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Remembering Alma Speed Fox ‘Mother of the Civil Rights Movement’
Passed away Jan. 24 at age 98 by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
At 95 years young, Alma Speed Fox was given the City of Pittsburgh’s highest honor -— the Key to the City. The date was Oct. 23, 2018, at the City-County Building, Downtown. Her family and friends were all there to mark this historic occasion. It seemed to be a culmination of all the accomplishments she’s achieved in her life, all the civil rights battles she fought for the betterment of African Americans and women in Pittsburgh. But Fox threw everyone at the celebration a curve ball. She went to the podium, received the key from then-mayor Bill Peduto, and then revealed what she was going to do with the key. “I’m going to use my key to open wide whatever door there is to help me get voters to the polls on Tuesday, November 6,” Fox said, met with a thunderous applause. “We
ALMA SPEED FOX
don’t have long. Just two weeks. So that’s what I’ll be doing for the next two weeks. Doing my best to make sure voters get out and vote. I hope that’s what you’ll be doing, too. It’s not hard; just do it.” In that moment, Fox showed everyone that this celebration was no “culmination,” or that her fight for civil rights had ended. She showed that her fight for civil rights was everlasting. On Monday, Jan. 24, Fox passed away at her home in Stanton Heights. She was 98. Fox was known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.” She came to Pittsburgh in 1949 when she married Gerald Fox. In the 1950s, Fox began getting actively involved in civil rights demonstrations throughout Pittsburgh, against companies like U.S. Steel and Duquesne Light. She told the story of how she watched other African Americans on TV at the civil rights demonstrations, and was determined to join the movement. Fox became executive director/president of the Pittsburgh NAACP in 1966, where she served in that capacity until 1971. She was a cant-miss figure on the local Human Rights Commission from 1972-2002. Fox was among the founders of Freedom Unlimited Inc., an organization whose mission was to provide training, educational opportunities and food to low-income families. Fox was known for those Thanksgiving meal giveaways at the building on Wylie Avenue, of which people like veteran journalist Tene Croom would volunteer to pass SEE FOX A4
Covington running for 24th House District seat, considers himself ‘mentor’ to Black male youth Special election set for April 5 by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Now 34 years old, Martell Covington, Homewood born-and-raised, remembers as a kid Valerie McDonald Roberts canvassing Homewood Avenue, passing out information-filled pamphlets. As a kid, Covington remembers being in the car, being driven down Larimer Avenue and in East Liberty, seeing former state Rep. Joseph Preston’s office. Covington was the kid who knew the names of U.S. presidents, vice presidents, Pennsylvania governors. Serving people in the political arena is “always been
‘I want to be somebody young people can see.’
something that’s piqued my interest even as a kid,” he told the New Pittsburgh Courier, Jan. 24. Well, Covington is all grown up now, backed with more than a decade of listening to people’s concerns and coming up with solutions. The legislative aide to state Sen. Jay Costa of the 43rd District in Allegheny County and former jack-of-all-trades at the Community Empowerment Association in Homewood has officially announced his candidacy for the state House’s 24th District, formerly occupied by current Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey. “The year 2020 was defi- MARTELL COVINGTON, 34, is currently a legislative aide to state Sen. Jay Costa. After a special election on April 5, he hopes to be state representative for House District 24, formerly occupied by Ed Gainey, who is now mayor of Pittsburgh.
- Martell Covington
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nitely a life-changing year for me,” Covington said. “I lost some loved ones to COVID-19 and to gun violence, and just during the time to shelter-in-place and
still work from home, I reflected a lot and I realized, I have to do more to impact the community, do more to make change, do more for the people that are no lon-
ger here.” Covington is a 2005 Central Catholic High School graduate. He then attended Howard University, in Washington, D.C., earning
a degree in business administration in 2010. Covington returned to Pittsburgh to work at Community SEE COVINGTON A7
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New Horizon Theater Inc.’s 30th season rolls on with ‘The Green Book’
CAST OF NEW HORIZON THEATER’S THE GREEN BOOK: left to right seated are Richard Dickson, Tajionna Anderson, Karla C. Payne, Dominique Briggs. Standing are Nikolas Page, Sam Lothard, Cole Vecchio. (Photos by Richena Brockinson)
by Genea L. Webb For New Pittsburgh Courier
The Green Book holds special historical significance in the life of Lundeana M. Thomas. “When I was a little girl, I went to Mississippi in the 1950s with my father,” she told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “I remember he dressed up in a suit and he drove at night. The police stopped him because they said he was zig-zagging on the road. They found a gun in the car and asked my dad if he was registered to have the gun—he was— and they took him to jail. We kids had to pick cotton to raise money for him to get out of jail. His bail was $250. I remember being traumatized.” When she saw the film, “The Green Book,” memories of that agonizing time came flooding to the forefront of her memory. “I knew it was something sorely needed. It was a necessity that served its purpose. In many ways it was a lifeline,” said Thomas, a Youngstown, Ohio, native. Thomas cited the late Vernell Lillie as a mentor and who has directed more than 75 pro-
SAM LOTHARD, KARLA C. PAYNE
DOMINIQUE BRIGGS, RICHARD DICKSON ductions including shows at the National Black Theatre Festival, Beijing China and Singapore. When New Horizon
Theater Inc., asked her to direct the Calvin Alexander Ramsey-penned play for its Black History Month production, Thomas jumped at the opportunity. “I’m going to make sure
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this is a play that people are going to enjoy. We are in an epidemic and people are doing a lot to go see the play and I will make sure they are entertained,” explained Thomas, who previously directed “The Ballad of Emmet Till” for New Horizon Theater. “The Green Book” is a play that sheds light on a time in America when Jim Crow and separate but equal was the law of the land. Travel and accommodations for Blacks were complex and full of uncertainty. The Negro Motorist Green Book, a manual directing Blacks to “safe” restaurants, hotels and gas stations, was published from 1936 to
1963. This now-obscure guide was once widely used to shield Blacks from segregated facilities in the South and throughout the country. Interviews with scores of elderly African Americans recalled emotions of peril and fear while traveling is what Maryland-born playwright Ramsey sought to capture in his play. It allows those born after the Civil Rights bills were passed to look back upon a not-so-pleasant time in American history. “The Green Book” play had its world premiere at Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit to many sold-out performances. It was a finalist in the 12th annu-
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al Last Frontier Theater Conference in Alaska in 2004. Thomas was the perfect person to direct New Horizon’s production of “The Green Book.” “Lundeana has this connection to it through her father,” said New Horizon Theater Inc., chairperson Joyce Meggerson-Moore. “She is very close to us. This is New Horizon’s 30th anniversary and we are midway through that. This year was tough, and we want people to know that we are here, and we need their continued support to remain a viable part of the community and we try to bring the best to them.” New Horizon Theater Inc., was recently named one of Pittsburgh’s Cultural Treasures and is working hard to live up to the honor. “We want to be the best that we can,” Meggerson-Moore said. “The Green Book” will run at the Homewood Carnegie Library Auditorium, 7101 Hamilton Ave., from Feb. 4-20. There are evening performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m.
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McKeesport’s Healthy Village Learning Institute gets $150,000 grant to address violence by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that a McKeesport violence prevention program will receive a $150,000 state grant to help address an uptick in incidents that coincided with the COVID pandemic. The Healthy Village Learning Institute originally requested $150,000 over two years to support an intensive community outreach process in McKeesport that will train and prepare Violence Intervention Outreach workers to directly engage McKeesport resident members on how to respond to community violence. The program will also identify “hot spots” and will connect directly with individuals at risk of perpetrating violence. The grant was awarded to the organization, headed by Keith Murphy. The grant was administered through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security Committee, was among more than $23 million awarded at the committee’s meeting in Harrisburg today. State Sen. Jim Brewster, who sits on the committee, congratulated the Healthy Village Learning Institute and several other Allegheny County grant winners for their efforts. “These grants are highly competitive, and applications far outpace the money available,” Sen. Brewster said. “You have to take your best ideas and turn them into solid plans. They did a great job.” “I’m proud of this community-based effort to interact with people where they live and where they congregate to prevent conflict from erupting into violence,” Sen. Brewster added. “This boots-on-theground approach takes time and hard work but it’s an important complement to wider efforts in the region.”
Last year, Sen. Brewster worked with colleagues in the Senate and House Democratic Leadership and the Wolf Administration to appropriate $30 million in the 2021-2022 state budget to stem the surge in violence across the state. By December, nearly $23 million of state funds were awarded to community groups and municipalities across the state to combat the increase in gun violence, but applications outstripped the appropriated funds by a ratio of 7-1. “There’s more work to be done and we’d like to see a continued commitment to local efforts where the programs know their communities and respond to their unique circumstances,” Sen. Brewster said. Part of the grant money will be used to support the training costs of the part-time Outreach Workers and Violence Specialists/Interrupters; several consultants, including a Program Coordinator, two part-time Summer Violence Prevention Specialists/Interrupters; as well as supplies to support their work, including laptops and cell phones. The Healthy Village Learning Institute focuses on teaching African history and cultural values before the history of slavery and provides a science, technology, research, engineering, arts and math (STREAM) education program. The organization said it looks at land, history and culture in teaching those in the community and what it means to be an American African, meaning defining one’s identity through their relationship to African land, history and culture before the American qualities that have been forced upon us. Studying the past also means educating for the future, and the institute provides many educational programs to get kids ready to be college-bound. Murphy began the Healthy Village Learning Institute in 2012 to much fanfare, which continues today.
