connections with our community and families that unite and bring us together even during unprecedented times. ECS recognized the need for in-person learning options, and to develop a humanized school reopening plan with tactics revolving around culturally responsive teaching, sustainability, and equity in education, a Pandemic Committee consisting
of cross-departmental groups within the organization as well as parents and caregivers was formed. After careful consideration, a staggered reopening plan was created keeping in mind the possibility of increased spread and the need to revert back to virtual learning at any time. Interested in learning if ECS is the right fit for your child? Check out our virtual tours, attend an open house, or schedule a drop-in meeting with ECS principals and staff to learn more. Log on to ecspgh.org to apply today!
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Pittsburgh Technical College: Where Knowledge Meets Know-How Pittsburgh Technical College (PTC) delivers a career-focused education grounded in academic excellence; complete with honesty, inclusivity, compassion, and support for our diverse student body. PTC ensures that learners achieve success and value for their education dollars. It’s our mission to fully prepare graduates for careers
that fuel economic growth in our region and beyond. We began almost 75 years ago as PTI, and now, as PTC, we offer more than 30 programs of study, and consistently deliver high in-field placement rates of over 95%. Plus 100% of our degree-seeking students participate in internships, clinical rotations, or employer-partnered
capstone projects before they graduate. PTC students experience applied learning from their first quarter. Whether working toward a certificate, associate or bachelor’s degree, they don’t have to wait to take apart a computer, work with a patient, or enter a lab to practice the skills that are relevant to their field.
Due to COVID-19, many programs are now virtual, with some face-to-face classes when hands-on instruction is essential for education competencies. Fully online program options are also available providing flexibility. PTC’s average class size is 16 students, making our education personal and tailored to each individual learning style.
Students can live on or off campus in school-sponsored housing. Our campus is a short drive from downtown Pittsburgh yet feels worlds away with lush green spaces in which to live and learn. Learn more about PTC and schedule a talk and campus tour with Admissions at PTCollege.edu.
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Cider Stand for Good PA Cyber is proud of first grader, Julian Nahas. Bothered by the unrest he has witnessed on television, young Julian, with the help and support of his family, used his energy and big heart to bring together his community and the police. Julian and his family created a neighborhood Cider
Stand in front of his home in Monessen, PA. Of course, he made sure everyone took appropriate social distancing precautions as they sold cider, snacks, and sweets all to benefit the Monessen Police Department. “So many have been inspired by Julian’s love for people and our community!
He’s truly been a blessing and his huge heart is incredible! The people who came were so happy to be giving to this cause. Some even refused the food and drinks because they just simply came to show support and donate!” said Julian’s mom Arley. Congratulations to young Julian for raising nearly $2000 in
donations for his local police department. Julian and his family demonstrated their sincere desire to create a culture of change, inclusion, love, respect and support. In concert with dedicated parents like the Arley Nahas, PA Cyber has helped tens of thousands of young minds realize their potential
over the past two decades of operation. Twenty years of innovation. Twenty years of commitment. Twenty years of education. PA Cyber celebrates its 20th Anniversary by showcasing great students like Julian. Visit PAcyber.org to learn more about cyber education.
5 simple ways to support teachers all year long
(BPT)—A love of learning and a passion for children is what makes teachers special. As COVID-19 impacted schools across the country earlier this year, teachers proved their agility in shifting gears quickly to teach students as effectively as possible. Now schools begin the 2020-21 school year, and teachers again are critical in shaping children’s education during uncertain times. Whether your community’s schools are welcoming students back in person, online or a mix of both, it’s the teachers who have the hard work of making school a positive experience no matter the circumstances. This year in particular, it’s critical to support teachers to position them for success so
students can thrive. Consider these five steps in supporting teachers and showing you care. Add extra supplies: Go beyond the supplies list and buy extras for the teacher. This might be adding extra glue sticks and pencils, or, making a teacher’s care basket with personal items like hand lotion, sanitizing wipes, tea and coffee, stickers, etc. What’s more, remember that supplies are needed all school year long. At the start of school the supply closet is bursting, but a few months later it might be sparse. A mid-year supply drop-off is sure to be appreciated. You might even consider running a supply drive to help teachers in need throughout the year. Ask about volunteer
opportunities: In-person volunteer opportunities may be limited or unavailable right now, so be proactive and ask teachers about virtual or distance volunteering options. You might be able to lead a virtual story time, organize a book club, help by checking digital papers, dropping off items at students’ homes and much more. Simply reach out to your teacher to show your willingness to help and
you can discuss volunteer opportunities that match your skills and interests. Beyond the classroom, check out volunteer opportunities at libraries, study halls, community centers and more. Vote to fund a cause: As a supporter of public school teachers and students since 2009, SONIC provides essential funds needed for learning materials and innovative teaching techniques to
inspire creativity. SONIC donates to public school teacher projects multiple times throughout the school year including during the fall voting campaign and Teacher Appreciation Month in May, as well as through special funding events throughout the year. Visit LimeadesforLearning. com to learn more about how to get involved and help teachers. Stay up to date: Being informed not only helps you understand what’s happening in your student’s world, it helps you be a more engaged partner in their education. Teachers appreciate parents and caregivers who stay up to date by reading grade newsletters promptly, checking emails from the school often and
visiting classroom websites or social media pages regularly. Additionally, consider attending school board meetings, even if it’s virtually, so you know what’s happening in the district. Practice patience and understanding: The 2020-21 school year contains a lot of unknowns. Whether it’s in-person, virtual or hybrid, remember to practice patience and understanding with educators as they navigate these new waters. Everyone is in this together and teachers are doing their best. Remember, the attitude you project about school is what your children will reflect, so make sure to stay positive and make the best of any situation as the year unfolds.
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New Pittsburgh Courier list of schools DISTRICT INFORMATION ALLEGHENY VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Cheswick and Springdale Boroughs, Harmar and Springdale Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.avsdweb.org/ AVONWORTH SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights and Emsworth Boroughs, Kilbuck and Ohio Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.avonworth.k12. pa.us BALDWIN-WHITEHALL SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Baldwin and Whitehall Boroughs and Baldwin Township Levels: K-12 http://www.bwschools.net BETHEL PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Municipality of Bethel Park Levels: K-12 http://www.bpsd.org BRENTWOOD BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Brentwood Borough Levels: K-12 http://www.bb-sd.com CARLYNTON SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Carnegie, Crafton and Rosslyn Farms Boroughs Levels: K-12 http://www.carlynton.k12.pa.us CHARTIERS VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Bridgeville and Heidelberg Boroughs, Collier and Scott Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.cvsd.net CLAIRTON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Clairton City Levels: K-12 http://www.ccsdbears.org