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KEITH MURPHY, FOUNDER OF HEALTHY VILLAGE LEARNING INSTITUTE (PHOTO VIA PITTSBURGH FOUNDATION)
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Remembering Alma Speed Fox, the ‘Mother of the Civil Rights Movement’ FOX FROM A1
out the meals. “She was an open and warm person,” Croom told the New Pittsburgh Courier of Fox. “She never met strangers. She was very easy to get along with. That was part of her charm.” Eventually, Fox’s name was placed on the building that housed Freedom Unlimited, the NAACP and the Black Political Empowerment Project. Very few people get buildings named after them. But then again, very few people were Alma Speed Fox. “She was an extremely giving person who was never afraid to fight for equality and justice for everyone,” said Johnnie Miott, President of the Pittsburgh Branch NAACP. “The Black community has lost a true matriarch.” Fox began working with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, in 1956, and in the mid 1970s, she became Equal Opportunity manager of the Eastern Area office. She retired from there in 1993. Fox served as president of
the East End National Organization for Women and was on that organization’s board of directors. She also served on the boards of the organizations Gwen’s Girls and the Women and Girls Foundation. Upon learning of her death, Peduto tweeted: “Pittsburgh lost a leader, a true freedom fighter, who trailblazed a path of civil rights and social justice throughout our region for over 50 years. Alma Speed Fox was a mentor and friend. An advisor with a warm smile and compassionate heart, she not only knew history, she made it.” Mayor Gainey called Fox a “civil rights icon who helped to transform the City of Pittsburgh. We Love You.” Jerry Dickinson, Pitt associate law professor and U.S. congressional candidate, told the Courier: “I was saddened to hear of the passing of Alma Speed Fox. As a legendary civil rights activist in Pittsburgh who fought tirelessly throughout her life for racial equality in our region, Alma was someone I looked up to. It
MAURITA BRYANT, ALMA SPEED FOX
ALMA SPEED FOX RECEIVES THE KEY TO THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH IN 2018 was a privilege to be able to call her a friend, mentor and an inspiration.” Fox’s official obituary said that “as a young wife and mother, Alma relished socializing with other wives and mothers as a member of the Junior Mothers Association. It may be a surprise to know that she thoroughly enjoyed dancing the electric slide and regularly gathering with close family.” Among her many awards were being named a Courier “Woman of Excellence” in 2009 and a “Woman of Excellence Legacy Honoree” in 2014. She was a longtime member of the Church of the Holy Cross in Homewood. “Alma Speed Fox had consistency, persistence, personality, charm, strength,” voiced Tim Stevens, Chairman and CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project, in an interview with the Courier, Feb. 1. In fact, Stevens refers to Fox as his “Civil Rights Mother,” as Stevens fol-
lowed in Fox’s footsteps at the Pittsburgh NAACP. Fox was executive director (known then as executive secretary) until 1971, then Stevens became executive director. Stevens told the Courier that had it not been for Fox, he most likely would never have been executive director. “She kept asking
me to put my application in (for executive director),” said Stevens, who at the time was the Pittsburgh NAACP’s youth director. “It’s hard to say no to Alma Speed Fox, almost anyone will tell you that.” He put in his application on Fox’s final day as executive director, and Stevens was indeed selected to suc-
ALMA SPEED FOX, TIM STEVENS
ceed Fox. Both served under longtime Pittsburgh NAACP President Byrd Brown. Stevens said Fox taught him to “be who I am. She was an independent person and I think I have also had that independence for decades. She would call me SEE FOX A5
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Remembering Alma Speed Fox, the ‘Mother of the Civil Rights Movement’ FOX FROM A4
and say, ‘you just keep doing what you’re doing, I’m proud of you.’” “A lot of Black women had tremendous respect and admiration for Alma Speed Fox,” Stevens continued. “A lot of women were just overwhelmed with her death.” For Dr. Kathi Elliott, leader of the organization Gwen’s Girls, Fox’s legacy could be best described as “generational legacy.” Dr. Elliott’s mother, Gwen, founded Gwen’s Girls in 2002, and one of the closest people to her mother was Fox. “Although my mom is the founder of Gwen’s Girls, the spirit of Miss Alma (shows) in that foundation of sisterhood and mentorship” that Gwen’s Girls is known for, Dr. Elliott told the Courier. “I refer to her (Fox) as a ‘quiet storm.’ She was behind the scenes, she didn’t have to be out front, voicing opposition, but she could do that and would do that if she had to.” Dr. Elliott said that Fox would always be connected to Gwen’s Girls. “Her legacy lives on.”
For Croom, her mother passed away when Croom was 10. Who stepped in and spoke with Croom just like a mother? Alma Speed Fox. “I could go and talk to her about things I couldn’t talk to anybody else about,” Croom told the Courier exclusively. “She was always there for me. She never, ever stopped being the person I could talk to about anything. She would give me that place of refuge.” Croom was there to watch Fox receive the Key to the City, the first woman ever to receive such an honor in Pittsburgh, on that October day in 2018. “That day was indescribable,” Croom said. Fox, according to Croom, actually was the one humbled, amazed that she was being honored by the mayor. That’s the humility that embodied Fox, Croom said. “When we thought about who would be the first woman that we would recognize for this honor, it became abundantly clear,” Peduto said at the podium just before Fox was given the key. “Somebody who’s dedicated seven decades of her life to fighting for civil justice.
Somebody who took the courageous stances back in the 1950s and 1960s to forever change Pittsburgh and this country. Somebody who has been not afraid to do the hard work...somebody who would take the lead. Alma, on behalf of the people of the City of Pittsburgh, thank you for forever changing our city for the better.” (Alma Speed Fox is survived by her children; Marlene (Obydee) McKnight, Carl (Kathy) Fox, Wesley Fox McCloud, Vicki L. Fox, and Muriel Fox Alim; brother, Goodwin (Jacqueline) Duncan and sister, Mary Bruns; and a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by husband, Gerald W.; sons, Gerald H., Sr. and Richard C., Sr.; grandson, Richard B.; and sisters, Tullulah Brown and Muriel Huffman. Funeral services will be held Thursday, Feb. 3, at 11 a.m at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave. A livestream of the service will be available at calvarypgh.org/live.)
Trailblazer in fashion, Andre Leon Talley, dies at 73
ANDRE LEON TALLEY
by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. NNPA Newswire
Andre Léon Talley, a trailblazing figure in fashion journalism, died on Jan. 18. He was 73. The magazine “Vogue” reported he died of a heart attack. Talley was born in Washington, D.C., and raised by his grandmother Bennie Frances Davis in Durham, N.C. According to his memoir A.L.T.: A Memoir, Talley’s grandmother worked as a housekeeper for Duke University. To escape the oppressive climate of the segregated American South and the sexual abuse and bullying he experienced as a child, Talley would escape into the pages of Vogue which he would purchase on the “white” side of town. Coupled with the fashion influences of the Black church, Talley would develop his signature style as he grew into an adult. Talley graduated from Hillside High School in 1966 and North Caroli-
na Central University, an HBCU, where he majored in French literature in 1970. Talley also earned a M.A. degree from Brown University and moved to New York for an apprenticeship at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). Introduced to trailblazing fashion editor Diana Vreeland by a classmate, Talley would meet Andy Warhol, which is how he began work at Interview Magazine. Talley also worked for Women’s Wear Daily as their Paris Bureau Chief and briefly at the New York Times, before landing at American Vogue, where his career and status as a pioneering and influential fashion journalist was cemented. Talley would work closely with legendary editor Anna Wintour, serving as Creative Director and editor-at-large for the iconic publication. A force, Talley wrote two memoirs (A.L.T. and The Chiffon Trenches – May 2020), books on fashion and played a major role in advancing the careers
and opportunities for African American models and photographers. Talley also worked closely with Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, Diane Von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs. Talley starred as a judge on America’s Next Top Model and wrote an influential 2018 op-ed for the Washington Post entitled, “The Historic Blackness of Tyler Mitchell and Beyoncé’s Vogue Cover.” At the time of his death, Talley had been involved in a protracted legal battle over a home he had rented since 2004 from George Malkemus, the former CEO of Manolo Blahnik and his partner.
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Heisman Trophy Trust expands Board of Trustees with elections of Dan Reed and Marva Smalls NNPA NEWSWIRE — The Heisman Trophy Trust on Jan. 31 announced the election of Dan Reed, Vice President of Global Media at Meta, and Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Kids & Family Entertainment Brand, ViacomCBS to the board of trustees. Reed and Smalls join the Trust as the organization looks to further its charitable mission of utilizing sports and educational opportunities to enhance the lives of underserved youth in diverse communities across the country. The Heisman Trust fulfills its mission by providing funding for youth development programs. These programs are vetted and funded through partnerships with the New York Community Trust, the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, and the Communities Foundation of Texas. In furtherance of its charitable mission, the Heisman Trophy Trust also sponsors the Heisman High School Scholarship, which honors the nation’s most academically accomplished, community-minded high school senior athletes, as well as the Heisman Humanitarian Award, which recognizes selfless professional athletes who provide opportunities to underserved youth. Collectively, these programs have allowed the Heisman Trust to inspire, empower and reward America’s youth. “Marva Smalls and Dan
Reed are distinguished professionals recognized for their leadership and achievements,” Heisman Trust President Michael Comerford said. “Smalls and Reed bring decades of experience in media, sports, and diversity & inclusion to further elevate the Heisman Trophy Trust’s mission of utilizing sports to enhance the lives of underserved youth in our country.” Dan Reed is the Vice President of Global Media at Meta, where he leads the company’s business partnerships and strategic operations with the global media industry. His team is responsible for entertaining and engaging billions of people and growing Meta’s business by partnering closely with broadcasters, streamers, studios, digital publishers, MCNs, and sports organizations to grow their audiences and businesses leveraging Meta technologies. This work entails building, bringing to market, and scaling innovative, digital-first media and content-powered business models in collaboration with Meta’s product, engineering, sales and marketing teams across the Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Reality Labs platforms. Reed also leads Meta’s initiatives to equitably serve historically underserved, diverse communities through its business partnerships and activities in multiple areas. Reed joined Meta after a 10-year career at the National Basketball Association, where he served
DAN REED, MARVA SMALLS as President of the NBA G League. In that role, he drove significant growth in franchise values, revenues, and fan engagement, leading to a business turnaround of the league. “The Heisman Trophy is one of the most prestigious brands in all of sports. It epitomizes elite performance and teamwork, with the ability to overcome obstacles, apply rigor and persevere through adversity,” Reed said. “I deeply believe in the Trust’s mission to utilize the power of sports to change people’s lives for the better and am honored to join this distinguished group of leaders and help
continue to grow this property, so we can have an even greater impact on America’s underserved and diverse communities.” Marva Smalls is Executive Vice President, Global Head of Inclusion and Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Kids & Family Entertainment Brand, ViacomCBS, where her mission is to ensure Viacom practices its values when it comes to diversity and inclusion and that their responsibility to kids and families is reflected both on and off their platforms. Smalls’ numerous accomplishments include recognition for her work in childhood obesity,
where she spearheaded the launch of community-based programs that reached millions of kids annually to highlight the importance of quality sports, games, and recreation for all children. With more than three decades of leadership experience in the public and private sectors, Smalls is widely recognized as one of the most influential leaders in media. Her global role regularly connects Smalls with elected officials, regulators, and social justice advocates around the world. She is regularly sought after to lend her expertise on matters of global corporate citizenship, diversity and
inclusion strategy, politics, and policy. “I look forward to working with Mike Comerford and the Heisman Trophy Trust board of trustees to help amplify the values of the Trophy and deliver on the ideals that Heisman represents,” Smalls said. “Creating initiatives to address the disparities that exist in under-resourced communities and that prevent many youth from access to and full participation in sports is a game changer. I am excited to be a part of driving that change.” Reed and Smalls will commence their board service effective immediately.