CORNELL SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Coraopolis Borough and Neville Township Levels: K-12 http://www.cornell.k12.pa.us DEER LAKES SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: East Deer, Frazer and West Deer Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.deerlakes.net DUQUESNE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Duquesne City Levels: K-6 http://www.dukecitysd.org EAST ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: East McKeesport, Wall and Wilmerding Boroughs; North Versailles Township Levels: K-12 http://www.eawildcats.net ELIZABETH FORWARD SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Elizabeth Borough, Elizabeth and Forward Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.efsd.net FOX CHAPEL AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox Chapel and Sharpsburg Boroughs; Indiana and O’Hara Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.fcasd.edu GATEWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Municipality of Monroeville and Pitcairn Borough Levels: K-12 http://www.gatewayk12.org HAMPTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Hampton Township Levels: K-12 http://www.ht-sd.org HIGHLANDS SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Brackenridge and Tarentum Bor-
oughs, Harrison and Fawn Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.goldenrams.com KEYSTONE OAKS SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Castle Shannon, Dormont, Green Tree Boroughs Levels: K-12 Enrollment: 1,880 http://www.kosd.org MCKEESPORT AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Dravosburg, Versailles and White Oak Boroughs; City of McKeesport; and South Versailles Township Levels: K-12 http://www.mckasd.net MONTOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Ingram, Pennsbury and Thornburg Boroughs; Kennedy and RobinsonTownships Levels: K-12 http://www.montourschools. com MOON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Moon and Cresent Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.moonarea.net MT. LEBANON SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Mt. Lebanon Levels: K-12 http://www.mtlsd.org NORTH ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Bradford Woods and Franklin Park Boroughs, Marshall Township and Town of McCandless Levels: K-12 http://www.northallegheny.org NORTH HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: West View Borough and Ross Township Levels: K-12 http://www.nhsd.net
NORTHGATE SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Avalon and Bellevue Boroughs Levels: K-12 http://www.northgate.k12. pa.us PENN HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Municipality of Penn Hills Levels: K-12 http://www.phsd.k12.pa.us PINE-RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Pine and Richland Townships Levels: K - 12 http://www.pinerichland.org Pittsburgh Public Schools Communities Served: City of Pittsburgh Levels: K-12 www.pps.k12.pa.us PLUM BOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Plum Borough Levels: K-12 http://www.pbsd.k12.pa.us QUAKER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Glenfield, Haysville, Leetsdale, Osborne, Sewickley, Sewickley Heights and Sewickley Hills Boroughs; Aleppo and Leet Townships Levels: K-12 http://www.qvsd.org RIVERVIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Oakmont and Verona Boroughs Levels: K-12 http://www.rsd.k12.pa.us SHALER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Etna and Millvale Boroughs, Reserve and Shaler Townships, Glenshaw Levels: K-12 http://www.sasd.k12.pa.us SOUTH ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue Boroughs Levels: K-12
http://www.southallegheny.org SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: South Fayette Township Levels: K-12 http://www.southfayette.org SOUTH PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: South Park Township Levels: K-12 http://www.sparksd.org STEEL VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Homestead, Munhall and West Homestead Boroughs Levels: K-12 http://steelvalleysd.org STO-ROX SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: McKees Rocks Borough and Stowe Township Levels: K-12 http://www.srsd.k12.pa.us UPPER ST. CLAIR SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Upper St. Clair Township Levels: K-12 http://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us WEST ALLEGHENY SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Findlay and North Fayette Townships, Oakdale Borough Levels: K-12 http://www.westasd.org/ WEST JEFFERSON HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Jefferson, Pleasant Hills and West Elizabeth Boroughs Levels: K-12 http://www.wjhsd.net WEST MIFFLIN AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: West Mif in and Whitaker Boroughs Levels: K-12 http://www.wmasd.org WILKINSBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Wilkinsburg Levels: Pre-K-6 http://www.wilkinsburgschools.org/
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WOODLAND HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT Communities Served: Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Churchill, East Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Forest Hills, North Braddock, Rankin, Swissvale and Turtle Creek Boroughs; and Wilkins Township Levels: K-12 http://www.whsd.net NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS PROGRAM PAROCHIAL & PRIVATE SCHOOLS PRIVATE SCHOOLS-EASTERN AREA BEULAH CHRISTIAN PRESCHOOL Grades: P-K 2500 McCrady Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15235 Phone: 412-242-4424 CCAC BOYCE CDC Grades: Pre K-K 595 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA. 15146 Phone: 724-325-6677 CHRIST LUTHERAN SCHOOL Grades: Pre - 3 -8 400 Barclay Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15221 Phone: 412-271-7173 EAST CATHOLIC Grades: K-8 2001 Ardmore Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA. 15221 Phone: 412-351-5403 FAITH CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Grades: K-12 801 Thompson Street, Turtle Creek, PA. 15145 Phone: 412-825-7455 GREATER WORKS ACADEMY Grades: K-12 301 College Park Drive, Monroeville, PA. 15146 Phone: 724-327-6500 LEARNING TREE, THE V Grades: K 2566 Haymaker Road, Monroeville, PA. 15146 Phone: 412-372-2744 NORTH AMERICAN MARTYRS SCHOOL Grades: K-6 2526 Haymaker Road, Monroeville, PA. 15146 Phone: 412-373-0889 PITTSBURGH URBAN CHRISTIAN Grades: K-8 809 Center Street, Pittsburgh, PA. 15221 Phone: 412-244-1779
ACHIEVE! SCHOOL CHOICE GUIDE 2020
PRAISE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Grades: K-8 245 Foster Road, North Versailles, PA. 15137 Phone: 412-829-0400 REDEEMER LUTHERAN Grades: Pre - 6 700 Idaho Ave, Verona, PA. 15147 Phone: 412-828-9323 SHADY SIDE ACADEMY (JUNIOR SCHOOL) Grades: PK-5 400 South Braddock Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 152213215 Phone: 412-473-4400 ST. BARTHOLOMEW SCHOOL Grades: Pre -8 111 Erhardt Drive, Pittsburgh, PA. 15235 Phone: 412-242-2511 ST. BERNADETTE SCHOOL Grades: Pre- K -8 245 Azalea Drive, Monroeville, PA. 15146 Phone: 412-372-7255 ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL Grades: K-8 825 Second Avenue, Verona, PA. 15147 Phone: 412-828-7213 SISTER THEA BOWMAN CATHOLIC ACADEMY Grades: K-8 721 Rebecca Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15221 Phone: 412-242-3515 TRINITY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Grades: K-12 299 Ridge Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15221 Phone: 412-242-8886 PRIVATE SCHOOLS–– NORTHERN AREA AQUINAS ACADEMY Grades: K-12 2308 West Hardies Road, Gibsonia, PA. 15044 Phone: 724-444-0722 ASSUMPTION SCHOOL Grades: K- 8 35 North Jackson Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15202 Phone: 412-761-788 BLESSED SACRAMENT SCHOOL Grades: K-8 800 Montana Avenue, Natrona Heights, PA. 15065 Phone: 724-226-2345 CCAC NORTH CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER Grades: P-K 8701 Perry Highway, Pitts-
burgh, PA. 15237 Phone: 412-369-3722 CHESWICK CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Grades: Pre - 12 1407 Pittsburgh Street, Cheswick, PA. 15024 Phone: 724-274-4846 CHRIST THE DIVINE TEACHER CATHOLIC ACADEMY Grades: 1-8 205 Brilliant Street, Pittsburgh, PA. 15215 Phone: 412-781-7927 COMMUNITY CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER Grades: P-K K 400 Center Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15215 Phone: 412-781-2204 EDEN CHRISTIAN ACADEMY-B Grades: P-8 206 Seibert Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15237 Phone: 412-364-8055 EDEN CHRISTIAN ACADEMY-W Grades: Pre-5 12121 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA. 15090 Phone: 724-935-9301 FOX CHAPEL COUNTRY DAY Grades: PK-5 620 Squaw Run Road East, Pittsburgh, PA. 15238 Phone: 412-963-8644 MONTESSORI CENTRE ACADEMY 1014 William Flynn Highway, Glenshaw, PA. 15116 Phone: 412-486-6239 MONTESSORI CHILDREN’S COMMUNITY Grades: Pre - 6 474 Chadwick Street, Sewickley, PA. 15143 Phone: 412-741-8982 MT. ALVERNIA HIGH SCHOOL Grades: 9-12 146 Hawthorne Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15209 Phone: 412-821-3858 MT. NAZARETH CENTER Grades: P-K 285 Bellevue Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15229 Phone: 412-931-9761 NORTH PITTSBURGH CHILD’S HOUSE 5031 Oakview Drive, Gibsonia, PA. 15044 Phone: 724-444-0480 PROVIDENCE HEIGHTS ALPHA SCHOOL Grades: 1-8