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MARTELL COVINGTON graduated from Howard University in 2010.
COVINGTON FROM B1
Empowerment Association, headed by Rashad Byrdsong. He worked in a number of positions there, initially in event management. He was instrumental in the planning of the Pittsburgh Black Family Reunion festival for 12 years, including the four years he attended Howard, working on it during the summer months. Covington then worked with CEA’s truancy prevention arm and managed CEA’s African American Leadership Institute. He also managed CEA’s after-school program and summer camp in Homewood. These programs gave Covington a front door to Black youth and families in Homewood and other areas. Covington told the Courier he is built for
being a positive role model for the younger generation, as he’s also the Vice President for the Young Democrats of Allegheny County and football/softball coach for Homewood Community Sports. “I feel like young people from where I’m from, areas like Homewood, need to see a young person that’s taking a brave step and doing something like running for state representative,” Covington said. “Young people have to see it in for them to do and be it, and I want to be somebody that young people can see.” Covington was once that young person, watching McDonald Roberts become Pittsburgh’s first Black woman to be elected to City Council in 1994. He watched as people would visit Rep. Preston’s office,
the African American legislator who served for almost 30 years as House District 24 representative. Covington knew he wanted to run for political office in 2020, but didn’t know an opportunity would open so quickly. Gainey felt it was his time to lead the 300,000 residents of Pittsburgh, and announced he would run for mayor in January 2021. When Gainey won the Democratic primary election in May 2021, the thought of Gainey finishing the job in the November 2021 general election and thus relinquishing his state House seat had those like Covington imagining themselves in that seat. “I knew I was going to serve, but the opportunity presented itself sooner than I expected,” Covington told the Courier exclu-
sively. “But a lot of times, that’s how things happen. It doesn’t really happen on our plans. God’s plans are different than our plans and the timeline is different sometimes. We’re ready for this time right now.” Covington said he’s learned the art of listening to others, which he feels makes him the best candidate for the position. The special election will take place April 5, as NaTisha Washington, La’Tasha Mayes and Randall Taylor are among the other candidates. “A lot of times, elected (officials) usually tell people what they need, or tell
people what they should be focused on and not taking the time to listen,” Covington said. “I think, through my job at CEA, I’ve been a listener, whether I was listening to parents that were frustrated about life and things that were happening with the school...even with Sen. Costa’s office, part of the job sometimes is sitting on the phone with a constituent and letting them kind of burn your ear about an issue that may or may not be directly impacted by your office, but you’re there and you’re accessible, and you’re willing to listen to them. And the constituents appreciate that.”
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Help! I’m depleting my savings. Any advice? Read about it from Damon Carr on page B1. MARTELL COVINGTON was a New Pittsburgh Courier “Fab 40” honoree in 2019.
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URA and Salem’s Market and Grill sign lease agreement for Centre Heldman Plaza location New grocery store scheduled to open in August 2022 The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (URA) and Salem’s Market and Grill announced on Wednesday, January 26 that they have entered into a lease agreement for the former SHOP ‘n SAVE space at the Centre Heldman Plaza. “By the grace of God, I am very excited to announce
our lease agreement with the leadership of the URA, marking this as a historic moment and a great start towards serving the legendary Hill District community,” Abdullah Salem, CEO of Salem’s Market and Grill, said in a statement. “The residents of the Hill District deserve the absolute best in a community grocer and we plan to deliver the best experience, products, and outstanding customer service. The exemplary leadership of the URA and the Hill District will provide the impetus and motivation for our high standards. The URA’s commitment to the Hill District is very inspiring and Salem’s Market will be forever grateful.” The Hill District has not had a grocery store since March 2019. This left many residents without immediate access to groceries, especially those with limited transportation options. Salem’s MarABDULLAH SALEM, CEO of Sa- ket and Grill will fill this void in a neighborhood that lem’s Market and Grill
SHOP ‘N SAVE CLOSED LOCATION IN HILL DISTRICT is currently a food desert. “I want to congratulate Salem’s for signing a lease with the URA. Salem’s new grocery store in the Hill District is a great addition towards ensuring food security for all,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “The Salem’s team
and accessibility for the Hill District is something we can all be proud of.” The URA selected Salem’s following a community process coordinated with City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle and the Hill Community Development Cor-
highest with the community. “When the URA purchased the Centre Heldman Plaza, the goal was to ensure that the Hill community had a voice in shaping the future of the space,” said URA Deputy Executive Director Dr. Diamonte Walker. “The
The City, URA, and Councilman Lavelle have worked closely with the Hill community to attract community-driven tenants to the Centre Heldman Plaza, including CARES CommuniTEA Café, Catapult’s Gallery on Centre, a minority business incubator, and G’s Closet. has done great things with their location in the Strip District and I look forward to what they will bring to the Hill. Empowering a minority-owned business that will provide neighborhood job opportunities, fresh produce, affordable groceries,
poration (Hill CDC). A community meeting was held in September 2021 where four grocers presented their proposals, and the URA and Hill CDC solicited feedback from Hill District residents via scorecards. Of the four grocers, Salem’s scored the
URA thanks the Mayor’s Office, Councilman Lavelle, and Hill District community partners for working together to bring this critical project to fruition. We are excited to work with the Salem’s team and look forward to the ribbon cutting!”
Salem’s Market & Grill has been a locally-run minority-owned business for over 30 years, with the original store located on Penn Avenue in the Strip District. Their application highlighted how they could collaborate with and contribute to the Hill District community after reviewing the Greater Hill District Master Plan and Centre Avenue Redevelopment and Design Plan. “Salem’s Market has already proven to be a terrific community partner,” said City Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle. “Their relocation to Centre Avenue not only provides the Greater Hill District with a proven market and expanded grocer, but also provides a much-needed boost to the Centre Avenue commercial corridor. Their current and future customers will also help support the various small business initiatives currently underway.” Salem’s Market and Grill is scheduled to open in the Centre Heldman Plaza location in August 2022. The City, URA, and Councilman Lavelle have worked closely with the Hill community to attract community-driven tenants to the Centre Heldman Plaza, including CARES CommuniTEA Café, Catapult’s Gallery on Centre, a minority business incubator, and G’s Closet.
KeyBank names Helena Haynes-Carter as Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer CLEVELAND, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/—KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) today announced that Helena Haynes-Carter has been named Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the company. In this role, Helena will lead the strategy and tactics to improve the acquisition, development, and retention of diverse talent and suppliers. “We are honored to wel-
come Helena to KeyBank. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are cornerstones of our culture—representing both who we are and how we do business. Helena will bring energy, experience, and innovation that will advance our long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion in our workplace, our workforce, and our marketplace,” said Chris Gorman, KeyCorp Chairman and CEO.
Helena joins Key with experience spanning the healthcare, financial services, energy and public sector industries. She most recently served as Senior Director, Global Diversity Equity & Inclusion for UnitedHealth Group. In this role, Helena led enterprise-wide DE&I strategic and business initiatives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she orchestrated a $14M response with com-
munity-based organizations throughout the U.S., deploying over 30,000 COVID-19 tests, wrap-around services, and care referrals. She has also held past roles at organizations including U.S. Bancorp, Rocky Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council, Xcel Energy, and Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. Helena holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Admin-
istration and Marketing Management from University of Colorado and an MBA from Hamline University. She is actively involved in a number of community organization and industry councils and currently serves on the board of National INROADS, the nation’s largest non-profit source of paid internships for undergraduate, diverse youth.
HELENA HAYNES-CARTER
Help! I’m depleting my savings. Any advice? I “was” always a saver. I say “was” because I’ve been on Short Term Disability since 10/06/21 due to an off the job injury. What I did save will be depleted by the time I return to the job sometime after April. Any Advice? ~ Marvina Damon says: Do you have short-term disability insurance? Here’s the great thing: The fact that you had money saved helped you during this time while your paycheck was reduced or interrupted! THANK GOD you saved!! Secondly, your savings will not be depleted until you return to work. THANK GOD you saved!! What should you do? I don’t know the full story. But I’ll offer up this advice: Get Healthy: Full recovery is the focal point here. Once you’re fully recovered and able to return to work earning an income— problem solved. Keep spending to the bare minimum: Extending the longevity of your savings when you’re no longer making any deposits boils down to spending primarily on necessities only. Essentials first: If it gets to a point, where you can’t pay for everything - cover these expenses first in this order - food, housing, utilities, basic transportation. Contact Creditors: If need be, contact creditors and inform them of your temporary disability. Ask if they have any programs available to defer payments for a month or two with no negative impact to your credit. Only employ this method if things get REALLY tight, because in the end, you’ll still
have to pay. Upon returning to work, continue to save: If you don’t have short-term or long-term disability insurance - you need to get it. You’re more likely to become disabled than you are to die over a 30-year working career. The cheapest place to get both short-term and long-term disability insurance is through your job. Most companies had a benefit open enrollment period in the month of October. You may have missed out this year. You can get both through private insurance. We can discuss details of this offline Get well!! Wishing you a speedy recovery!! ********* Can you explain the pros and cons of a Savings Account? Also, what Banks do you recommend to get the most for your savings? ~Christina Damon says: Cons: Ridiculously low interest rate! You’d be hard pressed to find any savings account paying more than .5 percent in interest. The ROI (Return on Investment) Sucks!!!! The good thing when it comes to saving, you’re not overly concerned about the ROI. Your primary concern is ROP (Return of Principal) or return of the money you saved in full. Saving is the cornerstone of sound money management. It fosters financial stability, financial security, and financial independence. If you want to flex your money muscles, you do so by saving money.
It’s important to note that saving money and investing money are two separate categories. They’re categorized based on the Time Horizon—the window of time you have before you need to spend your money. Any saving goals where the time horizon is 5-years or less, stashing money in a savings account, money market account, credit union, or online banking saving account is the best practice. Any saving goals where the time horizon is greater than a 5-years, you can consider parking this money in the stock market using something like Index Funds where return on investment is upwards of 10 percent. Pros: Liquidity: Meaning money in a savings account is readily accessible to you. Both Banks and Credit Unions have insurance on savings up to $250,000 per individual. You develop the habit of savings: It’s nice to watch your money pile up in the account plus you have money parked in a savings account when you need it for things like emergencies, vacation, large purchases etc. ***** Question big bruh, within the next couple weeks I will be leaving my job where I have a Pension to a new company that doesn’t offer a Pension. What’s the best place for me to place the money that I’ve built to keep it growing? ~Manny Damon says:
It’s a pension or a 401(k)? Pensions have vesting rules and in many cases are not as portable as a 401(k). It’s definitely a pension. ~Manny Damon says: If the plan allows, do a Direct Rollover into an IRA - Individual Retirement Account. This means no money is given to you. The check is cut from the Administrator of the Pension Plan to the new Discount Brokerage Company you will use to establish an IRA. By not doing a Direct Rollover and having money made payable to you directly, you subject yourself to potential tax consequences. There’s also a good possibility you’ll spend some—if not all of the money, in effect stealing money from your future self. You’ll have more investment options and more control over your money in an IRA. ***** If you don’t want someone to claim your kids would it be a form for that? My daughter has form 8332. I don’t think that’s the right form ~ Tanisha Damon says: I don’t know of any forms. But here’s the general rule: It’s who files the tax return and claims the child first who will receive the tax benefits of the child. The second person who tries to file the tax return and claims the child will be flagged, causing delays in processing the tax return. By law, it’s the Custodial Parent who provides more than 51 percent of the child’s care who has legal authority to claim the child.
(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412216-1013 or visit his website at www.damonmoneycoach.com)
BUSINESS
B2 FEBRUARY 2-8, 2022
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Get out of your own way
DEALING WITH CUSTOMERS every day can put significant stress on hospitality workers.
Bad managers, burnout and health fears Why record numbers of hospitality workers are quitting the industry for good by Andrew Moreo, Imran Rahman, Lisa Cain, and Trishna G. Mistry About 3.5 million people have at least temporarily left the U.S. workforce since March 2020. Over one-third of them—1.2 million—are in the leisure and hospitality industry. This has created huge problems for restaurants, hotels and other leisure and hospitality businesses that have struggled to find workers for record numbers of job openings in 2021. A big part of this decline seems to be explained by the “great resignation.” Leisure and hospitality workers are quitting at the highest rates of any industry. About 1 million quit in November 2021 alone. And the data suggests many of them are not simply swapping one hospitality job for another but leaving the industry entirely. Why are these workers quitting, where are they going and what can be done to bring them back? We recently commissioned a survey aimed at tracking down some of these workers and answering these questions. The research is ongoing, but our early qualitative results offer some clues to answering these questions. Reasons for attrition Before we get to our early data, there are several characteristics of leisure and hospitality work that help explain why the industry has unusually high turnover rates. For one thing, the wages are very low. Leisure and hospitality workers were earning an average of $515 a week—including tips—as of December 2021, making them the worst-paid of all sectors, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That’s less than half of the average for all private workers and translates into annual income of under $27,000—based on 52 weeks of pay. This puts financial stress on these employees, often forcing them to work multiple jobs to get by. The working hours are also challenging, often involving nights, weekends and holidays, which means hospitality workers routinely miss out on time with friends and family, limiting opportunities to recharge their emotional batteries. Moreover, the nature of the jobs in this sector are particularly stressful and emotionally draining. In fact, sociologists and economists have a phrase for this: emotional labor. This concept refers to the suppression of whatever emotions an employee
may be experiencing to provide good service to a customer – and often “with a smile.” In hospitality, employees must regulate the outward expression of their emotions to the benefit of the customer and their employer, regardless of what they are feeling. Sometimes this puts little or no burden on the employee, but at other times it takes a great emotional toll. The COVID-19 pandemic has amped up the emotional labor of service work considerably. The new stressors include massive furloughs and layoffs since March 2020, significant risks to personal health by having little choice but to work at a physical location where workers regularly are in close proximity to colleagues and customers, as well as fights with patrons over enforcing mask bans and vaccine mandates. The news media regularly report on angry and even violent confrontations between customers and service workers, whether on planes, in restaurants or in other types of establishments. Finding the ‘quitters’ While there’s been a ton of coverage of the sec-
study in December 2021 to help inform a larger quantitative survey we’re working on right now. Our initial results, which include open-ended responses from 31 people, aren’t necessarily representative of all or even most workers who have quit their jobs but allow us to paint a more complete picture of what’s driving the decisions of these specific individuals. We asked them why they left, where they went and what could lure them back to a hospitality job. We used their answers to construct questions that are appropriate for in-depth statistical analysis, which will then be administered to 350 people who agree to take part in the quantitative survey. Results of that survey will be available in a couple months. Why people are leaving Our first question focused on what drove people to not only quit their jobs but leave the hospitality sector. The most common responses related to health and safety concerns, burnout and issues involving managers or co-workers. One of our respondents was a 35-year-old single
HOSPITALITY WORKERS are required to enforce vaccine and mask mandates, which has led to altercations.
tor’s record quit rate of 6.4 percent in November —the latest data available—there’s less hard data on why hospitality workers are leaving their jobs now and where they are going. So as part of an ongoing project studying employee attrition, we asked Qualtrics—an employee and customer experience data-gathering company—to find people who worked in the hospitality sector before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and have since left the industry—a process that was exceedingly difficult. We completed a qualitative unpublished pilot
mother who said she had been working in the food service industry for about five years before the pandemic hit. She quit her job four months later. “My safety and my family’s safety were on the line and I was being overworked,” she said. A 20-year-old man said he left the hotel industry during the pandemic after five years “because I truly wasn’t happy” and “didn’t have the will to keep going on.” Another 35-year-old woman said she quit her job on a cruise ship because she cares for her elderly parents, who would be more at risk were they
exposed to COVID-19. “They didn’t care about our well-being,” she said. “I have family at home that can die if exposed to COVID.” Where did they go As for what the people in our survey decided to do after leaving the industry, the most common answer was to get more education. But others emphasized a desire to go into business for themselves or to a different type of service job, such as in retail. A 21-year-old man who had been working at nightclubs for over three years said he quit to go to college. Both the 35-year-old single mother and 20-yearold man said they decided to become self-employed. Another 23-year-old single mother who had worked in food service before and during the pandemic left for retail, stating: “I got another job as a cashier and it was the only thing I could find at that moment.” Would they go back Most of our participants told us nothing would bring them back to these types of jobs—they were done with the industry. The 35-year-old single mother, for example, said there was nothing that could be done to bring her back now that she had moved on with her own business. But others said better money or hours would help lure them back, as well as stronger managerial support. A 42-year-old woman who spent nearly a decade in the food service industry said she would return for “better pay and more respect,” a sentiment echoed by others. An 18-year-old woman said she quit a food service job because of a manager with a “really bad temper” who would “cuss at customers and employees.” She said that the only way she would go back to hospitality work is if a company showed her “that managers are actually there to help employees.” “I would also like customers to be more patient and humble,” she added.
(Andrew Moreo, Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management and Director of Research, Florida International University; Imran Rahman, Associate Professor of Consumer Behavior, Auburn University; Lisa Cain, Associate Professor of Hospitality Leadership and Marketing Management, Florida International University, and Trishna G. Mistry, Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management, University of South Florida)
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PEXELS
by Sherri Kolade For New Pittsburgh Courier
Self-sabotage. What is it and why do some people undermine their own success? Is it fear of failure or nervous of self-fulfilling prophecies yet to be fulfilled? According to positivepsychology.com, author Christina R. Wilson said in an article that self-sabotaging and delaying potential success is a common human trait that has occurred since back in the day —way back in the day; think Babylonian times. Since during that era, people have attempted to make goals—and keep them—but have failed time and time again. As many know, New Year’s resolutions are set, but not necessarily kept. Annually, by the beginning of February, around 80 percent of new goals have been abandoned, according to the article. Although putting a goal on the back burner, or completely leaving it alone altogether, when doing this on a consistent basis it can become a negative pattern with bad results. “Chronic self-sabotage can lead to destructive outcomes in our personal and professional lives,” Wilson said, adding that pretty much everyone experiences some form or another self-sabotage. “Self-sabotage is more prevalent than we realize. Abraham Lincoln, Fred Rogers, Michelangelo, John F. Kennedy, and George Washington all experienced some aspect of self-sabotage before they made history.” Self-Sabotage is when people “deliberately hinder” their own success and wellbeing by “undermining personal goals and values. But why? It stems from negative mindsets, according to the article. Self-sabotage (also described as behavioral dysregulation) can be conscious or unconscious based on a personal level of awareness, according to the article. “An example of conscious self-sabotage is deciding to eat cake, despite a goal to eat healthy,” Wilson said. “Unconscious self-sabotage happens when a personal goal or value has been undermined but not initially recognized. Someone with a fear of failure might wait until the last minute to work on an important project, unconsciously avoiding the prospect of advancement.” 24 Self-sabotage behaviors People from all walks of life sabotage themselves by letting negative thoughts spiral out of control, and this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg (Berg, 2015). Self-sabotage is rooted in counterproductive mindsets including negativity, disorganization, indecisiveness, and negative self-talk. Perfectionism and imposter syndrome are also forms of self-sabotage. An insidious and ubiquitous form of self-sabotage is mindless distractions that prohibit goal attainment. Some mindless distractions include binge watching TV, surfing the Internet, scrolling through social media, video game obsession, and Internet shopping. Besides counterproductive mindsets, we engage in counterproductive or destructive behaviors. Some common behaviors include overeating, excessive drinking or drug abuse, pornography, smoking, gambling, self-injury, and overspending. Avoiding behaviors keep us stuck in negative and self-destructive cycles. Common avoiding behaviors include procrastination, chronic tardiness, giving up when things get rough, and lack of assertiveness. Rational fears are essential for safety and perpetuation. However, when fears become imbalanced, they hold us back from progress in careers and personal life. Some common ungrounded fears include fearing commitment, the unknown, change, failure, and losing control. Other forms of self-sabotage can be because of some factors including: 1. Approach–avoidance conflict includes setting goals and avoiding the goals—a perceived threat—to reduce potential problems. 2. Modeling Self-sabotaging incidents could stem from childhood ideas and patterns (like a parent who lacked the confidence to achieve greater). The parent who also tells their child to always be careful while playing might cause the child to think that the world is not safe and risks should not be be taken. 3. Adaptive to maladaptive behaviors “We adopt behaviors that are initially considered adaptive for surviving challenges; however, behaviors can become maladaptive when they continue long after the challenge has passed,” Wilson said. Self-limiting beliefs and insecurities are also common traits for people who result to self-sabotage. “Insecurity originates from the inner critic that tells us we can’t accomplish a certain task or aren’t good enough,” she said. “These remnants of the past deplete our self-confidence and compel us to create dysfunctional habits that serve to protect us from the pain of failure.” Wilson added that people repeat self-sabotage because of potential subconscious factors. “Simply put, what gets rewarded gets repeated. Sabotage fills a need or void of some kind. To stop the cycle of destructive behavior, we need to discover the void and learn new behaviors,” Wilson said.
OPINION
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
FEBRUARY 2-8, 2022
B3
More than ever
Guest Commentary Suicide of Regina King’s son may bring critical attention to problem among young Blacks The recent news confirming the death of Ian Alexander Jr., the only child of award-winning actor Regina King, was met with expressions of condolence throughout the entertainment industry and across social media. But the cause of his death, suicide, and his age, just 26, have only added to her grief. The family has asked for “respectful consideration during this private time,” choosing not to elaborate on the details behind his tragic and untimely death. However, it does underline a significant and disturbing trend among Black youth —one which reveals an increase for Black girls that stands at twice that for Black boys. Suicide now represents a devastating problem among Black youth with researchers and mental health professionals anxious to understand why and how to best address it. In a paper published on Sept. 8, 2021, in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, researchers extracted disturbing information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) databases. The numbers are shocking: 1,810 Blacks between the ages of 5 and 17 died by suicide between 2003 and 2017. Janelle Goodwill, a psychologist and social worker at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, while not involved in the research, said the numbers counter the long-held assumption that suicide rates among young White individuals are higher than those among young Black people. Further, because the paper only analyzed data through 2017, it does not include figures for the COVID-19 pandemic. A CDC study published in August 2020 reported that in late June of that year, more than one-quarter of young adults had contemplated suicide within the past 30 days. Clearly, King’s son Ian needed help—help that either he never received or that no one recognized he needed. But one thing is certain: we must find a way to reduce, if not eliminate, the stigma related to mental health treatment that has long persisted in Black communities and families. In addition, we must be willing to encourage our youth to share their concerns without fear of what or how we may feel. Then, we must get them the professional help they need. Collectively, we can eradicate the pernicious message of “worthlessness” that has been drummed into the heads of Black youth so that young Blacks in America will know that “their lives are full of meaning and purpose.” That’s a message that should undergird the Black Lives Matter movement. (Reprinted from the Washington Informer)
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(TriceEdneyWire.com)—By now you have heard what was forecast as the inevitable—all Senate Republicans and two Senate Democrats believe the Senate Filibuster Rule to be more significant than the right of millions of (actually all) Americans to participate in free and impartial elections. It stands clear that the Republican wall of objection exists to sour public opinion against the current administration by stalling any forward public policy with their obstructionist conduct. We also know this to be true because at the beginning of the terms of the past two Democratic Presidents, Mitch McConnell, the leader of Senate Republicans, has told us so. This obstructionism is and has been executed for the purpose of gaining and/or maintaining POWER, all at the expense of any possible legislative good that could accrue to the American people! Because Republican obstruction has such a significant negative impact upon people of color, as in their rejection of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, I say with great certainty that overt racism plays an important part of their decision-making process. It has been (correctly) suggested that the results of the 2020 general election in which the enthusiasm and turnout among voters of color proved so threatening to the power and influence of White America that it inspired a resurgence of voter suppression and restriction legislation at state and local
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
Commentary levels. The two Senate Democrats who voted with the Republican obstructionists, Manchin and Sinema, are holding fast in support of the primacy and enduring nature of the filibuster. Each has falsely claimed that the filibuster rule is essential in promoting compromise and consensus in the legislative process of the Senate and is so rarely modified as to be a permanent fixture in its function. In a recent television appearance, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, contradicted Manchin and Sinema by drawing attention to the 160 modifications (carve-outs) to the filibuster rule, most of which benefitted the interests of the Republican Party. The referenced carve-outs allowed for a simple majority vote for nominees to the Supreme Court and the Federal Judiciary and, most recently, a simple majority vote to raise the Federal Debt Limit. What Senator Klobuchar exposed was a contrived rationale which placed consid-
eration for the rights of voting citizens in lower priority to the political and special interest influencers who pump contributions into campaign coffers. In total honesty, the history and traditions of West Virginia and Arizona suggest that the Manchin-Sinema commitment to the filibuster may be rooted in racist considerations. Both states have large numbers of voters devoted to the principles of Trump and those who have bought into the racial fearmongering of Republicans. Am I calling them racists? Well, if it walks like a duck… More now than ever, we must distill all available information into principles useful for voting. We must demonstrate an understanding that we are voting for more than a political party. We must tactically purpose our votes to support our current and future interests, and we must do so without allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good. Second, we must be pragmatic in our evaluation of our current social condition and the potential of our future social circumstance in the face of adversarial reactionism/racism. Republican fearmongering against people of color has created real and imagined social conflict and I am led to believe that a willingness to strip voting rights from people is merely a precursor to stripping away rights that we and our ancestors fought so diligently to attain.
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.)
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell twists the facts in revealing comment on Black voting rates (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“Granted, this is not the bigotry of torches and hoods. No, this rhetorical decoupling of ‘African’ and ‘American,’ of Black people from normal human functions, represents ‘only’ the bigotry of the implicit assumption, the things some people believe without consciously knowing they do – much less interrogating why they do. For them, White is the default position, the color of generic American-ness and, truth be told, generic human-ness.”—Leonard Pitts, Jr. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has done everything in his considerable power to enable the wave of racially-motivated voter suppression that has swept through state legislatures since the 2020 election. He has led five filibusters against voting rights legislation this session alone. He continues to deny that voter suppression is a problem. And though there was very little doubt about the reason why it was jarring to hear him admit it so bluntly: Black Americans are not the same as “real” Americans. “African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans,” McConnell blurted in response to a reporter’s question about his obstructionism on voting rights. More than a century and a half after the 14th Amendment granted Black Americans the full rights of citizenship, many still implicitly—and explicitly—consider “American” synon-
Marc H. Morial
To Be Equal ymous with “White.” That’s precisely why it’s been so easy for states to pass laws that make it harder for Black and Brown people to vote. It wasn’t merely that Donald Trump lost that fueled the rage of the January 6 insurrectionists. It was that Black and Brown votes were a major factor in that loss. Trump won a majority of White votes and for far too many, including some at the highest levels of state and federal government, those are the only votes that should count. The implicit racism of McConnell’s phrasing aside, his statement was blatantly false. Only twice in U.S. history did the Black voting rate meet or exceed the White rate: 2008, and 2012, when President Obama was elected and re-elected. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act with its decision in Shelby County v. Holder, opening the floodgate for voter suppression in states and counties previously covered by the preclearance
provisions of the Act. Within 24 hours of the ruling, Texas announced that it would implement a strict photo ID law. Two other states, Mississippi and Alabama, also began to enforce photo ID laws that had previously been barred because of federal preclearance. In the 2014 midterm election, the first after Shelby, Black voter turnout lagged White turnout by almost four and a half percentage points. Historically-high Black and Brown voter turnout in some jurisdictions did help swing the 2020 election, but nationally the Black rate lagged the White rate by seven percentage points. But even if Black Americans had voted “in just as high a percentage as [White] Americans” in 2020, legislators across the county—including McConnell—are working overtime to make sure that doesn’t happen in 2022 and beyond. In 2021, at least 19 states passed 34 laws restricting access to voting, according to the Brennan Center. At least 13 bills restricting access to voting already have been pre-filed for the 2022 legislative session in four states and 152 restrictive voting bills in 18 states will carry over from 2021. Senator McConnell knows all this. He knows that he holds the power to put a stop to it, and he refuses. We don’t need to hear him suggest that Black Americans aren’t “real” Americans to know where his loyalty lies.
We are about to make the most important votes of our lifetime Dear Fellow Voter, We are told almost every election cycle that this is the most important one ever. Well, this time for Black Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Western Pennsylvania it is true. Our Democracy, our diverse multi-racial community, is under extreme assault. For as long as most of us can remember there have been two (2) Black state representatives in the Pittsburgh area: the 19th (Irvis, Robinson, Wheatley) and the 24th (Davis, Rhodes, Pendleton, Preston, Gainey). It has only been in the last few years that we have enjoyed having four (4) Black state representatives (Ed Gainey, Jake Wheatley, Summer Lee, and Austin Davis). Now with the election of Pittsburgh’s first Black Mayor Ed Gainey and with representative Wheatly joining the Gainey administration, our city will face for the first time being without a Black veteran state legislator! All the institutional and political knowledge is gone, poof. State representative Summer Lee attempting to be our first US Congressmember and representative Austin Davis running to be our first Black Lieutenant Governor, if successful, could mean in a short time
Rick Adams
Commentary 4 VACANT SEATS! A state delegation without Black representation could happen. Against this backdrop, we also have to elect a new Governor and US Senator. The new Governor will pick the Secretary of State who oversees our election system in the Commonwealth. If Attorney General Shapiro is successful in his bid for Governor, we would shortly face an election for a new AG to replace him. All this in the face of the right-wing Republican assault on voting rights that targets Pennsylvania as a swing state. In other words, we cannot afford to lose any of these elections. Democratic control of the United States House, Senate, and perhaps the Presidency could be at stake. So, our community faces an immense challenge in the April 5th special elections for the 19th and 24th interim
elections to complete the former incumbents’ (Gainey & Wheatley) terms as state representatives, and then vote again in the regular May 17th Primary elections filling both seats for the full term of two years. So, we are about to make the most important votes of our lifetime. We need to put forward our most seasoned, accomplished, leader/organizers in each of the seats that are or could become vacant. Among the questions I ask you to consider when you vote are: Who has the track record of community service to bring to the table? Who has the experience of elected office? Who has had the legislative experience of working to persuade fellow legislators to vote their way? Who can work with young and old, male, and female, LGBTQIA, Black, and White, middle, and working-class? Who can effectively push the ‘powers that be’ to enact policies and take actions that will help people? I urge all of us to take a careful assessment of the choices that lie before us. (Rick Adams is former Pittsburgh School Board Member, Pittsburgh Human Relations Commissioner, former Democratic Committeeman, and retired CCAC administrator.)
B4
FORUM
FEBRUARY 2-8, 2022
The silent ‘White’ in America On a recent Sunday broadcast of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” viewers witnessed a classic example of the decoupling of people of color from notions of America. The program’s White host, Chuck Todd, had as his guest, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, to talk about conservatives’ latest manufactured bogeyman, critical race theory. In framing a question to his guest, Todd stated in part, “… [P]arents are saying, ‘Hey, don’t make my kid feel guilty,’” and then said, “And I know a parent of color is going, ‘What are you talking about? You know, I’ve got to teach reality.’” Ms. Hannah-Jones was quick to pick up the skewed mindset of the host and brought it to his attention. “Well, I think you should think just a little bit about your framing…You said ‘parents,’ and then you said, ‘parents of color.’ So, the ‘White’ is silent,” she told him. Continuing, she pointed out, “As a matter of fact, White parents are representing fewer than half of all public school parents… And yet, they have an outsized voice in this debate.” Chuck Todd made a feeble attempt to walk back his racially tone-deaf comment, but it was clear that his personal frame of reference “otherd” parents of color and centered whiteness in the American narrative. It seemed clear that to Todd, like to so many other White Americans, “American” means “White American” and the “White” is silent. In our use of language, when an element is silent, we do not pronounce it, but it is there just the same. And in the normative concept of America, whiteness is always there, even when it is not pronounced. Thought leaders in this country need to ask why, when whiteness is almost always present in so many American conflicts, it is silent in the related conversations? The American discourse about race is often framed in a way that erases Black folk from the concept of society. This makes “White” the normative and the acknowledgment of everyone else an accommodation. Because of this, too many White Americans, “White” is a given. Never does an election cycle go by without political pundits commenting on the voting patterns of “suburban moms,” although those patterns may be the exact opposite of the voting patterns of Black mothers living in the suburbs. “Suburban moms” is a term used in a way that erases the presence of Black voters and centers the focus on whiteness. I want to make it clear that I do not believe Chuck Todd was knowingly engaged in trying to “other” or intentionally diminish the status of parents of color with his misstep. But Todd, like asymptomatic COVID carriers, can wreak havoc on a community without even knowing that they are spreading a deadly disease. When someone gives an outsized voice to—or aggrandizes —whiteness, they may simply be responding to centuries of intergenerational social conditioning without giving any critical thought to how they are processing their thoughts. The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in a 2010 interview on National Public Radio, recounted how he had once, as a conditioned reflex, questioned the competence of the two Black pilots of the airliner in which he was traveling when the weather got rough. The archbishop acknowledged that his moment of doubt was caused by a lifetime of being subjected to notions of White superiority and Black incompetence. For years, in White dominated societies, the “White” was silent in “airline pilots.” If Archbishop Tutu was not immune to racist stereotyping, it is easy to understand how Chuck Todd could fall short in his reasoning. But in this day and age, we need to critically explore where the silent
Oscar H. Blayton
Commentary “White” comes from and its impact on America today. The type of logical disconnect that gives us the silent “White” in “White suburban moms” can be better understood by considering the silent “p” in the word “pterodactyl.” Pterodactyl comes from two Greek words, “pteron” meaning wing and “daktulos” meaning finger. This is an apt description of the prehistoric flying reptile with fingers on its wings. But the sound that begins the word pterodactyl in Greek does not occur in English, so rather than create a new word, we pronounce the Greek word differently to conform it to the English tongue. But when you remove the “p,” the remaining word is nonsensical and disconnected from logic. There are many long theses explaining why silent letters persist in the English language, but to be brief, they resulted from the introduction of the printing press. Originally, English was totally phonetic and English speakers pronounced every letter in a word. But over the centuries, loanwords were introduced from around the world. These loanwords were printed as they were received from foreign tongues. But as the pronunciation of these words yielded to social forces and were altered into anglicized versions, their spelling remained fixed by the literate segment of the society. Letters without phonic utility remained on the printed page as traces of history but disappeared from the spoken word. Just as the logical Greek “pt” in pterodactyl is a trace of the historical origins of that word, “White suburban moms” evidences the origins of the current political term “suburban moms.” But just as pterodactyl without the “p” is a logical disconnect, so is White suburban moms without the “White.” We now have the ubiquitous silent “White” because in years past, the White supremacists who set many of the norms under which we struggle today, clearly articulated a preference for Whites to reap the lion’s share of what this world had to offer. There was no necessity for them to dissemble on this point because Black folk and other people of color had no rights the White man was bound to recognize, according to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney in the Dred Scott decision. But over the course of time, with the rise of new nations in Africa, Asia and elsewhere, Whites had to tamp down their hubris and arrogance in order to enjoy the benefits of a new global economy. “White” had to become an unspoken and unwritten inference. But while “White” had to become silent due to social pressure, the logic of the silent “White” underpinning the expressions remained written in the continuing effects of White supremacy. And therein lies the root of the logical disconnect. Pundits don’t say “White suburban moms,” and Chuck Todd did not say “White parents” that Sunday morning. But its presence is loud and clear. We must listen critically to what is being said with the understanding of what is meant by the silent “White” in statements. And we must let this understanding inform our actions. (Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.)
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Slaves today Everyone has a novel they’d suggest for a group discussion during Black History Month. I’d select George Schuyler’s Slaves Today, published in 1931. Bio Schuyler was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on February 25, 1895, and raised in Syracuse, New York. At 17, he joined the army. Schuyler eventually went AWOL due to the military’s mistreatment of Black soldiers. He did nine months of a five-year sentence for desertion. He was dishonorably discharged in 1919. Since Schuyler was an autodidact with a flair for writing, he embarked on a journalism career and became one of the most controversial social commentators of the 20th century. He condemned Marcus Garvey’s back-to-Africa movement, questioned the character of Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the methods of Martin Luther King Jr., and the leadership of Malcolm X. Schuyler also lectured throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. In 1964 Schuyler ran against Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. as the nominee of the newly formed and short-lived Conservative Party and published his autobiography Black and Conservative in 1966. He died in 1977 at the age of 82. The Novel Schuyler wrote in his autobiography, “Toward the end of 1930, I got a call from George Palmer Putnam, the publisher. He was much disturbed about the conditions in Liberia, where a League of Nations mission had rendered its frightening report on the selling of “boys” to the Spanish Plantations on the island of Fernando Po off the coast of Nigeria and on the deep involvement of the President and
J. Pharoah Doss
Check It Out highest officials of Liberia. They were getting fifty dollars for each “boy” recruited and this was being split three ways; one-third to the district commissioner who “recruited” the laborers with his armed forces, onethird to the President, and one-third to the Spanish consul, also a Liberian. The usual method, it seemed, was to surround a village before dawn, fire rifles, pick out the “boys” wanted as they rushed out of their huts, and then march them tethered to a coast warehouse to await the Spanish vessel which would transport them to the island. Mr. Putnam thought there was a book in it, and he was looking for someone to write it.” Schuyler researched the novel by becoming an investigative reporter in Liberia for three months. The novel is about what happened to a village chief’s daughter and husband after they were married. Following the wedding, corrupt government officials demand a percentage of the village’s sale of crops. The village chief refuses, the chief is killed, his daughter is taken as a concubine, and her husband is sold into slavery and shipped to a plantation on the island of Fernando Po. In the forward, Schuyler explained what he wanted to expose. “In Liberia, this modern servitude is strikingly ironic because this Black republic was founded by freed slaves from the
United States a century ago as a haven for all oppressed Black people. Its proud motto reads, “The love of liberty brought us here”, but the aborigines find little liberty under their Negro masters.” Schuyler added, “If this novel can help arouse enlightened world opinion against this brutalizing of the native population in a Negro republic, perhaps the conscience of civilized people will stop similar atrocities in native lands ruled by proud White nations that boast of their superior culture.” Most Black critics condemned the novel. They claimed modern-day slavery was produced by colonialism and imperialism, and Schuyler’s focus on Liberia ignored the larger atrocity, but one biographer of Schuyler said the novel “deserves credit for promoting a realistic attitude toward African politics sorely lacking in the popular Black mindset of the 1920s.” Discussion Here are The Borgen Project’s statistics about slavery in the 21st century. 1). An estimated 28.8 million people live in modern-day slavery 2). Slavery generates $32 billion for traffickers globally each year 3). Approximately 78 percent of victims are enslaved for labor, 22 percent for sex 4). 55 percent of slavery victims are women and girls 5). 26 percent of slaves today are children under the age of 18 When #4 and #5 are added, it equals 81 percent. That means out of 29.8 million slaves today, 23.1 million are women and children. If slavery is so reprehensible, why are there more discussions about reparations for past slavery than arousing “enlightened world opinion” against slavery today?
Celebrating Black women on the federal bench (TriceEdneyWire.com)—President Joe Biden’s first year in office has brought both triumphs and disappointments. There’s no question that the administration has work to do on voting rights and on passing the critical social infrastructure pieces of the Build Back Better plan. But firmly in the “wins” column is the president’s extraordinary success nominating and confirming to the federal bench extraordinarily qualified judges with a demonstrated commitment to civil rights, especially Black women judges. This is profoundly important to our legal system, to how justice is administered and to how everyday people experience life in our democracy, whether they ever find themselves in court or not. That’s because even though the Supreme Court grabs headlines when it decides a big case, the high court takes only a few cases every year. The vast majority of federal cases is decided in the lower courts, at the circuit and district levels. This is where rulings are made that affect our right to vote, to not be discriminated against in housing or on the, to access health care, and so much more. Having a strong contingent of Black women judges on these courts means the lived experience they bring—in addition to their stellar legal credentials—is coming into play in deciding cases that will shape all our lives for years to come. The numbers tell a powerful story. A full 65 percent of President Biden’s circuit court nominees have been people of color. Three quarters have been women, and 42 percent have been Black women. These statistics break all previous for inclusion on the critically important circuit courts, whose
Ben Jealous
Commentary opinions establish the law in all the states in their region. The president has shown a similar commitment to diversity on the district courts, as well. And all this comes against a backdrop of record-shattering appointments overall: Biden has had more lower federal court judges (circuit and district combined) confirmed than any other president in his first year, in 60 years. Probe beneath the numbers and you discover even more compelling stories: the personal histories of the Black women tapped by Biden to serve on our highest courts. A distinguished Yale Law School graduate, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi had her pick of high-powered legal jobs. She worked for a while at a prestigious law firm, then quit to become a public defender, representing people who could not afford a lawyer. In that role, she helped expose the government’s use of “phony stash houses,” a way to trap people into committing crimes they would not otherwise commit. Today she serves as the only Black judge on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Similarly, Yale alumna Eunice Lee spent 20 years at Manhattan’s Office of the Appellate Defender, representing poor people in New York City convicted of felonies. Today she is a judge on the
Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. And Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Harvard Law graduate, devoted years of her career to public service, representing low-income people in Washington, D.C., as a public defender. She also served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission, where she worked to end the unjust discrepancy between sentences for crack and powder cocaine. Today she serves on the D.C. Circuit and is often talked about as a future Supreme Court nominee. The paths to confirmation for these women and their fellow nominees were tainted by attacks, racist and otherwise. The right-wing press criticized these nominees as “radical liberals.” The Senate Judiciary Committee asked Jackson and Jackson-Akiwumi point-blank at their confirmation hearings if race would play a role in their judicial decision-making. And farright conservatives did everything they could to delay their confirmation. But all of them prevailed, with dignity, grit and grace, the qualities that so many accomplished Black women have shown in the face of adversity. And the story is still being written. On the campaign trail, President Biden promised to name the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, and Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement paves the way for that to occur. Soon, we may see that woman take a long-overdue and rightful seat on the nation’s highest court; I look forward to celebrating that beautiful and momentous day. (Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of Practice in the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches leadership.)
The President and voter suppression With the failure to overturn the Filibuster Rule in the United States Senate, it would appear that the John Lewis Voting Act and the Voting Rights Act are dead because of two “Dixiecrat Senators” and a Republican blockade in the Senate that has long forgotten the Oath of Office that each of them took when taking their positions of office. However, there is hope that the President will start using the power of his office on behalf of the people who put him in the presidency. Without the Black Vote, there would be no Joe Biden presidency. This fact has to become more important than preserving the traditions of the U.S. Senate. The President must now formulate a complete plan of Executive Orders that will prepare to send federal monitors to each state
John E. Warren
Commentary that has enacted Voter Suppression laws such as the reduction of polling sites, the purging of election rolls so as to reduce the number of persons who can vote, and inserting a federal presence at every point of the electoral process permitted by Federal law. The President must show, through action and not just speeches as if on the campaign trail, that he is serious about using all the powers of his office to protect the electoral
process. This also means that the United States Department of Justice must move forcefully and quickly in responding to the call for investigations which will follow a more aggressive course of action by the President. Senator Schumer must decide whether he is in control of the U.S. Senate or Mitch McConnell, who appears to still be in charge in spite of the would-be Democratic majority in the Senate. The two Senate Democrats-in-name-only who are now openly voting with the Republicans against their own party’s President, should just change their party registration and complete the transition to the other side. It’s time for a visible plan, Mr. President. The American people are waiting.
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FINANCE DIRECTOR – BOROUGH OF SWISSVALE The Borough of Swissvale, a diverse urban community bordering the City of Pittsburgh, with a resident population of 8,900 over 1.3 square miles, is seeking an experienced Finance Director with strong fiscal management capabilities to continue Swissvale Borough’s strong fiscal position and growth. Annual combined budget is in excess of $12 million with 65 full and part-time employees. The Finance Director will be responsible for all aspects of the finance department including, but not limited to, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, payroll taxes, employee deductions, maintenance of daily cash balances, deposits, bank reconciliations, journal aentries, maintenance of records for annual Borough audit, preparation for annual Borough audit, preparation of monthly reports and reports requested by Council and Borough Manager, records retention, budget preparation and oversight, tracking of debt service, year- end reporting and grant administration. The Finance Director also serves as the Borough Treasurer. Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate strong experience working with municipal governments and a sound understanding of municipal finances. The selected candidate must have a strong background working with Quickbooks and Microsoft Office Suite. The selected candidate must also have the ability to work with other staff members, elected officials, elected property tax collector, appointed Earned Income Tax Collector, appointed delinquent tax collector, banks, insurance companies and other outside agencies and individuals as necessary. The ideal candidate must also be able to work independently and as part of the management team of the Borough of Swissvale. Must exercise good critical thinking skills, supervisory skills, budget development skills, management skills, strong computer skills, as well as the ability to deal effectively with employees and the public. A Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, business administration or a related field along with a minimum of five years (5) years of progressively responsible work experience is preferred. Applicable work in a governmental setting is a plus. Salary will be $55,000.00 and up commensurate with experience and education. Excellent fringe benefit package also offered. A cover letter, resume and at least three (3) professional references shall be submitted by February 4, 2022 to the Interim Borough Manager, Borough of Swissvale, 7560 Roslyn Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 or via email to gbachy@swissvaleborough.com. The Borough of Swissvale is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation or military status in any of its activities or operations. MT. LEBANON, PA POLICE OFFICER TESTING MT. LEBANON POLICE DEPARTMENT will be conducting a physical agility and written exam for POLICE OFFICER on Saturday, April 2, 2022. Starting at $71,790 annually. Must be a U.S. citizen; 21 years of age at hire; bachelor’s degree from accredited college/university at hire; pass physical, written, oral exams plus a comprehensive background investigation. Full test requirements, description and application may be obtained at https://mtlebanon.bamboohr. com/jobs/view.php?id=99. Deadline ending no later than 4:00 pm, March 11, 2022.
Mt. Lebanon provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment based on competence, merit, performance, and business needs. We are committed to valuing the diversity of all individuals without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or i gi n, a g e , d i s a b i l i t y, o r a n y o t h e r classification protected by law. Reasonable accommodations for the needs of otherwise qualified applicants with disabilities will be made upon request to the Human Resource Office at 412-343-3625 or bcross@mtlebanon.org.
OLDER ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES INVESTIGATOR Responsible for receiving, screening, referring, and maintaining reports of elder abuse; investigating neglect, abuse, abandonment, and exploitation; assessing needs; developing care plans for at-risk seniors; referring cases for court-ordered interventions and guardianship. Requires rotation of weekly on-call duties. Travel required to various community settings, including private residences,hospitals, and LTC facilities.Bachelor’s degree required. Reliable vehicle, valid driver’s license, and current auto insurance required. Must have clean criminal history background check and be eligible to work in USA. $40,000 to start with additional fringe benefits. EOE Direct all inquiries with resumes to: Melissa Osman, Director of Protective Services, Ursuline Support Services, 2717 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or email to: mosman@ursulinesupport.org SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING CLASSROOM TEACHER Position available for the 2022-2023 school year Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM February 9, 2022
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ERP APPLICATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPER Port Authority is seeking a ERP Application Systems Developer who will be responsible for designing, planning, coding, testing, and delivery of required functional and technical specifications and designs in order to meet business requirements and departmental standards. Essential Functions: •Responsible to design, analyze and execute technical projects, work with PeopleSoft team and business users in different divisions to define business requirements. •Responsible to work with functional analyst to develop and modify reports in a variety of PeopleSoft modules using SQR, Crystal, BI Publisher and query. •Develop and/or modify PeopleSoft objects including PeopleCode, Application Engine Programs, Application Packages, Pages and components. Table’s set-up, configuration and layout as required. Job requirements include: •BS Degree in Computer Science from an accredited school or related discipline. Related experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis. •Minimum of two (2) years of programming experience. Thorough understanding of SQL, development tools and reporting tools. •Professional and effective communication skills. •Ability to be flexible and adapt to change. Preferred attributes: •Functional/technical knowledge of PeopleSoft Financials, PeopleSoft HCM, or related ERP. •Experience with web services or PeopleSoft Integration Broker. •Knowledge of web architecture. •Experience with PeopleTools or other ERP development tools.
We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Missy Ramsey Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 MRamsey@portauthority.org EOE BOROUGH OF BRENTWOOD EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER PUBLIC WORKS SUMMER HELP Applications are being accepted by the Borough of Brentwood for seasonal Public Works employees for the 2022 summer season. Applicants must be 18 years of age. The job will involve mowing grass, trimming shrubs, shoveling asphalt, installing signs, painting, and general labor work. The applicant is required to wear steel-toed shoes. Work hours are Monday through Friday 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Preference will be given to borough residents. Rate of pay is $14.00 per hour. Applications will be accepted until March 11, 2022. This will be a seasonal position beginning in May. Applications are available online at www.brentwoodboro.com. Please email application to Susan Toth, Finance/HR Director at stoth@brentwoodboro.com. Handwritten applications will not be accepted. Susan Toth Finance/HR Director
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BOROUGH OF SWISSVALE LABORERS The Borough of Swissvale is hiring laborers to collect trash and recycling. Duties of the job include manually collecting trash and/or recycling on a daily basis. Benefits include: •Health, dental and vision insurance at no cost to the employee. Family health care is available. •Defined benefit pension plan at no cost to the employee. •Life Insurance and short-term disability insurance at no cost to the employee. •2 weeks paid vacation after one year of service. •6 paid sick days annually. •2 paid personal days annually. •Starting hourly wage of $18.71/ hour with raises every 6 months for 2 years plus an annual raise on January 1st of each year. •Hourly wage 1/1/22 - $18.71 •Hourly wage 1/1/23 - $20.26 •Hourly wage 1/1/24 - $21.76 •40-hour work week with occasional overtime. •5-day work week. No evenings or holidays. •Regular work hours are Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Occasional Saturdays required when there is a holiday during the work week. If interested, please submit an application by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 4, 2022. Applications can be downloaded at www.swissvaleborough.com, click the “Government” tab and then the “Employment” tab. If you do not have internet access, please call 412-271-7101 to get an application. Applications can be submitted in person or e-mailed to gbachy@swissvaleborough.com. Applications can also be mailed to CDL Driver Search, Borough of Swissvale, 7560 Roslyn Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15218. All prospective employees must pass a pre-employment physical and drug test. CDL drivers are subject to random drug testing as per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act. The Borough of Swissvale is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not and shall not discriminate o n t h e b a s i s o f r a c e , c o l o r, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation or military status in any of its activities or operations.
BOROUGH OF SWISSVALE CDL DRIVERS! The Borough of Swissvale is hiring drivers with a Class A or B CDL to drive garbage and recycling trucks. Duties of the job include collecting trash and/or recycling on a daily basis and disposing of the trash at the appropriate facility. As a new employee, the majority of time would be spent physically collecting and throwing trash and then driving to the landfill or recycling plant. Benefits include: •Health, dental and vision insurance at no cost to the employee. Family health care is available. •Defined benefit pension plan at no cost to the employee. •Life Insurance and short-term disability insurance at no cost to the employee. •2 weeks paid vacation after one year of service. •6 paid sick days annually. •2 paid personal days annually. •Starting hourly wage of $18.98/ hour with raises every 6 months for 2 years plus an annual raise on January 1st of each year. •Hourly wage 1/1/22 - $18.98 •Hourly wage 1/1/23 - $20.48 •Hourly wage 1/1/24 - $22.03 •40-hour work week with occasional overtime. •5-day work week. No evenings or holidays. •Regular work hours are Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Occasional Saturdays required when there is a holiday during the work week. If interested, please submit an application by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 4, 2022. Applications can be downloaded at www.swissvaleborough.com, click the “Government” tab and then the “Employment” tab. If you do not have internet access, please call 412-271-7101 to get an application. Applications can be submitted in person or e-mailed to gbachy@swissvaleborough.com. Applications can also be mailed to CDL Driver Search, Borough of Swissvale, 7560 Roslyn Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15218. All prospective employees must pass a pre-employment physical and drug test. CDL drivers are subject to random drug testing as per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act. The Borough of Swissvale is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not and shall not discriminate o n t h e b a s i s o f r a c e , c o l o r, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation or military status in any of its activities or operations.
BRENTWOOD BOROUGH PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT GENERAL LABORER AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Brentwood Borough is seeking an enthusiastic team player with an excellent attitude to work with a top crew, performing skilled labor in the maintenance and repair of public works facilities. Duties include maintenance of storm water sewer systems, sanitary sewer systems, streets, traffic systems, sidewalks, signs, parks, graffiti removal, tree trimming and planting, abatement of nuisances in the public right-of-way, as well as performing related duties as required. Applicant must possess a current PA Driver ’s license at the time of employment. Applicant must possess a current Commercial Driver’s License or obtain one within six (6) months of being hired. The successful candidate must be able to respond to emergency call outs in the evenings and on weekends when necessary. Qualifications require graduation from high school or GED equivalent and approximately three (3) years of experience in a variety of semi-skilled and skilled maintenance work. The applicant is required to know how to oper at e, m aint ain and r epair equipment and vehicles as well as have experience in carpentry and related building trades. Employer will secure drug testing for all new job applicants per the collective bargaining agreement. New employee will be on a six (6) month probationary period from the date of hire as a full-time employee. A written test will be scheduled on the date of a candidate’s oral interview. Applicants must be free from conditions that would preclude satisfactory performance of the essential functions of the job applied for. APPLICATION PROCESS: This is an open recruitment. Only those candidates who appear best qualified, based on the requirements listed, and review of all submitted applications, resumes and supplemental materials for background, experience and training, will be invited to any combination of written, performance or oral appraisals to further evaluate their job-related experience, knowledge, skills and abilities. It is the candidate’s responsibility to accurately provide all pertinent information on the application. The Borough of Brentwood will NOT accept any additions, corrections or revisions to candidate’s applications after the eligibility determination has been made. Candidates will be notified of all times and dates of examinations. Employment applications and a complete job description are available at the Brentwood Municipal Building, or can be downloaded from the borough website, www.brentwoodboro.com. Applications may not be hand written. Applications and resumes are to be mailed to: Borough of Brentwood, ATTN: Susan Toth, Finance/HR Director, 3735 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15227. No phone calls will be accepted. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 11, 2022 at 3:00 PM.
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Estate of LINDA M. PERSIANI, a/k/a LINDA PERSIANI, Deceased of Mt. Lebanon Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No. 02-22-00425, Elizabeth Halvorsen, Executor, 292 Fern Palm Road Boca Raton, FL 33432 or to TODD A. FULLER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue Brdigeville, PA 15017 Estate of MS. FLORENCE MAE POTTER, Deceased of 1500 Fernhurst Avenue, Moon Township, PA 15108, Estate No. 02-21-09382, Mr. Marc A. Potter, Executor, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108 Estate of GEORGE SWOPE, a/k/a GEORGE TINO SWOPE, Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA 15235, No. 08511 of 2021, Jennifer Swope McCracken, Adm., 10703 Enclave Court, Louisville, KY 40229 or to Sheila M. Ford, Atty, 6419 Stanton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
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DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA PROJECT NUMBER 22MG02 (GENERAL) TMP MMC BID PKG R (REMOTE LOTS) AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ELECTRONIC BIDS & BID OPENING PROCEDURE: Electronic Bids will be received by the Allegheny County Airport Authority until 1:00 P.M. prevailing local time, March 16, 2022. Due to COVID-19 precautions, the ACAA is modifying its typical bid opening process; the formal bid opening procedure will be conducted virtually – any/ all firms submitting a Bid to the ACAA will be given special access to view the opening event. Once bidding is closed, any/all firms submitting a bid will be issued an Invitation (via email) to access the formal bid opening event via a live webcast. Bidders will also be notified of the results via an email within (24) hours of the Bid Opening event. ACCESS TO BID PACKAGE DOCUMENTS: ALL BIDDERS shall be required to provide a completed formal Bid Document Request application in order to purchase bidding documents for any/all of the above listed Project Numbers. No bidding documents will be issued prior to the Authority’s Construction Manager having a copy of a fully completed Request Application. Bid Document Request Applications can be obtained by sending a Request to the following email address: TMPBids@flypittsburgh.com On the Subject Line, include the following: “Bid Documents Request – 22MG02 (TMP MMC Bid Pkg R – REMOTE LOTS)”. Once a bidder’s request has been received, provided it is complete, and provided the requesting party is not barred from bidding the work, the CM will provide access for the bidder to access and download the bid documents through Building Connected, a web-based bid management platform. A PREBID CONFERENCE – February 10, 2022 – 10:00 AM (Bidders are strongly encouraged to review the plans prior to the meeting.) The meeting will be a Microsoft Teams Meeting. To join the meeting the following number can be called (636) 373-8636 - United States (TollFree) – Conference ID 563 442 73#. Please email TMPBids@flypittsburgh.com to receive the link to join by computer. Due to COVID-19 precautions, ACAA will not permit any Bidders to tour the site. In lieu thereof, the Construction Management Team (CM) will conduct a Virtual Prebid Meeting. Specific details on how interested Bidders can view this broadcast will be provided as part of the Bid Documents via Building Connected. Note that no questions can be asked during this Prebid Meeting. Any/all questions must be issued to the CM as an “RFI”. REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION (RFIs) Any/all questions related to this project must be made in writing to the CM. RFIs are to be sent to the CM via the Building Connected website. BID SUBMISSION Proposals must be made on the Authority’s forms and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”’. Due to COVID-19 precautions, ACAA will not be accepting any hard copy bids for this Project. Accordingly, Electronic Bids are the only form that the ACAA will accept. While the Instructions to Bidders will provide more details, for an Electronic Bid to be accepted it must be sent through Building Connected and it must be received by no later than the established Bid Date and Time deadline. OTHER ISSUES Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages as determined by the General Wage Determinations issued under the Davis-Bacon and related Acts must be paid on these projects. This project has DBE participation goals; DBE firms must be certified with the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program) (PAUCP). Firms must be certified prior to award of contract. A searchable database of DBE firms can be found on the PAUCP web site: https://paucp.dbesystem.com/ The Airport Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding. No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of one-hundred-twenty [120] days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. To view a complete advertisement, which is also included in the bidding documents, visit www.flypittsburgh.com under ACAA Corporate – Business Opportunities or www.pittransformed.com – Opportunities – Business Opportunities. ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA The Allegheny County Airport Authority will be receiving scanned PDF proposals through Submittable, and a submission link will be sent to each registered plan holder. Submissions are to be submitted via Submittable by 1:00 p.m. prevailing local time on March 2, 2022, and bids will be opened by the Airport Authority and results will be emailed by end of business day of bid opening for the following project: ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PROJECT NUMBER 26G1-21 (GENERAL) PROJECT NUMBER 33G1-20 (GENERAL) AIRFIELD VAULT ROOF REPLACMENT & FTF/PUMP HOUSE 1 &2 ROOF REPLACEMENT PROJECT AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT A pre-bid conference will be held at 9:30 a.m., on February 9, 2022 in Conference Room C at Pittsburgh International Airport Landside Terminal, 4th Floor Mezz, Pittsburgh, PA 15231. Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages, as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, must be paid on these projects. Proposals must be made on the Authority’s form and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”’. The non-refundable charge of $150.00 for the Bid Documents and the Plans, and Specifications through the bidding platform Submittable at https://acaacapitalprograms.submittable.com. Please note that Submittable does not support Internet Explorer 11. Submittable recommends the following browsers: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari. This project has DBE participation goals; DBE firms must be certified with the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program) (PA UCP). Firms must be certified prior to award of contract. A searchable database of DBE firms can be found on the PA UCP web site: https://paucp.dbesystem.com/ The Airport Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding. No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of sixty [60] days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. To view a complete advertisement, which is also included in the bidding documents visit www.flypittsburgh.com – ACAA Corporate – Business Opportunities or call 412-472-3677 or 412-472-5578. ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY ADVERTISEMENT Bids are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 on the following: RFP 3129 – Inspection and Testing of Fire Protection Systems Due date: 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Thursday, February 24, 2022 Any proposals received after this deadline will be considered as a “late bid” and will be returned unopened to the offerer. Proposals may require Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds, and Surety as dictated by the specifications. No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses. For more information, contact Michael Cvetic at mcvetic@ccac.edu.
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PORT OF PITTSBURGH COMMISSION REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS GOVERNMENT LIAISON The Port of Pittsburgh Commission requests proposals from qualified parties to act as a state government liaison and to counsel the Commission on its program of governmental and public affairs. Please submit a statement of qualifications and experience, including an hourly rate schedule and other cost considerations in a separate, labeled envelope within the submission, to be received by 3:00 PM, February 28, 2022 at: Government Liaison Port of Pittsburgh Commission 4955 Steubenville Pike, Suite 245A Pittsburgh, PA 15205 Questions should be directed to Mary Ann Bucci, Executive Director at mary-ann@portpitt.com
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PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org). Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on February 11, 2022 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527) as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org) 1 2 3 4
Bid Number B21295 B220101A B220102A B220103A
Bid Name LRV Control Printed Circuit Boards Equipment Cleaner Coach Radiator Assemblies Janitorial Supplies - General
To join by Microsoft Team video conference: https://bit.ly/3qbUQ7q To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 321 018 769# 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 am January 27, 2022, as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference. To join by Microsoft Team video conference: https://bit.ly/3f92OYF To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 349 430 360# 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
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