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9000 Babcock Boulevard, Allison Park, PA. 15101 Phone: 412-366-4455 ROYAL OAK NURSERY 4413 Mt. Royal Boulevard, Allison Park, PA. 15101 Phone: 412-487-1668 SEWICKLEY ACADEMY Grades: Pre -K-12 315 Academy Avenue, Sewickley, PA. 15143 Phone: 412-741-2230 SHADY SIDE ACADEMY (MIDDLE SCHOOL) Grades: 6-8 500 Squaw Run Road East, Pittsburgh, PA. 15238 Phone: 412-968-3100 SHADY SIDE ACADEMY (SENIOR SCHOOL) Grades: 9-12 423 Fox Chapel Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15238 Phone: 412-968-3000 ST. ALEXIS SCHOOL Grades: P-K, 1-8 10090 Old Perry Highway RD#1, Wexford, PA. 15090 Phone: 724-935-3940 ST. ALPHONSUS SCHOOL Grades: K -8 201 Church Road, Wexford, PA. 15090 Phone: 724-935-1152 ST. BONAVENTURE SCHOOL Grades: pre -K- 8 2001 Mt. Royal Boulevard, Glenshaw, PA. 15116 Phone: 412-486-2608 ST. JAMES SCHOOL Grades: K-8 201 Broad Street, Sewickley, PA. 15143 Phone: 412-741-5540 ST. JOSEPH HIGH SCHOOL Grades: 9-12 800 Montana, Natrona, PA. 15065 Phone: 724-224-5552 ST. MARY SCHOOL Grades: Pre -K-8 2510 Middle Road, Glenshaw, PA. 15116 Phone: 412-486-7611 ST. SEBASTIAN SCHOOL Grades: K-8 307 Siebert Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15237 Phone: 412-364-7171 ST. TERESA OF AVILA SCHOOL Grades: Pre K -8 800 Avila Court, Pittsburgh, PA. 15237
Phone: 412-367-9001 ST. URSULA SCHOOL Grades: Pre - K- 8 3937 Kirk Avenue, Allison Park, PA. 15101 Phone: 412-486-5511 THE GLEN MONTESSORI Grades: P-K 500 Huntingdon Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15202 Phone: 412-766-3815 TLC CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER 8801 Peebles Road, Allison Park, PA. 15101 Phone: 412-635-0785 UPMC THE CHILDREN’S HOUSE 9100 Babcock Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA. 15237 Phone: 412-367-6879 VINCENTIAN ACADEMY Grades: 9-12 Peebles & McKnight Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15237 Phone: 412-364-1616 WESTERN PA MONTESSORI Grades: P-K 2379 Wyland Avenue, Allison Park, PA. 15101 Phone: 412-487-2700 WINCHESTER THURSTON NORTH CAMPUS Grades: K-5 4225 Middle Road, Allison Park, PA. 15101 Phone: 412-4868-8341 PRIVATE SCHOOLS— SOUTH AREA ABC’S FOR CHILDREN 1630 Greentree Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15220 Phone: 412-344-4422 CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH Grades: Pre- K 120 Anborn Drive, West Mifflin, PA. 15122 Phone: 412-461-6211 HILLCREST CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Grades: Pre -K- 8 2500 Bethel Church Road, Bethel Park, PA. 15102 Phone: 412-854-4040 HOLY TRINITY SCHOOL Grades: Pre- K 1-8 5720 Steubenville Pike, McKees Rocks, PA. 15136-1311 Phone: 412-787-2656 JUBILEE CHRISTIAN Grades: K-6 255 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15216 Phone: 412-561-5917
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MON YOUGH CATHOLIC SCHOOL Grades: P-8 1640 Fawcett Avenue, McKeesport, PA. 15131 Phone: 412-672-2360
ST. MARGARET SCHOOL Grades: 1-8 915 Alice Street, Pittsburgh, PA. 15220 Phone: 412-922-4765
MONTESSORI EARLY CHILDHOOD Grades: P-K 2400 Old Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15241 Phone: 412-881-1566
ST. SYLVESTER SCHOOL Grades: Pre - K- 3 - 8 30 West Willock Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15227 Phone: 412-882-9900
MT. LEBANON MONTESSORI Grades: Pre - K -6 550 Sleepy Hollow Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15228 Phone: 412-563-2858 SERRA HIGH SCHOOL Grades: 9-12 200 Hershey Drive, McKeesport, PA. 15132-7400 Phone: 412-751-2020 SETON-LASALLE HIGH SCHOOL Grades: 9-12 1000 McNeilly Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15226 Phone: 412-561-3583 ST. AGNES SCHOOL Grades: Pre-K -8 653 St. Agnes Lane, West Mif in, PA. 15122 Phone: 412-466-6238 ST. ANNE SCHOOL Grades: K-8 4040 Willow Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15234 Phone: 412-561-7720 ST. BERNARD SCHOOL Grades: K-8 401 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15216 Phone: 412-341-5444 ST. ELIZABETH SCHOOL Grades: P-8 Grove Place, Pittsburgh, PA. 15236 Phone: 412-881-2958 ST. GABRIEL SCHOOL Grades: K-8 5200 Greenridge Drive, Pittsburgh, PA. 15236 Phone: 412-882-3353 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST SCHOOL Grades: K-8 418 Unity-Center Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15239 Phone: 412-793-0555 ST. LOUISE DEMARILLAC SCHOOL Grades: K - 8 310 McMurray Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15241 Phone: 412-835-0600
ST. THERESE SCHOOL Grades: Pre - K- 8 3 St. Therese Court, Munhall, PA. 15120 Phone: 412-462-8163 ST. THOMAS MORE SCHOOL Grades: Pre - 8 134 Fort Couch Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15241 Phone: 412-833-1412 THREE HIERARCHS EAST ORTHODOX Grades: Pre-3 123 Gilkeson Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15228 Phone: 412-851-7279 WALNUT GROVE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY Grades: K-7 44 Adams Avenue, West Mifflin, PA. 15122 Phone: 412-469-3280 WESLEY ACADEMY Grades: 6-12 243 Johnston Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15241 Phone: 412-833-6444 PRIVATE SCHOOLS-WEST AREA CAROL LEONE CC & DEVELOPMENT CENTER 551 Thorn Run Road, Coraopolis, PA. 15108 Phone: 412-264-0633 CRAFTON CHILDREN’S CENTER Grades: P-K 600 Hamilton Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15205 Phone: 412-561-5502 HOLY CHILD CATHOLIC SCHOOL Grades: Pre-K-8 220 Station Street, Bridgeville, PA. 15017 Phone: 412-221-4720 NOAH’S ARK Grades: K 405 Frederick Avenue, Sewickley, PA. 15143 Phone: 412-741-5231 OUR LADY OF GRACE SCHOOL Grades: P-8 1734 Bower Hill Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15243
Phone: 412-279-6611 OUR LADY OF THE SACRED HEART SCHOOL Grades: 9-12 1504 Woodcrest Avenue, Coraopolis, PA. 15108 Phone: 412-264-5140 PUMPKIN PATCH PRESCHOOL Grades: Pre -K 601 Flaugherty Run Road, Coraopolis, PA. 15108 Phone: 412-269-0525 RHEMA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Grades: Pre- K -8 1301 Coraopolis Heights Road, Moon Township, PA. 15108 Phone: 412-269-9555 ROBINSON TOWNSHIP CHRISTIAN Grades: Pre - 12 77 Phillips Lane, McKees Rocks, PA. 15136 Phone: 412-787-5919 ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON SCHOOL Grades: K-8 316 Third Avenue, Carnegie, PA. 15106 Phone: 412-276-4366 ST. MALACHY SCHOOL Grades: Pre -K-8 343 Forest Grove Road, Coraopolis, PA. 15108 Phone: 412-771-4545 ST. PHILIP SCHOOL Grades: Pre - K-8 50 West Crafton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15205 Phone: 412-928-2742 PRIVATE SCHOOLS—CITY AREA BISHOP CANEVIN HIGH SCHOOL Grades: 9-12 2700 Morange Road, Pittsburgh, PA. 15205 Phone: 412-208-3400 CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Grades: 9-12 4720 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15213 Phone: 412-208-3400 THE ELLIS SCHOOL Grades: Pre-K-12 6425 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15206 Phone:412-661-5992 FALK SCHOOL LABORATORY SCHOOL Grades: K-8 4060 Aliquippa Street, Pittsburgh, PA. 15261 Phone: 412-624-8020
NOVEMBER 11-17, 2020
OAKLAND CATHOLIC Grades: 9-12 144 North Craig Street, Pittsburgh, PA. 15213 Phone: 412-682-6633 WINCHESTER THURSTON SCHOOL Grades: Pre-K-12 555 Moorewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15213 Phone:412-578-7500 CHARTER SCHOOL ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: 9-12 www.theacademyschools.com CITY CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL Levels: 9-12 www.cityhigh.org ENVIRONMENTAL CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-6 https://ecspgh.org MANCHESTER ACADEMIC CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-8 www.Macsk8.org NEIGHBORHOOD ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: 6-12 www.theneighborhoodacademy.org PROPEL CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 www.propelschools.org URBAN ACADEMY OF GREATER PITTSBURGH CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-5 www.urbanacademypgh.org URBAN PATHWAYS K-5 CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-5 www.upcsk5.net URBAN PATHWAYS 6-12 CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: 6-12 www.upcs.net CYBER SCHOOLS 21ST CENTURY CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: 6-12 www.21cccs.org ACHIEVEMENT HOUSE CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: 7-12 www.achievementcharter.com AGORA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 https://agora.org
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ASPIRA BILINGUAL CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 https://www.abccs.org/ CENTRAL PA DIGITAL LEARNING FOUNDATION CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 www.cpdlf.org COMMONWEALTH CONNECTIONS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 https://ccaeducate.me ESPERANZA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 www.esperanzacyber.com INSIGHT PENNSYLVANIA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 https://insightpa.k12.com/ PENNSYLVANIA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 www.pacyber.org PENNSYLVANIA DISTANCE LEARNING CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 www.padistance.org PENNSYLVANIA LEADERSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 www.palcs.org PENNSYLVANIA VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 www.pavcsk12.org REACH CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: K-12 https://www.connectionsacademy.com/reach-cyber-school SUSQ-CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL Levels: 9-12 https://www.susqcyber.org/ (This list was compiled with information from the Allegheny County Intermediate Unit, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and other websites.)
12 NOVEMBER 11-17, 2020
ACHIEVE! SCHOOL CHOICE GUIDE 2020
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER