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Addressing silence: Pittsburgh NAACP working on ‘growing, expanding’ to its fullest potential by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Longtime Pittsburgh civil rights activist Louis “Hop” Kendrick had a front row seat to Pittsburgh’s no-nonsense NAACP leaders of yesteryear, such as Harvey Adams, Byrd Brown, Coretta Ogburn and Connie Parker. In an exclusive interview with the New Pittsburgh Courier, Feb. 18, he described the numerous outward stances the organization would take on any number of issues negatively affecting Pittsburgh’s African American community. He recalled marches, protests, signs, community meetings, etc., which defined the local branch’s commitment. However, according to Kendrick, over the past two years, the local NAACP hasn’t made as much noise as it should be making when it comes to issues affecting the Black community. “The NAACP was always the most independent organization when it came to civil rights,” Kendrick, who is also a Pittsburgh
NAACP member, told the Courier. “Our leadership was uncompromising — they weren’t Democrats or Republicans, they cared about the community and the people.” Kendrick said sometimes, other Black organizations who receive funds from private and political-based entities may be hesitant to speak out against injustices in the community if it involves an organization that partially funds the Black entity. But not the NAACP. “It was a people-supported organization. (The NAACP) doesn’t have to answer to those groups; we took no prisoners.” Kendrick added about the local NAACP: “We’ve grown silent and I don’t know why.” However, the Pittsburgh NAACP is aware of the rumblings from Kendrick and other community members. So much so that in 2020, the local NAACP held a press conference at its Hill District location to proclaim that the organization was active and taking SEE NAACP A8
THE NAACP PITTSBURGH BRANCH, according to some, has been less active in recent years.
CELEBRATING OUR REGION’S BLACK MAYORS — SECOND IN A SERIES
Dontae Comans, Wilkinsburg’s new leader by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Dontae Comans—the father, the husband, the honest guy, the “average Joe,” as he described himself to the New Pittsburgh Courier. Well, this self-proclaimed “average Joe” has one of the most visible positions in this region — mayor of the borough of Wilkinsburg, where it feels like it will take Judge Judy to come in and settle the issue of annexation once and for all. Comans, 36, has no average job. He had to stand tall in the face of the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation’s Daytona 500-style race to the finish line to have Wilkinsburg become part of Pittsburgh, which, if it ever happens, would make Comans mayor-no-more. He must have a watchful eye on the Wilkinsburg Borough Council, the nine-member board that, in most instances, wields more power in the borough than the mayor. And
he has to constantly fight the perception that people would rather be elsewhere than in Wilkinsburg. “The way we’re portrayed is a black cloud over us, and we have to get rid of that,” Comans told the Courier, Feb. 18. “We’re known as the borough that has the highest taxes and our kids are doing terrible in school.” But Comans proclaimed that Wilkinsburg’s students are, overall, doing well in school. He cited that former Wilkinsburg Schools superintendent Dr. Linda Iverson during her tenure “basically cleaned house and made our schools start to flourish, and now that she’s gone, they’re still following her model with Dr. Joe (Maluchnik). So our schools are doing amazing.” The Pre-K, Kindergarten and first-grade students attend Kelly Primary — the second- through sixth-graders attend Turner Intermediate. Comans said all students SEE COMANS A8
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WILKINSBURG MAYOR DONTAE COMANS, with his daughter, Bellamy. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)
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Kamau Bell is wrong; We don’t This Week In Black History need to talk about Cosby, we need A Courier Staple to talk about his illegal trials •FEBRUARY 23
1868—Dr. W.E.B. DuBois is born William Edward Burghardt DuBois in Great Barrington, Mass. DuBois can easily qualify as Black America’s leading scholar and intellectual of the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was also an educator and social activist fighting tirelessly against racial injustice and U.S. imperialism. He started the NAACP’s influential “Crisis” magazine. He organized what many consider the First Pan African Congress. (Actually, it was the second. The first took place in 1900.) However, in his later years DuBois became increasingly frustrated with American racism, injustice and hypocritical brand of democracy. He turned to socialism around 1927 and despaired of the NAACP’s legalistic approach to obtaining rights for Blacks. He nevertheless authored several influential books including “The Souls of Black Folks.” He coined the phrase ‘talented tenth” to describe what he believed would have to be a class of educated and skilled Blacks who would have to lead the race out of its oppression. DuBois finally went into self-imposed exile in the West African nation of Ghana saying, “In my own country for nearly a century I have been nothing but a Nigger.” He died in Ghana’s capital, Accra, on Aug. 27, 1963. He was 95.
by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier
(NNPA)—Writer Kamau Bell proclaimed Black America’s “need to talk about Bill Cosby” in his Showtime documentary that included comedians, educators, journalists, and those who have accused the iconic entertainer of sexual assault. Bell claimed that for the smart, funny, and politically aware at dinner parties, the conversation would have to center on Cosby. But for many others who declined to indulge in exploration and dissemination of another African American that mainstream media proved human, Bell missed the mark. Badly. “He may as well have worn Black face, because the documentary is a minstrel show and as much as you may agree that Cosby is a hypocrite, Bell can’t afford to look in the mirror,” said Lorenzo Simpkins, an actor who has appeared as an extra in multiple movies and television shows, including Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder’s “Stir Crazy.” “Bell is as misled and foolish as the knuckleheads who said, ‘Cosby admitted to drugging and raping women,’” Simpkins offered about the tired and wildly misreported civil deposition the entertainer sat for in a lawsuit brought in 2005 by Andrea Constand. During the deposition, Cosby acknowledges that he provided quaaludes to women who would have sex. “He did not say he slipped them mickeys or gave them the quaaludes to knock them out so he could take advantage of them,” Simpkins insisted. But Simpkins said that’s not his most significant problem with Bell’s one-sided documentary that didn’t include statements or appearances from anyone on Cosby’s team. “The biggest problem is that it’s a distraction that Showtime will use to make money and to denigrate a Black man further, and they can say ‘look, it’s another Black man [Bell] doing the denigrating,” he asserted. Instead, Simpkins and others said Black Americans—men in particular— should most want to discuss the two trials of Cosby and the way they were handled and reported. The prosecutor ran for office with ads that promised: “to get Cosby.” Juror nullification proved so intense during the first
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SHOWTIME DOCUMENTARY—Some have taken issue with W. Kamau Bell’s documentary on Bill Cosby. trial that Cosby’s attorneys successfully petitioned to select a panel from across the state in Pittsburgh. One petition juror, a Black woman and a former police officer, was disqualified from serving based on a false charge that she altered timecards while working for the department. Judge Steven O’Neill stacked the deck against Cosby, even refusing to allow him to call a witness who said the alleged victim had confided that she could set Cosby up. Despite the defense not putting on a defense, the first trial ended with a hung jury. The second trial began with racial epithets hurled by a prosecutor toward the defense, a juror who proclaimed that Cosby was guilty before the start of the trial, and O’Neill allowed five women to present unproven allegations. The former District Attorney, Bruce Castor, wasn’t allowed to testify about a deal he hammered out with Cosby, and O’Neill allowed the use of Cosby’s infamous civil deposition. #Metoo and Metoo-inspired signs littered the courthouse, and some of the alleged but uncharged victims communicated with prosecution witnesses on the stand. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Max Baer slammed Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele after the high court freed Cosby last year after spending nearly three years in prison. Justice Baer called Steele’s conduct “reprehensible.” “[The court] had to protect 13 million Pennsylvanians from that type of illegal conduct,” Justice Baer continued. “What we found was that what the state did was inappropriate.” According to a report from the American Bar Association, the criminal justice system’s pervasive problems with racism start before the first contact and continue through pleas, conviction, incarceration, release, and beyond. The net effects of history’s injustices are staggering. According to statistics the NAACP examined, although Black people make up 13.4 percent of the population, they make up 47 percent of wrongful conviction exonerations and 35 percent of individuals executed by the death penalty. Further, the Bar Association noted that African Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at five times the rate of Whites. In addition, Black men face disproportionately harsh incarceration experiences than prisoners of other races. “The evidence of differen-
tial treatment and injustice in the ‘justice’ system is overwhelming,” Bar Association officials wrote. “Because the problems are historically rooted, pervasive, and ongoing, it is even more critical to take action now (and in the future).” Yet, Bell wants to focus on white media-driven allegations that a group of primarily non-Black individuals made against an African American icon, Simpkins and others demurred. “Kamau Bell is the kind of guy that would be the funniest slave on the plantation. He would never have to work on weekends,” deadpanned Dr. Boyce Watkins. Nicole Lewis, the host of the podcast and YouTube program “Nicole’s View,” called Bell’s documentary “smut.” “No relevance to anything besides tearing down his achievements,” Nicole stated. “This is what Kamau Bell is pushing for us to converse about?” Further, in American culture “where sensationalism is what tends to sell, I knew it was only a matter of time before our courtrooms would be inundated with personal opinion, public antics and trial by public in general,” said Phoenix Jackson, the chief communications officer at Phoenix Affect. “The Cosby trial displayed at its peak the type of sensationalism that perpetuates the classless culture in America,” Jackson continued. “As a communications executive and celebrity publicist, I would never want my clients to experience a public trial. I would want an unbiased, clear-to-thelaw trial for the best form of objectivity. No matter the circumstance or who is on trial. Everyone deserves that.” Dean Tong, a nationally known defense expert in sex crimes cases, said it’s incumbent upon all parties who are potentially adverse to the African American male accused of the unthinkable to be free from confirmation bias. “I was not at Bill Cosby’s trial, but I was at Michael Jackson’s trial in 2005 in Santa Maria, California, and these allegations foster and exacerbate emotions on steroids which can supersede logic,” Tong demanded. “I’m not saying Cosby was or is innocent, although his conviction was reversed. All Black, White, Hispanic, Asian defendants must receive a fair and impartial trial by a jury of their peers. The Constitution has the last say so.” (Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent)
1864—Rebecca Lee Crumbler becomes the first African American woman to receive a medical degree. Born in 1833, she graduated from the New England Female Medical College. Prior to becoming a doctor, she had worked as a nurse in Massachusetts for more than six years. 1868—The U.S. House of Representatives voted 126 to 47 to impeach President Andrew Johnson. Johnson had run afoul of a group of pro-Black legislators known as the Radical Republicans because of his opposition to full citizenship rights for former slaves. He survived being ousted as president by one vote in the U.S. Senate. As far as historical speculation goes, it would have been much better for Black rights and the course of Black history if Johnson had been ousted. His opposition to full rights, including voting rights, for Blacks helped lay the foundation for the un-doing of Reconstruction and the many gains Blacks had made during that period. 1966—Kwame Nkrumah is ousted in a military coup as president of the West African nation of Ghana. This was another event which changed the course of Black history for the worse. Nkrumah, educated at the predominantly Black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, had been a major intellectual and pragmatic force for Pan-Africanism and worldwide Black unity. From the time he became the first president of Ghana in March 1957, he had worked tirelessly for international Black advance and world peace. His ouster left a void which after 40 years has not been filled by any other African leader. Nkrumah died in 1972.
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1851—The first Black Women’s Rights Convention is held in Akron, Ohio. The keynote speaker was anti-slavery activist Sojourner Truth. 1966—Constance Baker Motley becomes the first African American woman appointed to a federal judgeship. She takes the bench in the Southern District of New York. Motley was a major civil rights hero helping win several important cases during the 1950s and ‘60s. Among the cases was the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which desegregated the nation’s schools. She worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and helped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in several of his legal battles. Born in 1921 in New Haven, Conn., Motley died in 2006. 1980—Black Entertainment Television, the first Black owned company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, begins broadcasting from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. While still Black programmed, BET is now owned by media conglomerate Viacom.
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1920—Dr. Carter G. Woodson (18751950) founds the first nationally organized celebration of Black American history (then called Negro History Week), which was first celebrated on this day in 1926. Woodson scheduled the week to coincide with the birthdays of Civil War President Abraham Lincoln and Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass. However, in 1976, Negro History Week was expanded into the current day Black History Month. For his efforts in promoting knowledge of Black historical achievements Woodson became known as the “Father of Black History.” In explaining the need for the celebration, Woodson once said, “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” 1964—Heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay changes his name to Muhammad Ali after rejecting Christianity and joining the Elijah Muhammad-led Nation of Islam.
•FEBRUARY 27
1748—This is the probable birth date of Prince Hall—the “Father of Black Masons.” Hall was a veteran of America’s war of independence from England, founder of the first African-American Masonic lodges and one
of the most prominent Black leaders of his era. The charter for the first Black Masonic lodge was granted on Sept. 29, 1784. It was known as African Lodge #459 of Boston. 1869—Congress adopts the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution making it illegal for the U.S. government or any state to “deny or abridge” the right to vote “on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.” This was one of the so-called “Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th & 15th)” which essentially ended slavery, made Blacks full U.S. citizens and guaranteed the right to vote. 1872—Charlotte E. Ray graduates from the Howard University Law School becoming the first Black female lawyer in the United States. It also appears that she was the third female lawyer of any race. She was admitted to the Washington, D.C., bar the same year she graduated. But racism and sexism prevented her from making a living as a lawyer in the nation’s capital, so she moved to New York and got a job with the Brooklyn school system.
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1708—One of the first recorded slave revolts in American history takes place on Newton, Long Island (New York). Seven Whites are killed. In retaliation, two Black male slaves and one Indian male slave were hung, while one Black female slave was burned alive. 1879—A date considered by many to mark the beginning of the great “Exodus of 1879,” when thousands of Blacks begin fleeing racism, violence and economic exploitation in the South for new lives in the Midwest, especially Kansas. One of the most prominent organizers of the exodus was former Tennessee slave Benjamin “Pap” Singleton. An estimated 20,000 Blacks took part in the exodus. They were driven in part by the Homestead Act which promised free land. But by 1880, efforts had already begun to curtail the movement of Blacks to the Midwest. In 1881, Pap Singleton was hauled before a Senate investigative committee looking into his role in the exodus. 1989—Philip Emeagwali is awarded the Golden Bell Prize for solving one of the 20 most difficult problems in computer science. The prize is widely considered the “Nobel Prize of Computing.” The feat of the Nigerian-born computer scientist involved, at the time, the world’s fastest computer computation—a staggering 3.1 billion calculations per second. He figured out how oil flows underground and thus better enabled companies to extract it.
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1739—The British government is forced to sign a peace treaty with the Jamaican Maroons. The Maroons were escaped slaves or, to put it another way, Africans who refused to be slaves. When the Spanish lost Jamaica to the British in 1665, they freed many of their slaves and called them Maroons or “wild.” The Maroons set up villages, were frequently joined by other escaped slaves and eventually began to wage a highly successful guerrilla war against the British. Under the terms of the peace treaty, the Maroons were designated a free people and given 1,500 acres of land. 1780—Pennsylvania becomes perhaps the first state to abolish slavery. There is some confusion about the effective dates of the laws passed during this period, which called for the gradual elimination of slavery. The honor of being the first state to ban slavery may actually go to Vermont. 1875—Congress enacts the first Civil Rights Bill. It granted Blacks the right to equal treatment in inns, on public transportation, in theaters and places of amusement. However, with the end of the progressive Reconstruction period, Jim Crow laws were passed throughout the South which largely ignored the Civil Rights Bill. African-Americans did not regain most of the rights granted in 1875 until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. 1927—Entertainer and political activist Harry Belafonte is born Harold George Belafonte on this day in Harlem, N.Y., to Jamaican immigrant parents. Belafonte developed an early flair for entertainment and in the post-World War II period, he became one of the most popular vocalists in America and made Calypso popular throughout the nation. In 1959, he became the first African American to win an Emmy. However, from the 1960s forward he mixed his entertainment career with active participation in the Civil Rights Movement and other social causes. He has been a frequent critic of Republican conservatism and conservative Blacks. In 2002, he was accused of labeling Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice “house niggers” for their support of President Bush’s right wing domestic and foreign policies. 1967—On this day in Black history, the U.S. House of Representatives expelled flamboyant and outspoken Black New York Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. from Congress for allegedly misappropriating funds. However, in June 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the expulsion unconstitutional and Powell returned to Congress, but without his seniority. He lost his seat to current Representative Charles Rangel in 1970 and Powell died on April 4, 1972. During his most powerful years in Congress, Powell headed the House Labor and Education Committee and used his powers to help pass a wide range of civil rights and progressive social legislation.
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Small Black businesses are shining thanks to ‘The Colab’ at Monroeville Mall
MELVIN CLARK AND SUSAN DELANEY PURCHASE ITEMS FROM “THE COLAB” IN MONROEVILLE MALL, FEB. 19 (PHOTOS BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Small Black businesses have been getting quite the financial boost lately thanks to a “collaboration” happening at Monroeville Mall. It’s called “The Colab,” a space on the second floor of the mall that, on any given day, could house as many as 20 Black-owned businesses. Mall-goers have been spotted walking in and purchasing everything from custom-made shoes, to shirts, to African-based products, to food. One of those mall-goers was Susan Delaney, a Gateway School Board member and member of the Monroeville Rotary Club. “The idea and the concept is very futuristic,” she told the Courier, Feb. 19, “and it
gives an opportunity for a lot of people who want to start a business but can’t afford a storefront.” Pittsburgh Black entrepreneurs Alyse Fowlks, 22, and Donald Davis, 30, are the co-owners of “The Colab,” and they told the Courier collectively their excitement has been off the charts with the hoopla surrounding the venture. “I’m ecstatic when I see people buying stuff,” Davis, a 2010 Allderdice High School graduate, said. “When I see people buying stuff, it gives me the satisfaction that I’m serving my purpose, and I know that they’re (the business owners) actually going somewhere with their dreams.” One of those Black business owners is Tiffany Hicks, owner of Kera Kouture. “It’s letting me showcase my products on a dai-
ly basis, and actually get to see how my sales are, how good I’m selling,” she told the Courier. Some of her offerings include crochet pieces, hidden mask sets, and bracelets. Marlis Garrison is the co-owner of KWL Empire, which had its KWL Apparel “Succeed” brand showcased on Feb. 19 for all to see. The “Succeed” brand features shirts that say, “I can, I shall, I will SUCCEED.” She and her husband, Brent, also provide personal finance classes to individuals. “Scoop TV” was part of “The Colab” as well on Feb. 19. The owner, Scoop, said he followed his passion of designing and selling clothes, along with photography and videography. He designed his logo while a student at Slippery Rock University.
DONALD DAVIS, 30, CO-OWNER OF “THE COLAB” McKeesport’s own De-on Webb, 24, is owner of Mutiny Worldwide, a clothing brand inside “The Colab.” He told the Courier that being a business owner can sometimes be “overwhelming,” but that he’s “proud of
himself.” On Feb. 19, Lasha Price of Duquesne bought a Mutiny Worldwide mask from Webb. Fowlks, who graduated from Pittsburgh Sci-Tech in 2017, said her greatest excitement from being
co-owner of “The Colab” was showing her “siblings and people younger than me how you should reach for your goals and work hard. I want to set a good example for them.”
ALYSE FOWLKS, 22, CO-OWNER OF “THE COLAB”
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DE-ON WEBB, OWNER OF MUTINY WORLDWIDE, WITH LASHA PRICE
KWL EMPIRE—MARLIS GARRISON, MICHAYLA GRAVES
SCOOP, OF “SCOOP TV” TIFFANY HICKS, OWNER OF “KERA KOUTURE”
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Dontae Comans, Wilkinsburg’s new leader
DONTAE COMANS walks with his daughter, Bellamy, in Wilkinsburg, two weeks before Election Day 2021. (Photo by Kaycee Orwig/PublicSource)
COMANS FROM A1
in the district are learning Spanish this school year, which helps them get into future magnet school programs that the Pittsburgh Public Schools district offers at schools like CAPA and Sci-Tech. Most of Wilkinsburg’s sevenththrough twelfth-graders attend Westinghouse Academy, in Homewood, a PPS school. “We’re setting them (Wilkinsburg students) up to be the best they can be,” Comans said. For Comans, Wilkinsburg’s school system is how he officially became a part of public service. Following his wife Ashley’s stint as a Wilkinsburg School Board director (the borough refers to each board member as a director), Comans felt that it was his time. “If we were going to have kids and they’re going to go to school in Wilkinsburg,” Comans told the Courier, “it’s always best to have some type of representation that cares.” Their daughter, Bellamy, 2, will be attending preschool next year. But why stop there, Co-
mans thought. After Marita Garrett announced she would not seek another four-year term as Wilkinsburg mayor, Comans jumped at the opportunity. He won the Democratic Primary Election in May 2021, and therefore coasted to the win in the November 2021 General Election. “My main objective is to unify our three wards and become one Wilkinsburg,” Comans told the Courier. Also, “Get our civic engagement up, triple the voter turnout,” he said. “We have to get more people registered, let them know that we work for them. They voted me in so I have to represent the people that voted as well as the people that didn’t vote, the ones that feel like it doesn’t matter...stressing to them that it does matter; what they don’t like, they can fix it. It takes all of us, a whole community, to come together to do that.” Wilkinsburg today has a population of roughly 14,300, with 56 percent identifying as Black. Comans has been a resident since 2012. Comans grew up in the Lincoln area of
Pittsburgh, not even 10 minutes from Wilkinsburg. He graduated from Schenley High School in 2003, and attended Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. Comans describes Wilkinsburg as a “growing community, we’re very diverse, we have two Jamaican restaurants, five grocery stores...we care about each other,” he said. “Give us a try, come hang with us for a day to see the beauty (of Wilkinsburg). The reality is, you can find a beautiful home in Wilkinsburg that you might not be able to afford in the city (Pittsburgh). We have beautiful property, no matter what they say about the taxes.” Comans added: “If you have a complaint in the city (Pittsburgh), it’s a lot harder to get things done than you can in (Wilkinsburg) where you can actually (be at the door of your council member) and they’ll listen. That’s what I’m trying to bring forward and get our council on board, just to be more out there in the community and just listen; because we work for the people. We’re not their boss.”
DONTAE COMANS with his daughter, Bellamy, in Wilkinsburg.
Addressing silence: Pittsburgh NAACP working on ‘growing, expanding’ to its fullest potential NAACP FROM A1
stances against Black-onBlack violence, as well as helping to stop the community spread of COVID-19. At the time of that June 12, 2020, news conference, Richard A. Stewart Jr. was the president of the Pittsburgh NAACP. He no longer is the president, as Johnnie Miott now holds the position. Miott released a statement on Aug. 22, 2021, further addressing concerns that the NAACP wasn’t in operation in Pittsburgh, obtained by the Courier: “The Pittsburgh local branch of the NAACP is up and running. As many know, we are a volunteer organization and our volunteers are working the office, responding to the needs of the community. The Executive Committee and volunteers have been financially supporting the Pittsburgh office throughout the pandemic. Unfortunately, the past two years
has had a toll on the branch due to past leadership. We continue working with the State Conference and National Office to further the mission of the NAACP. This transition in leadership has afforded the Pittsburgh Branch to continue moving forward in providing equity and justice throughout the City of Pittsburgh. It is sad to say, there are those who would attempt to disparage the great mission of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the NAACP, which is one of the oldest and strongest units in the state of PA. However, through these adverse times we are still standing. The past 17 months have been challenging for us all.” Kendrick said some of the problem stems from young people’s lack of interest in joining the NAACP. But Kendrick told the Courier that when young people address problems that they believe are only “young people’s problems,” they don’t understand that “the is-
sues are bigger than young people.” Kendrick said the issues are issues that longtime members of the NAACP — and even older members of the Black community — have seen before. “I’ve challenged the NAACP, the churches, sororities, fraternities,” Kendrick told the Courier. “In my estimation, none of us are doing things to the extent of what we should be doing.” On Tuesday, Feb. 22, the Pittsburgh NAACP provided the Courier with an updated statement, which read in part: “Just like most businesses around the world, we too have suffered at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to close our physical location for access to the public. While we still maintain our address at 2203 Wylie Ave, our hours for physical access are limited while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. As COVID-19 improves, we
will start to make the office available for the public.” The statement provided to the Courier also said that the NAACP has assisted the Pittsburgh Black community in recent months by providing COVID-19 updates, COVID vaccine locations, voter registration, assisting the community with labor issues and providing health care information. “In closing,” the statement read, “we find it a privilege to serve the City of Pittsburgh and are looking forward to growing and expanding the Pittsburgh unit to its fullest potential.” In addition to Miott as president, Rev. Regina Ragin Dykes serves as first vice-president, Tene Croom is second vice-president, Billy Joe Jordan is third vice-president, Gwendolyn Young is secretary, and Sherdina Harper and Daylon Davis are interim assistant secretary and interim treasurer, respectively.
JOHNNIE L. MIOTT has been the Pittsburgh Branch NAACP president for nine months.
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THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD ‘Emerald City’— a new Black-owned co-working space in Downtown Pittsburgh
A SNEAK PEEK INSIDE EMERALD CITY PGH, 213 SMITHFIELD STREET, DOWNTOWN
by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier
Do the words, “Emerald City,” evoke an image of Diana Ross as Dorothy skipping down the yellow brick road along with her three friends, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion, each hoping for a meeting with The Wiz, to get their requests granted? Well, you can prepare to shake that image because in Pittsburgh over the next few months there will be an entirely new frame of reference when you think the term “Emerald City.” This Black-owned co-working space at 213 Smithfield Street, Downtown, is housed in a three-story building that was the previous site of another co-working space which was not minority-owned. And it is just the first part of a seven-tiered project designed to put a new face of what it looks like to show Black businesses operating optimally. Co-owners of the new space, Samatha Black, and Khamil Bailey, have a monumental vision for changing the landscape for Black entreprenuership in Pittsburgh. That vision began with establishing “Greenwood Week.” That week was designed to be a learning space where Black business owners and those looking to become busi-
ness owners gathered and attended workshops and covered a multitude of topics necessary to start a business, keep a business running successfully and how to connect with resources. Black and Bailey see the establishment of “Emerald City” as part of effort to bring that goal to fruition. “We are certain Downtown is poised to be activated with an infusion of funds and corporate businesses,” Black said, “and unless we get ahead of the curve, Blacks are going to be left out of the ability to be a part of these opportunities. We hope this site will open the door for more possibilities. We believe the time is now to do what you are going to do in Downtown, if you are going to do it; things like purchase a building, rent space, grow your business, take advantage of the walk-by traffic—the time is now.” The location on Smithfield Street is 12,000 sq feet of space just on the second floor alone. Membership options are various and include mail memberships, allowing individuals/organizations to use 213 Smithfield St. as a mailing address. This is important for businesses that need a city address to take advantage of funding opportunities. There is a social membership which allows a business or indi-
SAMANTHA BLACK AND KHAMIL BAILEY, CO-OWNERS OF EMERALD CITY PGH vidual to have 24-hour-aday access to conference rooms and to the boardroom once a month. The social membership also allows access to happy hours, poetry events, yoga sessions and other social functions that are periodically held at the building. Lastly, there is the “in between” membership for people who do not need the social mem-
bership but may not be able to afford actual office space. They can get a “desk area,” with a file cabinet—you can work, leave your monitor, and lock your things up in cabinet—it isn’t an office but does allow you a space to work. The large, open-air reception area has a classic look, a mix between 1930s decor with private phone booth-like closets,
and a modern reception desk equipped with a computer and a bank of phones. It is appointed with lounge chairs and a sofa on one end, a medium-sized conference-style table with electrical outlets on the other end. There’s art on the walls (which can be purchased) all surrounded in heavy drapes at each window, setting an atmosphere for a quiet, reflective moment, or work. If you happen to tire of working at home at the same time, the area is large enough to hold events for upwards of 200 people. Black, one of the co-owners, shared that the ultimate goal of the space is to contain seven elements of African American enterprise, which will be in the form of a daycare center for a fully populated co-working space, a five-star restaurant, a cafe hall/ food space, performance space, and an event space—things currently in short supply in Black communities, she said. Black and Bailey happened to be in the right place at the right time, engaging a conversation about the vision they
had to expand on their programming for African American entrepreneurs, and the owner of the 213 Smithfield Street building was around close enough to hear their conversation—and it was a plan he could buy into and thus the discussions around the use of the space began. Include the partnerships they’ve already secured to help facilitate the continued education to build upon the work they’ve already done (with Dollar Bank, Bridgeway Capital, etc.), along with the conversations they’ve been having with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and local universities about the possibilities of students receiving internships to support Black businesses, and Emerald City seems poised to propel Black entrepreneurship in Pittsburgh to new heights.
(Editor’s note: For information on how to become a member or to discuss your business needs see, visit emeraldcitypgh.com or call 412-652-9364.)
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RICK CALLENDER, PRESIDENT OF CALIFORNIA’S NAACP AND TESLA CEO ELON MUSK.
by Tanu Henry California Black Media
NAACP California-Hawaii Conference President Rick Callender says he supports the decision of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) to slap automaker Tesla Motors with a discrimination lawsuit. The complaint accuses the company of “systemic racial discrimination and harassment.” Callender says “racism
is rampant” at the electric vehicle manufacturer’s plant in Fremont, an East Bay city located about 44 miles east of San Francisco. “We demand a racist free workplace. Business & Gov. orgs should know racist behavior is not tolerated in CA. Who thinks they should own a @Tesla now?” tweeted Callender after DFEH filed the lawsuit Feb. 9. “Segregation at the Fremont factory, along with the absence of Black and/
ROBERT “BOB” LEE Robert “Bob” Lee, age 89, peacefully passed on February 18, 2022. He was born May 4, 1932 in Amherst, VA and moved to Pittsburgh after an honorable discharge from the US Army where he was trained as a paratrooper and played on the regiment’s baseball team. He had many hobbies: golfing, hunting, gardening and singing. Bob earned his living as a welder and was one of the first African Americans to join the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Union Local 154 in Pittsburgh. Bob is survived by his loving wife Betty; 3 children, Donna Lee, Dana Lee, and Robert Lee; 2 grandchildren Maleeka Lee-Perkins and Naseem Lee-Perkins; a sister Martha Blair; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Payton and Alease Sandidge Lee, his brother Payton Edward Lee, and his sister Lucille Lee Rose. The family will welcome friends at 10AM for one hour preceding the Funeral at Baptist Temple Church 7241 Race St Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Funeral services will begin at 11AM Thursday, February 24, 2022 at Baptist Temple Church 7241 Race St Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Internment will be held at the Lee Family Cemetery in Amherst, VA at a later date. Arrangements by House of Law, Inc. 9406 Frankstown Road Penn Hills, PA 15235. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Baptist Temple Church Scholarship Fund as an expression of sympathy.
or African Americans in leadership roles, has left many complaints of rampant racism unchecked for years,” says the lawsuit filed with the Superior Court of California in Alameda County. “As early as 2012, Black and/or African American Tesla workers have complained that Tesla production leads, supervisors, and managers constantly use the N-word and other racial slurs to refer to Black workers,” the complaint continues. “They have complained that swastikas, ‘KKK,’ the N-word, and other racist writing are etched onto walls of restrooms, restroom stalls, lunch tables, and even factory machinery. They have complained that Black and/or African American workers are assigned to more physically demanding posts and the lowest-level contract roles, paid less, and more often terminated from employment than other workers.” The Rev. Amos Brown, co-chair of the African American Empowerment Council, vice-chair of California’s Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans and Pastor of Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, also condemned Tesla. “The struggle continues. Racism is not dead. This is just another virus that is rearing its ugly head,” he said. “It is time this nation and corporations admit, atone, and act to end racism so that there will be equality of oppor-
tunity for African Americans.” More than 15,000 people work at the Fremont plant, according to the DFEH lawsuit. Black people make up about 20% of workers on the assembly lines and about 3% of corporate employees. There are no Black executives at the company. The lawsuit also alleges that, in the past, there have been few opportunities for advancement for Black employees, and they are disciplined more and more harshly for violations than other races. “As the former director of Rainbow Push Coalition’s Automotive Project, I know how imperative it is that we continue to call out discrimination in any form. I’m not surprised because this is indicative of their culture. Tesla doesn’t support communities of colors in the way in which it does business,” said Glenda Gill, a member of the Black Women’s Collective strategy committee. “Recently, I attended an automotive industry event and Tesla won three top ethnic markets awards. They didn’t show up or acknowledge the recognition. That says a lot about their culture and people in leadership.” Kevin Kish, director of DFEH, says the agency has received hundreds of complaints from Tesla employees. “The facts of this case speak for themselves. DFEH will continue to take steps to keep workplaces free of harassment and racism,” he said.
Tesla responded to the DFEH lawsuit in a blog post, calling the legal action “misguided” and stating that the claims date back to a period between 2015 and 2019. “The DFEH has decided to sue Tesla instead of constructively working with us. This is both unfair and counterproductive, especially because the allegations focus on events from years ago,” Tesla’s response reads. “Tesla strongly opposes all forms of discrimination and harassment and has a dedicated Employee Relations team that responds to and investigates all complaints,” the post continues. Yet, in 2020, DFEH says it received 31 Tesla employee complaints citing discrimination based on race, gender and other factors. Last year, a San Francisco jury ordered the company to pay a Black employee, Owen Diaz, $137 million. Diaz, who was an elevator operator, says he was traumatized because he suffered racial abuse while working for the automaker. “They would call me boy or ‘n-word push the button on the elevator,’” Diaz told KTVU in Oakland. “And when I was complaining to Tesla’s upper management and letting them know what was going on, it’s like I became public enemy number one.” Diaz said the verdict in his case was a message to Tesla CEO Elon Musk: “Clean your factory.”
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Steelers’ hiring of Brian Flores can be beneficial to everyone In 2003, the Rooney Rule was put in place for NFL teams to give African Americans a fair opportunity to interview and get hired for jobs for coaching and the front office. Twenty years later, the family of the ownership that implemented the rule is the only team in the NFL practicing what they preach. In the 2022 NFL head
of the best Black player personnel people in the league in Omar Khan and Brandon Hunt who are the two leading in-house candidates to replace the soon-to-be departing Kevin Colbert. Flores, 40, is currently in a lawsuit with the NFL and the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Dolphins for racial discrimination during the
Commentary
Brandon Walker coaching cycle, there were nine head coaching vacancies but only two of those were filled by African Americans. Lovie Smith was named the head coach of the Houston Texans and Mike McDaniel was named the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. It should be noted that the Texans’ main target was former NFL quarterback Josh McCown who never coached at either the collegiate or professional level. Brian Flores, the former head coach of the Dolphins, was recently hired as the senior defensive assistant/ linebackers coach for the Steelers, who now have 10 Black coaches on their staff including head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. The Steelers employ two
hiring process and his firing in Miami. The Steelers’ hiring of Flores is a home run for both the Steelers and Flores because he is one of the best defensive minds in football. He was the primary defensive play-caller for the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl 53 championship team that held Sean McVay’s innovative high-flying Rams offense to only three points in the game. Flores improved the defense from dead last in scoring defense in his first year in 2019 at almost 31 points per game to 20th in 2020 at 21 points per game and to 16th last season at almost 22 points per game. The Dolphins posted backto-back winning seasons for the first time in two decades under Flores, but
they failed to qualify for the postseason in his three seasons as the head coach. Furthermore, his coaching record against Bill Belichick is 4-2. This is paramount for Tomlin, who is 3-6 against Belichick. It’s a win for Flores because he gets to coach reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt as well as a rising Alex Highsmith who is developing into a bookend pass rusher opposite Watt. His main project is to help turn around 2019 first-round draft pick Devin Bush, who was a major disappointment in the 2021 season coming off his ACL tear the previous season. He will also have Robert Spillane, Buddy Johnson, Taco Charlton, and Derrick Tuszka at his disposal. If the Steelers can get back to the top 10 in the NFL in total defense like they were the previous two seasons before ranking 24th last season, then Flores can be right back at the top of the list for head coaching candidates for the 2023 season. One thing that Flores can also bring to the table is a different set of eyes for the defense. He was great at in-game adjustments in his time in New England and Miami. The Steelers often had difficulty closing out games on defense in 2021. Furthermore, the Steelers let opponents get back into games that they had in hand as well as letting close games get away from them because they were too slow in making adjustments on defense, waiting for Watt or Cameron Heyward to bail them
out. Flores will represent a needed shift for a defense that lacks discipline when it comes to coverage assignments and gap discipline. Flores will bring
accountability to a defense that seems to be lacking at times last season. The Steelers put their necks on the line with the Flores hire but if their de-
fense can get back to their 2019-2020 form, then it will be worth it for everyone involved.
Oftentimes, Black coaches with less-than-average performances are forced to switch professions Newsflash—Hear ye, hear ye, the rebellious ex-Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores was recently hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach despite his so-called “allegations” of racially insensitive hiring practices when it comes to the NFL. Brooke Pryor of espn.com recently wrote: “(Brian Flores) will not be a head coach for the 2022 season. It was a risk he acknowledged when he filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams, including the Dolphins, alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices and in his firing.” Alleged? There are five coaches of color out of 32 NFL franchises; don’t ignore the obvious. First and foremost, why would it be potential penalty and a risk for Brian Flores to honestly state the obvious; that the National Football League punishes its employees for being honest? Could this be part of the Colin Kaepernick syndrome? All Kaepernick did was to help expose the ineffective and biased hiring practices that have been in place since the NFL was founded in 1920. The year of 2022 will “celebrate” the 102nd year of prejudicial hiring methods employed by the National Football League, on and
off the field, both administratively and athletically. Even when Black coaches are hired from within NFL franchises from the head coach down to entry-level coaching positions, the expectations are always higher. As far as the Steelers and the Rooney family are concerned, the apple has never fallen too far from the tree. Why? Well, because the Rooneys and the Pittsburgh Steelers have, at the very least, historically put forth far more than minimal and superficial attempts to create racial equipoise in regards to hiring people of color are concerned. Sometimes the Steelers have been forced to paddle upstream against the unforgiving current of outdated traditions in order to create an example and set a precedent for other NFL franchises to emulate decades before the Rooney Rule was even conceived. Whether the Steelers were wallowing in the mud of defeat or glowing standing on the Super Bowl pedestal of victory; they have for the most part did it: “their way.” After the great Tony Dungy retired as an active player in the NFL he coached briefly at the college level. Later on the late Steelers head coach Chuck Noll hired Dungy as an assistant coach with
the Steelers, making him, at 25, the youngest assistant coach in NFL history. In 1984, the Steelers promoted him to be at the time, the league’s youngest defensive coordinator. Dungy eventually became another piece of fruit produced from a “tree” that
make an error by proposing and getting the Rooney Rule ratified. The mistake, if any made by Mr. Rooney, was to trust his fellow owners to do the right thing and operate under the “honor system.” When it comes to the battle against overt racism,
Inside Conditions
Aubrey Bruce was planted decades before in the Steelers’ “orchard of excellence.” From employing the greatest Black scout in NFL history (NFL Hallof-Famer Bill Nunn), to at one point in time signing more HBCU players than any other NFL franchise, the Pittsburgh Steelers operated by the mantra of “chatter don’t matter, it’s actions that flatters.” Critics of the Rooney Rule complain that the mandate had little or no effect on the hiring of minority head coaches and is largely “superficial and ceremonial.” Mr. Dan Rooney did not
the Rooney family is not and has not been the type of generals that fight the battle far from the foxholes of the front lines, lounging in a cushy tent drinking mint juleps. They have led and continue to lead their troops into battle, swords drawn facing the foe of racism and prejudice head on for the good of their team and for the good of professional football and the world at-large. If you require more evidence, you need to look no further than the first Black president of the United States, Barack Obama. Tim Benz of triblive.com
recently wrote about the hiring of Brian Flores in one of his recent columns titled: “3 goals the Steelers can meet by hiring Brian Flores.” Mr. Benz wrote the following. “The Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to hire former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as a senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach attempts to address three things. Two of them appear to be about battles of perception. The other is about the battle to get the opposing team off the field without racking up an insane amount of rushing yards and points. That’s a battle the Steelers lost all too frequently in 2021, especially in the second half of the season.” Perceptions...how often have we heard that? Perceptions don’t have to be based on facts or reality. The lens through which we view or perceive anything does not have to be validated with facts. The only perceptions that Black athletes, coaches as well as the Black and brown population-at-large should be concerned about are removing unjust expectations of them based on unrealistic and unfounded “perceptions” regarding the past, present or future of their job performance. The following is actually based on decades of conversations between Black
families. For decades Black men, women and children have been warned and instructed that we have to work five times harder as any of our White counterparts or colleagues in order to just attain semi-equality in the workplace. However, the way that our current economic and political system is set up, the probability of equality for people of color in almost any profession doesn’t appear to be forthcoming—well, at least not in my lifetime. Two of the most recent vacated upper-level coaching positions that were filled by the Steelers were hires from within the organization. They were abject failures. The first was former defensive coordinator Keith Butler and the second was offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. Both men were effective in previous roles with the team but appeared to be totally outmatched and outwitted after they were promoted to positions as coordinators. Sometimes the buddy, buddy system can be counter-productive when orders have to be given and carried out. Oftentimes Caucasians with bad job performance just switch teams. Black coaches with average or less-than-average performances often are forced to switch professions.
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Black unemployment lowest since pandemic began by Erick Johnson For New Pittsburgh Courier
(Chicago Crusader)— The national unemployment rate for Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Whites dropped to its lowest since the pandemic began in
2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The latest figures show the national unemployment for Black Americans dropped to 6.9 percent in January. That figure is the lowest since January 2020, when the unemployment
rate for Blacks over 16 was 6.3 percent. Last November, Black unemployment was even lower than last month at 6.5 percent. The Black unemployment rate has been dropping during the pandemic as hiring increases and busi-
nesses return to normal operations. Overall, the national unemployment rate for Whites, Latinos and Asians also dropped to near pre-pandemic levels. Last month, about 4.9 percent of Latinos were out
of work and 3.6 percent of the nation’s Asian workers did not have a job, Labor statistics show. The unemployment rate for White Americans last month was 3.4 percent. President Joe Biden praised the low numbers,
especially the unemployment rate for Blacks, who have historically lagged behind other ethnic groups in the job market. Though February’s unemployment numbers for SEE UNEMPLOYMENT B2
Burned out from lingering pandemic, some on front lines find faith an antidote by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier
(NNPA)—When the Omicron variant started emerging around the country, Registered Nurse Currine Smith flashed back to the despair she felt at the beginning of the pandemic. Now entering the third year of COVID, she describes feeling a sense of dread and anxiety when walking into work. “The scene is quite grim,” she said of the Level I trauma hospital where she works in Delaware. “People feel like the light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t exist anymore.” Many medical workers like her are exhausted from working through the pandemic. With variants straining short-staffed facilities across the country, some on the front lines are experiencing added physical, mental and emotional stress. “I’m feeling burnout,” said Smith, who saw her medical floor skyrocket with COVID cases amid the current surge. “The stress and anxiety I feel wears down on me mentally, emotionally and physically.” What pulled her out of despair in the early phases of the pandemic continues to keep her afloat. She credits her faith as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses for helping her and other health care workers in her religious community endure the ongoing toll of the pandemic. “Remembering how my faith and relationship with God has sustained me thus far helps me to continue,” Smith said. She also prays regularly and leans on fellow believers for support. “I pray for you every single day,” said one friend. Without hesitation, her family of faith mobilized with phone calls and texts, and even delivered food to her doorstep to help her get through the crises and not give up. Smith gets a weekly dose of that encouragement and support at her congregation meetings, held on a virtual platform since the pandemic started. “Virtual association with those who love and support me helps me to cope and remain joyful through these challenges,” she explained. American psychological and psychiatric asSEE PANDEMIC B2
TENISHA TATE-AUSTIN AND PAUL AUSTIN filed a fair housing discrimination lawsuit against Janette Miller and her company, Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers, Inc., and AMC Links, LLC.
DOJ intervenes in Black couple’s home appraisal lawsuit by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier
(NNPA)—On Monday, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division filed a statement of interest in a private discrimination lawsuit where the homeowners allegedly received an appraisal for nearly $500,000 less than the actual value because they are Black. In 2020, Tenisha Tate-Austin and Paul Austin, a Black couple in San Francisco, sought to refinance their home mortgage. Janette Miller, a licensed appraiser, named as defendant in the lawsuit, appraised the couple’s home at $995,000. However, a few weeks later, another appraiser set the home’s value at $1,482,500. They received the second and more significant appraisal after getting a Caucasian friend to pose as Tate-Austin. The couple said Miller used coded phrases like “Marin City is a distinct area” when she valued the property. They said those comments were related to their race and
complained to their mortgage lender. For the second appraisal, they hid photos and artwork with distinguishing African American characteristics and replaced them with those belonging to their White friend. “We had a conversation with one of our White friends, and she said, ‘No problem. I’ll be Tenisha,” Tate-Austin told reporters last month. “I’ll bring over some pictures of my family.’ She made our home look like it belonged to her.” The couple filed a fair housing discrimination lawsuit against Miller and her company, Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers, Inc., and AMC Links, LLC. Miller and her company have filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming that the couple failed to state a claim upon which a court could grant relief. “The United States respectfully submits [our] statement to provide an overview of the FHA and to address two questions of law raised in the defendants’ motion,” the DOJ said in a statement.
“The defendants assert that the FHA does not apply to residential appraisers. The statute’s text and case law make clear that it does. Second, the defendants lay out the elements of a prima facie case and argue that the plaintiffs have failed to allege these elements,” the DOJ stated. “But the plaintiffs need not allege facts that make out a prima facie case at this stage. The act simply requires that the plaintiffs allege a plausible entitlement to relief as a result of the defendants’ ‘discriminatory housing practices.” Austin said he and Tate-Austin researched the market well and upgraded their home before the first appraisal. “We did our homework,” Austin told the Reparations Task Force in a panel on the racial wealth gap in October. “We believe the White lady wanted to devalue our property because we are in a Black neighborhood, and the home belonged to a Black family.” (Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent)
What should we do with our deceased mom’s house? Both parents are deceased. Mom was the last to die. The Will leaves everything to me and my two sisters equally. The biggest asset left is the house. The middle sister has her own home. The younger sister lives out of town. The oldest sister wants to move into the house rent free. The sisters are ok with her moving into the house. They want the sister to pay them their respective share of the house. She doesn’t want to buy the sisters out. She says she can’t afford to pay rent or buy them out. Middle sister wants to know: How should she and their younger sister proceed? ~Facebook Question Damon says: Estate Planning is something most people neglect to plan for. Less than 46 percent of Americans have a Will. No one wants to talk about themselves in past tense. The reality is we’re all going to die—hopefully in the distant future. It’s best to speak from the grave by way of Will, Trust and Beneficiary Designation then to allow the state/courts to decide to whom and how to divide your assets. This mother had a Will. She was very explicit in her wishes. She wanted the girls to inherit the property equally. She also communicated to all three that she would like for one of them to stay in the house. She wanted to keep the house in the family. One of the sisters is willing to move into the house. Her doing so honors the mother’s wishes. But she’s reluctant to pay rent or buy the other sisters out. The two sisters are not wrong for wanting their piece of the pie. Sure they have a place to live. However, I’m sure they have financial goals that proceeds from the house
will enable them to fulfill sooner. We make the error in life and in death to assume the child in most need is the one deserving of the most help whereas the child doing good receives very little to no help at all. Should children who are selfsufficient be penalized because the one sister experienced tough luck or maybe dumb luck? If this sister has proven herself to be unstable, who’s to say she can properly upkeep the house. If she doesn’t maintain the house, the property value can go down—thus reducing their projected inheritance. You can’t call it rent when she’s part owner. The payment enforced would be her making payments to the sisters to buy them out. That’s not the cleanest way to transfer the property to the sister. There’s a good chance the sister who wants to live in the house can refinance the property or even purchase using what is called a gift of equity. This will reduce and may even eliminate her bringing money to the table to transfer title at closing. Proceeds from the mortgage will be used to pay off the other sisters. A new deed is drafted making the sister who lives in the home the sole owner. If she truly can’t afford to rent or buy you and your sister out, you may need to sell the property. Sounds like she too can use the cash. Prior to that happening, the property will have to go through probate first to legitimize the transfer from mother to
three daughters. ****** Can student loans be forgiven if you refinanced your student loans into a mortgage? ~ Facebook Question Damon says: The answer is a RESOUNDING NO!!!! To qualify for the Public Loan Forgiveness and or Income Driven Repayment Plan, you must have a qualifying federal student loan. Other types of debt—including private student loans, personal loans, credit cards and mortgages—don’t qualify. That’s because the federal government only has the power to forgive federal student loans. ****** My 401(k) balance isn’t growing as fast as I’d like it to. Can you explain why? ~ Facebook Question Damon says: I don’t know the details of your 401(k) but I’ll give you four possible reasons why it’s not growing as fast as you thought it would. Not saving enough: Saving something beats not saving anything. However your saving rate—the percentage of your income that you’re saving has a bigger impact on your overall saving and investment balance than the rate of return that your earning on your savings
and investments. How much are you saving per month? Are you able to increase it. Start with what you can realistically afford, then work your way up to saving enough to get your company’s matching contribution. Then work towards saving and investing more. Asset Allocation: Asset Allocation defines how your investments are distributed amongst Stocks, Bonds, Real Estate, Cash, Cryptocurrency etc. The way your money is allocated amongst the various asset classes accounts for 90 percent of your rate of return. It’s also the main driver that determines the risk level of your investment portfolio. Time in the market: We hear so much about Professional and Common Investors attempting to “time” the market. Buy when things are low. Sell when things are high. Both Professional and Common investors get “timing” the market WRONG most of the time. That being said, “time in” not “timing” the market is your biggest ally when it comes to investing. You need time to allow your money to grow. Fees: This might surprise you. Investment Companies and Investment Professionals charge fees to assist you in choosing the right investments. Some charge more than others. Fees cut into your return on investment. If your investment earns 10 percent in a given year and your expense ratio was 3 percent, you made out with a 7 percent return on your investment. Problem is the 3 percent fee you paid was TOO HIGH. If your expense ratio is north of 1 percent, you’re paying too much. An expense ratio lower than 1 percent means more of SEE MOM’S HOUSE B2
BUSINESS
B2 FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2022
SBA, Black Chambers back President Biden’s push for federal contracting with Minority businesses by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier
(NNPA)—When President Joe Biden directed federal agencies to increase contracting spending with small, disadvantaged businesses by 50 percent
RON BUSBY U.S. BLACK CHAMBERS INC. over the next five years, Bibi Hidalgo, the associate administrator of Small Business Administration’s Office of Government Contracting and Business Development, pledged that her office would take steps to ensure that agencies make the President’s contracting goals a reality. In an interview with National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President & CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., Hidalgo noted that current pending legislation would immediately establish 15 percent of federal contracting dollars to small, disadvantaged businesses. In December, after the Biden administration announced reforms to the federal procurement process that increased the share of small and disadvantaged businesses in the federal contracting base, U.S. Black Chambers Inc. (USBC) President Ron Busby offered resounding applause. He said the USBC had long called for the change and had worked with the White House to ensure that new policies would open more significant opportunities for Black business owners to contract with the federal government. “Black-owned small businesses only receive 1.67 percent of all federal contracts,” Busby told Dr. Chavis. “White-owned small businesses received 15.64 percent, and that underscores the need for additional support for Black-owned small businesses to obtain access to federal contracting opportunities so that they could remain competitive,” Busby remarked. Busby joined Hidalgo at the NNPA studios in Washington, D.C., for the interview with Dr. Chavis, which PBS-TV plans to air later during a segment of The Chavis Chronicles. “We’re in a time in our nation where we’ve seen over the last two years
that, when we realize government procurement and purchasing is not just a technical issue or a policy issue,” Hidalgo stated. “It has everything to do with building wealth in this country. We [the government] are the biggest purchaser in the United States and the world. We purchase $560 billion every single year.” After the murder of George Floyd, Hidalgo said the country realized “that what we are doing to empower Black communities across this nation comes back to Black businesses.” “The President and his cabinet realized that this is beyond just us purchasing at the government-level, but how we invest and build wealth. That’s what contracting does. It builds wealth,” Hidalgo asserted. Busby noted the challenges faced by Blackowned businesses even before Covid and lousy policy. “The Paycheck Protection Program didn’t include our businesses,” Busby determined. “We have 2.6 million Black firms, and 2.5 million of them had no employees, so you had a program set up to save employees, not employers. For African Americans, it didn’t relate to us, and that’s why it’s so important to have people of color sit in the room when policies are being discussed,” Busy concluded. Because of the President’s initiatives, both Hidalgo and Busby said they see a brighter future for small, disadvantaged businesses. “We realize that there needs to be a dispersal across the country, not just in certain geographic areas,” Hidalgo stated. “We still have a great deal of challenges as it relates to contracting, so we have to continue to challenge this administration and contracting agencies to be intentional.” Added Busby, “It’s one thing to say minority programs. It’s different from a Black business program or a Hispanic business program. They’ve been painted under a broad brush of minority programs for too long, and it has not moved our businesses forward. Disparities are the same as they were in the 1950s.” “When the President made his announcement, it was the first time that we saw what the government was spending on Black firms—1.76 percent, which is less than $10 billion of this country’s contracts,” Busby continued. “Now, it’s on us to say how we can double, triple, quadruple, that. It starts with being intentional.” (Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent)
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Teresa Hodge appointed chair of Aventiv Technologies advisory board Aventiv Technologies, the leading technology company empowering rehabilitative justice by pioneering the development and deployment of educational platforms as a rehabilitation tool for the incarcerated, recently announced the launch of its corporate advisory board to help fulfill its multi-year commitments to transformation. The board is comprised of 11 leaders representing a cross-section of constituencies and communities. Ms. Teresa Hodge, a formerly incarcerated business executive and reentry advocate, will serve as board chair. Ms. Hodge is the founder, President and CEO of Mission: Launch, a nonprofit that works with financial institutions to help the formerly incarcerated secure start-up capital for businesses. Forbes Magazine named Ms. Hodge to its first-ever 2021 50 Over 50 list of women business executives and activists. In addition to Ms. Hodge, members of the advisory board include a former President of the National Bar Association, the CEO of a leading Hispanic American nonprofit organization, former executives from GE and IBM, former U.S. Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Labor senior officials, community activists, and public policy experts. “I have committed myself to reduce the harm prison causes to individuals and
TERESA HODGE their families, especially children,” said Ms. Hodge. The fact is our prison system makes reentry incredibly difficult. I am pleased to play an impactful role in helping Aventiv use its place inside facilities to improve outcomes for justice-involved families and cement the foundation for systemic change. Once part of the problem, Aventiv is now part of the solution.” Advisory Board members will work in tandem with C-Level Aventiv executives who share similar expertise and responsibilities to drive actionable business engagements and ensure the company is best serving the needs of its consumers and customers. Board members will also collaborate with individuals in correctional facilities, their loved ones, community leaders, government agencies, reform advocates, and others on ensuring that
Aventiv is fully utilizing its connectivity for those who need it most. The advisory board will report to Aventiv CEO Dave Abel and work cross-functionally with other members of the company’s management team on its sweeping transformation into a modern technology business providing education, reentry and rehabilitation services in addition to communications. “When I became CEO two years ago, I committed to forever changing this company by transforming how it does business and by putting the incarcerated people we serve at the heart of every product and decision we make. We have undertaken an ambitious transformation to make investments work for all the people whose lives are affected by the criminal justice system,” Mr. Abel said. “These changes were long overdue. Now we’re investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a broader suite of technology products and services that support communications and education, reentry, and rehabilitation. We are very fortunate to have a stellar group of advisors in our boardroom.” “This is a powerful group that is vital to our transformation efforts at Aventiv,” said Mr. Tom Gores, Chairman and CEO of Platinum Equity. “They represent not only a new layer of accountability, but also a critical source of intellectual capital
that will help drive the next generation of pricing, product development, customer and consumer engagement, and regulatory and legislative reform.” Mr. Yusef D. Jackson, a senior advisor to Aventiv, was instrumental in developing the board structure and roster. “The formation and launch of the Advisory Board is a crucial step in Aventiv’s ongoing transformation,” said Jackson. “We’ve made notable progress, but to be most effective, we must be better connected as a Company to the communities we serve and have unfettered access to bold, independent perspectives from people who will help guide us in new ways and hold us accountable to our commitment for change. I am confident this group of thought leaders and advocates will hold a mirror to our actions and role as industry leaders and, most importantly, speak the hard truths necessary to fix a broken system for good. We’re well positioned and ready for the work ahead.” For corporate development and board curation advisory services, Aventiv retained Jarvis Stewart, Chairman and CEO of HP Global Advisors. For a complete list of Aventiv Advisory Board members, visit https://www.aventiv.com/advisory-board/
Black unemployment lowest since pandemic began UNEMPLOYMENT FROM B1
for Blacks were low, they remained twice as high than that of Whites and the national average. January’s numbers are also higher than those in August and September 2019, when just 5.4 percent of Blacks were unemployed. During the height of the pandemic, the unemployment rate for Blacks soared into the double digits. Labor statistics show that the Black unemployment rate between April 2020 to December 2020 went from a 16.6 percent to 10 percent. Many Blacks who lost jobs during the pandemic worked in the retail, manufacturing and hotel industries. As these businesses reopened, many Blacks did not go back and many were not rehired. For Black women, the job market improved as public schools reopened and government relief programs ran out. However, Black women reportedly are still struggling to find jobs.
But President Biden said February’s report is one of the most robust job reports in modern times. History has been made here,” Biden said. “It comes alongside the largest drop in the unemployment rate in a single year on record, the largest reduction in childhood poverty ever recorded in a single year, and the strongest economic growth this country has seen in nearly 40 years,” President Biden said. President Biden acknowledged that many American families are still struggling with inflation as food and gas prices continue to rise sharply during the pandemic amid labor and supply shortages. “Average people are getting clobbered by the cost of everything,” President Biden said. “Gas prices at the pump are up. We’re working to bring them down, but they’re up. Food prices are up. We’re working to bring them down as well.” U.S. Labor Secretary Mar-
ty Walsh said, “In the Department of Labor, we are focused on building an inclusive recovery that lifts up all workers and communities, and that means identifying and addressing persistent inequities as reflected in an increase in Black unemployment in December.” Walsh elaborated saying, “We are investing in equity and diversity in job training programs and career services, strengthening health and safety, wage and anti-discrimination protections for the most vulnerable workers, and making sure the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law creates good jobs for every community. We are devoted to empowering all workers morning, noon, and night.” Prior to President Biden’s comments, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 222-210 to pass the COMPETES Act, which aims to help America keep up with China in the semiconductor chip industry. The legislation seeks to
tackle current economic issues, including chain disruptions and a global shortage of semiconductor chips, essential for producing smartphones, medical equipment, and cars. The bill would introduce several changes to American trade rules to level the playing field for domestic businesses and combat China’s market-distorting trade practices. “Democrats are prepared to build on this extraordinary economic momentum: continuing our work to lower families’ costs, strengthen our supply chains, and make more goods in America,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) declared. “Under the leadership of President Biden and House Democrats, our nation will continue to Build Back Better to create more good-paying jobs and lower costs for families across America,” Pelosi stated.
Burned out from lingering pandemic, some on front lines find faith an antidote PANDEMIC FROM B1
sociations, while not advocating or endorsing any specific religion, acknowledge the role spirituality and religious faith can play in coping with distress and trauma. Lawrence Onoda, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Mission Hills, California, noted some ways spirituality can help, including giving
people “a positive hope and meaning toward life, comfort by looking for answers and strength from a higher power, and a collective shared experience of support and community.” Smith finds joy in passing along to others what has helped her. She joins friends online to write or call people in the community with a message of hope from the
Scriptures. She recently participated in a special worldwide campaign to offer the article, “A Better World is Near,” from jw.org, the official website of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Sharing that message was a constant reminder that the suffering I see in the hospital is only temporary.” Jw.org offers a collection of practical articles like “How
to Beat Pandemic Fatigue” and short comforting videos such as “The Resurrection —Soon a Reality.” It’s a free resource that Smith recommends to everyone. “The information is always timely and the articles about how to handle stress have given me invaluable pointers on coping skills,” she said. “It’s definitely been a source of comfort for me.”
What should we do with our deceased mom’s house? MOM’S HOUSE FROM B1
your money working for you. ****** I have approximately 20-years until I retire. Do you think Social Security will be around then? ~ Janeen
Damon says: I’m also approximately 20-years away from retirement. Yes, I think Social Security will be around when we’re ready to retire. Here’s why: For Social Security to go away completely, the entire economy will have to collapse - meaning not one person on earth has a job and all stocks, bonds
and other asset classes are worth zero because no company exists. That’s not likely to happen EVER! What’s going to happen is 1 of 4 things: • Payroll tax will increase • They will increase the base amount that can be subject to payroll tax • They will increase the age we can start receiving benefits
• They will reduce the amount of benefit we’re eligible for What’s most likely to happen is a combination of all 4-things.
(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412-216-1013 or visit his website at www.damonmoneycoach.com)
OPINION
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2022
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That Black woman
Guest Editorial
Whoopi Goldberg and a quandary of ironies Recently Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of the ABC News talk show “The View,” was suspended for comments she made about the Jewish Holocaust. She said the Holocaust … “is not about race; it’s about man’s inhumanity to man…these are two White groups of people.” The Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish groups took immediate umbrage, and as a result, she received two weeks unpaid leave, even though she offered sincere apologies—twice. She said that it was about race AND man’s inhumanity to man. One of the outstanding ironies of this situation is that Whoopi, citing the inhumanity of the Holocaust, accurately pinpointed what was at the bottom of the situation. No one can deny that the Holocaust was about man’s inhumanity to man! The race aspect is a little more esoteric. It is a truism that for many years there has been a question as to whether or not Judaism is a “race” or a “religion.” Apparently, it is BOTH. As a result of Goldberg’s comments, she is being castigated for what was a misunderstanding; there was no negative intent in her comments. She is being subjected to punishment even though her comments were benign at best. Another irony of the situation is that an African American, Kim Godwin, was the ABC News president who suspended her. In Goldberg’s apology, she cited ADL director Jonathan Greenblatt’s statement that “the Holocaust was about the Nazi’s systematic annihilation of the Jewish people—who they deemed to be an inferior race.” Yes, this is true; the Holocaust was carrying out what the Nazi’s called the “final solution”; their target was definitely genocide of the Jewish people. Now that brings up another concern, which is why there is some confusion about the issue. There are a lot of Black people who say they are the real Jews, and have adopted Judaism as a religion. They consider themselves to be the original Jews (Hebrews). In fact, there are a number of American Blacks who have moved to Israel and have taken up residency. They have adopted the language and customs of Judaism. An irony connected with this is that they have been subjected to extreme bigotry in Israel. On another note, there is the mystery of the 12 tribes of Israel. To date, the identity of 10 of those tribes is “lost;” no one has come up with a definitive explanation as to who comprises those tribes. The only groups identified today are the Ashkenazi Jews and the Sephardic Jews. Another irony of the situation is that ongoing contemporary “wisdom” posits that there is no such thing as a biological race; that “race” is a sociological construct. If race is considered to really be actually non-existent, then the Holocaust could be seen by many to be a struggle between two groups of White people. Another irony—there is a book written by Arthur Koestler called the “Thirteenth Tribe” that claims the Jewish people who call themselves Jews today are not really Jews; they are Khazars who adopted Judaism as a religion. Arthur Koestler was Jewish. The ultimate irony is that Whoopi Goldberg was trying to point out man’s inhumanity to man, but in so doing, has become the target of man’s inhumanity, this time imposed on her! Just about everyone knows that Whoopi meant no harm; in fact, she was citing the evil that human beings inflict on each other. She is being sanctioned, which is impacting her financially and emotionally. Whoopi is a warrior for righteousness who misspoke, who made an understandable mistake about a situation that is not as cut and dry as we would like to think. Evidence of this is that the Jews were not the only ones targeted in the Holocaust: Romani (Gypsies), homosexuals, Blacks and Slavs were among others targeted by the Nazis. In fact, the Nazis identified themselves as members of a “master race” which pretty much relegated everyone who did not have the characteristics of that race, i.e., Nordic characteristics, inferior! So, the idea of sanctioning Whoopi Goldberg, a member of arguably one of the most maligned races on the planet, is the ultimate irony! In other words, the Jews who are targeting her are like the kettle calling the pot black; they are doing to her what they say is being done to them! (Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)
Founded 1910
Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm
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John. H. Sengstacke
Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—In February 2020, few gave full thought or consideration to the pledge that the, then, Democratic Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, made to make a Black woman his first Supreme Court nominee. Of course, any comment made by candidate Biden was subject to political pushback by members of the Trump mob, but I’m not sure that enough people thought he would win and have that pledge to keep—making that statement a huge issue. Here we are two years later. Joe Biden is President. Justice Stephen Breyer has announced his retirement from the Supreme Court. Albeit a thin one, Democrats control the confirming majority in the US Senate. The nomination of a Black woman to the position of Supreme Court Justice is imminent. The racists (Republicans) can’t stand it! Accordingly, they have responded to the certainty of the nomination of a Black woman with the expected litany of hypocritical and racist invectives. Inflammatory trigger words like “unqualified Black woman,” “Affirmative Action selection,” and “reverse racial discrimination” now fill the airwaves. Even before an actual selection is made, Republicans have made it their dedicated duty to denigrate and label the unidentified, unselected nominee as unqualified. I remain amazed by their proclamations of accurate prognostication. Smells like BS to me! As an attorney, I claim a measure
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
Commentary of understanding of these matters. I have seen the “list” of potential nominees and find all to be qualified and possessing the requisite experience necessary for consideration. Current circumstances only make me wonder what really makes the nomination of a Black woman so objectionable to the reactionary right. One thing is certain, an appointment under the Biden administration will NOT alter the philosophical balance of the current justices. The same majority of six “conservative” justices will remain against three “liberals.” No shift of power! No opportunity to protect the interests of progressive ideals or persons! In fact, the opposite is true. The continuing protection of voter rights, the threat to reproductive rights, and the swing against protections against discriminatory behaviors are now all matters of grave concern. Is this pushback against the Biden nominee because of the pledge that the nominee will be a woman? I am inclined to think that to be a significant factor. Historically, only five of the
115 Supreme Court Justices have been women. Is this pushback against the Biden nominee because of the pledge that the nominee will be a Black woman? Combining those two factors I think that to be a more important factor. Historically, only three of the 115 Supreme Court Justices have been persons of color. The self-hatred and antipathy of one of these three justices of color to the interests of people of color negate any expectation of the just application of laws to those he disdains. The Founders were wary of the decisions of the ultimate judicial authority resting on the shoulders of a single individual or a single judicial philosophy. The beauty of our judicial system as originally conceived is the concept of multiple justices bringing unique and diverse lived-experiences to the deliberative process. There is no doubt that any of the women who comprise the current list of Joe Biden’s potential nominees will bring a fresh, heretofore non-existent perspective to the deliberative process of the highest court in the land. She will illuminate the racist impact, if not intent, of their decisions. She will join the other “liberal” voices in urging an increased sense of humanity in the decisions of the court. That Black woman is welcomed. She is an essential element in a new court.
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.)
Equality or equity: Which is better? Black people, as well as Whites, have struggled for years with dual concepts requiring vastly different approaches for social justice: equality and equity. I recently heard a heralded, long-time activist admit that while we’ve fought fiercely for equality—believing it would right the wrongs of racism and discrimination in one fell swoop—the thinking was that equity would be a natural outcome of the battle. He went on to say that a two-pronged approach would have been more effective in achieving the goals of social justice and economic equity. The truth is equality and equity are not the same, and in practice, they are not even that close. Equality means each individual or group receives the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person or group has different circumstances and allocates the resources and opportunities accordingly, so everyone reaches an equal outcome. As Paula Dressel of the Race Matters Institute put it, “The route to achieving equity will not be accomplished through treating everyone equally. It will be achieved by treating everyone justly according to their circumstances.” For example, in a country where all children of school age are eligible to attend schools of their choosing and Black workers can apply for the same jobs as Whites, and get them, White families are more than eight times better off than Black families. So economic equity is a tangible
Hiram E. Jackson
Commentary concept in which resources and assets are distributed to balance economies. When that happens, all a society’s participants get a fair share of the wealth, and no one person or group is burdened any more than another. That is obviously not the case in America. Black people, on average, had 22 cents for every dollar of White family wealth, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve’s Institute for Economic Equity. These substantial gaps have remained unchanged since 1989, according to the Institute. Families of color and minority-owned businesses, which have always been at the back of the finance and lending line, have suffered for many decades to survive. People of color have traditionally been locked out of the economic process. Their efforts to participate in the economic process are still regularly thwarted, prohibiting them from getting a fair share of household and commercial wealth. Families of color and minority-owned businesses, which have always been at the back of the finance and lending
line, have suffered for many decades to survive. The pandemic not only helped to exacerbate their struggle for equity, but it also put a spotlight on the inconsistencies in the distribution of assistance to balance out these financial hardships and showed that Black people and Black businesses suffer disproportionately. The disparities of homeownership within our community are still staggering. Closing the Black-White homeownership gap is an essential gauge of whether we are on course to be a fair, just society with equal access to everyone. According to James Lowry, a prominent economic expert and 40-year advocate of minority business development, community development finance vehicles are few and far between. Many of those that are viable are not owned or controlled by Black people, so there are already inherent problems to access and financial accountability. Nothing new, right? But the good news—and the shocker for some—is that Black-owned businesses have had the strongest rebound since the pandemic plunge. The pandemic created an impetus for people of color to start and reimagine business scenarios. Their objective was to offset shrinking employment opportunities through self-employment and entrepreneurial endeavors. The bottom line: fair treatment of everyone, every community, and every enterprise according to circumstances is the route to achieving equity.
Flores’ lawsuit gives NFL opportunity by Marc H. Morial NEWS ANALYSIS
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—“More than half the players in the NFL are Black, and most coaches have played the game at some level. That would seem to be the perfect recipe for Black coaches to find success. But most NFL owners have been White men, and they have seldom been willing to let African Americans or Latinos call plays—either on the field or from the sidelines. This is no different from when franchises presumed that Black players weren’t smart enough to play quarterback and lacked leadership skills to command men. The league’s paltry record of hiring minority head coaches comes from the same mind-set. And its primary effort to address the problem has been a failure, because a policy can’t compensate for ignorance.” —Jemele Hill Three days before Brian Flores was scheduled to interview for the position of head coach with the New York Giants, he received a text from New England Patriots general manager Bill Belichick congratulating him on getting the job. Except Belichick thought he was texting Brian Daboll. The Giants not only had decided to hire Daboll before even interviewing Flores, but already was sharing the information with others. Belichick’s flub illuminated what has long been an open secret in the NFL: too often, complying with the “Rooney Rule,” which requires league teams to interview candidates of color for head coaching and senior football operation jobs, is an empty gesture— a fig leaf to conceal the owners’ indifference to achieving racial parity among top coaching and executive positions. As head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Flores led the team out of a 20-year slump to consecutive winning seasons
between 2020 and 2021. Rather than celebrate his success, Dolphin’s owner Stephen M. Ross fired him. And rather than leap at the chance to hire Flores— or at least seriously consider him—the Giants used his sham interview to create the false impression that a Black candidate had a legitimate chance at obtaining the job. Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL, the Giants, the Dolphins, and the Denver Broncos—whom he accuses of conducting a similar sham interview in 2019 —has brought to a head the League’s shameful history of racial discrimination and persistent indifference to diversity, equity and inclusion. Civil rights leaders, including myself, met Monday with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, challenging the league to establish specific recruiting and hiring procedures for executive and coaching positions, with meaningful consequences for teams that do not abide by the rules. We agreed to continue collaborating and advising the league to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion at every level of the NFL and its member teams. The lawsuit cites some appalling statistics. While 70 percent of NFL players are Black, not one of its 32 team owners is Black. The only team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, employs a Black head coach. Only four teams employ a Black offensive coordinator—a position generally regarded as a steppingstone to head coach. Only 11 teams employ a Black defensive coordinator. As Flores lawsuit alleges, this is not by chance. A 2016 study of the NFL found that White assistant coaches were 114 percent more likely to get promoted to the coordinator position than coaches of color with the same experience, education, and track record. The study found that it takes nine years before a
White coach has a greater than 50 percent chance of becoming a coordinator, compared with 14 years for a nonwhite coach. The authors estimated that over a 20-year career, a White coach is likely to earn over $20 million more than his nonwhite counterpart. These challenges are not insurmountable. Consider the success of a memorandum of understanding that telecom giant Comcast signed with the National Urban League and other civil rights organizations in 2010. Among other provisions, the memorandum committed Comcast to establish specific, measurable goals for diversity and inclusion in corporate governance, workforce retention and recruitment, procurement, programming, along with philanthropy and community investments. According to Comcast’s most recent report, people of color make up 44.3 percent of its workforce, 18.8 percent of whom are Black. As part of its effort to increase diversity among top executives, the company established a boot camp for mid-level vice president candidates, including no less than 80 percent diverse candidates. More than 22 percent of positions of vice president and above now are filled by people of color, and the company has committed to a goal of 33 percent people of color at every level of its workforce. There’s no reason the NFL can’t replicate this success. It simply requires a sincere commitment on the part of the owners and league executives. As Flores’ legal team has said, his lawsuit presents the NFL with an “opportunity to engage in substantive change.” The National Urban League and our sister civil rights groups will do everything in our power to make sure that opportunity is not squandered.
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FORUM
FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2022
When Brian Flores and Mike Pence spoke up, America needed the truth (TriceEdneyWire.com)—If one critical concern has always hurt America, it is the constant silence from those who need to speak out. When the desire to speak up is restrained by either intimidation, fear, selfishness, misguided loyalty, or insensitivity, it is a trap many people find themselves unwilling or unable to escape. But there are times when the best interests or safety of the public becomes an overriding factor; therefore, silence is not always golden. After the 9/11 attacks, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented the “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign. This anti-terrorism initiative not only raised public awareness to report suspicious activity, but it became very effective in reversing New Yorkers’ see-something-do-nothing mindset. This see-something-do-nothing attitude has overtaken today’s GOP and even some parts of the National Football League. During a recent poll, many GOP voters shared their disapproval of the NFL’s efforts to increase the consideration of minority candidates for head coaching positions and respect its Black players. It is a total reflection of the political culture we now have in 2022. The poll was conducted after former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and three teams alleging race discrimination in hiring practices. Brian Flores, who is Black, saw something and said something. It is no surprise that today’s political environment directly influences how many people view the NFL, where 70 percent of its players are Black. When NFL players began protesting the treatment of Blacks by police, former President Donald Trump advised team owners to fire players who knelt during the national anthem and encouraged fans to leave the stadiums in protest, which is what then-Vice President Mike Pence did as a pre-planned stunt during a regular-season game in Indianapolis in 2017. By fanning the flames in this manner, the former president perpetuated a racially divisive undercurrent that still exists. Today, many registered Republicans are less of a fan of the league than they were five years ago, which is why Brian Flores’ professional courage is a reminder of the long legacy of sacrifices whistleblowers make. Black players, coaches, and front-office staff
David W. Marshall
Commentary who seek upward mobility needed someone like Flores to speak up. His words highlight the practices of a billion-dollar corporation and its team owners. Whether you are a sports fan or not, this divisive environment cries out for people to know that “glass cliff” assignments are, unfortunately, a common practice of businesses throughout corporate America, including NFL teams. A “glass cliff” assignment is one in which women or members of minority groups are promoted to positions of power in situations where there is a higher likelihood of failure, and upper management doesn’t expect long-term success—it is essentially being set up to fail. But the former Miami Dolphins coach was not a failure. He was fired despite coaching the Dolphins’ first back-to-back winning seasons since 2003. In addition, his team won eight of their final nine games to complete the 2021 season. Flores may not ever coach again in the NFL, but the risk did not keep him silent. He filed his 58-page lawsuit on the first day of Black History Month, and other Black coaches later expressed similar experiences, frustrations, and complaints. Flores said in a written statement, “In making the decision to file the class action complaint today, I understand I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come.” Three days after Flores announced his lawsuit, Mike Pence gave a speech in Florida where, for the first time, he publicly stated, “President Trump is wrong,” referencing claims by the president that Pence had the power to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The American people needed to hear that from Pence in this atmosphere of misinformation among Republicans. Pence and Flores are two men who have an unlikely connection; the same people hate them. The same Trump-influenced Republicans who turned on the former vice president, eventually calling him a traitor, are likely the same group resentful of the former Miami coach’s fight for racial fairness. Despite this unusual bond, the two men have entirely different levels of courage in their responses to injustice. Pence’s speech, and everything he has done since leaving office, is not courageous. He hasn’t said or done enough to show he is fighting for the greater cause. In this case, making sure the next presidential election is not overturned or subject to another domestic insurrection. Flores went nuclear by going to the extreme. Pence, on the other hand, needs to do the same by testifying in public before the January 6th House committee. Anything less shows a man trapped by fear of Trump’s supporters. (David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America. He can be reached at www.davidwmarshallauthor.com.)
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
The end of racism? Three scholars are often celebrated during Black History Month. W.E.B. Dubois (1868–1963) was a founding member of the NAACP. Carter G. Woodson (1875–1962) pioneered Black History Month, and E. Franklin Frazier (1894–1962) was the first Black president of the American Sociological Association. Missing from that list is Howard University’s distinguished professor of antiquity, Frank Snowden Jr. (1911–2007). His scholarship examined the concept of race in the ancient world. I’ll get back to him. In 1995 an academic from the American Enterprise Institute (a conservative think tank) published The End of Racism: Principles for a Multiracial Society. This book was released a year after two scholars from the American Enterprise Institute published the most radioactive book of the 20th century, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure. (This book’s radioactivity is only rivaled by a 1907 book called The Negro: A Menace to American Civilization.) Critics insisted The Bell Curve was a White supremacist attempt to demonstrate that Black people were less intelligent than White people. Not only did the critics call The Bell Curve racist, but they also dismissed it as poorly researched and pseudo-scientific. Now, when critics saw passages in The End of Racism that suggested racism no longer had the power to thwart Blacks or any other group in achieving their economic, political, and social aspirations, The End of Racism was dismissed as another poorly researched, insensitive book promoted by a racist think tank. These critics were so eager to sound the
J. Pharoah Doss
Check It Out racist alarm, they ignored the author’s central claim. The author stated racism was a modern Western ideology developed in the late 1500s to explain large civilizational gaps between the West and other cultures. With that said, the author concluded, since racism had a beginning, it logically follows that racism can have an end. However, this well-intended claim was condemned by a different set of critics. These critics insisted racism had always existed and was a permanent phenomenon in America. (These critics were reciting the consensus of another book published in 1995 called Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings that Formed the Movement.) Here’s where Frank Snowden Jr.’s scholarship matters. After 15 years of research, Snowden published Blacks in Antiquity in 1970. The book covers the period between the third millennium BC and the sixth century AD. Through ancient sources, such as literature and art, Snowden discovered darker-skinned people of African ancestry not only inhabited the Greco-Roman world, they were not subjugated to what the modern world refers to as racism. Since the Greeks and Romans first encountered the Africans as soldiers and mercenaries, the
stigma of inferiority was never attached to their skin color. In Snowden’s 1983 book Before Color Prejudice, he explained why color prejudice didn’t develop during antiquity. Snowden stated Ethiopians did not astonish Greeks because of their blackness. Any fear based on physical appearance ceased in childhood. Fear is short-lived in children and doesn’t have a bearing on later attitudes. “Children can know all about racial differences but do not necessarily attach value judgments to them unless they are exposed to socializing forces characterized by overt racial consciousness/or hostility … Greek and Roman children lived in an atmosphere in which the Negroid type was well-known, but in which marked hostility to Blacks was not a characteristic of the society. Therefore, there was no reason for a child or even a parent to attach special significance to differences in color or to think that Blacks were fundamentally different.” Apparently, the 1995 critics that insisted racism always existed were wrong, but their assumption that racism is a permanent phenomenon waiting to engulf future generations still dominates the 21st century to the detriment of the republic. Last year, an author at the Garrison Institute wrote, “Almost every piece of work or literature that I’ve read on racism is built on one assumption: that it can’t end. But, if we all continue to say ‘racism is something that can never end in our generation, then who the hell ever gets to take responsibility for ending it?’” That’s an easy answer—nobody—so we’ll have to settle for diversity, equity, and inclusion instead.
Is Black History only a certain time frame to you? Too many persons in my estimation only reflect on the importance of Black History when Blacks were the legal property of another man, in the years when we were treated worse than animals. In those years we were denied a multitude of jobs, public accommodations, admission to major colleges, public recreation, police positions in city, county, state and federal and we were compelled to sue the federal government to become equal in all branches of the military. It is my conviction that we don’t put enough emphasis on the multitude of achievements by those Black men and women, who did more than just complain about the condition of Black people. Pittsburgh has often been described as the most backward city in America when it comes to Blacks and in my estimation it deserved it. However there were Blacks who were not content to allow these conditions to go unchallenged and began to mobilize to change Black History. These individuals
Louis ‘Hop’ Kendrick
To Tell The Truth were the forerunners of Supermen, Superwomen. There were no MBE programs, affirmative action programs, quota programs and not one “colored” person was in position to demand that we be included. However in 1949 (73 years ago), I was blessed to begin to meet these colored giants (we were not called Black yet), who owned furniture stores, realtors, drug stores, attorneys, doctors, dentists, radio station, restaurants, beer distributors, gas stations, cocktail lounges, night clubs,
jewelry stores, contractors, funeral parlors, barber shops and beauty salons, insurance companies, unions and in later years a television station. There were also educators and college professors. There were Black congregations under the leadership of progressive ministers who built churches from the ground up. In 1936, my father who was working in a federal program WPA resigned and upon arriving at home was asked by my mother, “Since you quit your job how do you intend to support your family, the six of us—your four children and the two of use?” My father responded by saying, “It is my conviction that my Lord and Savior will provide me with the health and strength to provide for my family.” And God did. The business my father created existed 47 years from 1936 to 1983. Daddy and 35 other like-minded persons who owned their own trucks formed an association and overwhelmingly did very well for themselves.
The Congressional Black Caucus is the conscience of the Congress (TriceEdneyWire.com)—All too often, the Congressional Black Caucus gets Julianne Malveaux a bad rap. What do they do, many ask. What have they recently accomplished? Are they leaning on their revolutionary origins, their founding in 1971, the once widely publicized People’s Budget? Have they become go-along to get-along politicians as usual? These are reasonable questions that I often raise myself, often so frustrated by Congressional inaction that I don’t see the big picture, the lovely picture of of them don’t have the freedom to speak, more than fifty Black members of Conpartly because they represent majoritygress, when we once had only one at a White districts or aren’t that radical, being time, and with the many ways that their elected because they are “moderates.” collective action makes a difference. All Still, they can sometimes be counted too often, it is not what they do but what to vote with their African American they prevent by working to stop the foolish colleagues, and those are the votes that impulses of some of the Republicans who count. Writing them off can be counterprowould oppose our Black existence. ductive when we need to get things done. I was reminded of the efficacy of the Con- Don’t get me wrong—we should call them gressional Black Caucus when I recently on their racial ambivalence when we need interviewed Dr. Sherice Jenaye Nelson, a to. At the same time, during this Black Howard University-educated political sciHistory Month, I’m willing to dial back entist whose recent book, The Congressiosome of the criticism and look at the very nal Black Caucus: Fifty Years of Fighting many excellent things the Congressional for Equality (Archway Publishing, 2020), Black Caucus has done. recounts the history of Black political parDr. Sherise Jenaye Nelson’s book is one ticipation at the Congressional level. This worth reading. It speaks to the foreign polsister scholar has done meticulous work icy the CBC has done historically, especialdescribing the many ways the Congresly around Africa issues (Congressman Ron sional Black Caucus has been enormously Dellums’ championship to the Free South impactful. In our radio conversation, Africa movement is notable) and Caribbethough, she also talked about the limitaan issues, especially around Haiti. Dotions that CBC members face because of mestically, Congressman James Clyburn their ideological diversity and their need to (SC) HBCU advocacy is laudable, as is be reelected to make change. Congresswoman Alma Adam’s (NC) work My idols are the activists like Conforming the bicameral, bipartisan HBCU gresswomen Maxine Waters (CA), Sheila Caucus. There’s more, and you’ll have to Jackson Lee (TX), Barbara Lee (CA), and read the book to get the whole story. Karen Bass (CA). Newcomers like Cori I’m lifting these Black folk during this Bush (MO) and Lucy McBath (GA) have Black History Month because they deserve also earned my admiration for their strong it. At the same time, I can’t completely positions and willingness to go against take my critic hat off. It is shameful that the grain. At the same time, some will go so many did not support HR 40 when nameless who don’t much step up or speak Congressman John Conyers (MI) lived. up. Dr. Nelson reminded me that some It is commendable that Congresswoman
News Analysis
Sheila Jackson Lee has taken the baton from him and championed the reparations cause, and with the help of organizations like N’COBRA (the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America) and NAARC (the National African American Reparations Commission, an organization sponsored by the Institute of the Black World), garnered 215 co-sponsors for the legislation. Why aren’t more Black members of Congress more enthusiastic about economic justice and reparations? Political considerations notwithstanding, this is a just cause. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation has annually sponsored a Phoenix Awards Dinner at its annual legislative forum. The awards reference the closing speech of Congressman George White, who was the African American post-Reconstruction member of Congress (1897-1901). He highlighted Black progress since enslavement and said that, like the phoenix, we would rise. “We have140,000 farms and homes, valued in the neighborhood of $750,000,000, and personal property valued about $170,000,000. We have raised about $11,000,000 for educational purposes...We are operating successfully several banks, commercial enterprises among our people in the Southland, including one silk mill and one cotton factory. We have 32,000 teachers in the schools of the country; we have built, with the aid of our friends, about 20,000 churches, and support seven colleges”. Congressman White spoke of progress. There is still much room for advancement. The Congressional Black Caucus members are agents of progress. Criticize them, if you will, but embrace them. They are the conscience of Congress. They are our champions. (Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA. Juliannemalveaux.com)
New Pittsburgh Courier
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FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2022
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
LEGAL ADVERTISING
LEGAL ADVERTISING
Bids/Proposals
Bids/Proposals
SONNY BOY
ADVERTISEMENT THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Sealed Bids will be received by THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, Department of Public Works, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090, for the following:
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Primary Items – Paving of various streets to include the following approximate quantities: A. 97,319 S.Y. of Milling B. 7,054 S.Y of 3” Superpave 25.0 mm Binder Course, PG 64-22 C. 38,952 S.Y. of 1 1/2” Superpave 9.5 mm Fine-Graded Wearing Surface, PG 64-22 D. 65,199 S.Y. of 2” Superpave 9.5 mm Fine-Graded Wearing Surface, PG 64-22 E. 51,786 L.F. of Asphalt Wedge Curb F. Traffic Control Optional Items – A. 600 Tons Scratch Leveling Course Superpave, PG 64-22 B. 200 C.Y. of Class I Excavation C. 600 S.Y. of Geotextile Fabric D. 40 Tons of # 1 Crushed Limestone E. 60 S.Y. of McCandless Type “C” Base Course F. 10 S.Y. of Type 1 Driveway Restoration G.10 S.Y. of Type 2 Driveway Restoration H. 45,405 L.F. Hot Thermoplastic Line Striping I. 22,703 L.F. Temporary Line Striping J. 2 Hot Thermoplastic Pavement Markings Additional Work – A. 1) Lorraine G Rogers Parking Lot – Approximately 1100 s.y. (Mill, 3” Binder, 1 ½” Wearing) All Bids must be in the hands of Jeff Schoeneman, Superintendent of Public Works, not later than 10:00 A.M., prevailing time, Wednesday, March 16, 2022, and will be publicly opened and read at that time in The Town of McCandless Public Works Building located at 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090. Specifications may be obtained at the Town of McCandless, Department of Public Works Office, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford PA 15090. Bids shall be delivered in a sealed envelope and clearly marked on the outside with the words “Town of McCandless 2022 Paving Program.” Bids to receive consideration must be accompanied by a Certified Check or Bidder’s Bond from a Surety Company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania, made to the order of THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pennsylvania in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the Bid as a guarantee that, if the Bid is accepted, the successful Bidder will enter into an Agreement within 15 days after Notice of the Award of the Contract. All bidders must be PennDOT pre-qualified and meet the work classification codes of E, F, and F1. All bids submitted must have the Contractor’s valid pre-qualification certification attached to the outside of the bid or it will be rejected. A Non-Collusion Affidavit must accompany each bid. The Bids must be made to The Town of McCandless, and shall remain firm for a period of sixty (60) days. No Bidder may withdraw his Bid during the sixty (60) day period without forfeiting his Bid guarantee except as permitted by law. Prevailing Wages are required to be paid on this project. Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds, along with Public Liability and Property Damage Certificates of Insurance in the amounts specified and with the Town of McCandless identified as an additional insured, as well as Certificates of Workmen’s Compensation must be filed with the executed Agreement. The Town reserves the right to reject any or all Bids, or any part thereof, for any reason, and also reserves the right to waive any informality therein. Jeff Schoeneman Superintendent of Public Works ADVERTISEMENT THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Sealed Bids will be received by THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, Department of Public Works, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090, for the following: Devlin Park Tennis Court Reconstruction The reconstructing and conversion of the current exterior court facility to accommodate four pickleball courts. This work will include the removal of all fence fabric, removal of several fencing posts and footings, and all tennis court netting posts and foundations. The contractor will excavate an area (approx. 12’ X 126’) for addition court surface. Install two inches (2”) of HMA binder material followed by one- and one-half inches (1 ½”) of HMA surface course. The installation of new fence posts and fence fabric where specified and reinstallation of removed fence fabric, gates, and hardware over existing fence posts. New tennis and pickleball court net sleeves, posts, and footings will be installed. The final stage involves the application of surfacer, two coats of acrylic color, and line striping. The contractor will clean the site and repair/seed damaged landscape areas All Bids must be in the hands of Jeff Schoeneman, Superintendent of Public Works, not later than 10:00 A.M., prevailing time, Friday, April 1, 2022, and will be publicly opened and read at that time in The Town of McCandless Public Works Building located at 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090. Specifications may be obtained at the Town of McCandless, Department of Public Works Office, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford PA 15090. Bids shall be delivered in a sealed envelope and clearly marked on the outside with the words “The Town of McCandless Tennis Court Reconstruction” Bids to receive consideration must be accompanied by a Certified Check or Bidder’s Bond from a Surety Company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania, made to the order of THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pennsylvania in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the Bid as a guarantee that, if the Bid is accepted, the successful Bidder will enter into an Agreement within 15 days after Notice of the Award of the Contract. A Non-Collusion Affidavit must accompany each bid. The Bids must be made to The Town of McCandless, and shall remain firm for a period of sixty (60) days. No Bidder may withdraw his Bid during the sixty (60) day period without forfeiting his Bid guarantee except as permitted by law. Prevailing Wages are required to be paid on this project. Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds, along with Public Liability and Property Damage Certificates of Insurance in the amounts specified and with the Town of McCandless identified as an additional insured, as well as Certificates of Workmen’s Compensation must be filed with the executed Agreement. The Town reserves the right to reject any or all Bids, or any part thereof, for any reason, and also reserves the right to waive any informality therein.
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LEGAL ADVERTISING
LEGAL ADVERTISING
LEGAL ADVERTISING
Bids/Proposals
Bids/Proposals
Bids/Proposals
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFBS) FOR DIRECT OPPORTUNITIES CENTER REHAB PROJECT AMP-39 REBID HACP CONTRACT NO. 600-25-21REBID THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH will receive sealed bids for the Direct Opportunities Center Rehabilitation Project, AMP-39 Rebid The construction work is estimated to begin in June of 2022. Bid Documents will be available on or about Monday, February 21, 2022 and may be obtained from the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s webpage, www.hacp.org. Bidders may register on the website and download the bid documents free of charge. Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Kim Detrick, Director of Procurement A Virtual Pre-Bid Conference will be held on Wednesday March 2, 2022 at 10:15am virtually at the following link: Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/97110133703?pwd=TWIwcVRCWE1BUGdmQkRJUnRJM3lGZz09 Meeting ID: 971 1013 3703 Passcode: 718799 One tap mobile +13126266799,,97110133703#,,,,*718799# US (Chicago) +19292056099,,97110133703#,,,,*718799# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 971 1013 3703 Passcode: 718799 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acFTvlrnzJ An In-Person Pre-Bid Site Visit will be held on Wednesday Mar 2, 2022 at 2:00pm: Direct Opportunites Center, 1205 Liverpool Street, Pittsburgh PA 15233 Bidders shall come prepared to review all aspects of the construction site necessary to prepare a bid. Bids will be received at: The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing of 10:00 AM on March 29, 2022 at the HACP Procurement Department, 100 Ross Street, Suite 200, Pittsburgh PA 15219 Attn: Kim Detrick, Chief Procurement Officer. Due to COVID, the bid opening on March 29, 2022 at 10:00AM will be conducted virtually via Zoom. Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/92240972729?pwd=eFZ4VTFJbVlwM1REVDA1MTdFb1I5dz09. Copies of bid documents are not available for in person pickup. Bid Documents, including the Bid Forms, Project Manual, and Drawings, may be obtained from the Business Opportunities Section of the HACP website, www.hacp.org. Prospective Bidders may register as a vendor on the website and download the documents free of charge. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person on March 29, 2022 from 8:00 AM until the closing of 10:00 AM on March 29, 2022. Bids may still be submitted electronically at the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/w9KlTHihAGUNeQtC0Ntr and can still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH reserves the right to waive any informality in, or reject any and all bids. No bid shall be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days subsequent to the opening of bids without the consent of the HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity requirements for Federally Assisted Construction Contracts. The Contractor must ensure that employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sexual preference, handicap or national origin. HACP has revised its website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/RFP documentation. THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH STRONGLY ENCOURAGES CERTIFIED MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES AND WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES TO RESPOND TO THE SOLICITATION. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Kim Detrick, Director of Procurement at (412) 456-5116 Opt 1. Caster D. Binion, Executive Director HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
Jeff Schoeneman Superintendent of Public Works
ADVERTISEMENT COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY Bids are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 on the following: Bid 1095 – Replace Roof at Library Building – Allegheny Campus A MANDATORY pre-bid meeting and site-visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The assembly point will be the front entrance of the Library Building, Allegheny Campus, 808 Ridge Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Due date: 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Thursday, March 10, 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. HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH PUBLIC NOTICE OF REVISED 2022 MOVING TO WORK ANNUAL PLAN The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP), in accordance with federal law and regulation, is proposing revisions to its HUD approved FY 2022 Moving to Work (MTW) Annual Plan. The Plan is being revised to include new provisions for the administration and implementation of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) payment standards. The revised FY 2022 MTW Annual Plan is available for review and comment from Sunday, February 20, 2022 to Tuesday, April 12, 2022 on the HACP Web Site: www.hacp. org. Printed copies of the FY 2022 MTW Annual Plan can be obtained by contacting the HACP Executive Office at 412-456-5012. A Public Hearing to receive public comments on the revised FY 2022 HACP MTW Annual Plan will be held on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. The Zoom Meeting information can be accessed at www.hacp.org. Written comments on the proposed revisions to the FY 2022 HACP MTW Annual Plan must be addressed to: “Attention: HACP Moving to Work Annual Plan” at the HACP Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Department, 200 Ross Street, 7th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 and must be received by Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Once approved, the final revised FY 2022 HACP MTW Annual Plan will be effective after the HACP receives approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Moving to Work Office. If you are a person with disability and need an alternate means of reviewing this information, please contact the Disability Compliance Office at 412-456-5282 to discuss the options available. HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
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FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
LEGAL ADVERTISING
LEGAL ADVERTISING
Bids/Proposals
Bids/Proposals
SONNY BOY
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 March 9, 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) Bid Number Bid Name 1
B211183AR
Used Antifreeze Removal Service
2
B220212
NVR Equipment- March Camera System
3
B220215A
Asbestos Free Brake Blocks
4
B220216A
Coach Replacement Parts - Body
5
B220217
Brake Disc Pads - LRV
To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • https://bit.ly/3rxaevT To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 228 243 893# 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 February 24, 2022, as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference. To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • https://bit.ly/3skoerT To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 394 680 304# 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. ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA February 18, 2022 The Office of the County Controller of Allegheny County, Room 104, Court House, Pittsburgh, PA, will receive separate and sealed Bids on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00PM and FROM 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. prevailing local time, Wednesday, March 23, 2022, and a representative of the Department of Public Works will open and read the Bids in the Conference Room 1, County Court House, Pittsburgh, PA, one half hour later, 11:30 o’clock A.M., for the following: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS TURTLE CREEK FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT PITCAIRN BOROUGH & NORTH VERSAILLES TOWNSHIP, PA COUNTY PROJECT No. Z324-1602 As a prospective bidder please note the following general Project information regarding: Pre Bid Information, Bidding Requirements, and Contract Conditions. See the Project Manual for detailed information, responsibilities and instructions. PRE BID INFORMATION: Purchase and/or view the Project Manual and Drawings at the Office of the Contract Manager, Room 504, County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA. The non refundable charge for the Proposal and a disk containing the Specifications and Drawings is $107.00 including sales tax. The Contract Manager will accept only check or money order to the “COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY” in that amount and WILL NOT ACCEPT CASH OR EXTEND CREDIT. Prospective bidders may request to have bid documents mailed. An additional fee of $16.05 including tax, for handling costs for each requested proposal must be paid in advance. The fee must be received at the Office of the Contract Manager prior to the mailing of any documents. Interested bidders planning to purchase bid documents or attend the public bid opening are advised to follow Self-Monitoring and Social Distancing guidelines when entering the Allegheny County Courthouse or County Office Building. BIDDING REQUIREMENTS: The County requires pre-qualification of bidders, including subcontractors, as specified in Section 102.01 of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Specifications, Publication No. 408, 2020 Edition, Change No. 4 on this project. Submit Proposal on the supplied form in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders and Specifications; include the following documents with the Bid Form, ALONG WITH ONE COMPLETE PHOTOCOPIED SET OF THE PROPOSAL: • Bid Security certified check or surety company bond on County’s form to the order of/or running to the County of Allegheny in the amount of five (5%) percent of the Bid as evidence that you, the Bidder, will accept and carry out the conditions of the Contract in case of award. The County will accept only bonds written by Surety Companies acceptable on Federal Bonds per the current Federal Register Circular 570. Federal Register Circular 570 is available for inspection in the Contract Office, Room 504, County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. • Bidder Certification of Pre-Qualification, Classification and Work Capacity • List of Subcontractors • Statement of Joint Venture Participation • MBE And WBE Goals Attainment Certification (ONLY NECESSARY IF YOU CANNOT MEET THE SPECIFIED MBE AND WBE GOALS.) • MBE/WBE Subcontractor and Supplier Commitment and Solicitation Sheets • Work Sheet Required Amount Performed By Contractor (Non-Federal Projects) THE COUNTY WILL REJECT BIDS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE THE EXECUTED DOCUMENTS SPECIFIED ABOVE WITH THE BID FORM. You may not withdraw your bid for a period of Sixty (60) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The County Manager reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informality in the bidding. CONTRACT CONDITIONS: In accordance with the provisions of the “Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act” of August 15, 1961, P.L. 987, as Department of Labor and Industry, the prevailing minimum wage predetermination requirements as set forth in the Attachments apply to this Project. The anticipated notice to proceed is May 23, 2022. The project completion will be 90 consecutive calendar days from the actual notice to proceed. The County of Allegheny hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this Advertisement, minority business enterprises / women business enterprises [MBE/WBE] will be afforded the full opportunity to submit bids in response to this advertisement and the County will not discriminate against minority and women business enterprises on the grounds of race, sex, color or national origin in consideration for an award. It is a condition of the bidding process/contract that all responsive bidders / contractors shall follow the minority business enterprises and women business enterprises [MBE/WBE] procedures set forth in the project manual/contract documents. This project was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority. For contracting questions contact Carla Lane, Contracts Manager, at 412350-5955. For technical questions contact Kevin Lemon, E.I.T., Project Manager, at 412-350-2517. Chelsa Wagner Controller County of Allegheny COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!
LEGAL ADVERTISING
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Bids/Proposals
Bids/Proposals
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ACHA-1671, COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY VENDING SERVICES Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) is seeking Proposals from qualified vendors to provide commercial laundry vending service, per specifications for it’s locations throughout Allegheny County. ACHA is now conducting all competitive solicitation on an internet-based eProcurement Housing Marketplace. ACHA is paying for all costs for the use of the Marketplace so, there will be no additional charges for your company to use the Marketplace to download documents or submit responses to ACHA. AGENCY CONTACT PERSON: Guy Phillips, Purchasing Manager Telephone: (412)402-2435, E-mail: gphillips@achsng.com. H O W T O O B TA I N T H E R F P DOCUMENTSONTHEEPROCUREMENT MARKETPLACE: 1. Access ha.internationaleprocurement.com (no “www”). 2. Click on the “Login” button in the upper left side. 3. Follow the listed directions. 4. If you have any problems in accessing or registering on the eProcurement Marketplace, please call customer support at (866)526-9266. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: No Pre-Proposal Conference: If you have any questions regarding this proposal or any of the documents, use the “Question and Answer area in the eProcurement Housing Marketplace Website. QUESTION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE Monday, March 14st, 2022, 10:00 AM ET HOW TO FULLY RESPOND TO THIS RFP BY SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL: 1. As directed within Section 3.2.1 of the RFP document, submit proposed pricing, where provided for, within the eProcurement Marketplace. 2. As instructed within Section 3.0 of the RFP document, submit One (1) Original and Three (3) copies of your “hard copy” proposal to the Agency Administrative Office. PROPOSAL SUBMITAL RETURN & DEADLINE * Monday, March 21st, 2022, 3:00 PM ET 301 Chartiers Ave, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 (The proposed costs must be entered within the aforementioned eProcurement Marketplace and the “hard copy” documentation must be received in-hand and time-stamped by the Agency by no later than 3:00 PM ET on this date). The Authority encourages responses from §3 business concerns, small firms, minority firms and firms that have not previously performed work for the ACHA. The Allegheny County Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PROJECT BASED VOUCHER PROGRAM (RFP) CONTRACT NO. ACHA - 1674 The Allegheny County Housing Authority is seeking proposals from responsible property owners interested in providing expanded rental housing opportunities for Ve t er ans. Pr oper t ies m ust be existing housing in Allegheny County, excluding the City of Pittsburgh and the City of McKeesport, in close proximity to the Veteran’s Administration. The minimum contract term will be 15 years with a maximum contract term of 20 years at the ACHA’s option. The ACHA will begin to accept proposals on a one-time basis beginning Wednesday, February 23, 2022 with a closing date of Thursday, March 31, 2022. Any proposal received after the expiration of this application period will not be considered. Once received, each proposal will be rated for the program compliance with the goals of deconcentrating poverty, expanding housing and economic opportunities. Once reviewed the successful proposer will be notified in writing of award as well as required public notification. Detailed Applications and selective information will be provided by request to the:
LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Port Authority of Allegheny County is soliciting Proposals from qualified firms interested in providing:
ALLEGHENY COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY Frank Aggazio, Executive Director
SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH PUPIL TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT 3117 CENTRE AVENUE, ROOM 366 PITTSBURGH, PA 15219 Request for Qualifications FOR SCHOOL BUS AND VAN TRANSPORTATION The Request for Proposals may be obtained from the District’s web page at: https://www.pghschools.org/domain/239. One (1) original and four (4) copies of the proposal shall be prepared and submitted to the School District in such form as is set forth in the RFQ by 4:00 PM on Thursday, February 24, 2022. The District reserves the right to reject any and all RFQs.
Ms. Kimberly Longwell Director, Housing Choice Voucher Program Allegheny County Housing Authority 301 Chartiers Avenue McKees Rocks, PA 15136 412-402-2410 412-355-2175 Fax klongwell@achsng.com
LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices
Estate of LOU ANN DOLDE, Deceased of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 02-22-00715, David W. Foley ,Executor, 304 State Street, Grove City, PA 16127, or to ROBIN L. RARIE, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of ROBERT ALLEN EISLER, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 04315 of 2020, Carol E. Brown ,Executor, 664 Lincoln Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15202 Estate of WILLIE MAE MURPHY, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 06385 of 2020, Judy Johnson ,Executor, 6433 Winslow Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Estate of ANTHONY J. MAOLA, Deceased of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 02-22-00703, Jospeh F. Maola ,Executor, or to Ryan W. Brode, Atty; 6 Clairton Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15236 Estate of WILLIAM G. QUINLAN A/K/A QUINLAN, WILLIAM GRAY, Deceased of Shaler Township, Estate No. 01015 of 2022, Beth A. Kusen, 4230 Woodwind Ln, Allison Park, PA 15101 ,Executor, or to MICHAEL J. SALDAMARCO, ESQ., STE. 100, 908 PERRY HWY. PITTSBURGH PA 15229
Notice for Publication
In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of OCIE L. PAIGE, JR., deceased, Case No.022200918: Notice is hereby given that on February 9, 2022 a Petition was filed by Daphne Denise Paige to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Ocie L. Paige, Jr., deceased, in the real estate located at 1018 Jefferson Street, McKeesport, PA 15132 and determine that fee simple title is in Daphne Denise Paige. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 20 days of the filing date, Petitioner will seek an Order adjudging that Ocie L. Paige’s title is in Petitioner.
SECURITIES LITIGATION AND PORTFOLIO MONITORING SERVICES Copies of the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available on or after February 22, 2022. Please contact the following to receive a copy of the RFP. Peter K. Schenk Chief Financial Officer Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Phone (412) 566-5244 Fax (412) 566-5211 E-mail pschenk@portauthority.org This Proposal process and the performance of the requested services shall be in compliance with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. If you have any questions about the request, please contact Mr. Schenk by no later than 4:00 pm. EST on Thursday, March 17, 2022. Please e-mail your proposal by 2:00 p.m. EST on Friday, April 8, 2022 to the contact above. Hard copy responses will not be accepted. The Authority reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, to rebid or to negotiate directly with one or more respondents and to select a firm on a basis other than cost. ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY The Community College of Allegheny County Board of Trustees will hold a meeting on March 3, 2022. The meeting will be held virtually beginning at 4:30 p.m. and streamed on CCAC’s YouTube page. A copy of the Board meeting agenda will be made available for review on the College’s website (www.ccac.edu) Comments regarding items scheduled for action by the Board may be submitted via email to brichardson@ccac.edu by no later than 3:00 p.m. on the date of the meeting. Comments will be read into the record, up to a maximum of three minutes each. HACP BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FEBRUARY 2022 MEETING Due to the COVID-19 protective guidelines set forth by federal, state, and local governments, the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s Board of Commissioners will hold its monthly meeting for February on February 24, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. on a remote basis. The meeting will be held remotely, with public access to be provided online. HACP will provide a direct link to a livestream of the meeting, and instruction on how to make a public comment. Details will be made available on http://www.hacp.org, in advance of the meeting. HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.
Notice for Publication
Megan Patton Transportation Department (412) 529-5947 Email: mpatton1@pghschools.org
In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of VIOLA FLANAGAN BENNETT, deceased, Case No.022200916: Notice is hereby given that on February 9, 2022 a Petition was filed by Harold Vincent Bennett to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Viola Flanagan Bennett deceased, in the real estate located at 7123 Kedron Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 and determine that fee simple title is in Harold Vincent Bennett. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 20 days of the filing date, Petitioner will seek an Order adjudging that Viola Flanagan Bennett’s title is in Petitioner.
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In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of DONALD NIEHL, deceased, Case No.021906578: Notice is hereby given that on February 9, 2022 a Petition was filed by Michael Niehl to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Donald Niehl deceased, in the real estate located at 109 10th Street, Turtle Creek, PA 15145 and determine that fee simple title is in Michael Niehl. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 20 days of the filing date, Petitioner will seek an Order adjudging that Donald Niehl’s title is in Petitioner.
Notice for Publication
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FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2022
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MANAGER OF FARE SYSTEMS Port Authority is seeking a Manager of Fare Systems to plan and direct the agency’s technology services dedicated to Fare Management Systems and Connected Software. This includes support, maintenance, upgrades, review, and implementation along with related system integrations, data provisioning and management, and other innovative projects. Focus on the use of innovative technologies to improve the agency and customer experience. Essential Functions: •Directs activities related to evaluation, implementation, and management (including contractual and technical) fare management (aka automated fare collection systems - AFCS), and related connected services, such as safety and security, operational and maintenance, and other future innovative systems and services that directly support the transportation efforts of the agency. (65%) o In conjunction with Budget and Project Analyst, coordination of budget management, invoicing, negotiation, request for proposal and bid preparation, issue tracking and resolution, including all other contractual issues between Authority and vendor(s). o Identify gaps between delivered software and agency’s needs. Propose solutions and work with both internal agency areas and external vendor to implement solutions. o Investigate and resolve issues with AFCS incident reporting system, auto-generated reports, and hardware o Serve as liaison to, and manage various reports for, Regional Transit Agency coordination regarding shared technology systems, notably AFCS. o Ensure training and support services are available for fare management services. . o Development of implementation, communications, and test plans – including oversight of quality assurance, user acceptance testing of system changes. o Oversees the interface/integration among various ITS (Intelligent Transportation Systems) computer programs and systems; assists with training on ITS products. Job requirements include: • BA/BS in Information Technology, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Business Administration, Computer Engineering, or directly related field from an accredited school. Directly related experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis. • Minimum of four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in technology services and support . • Minimum of two (2) years of proven leadership, as a team lead, project lead, manager, or comparable leadership capacity. • Proven experience providing innovative solutions that improve the customer experience and/or optimize operations. • Excellent fiscal and negotiation skills • Project management experience, especially in managing of vendor contracts, budgets, & timelines • Extensive experience evaluating, implementing, configuring, and managing software and hardware-based systems, or related technical and application management experience. • Demonstrated ability in the use of Office365 products. • Professional and effective communication skills. Preferred attributes: •Minimum of one (1) year of maintenance and support of various Fare Management or similar systems and software.
SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER Port Authority is seeking a Senior Project Engineer to be responsible for managing engineering and construction activities related to Authority structures, facilities, buildings, bridges, tunnels, subways, roadways, bus-ways, light rail transit system, and related infrastructure. Ensures projects adhere to the scope, budget, and schedule as well as interfaces with consultants, contractors, community and internal and external stakeholder representatives. Ensure all phases of the project are performed in accordance with Quality Control and Quality Assurance procedures and achieve the needs of Port Authority’s operation and maintenance functions. Essential Functions: • Responsible to direct project activities necessary to implement the design, construction, and turnover of assigned capital projects within budget, scope and schedule in a quality manner. Directs project activities to ensure work is performed to acceptable levels in areas, such as: • Ensuring Contract Documents meet intended needs of Port Authority and outside agency requirements and standards. •Constructability and cost-effectiveness. •Coordination of activities, including railroad, utility, real estate, environmental, community, municipal, governmental agencies, Port Authority operation and maintenance, training, and turnover. •Minimizing impacts to Port Authority operations and maintenance functions and maintain the safety of the public and Port Authority employees. •Timely completion of the work within budget and complying with contract requirements. •Compliance with applicable codes. •Site staging, mobilization, accessibility, and sequence of construction and safety. Job requirements include: •BS Degree, Major in Civil Engineering or related engineering field from an accredited school. •Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive experience in managing projects, including design and construction of job-related work. •Professional and effective communication skills. •Valid PA driver’s license. •Demonstrated ability in the use of Windows. Preferred attributes: •Regist er ed Engineer in t he Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the ability to obtain such registration through reciprocity within one year of appointment or Certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from nationally recognized registration entity.
PROJECT ENGINEER Port Authority is seeking a Project Engineer to be responsible for managing engineering and construction activities related to Authority structures, facilities, buildings, bridges, tunnels, subways, roadways, bus-ways, light rail transit system, and related infrastructure. Ensures projects adhere to the scope, budget, and schedule as well as interfaces with consultants, contractors, operating, community and external stakeholder representatives Essential Functions: •Performs all project management functions necessary to implement the design, construction and closeout of funded capital projects in adherence to established scope, schedule, budget and quality metrics. Provides support for state of good repair programs related to structures, facilities, buildings, bridges, tunnels, subways, roadways, bus-ways and light rail transit system. •Responsible to review drawings, specifications and contract provisions for compliance with Authority and outside agency requirements and standards in the preparation of construction and procurement contract documents. Provides necessary review/ comments to ensure project scope and Authority standards are met. •Provides project and construction management oversight for: field inspections, review of field design changes, r esolving t echnical problems and methods regarding codes, permits, and municipal construction requirements as applied to maintenance, facility modification, and repair or reconstruction projects. Assists in obtaining permits, as needed. Job requirements include: •BS Degree, in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related technical major from an accredited school. A two-year degree in a related technical field and directly related experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis. •Minimum of three (3) years of experience in progressive responsibility for projects in design and/or construction work. •Professional and effective communications skills. •Valid PA driver’s license. •Demonstrated ability in the use of Windows. Preferred attributes: •Experience/education in construction, maintenance and/or construction management. •Registered Engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or the ability to obtain such registration through reciprocity within one year of appointment.
JOINT APPRENTICESHIP COMMITTEE Local Union No. 5, I.B.E.W. and Western PA Chapter, N.E.C.A. 5 Hot Metal Street, Suite 100 Pittsburgh, PA 15203-2356 www.ibewlocal5jatc.org February 2022 APPRENTICESHIP opportunities for those who meet the requirements are hereby announced by the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee of the I.B.E.W. Local Union #5 and the Western PA Chapter of N.E.C.A. Applications will be distributed at the: Electrical Training Center - 5 Hot Metal Street, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15203-2356 (South Side) March 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th - from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM March 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th - from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Clearfield Training Center - 1400 Leonard Street, Clearfield, PA 16830 March 19th - from 10:00AM to 1:00PM ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE PICKED UP IN PERSON BY THE APPLICANT AND COMPLETED AT THAT TIME. APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: A. Applicants shall be in good health, of average intelligence, conscientious and interested in learning the trade. B. Must be 18 years old, as of June 30, 2022. C. Must be a high school graduate or hold a GED. D. Must have completed one year of high school algebra or one post high school algebra course. E. Applicant must be willing to take any tests given by or for the Committee. F. When an apprenticeship is offered, one must submit to a physical and substance testing and a test for color blindness. These tests will be administered by a doctor selected and paid for by the Committee. G. Must be a resident of one of the following counties in Pennsylvania for at least one year prior to application: Allegheny; Armstrong; Bedford; Blair; Butler; Cambria; Cameron; Centre; Clarion; Clearfield; Elk; Fayette; Fulton; Greene; Huntingdon; Indiana; Jefferson; McKean; Somerset; Venango; Washington and Westmoreland. H. A non-refundable check or money order for $25.00 (Twenty-five Dollars) will be required with the returned application. Cost of all testing and examinations to be paid by the Committee. We will not accept cash payments; check or money orders only. I. All applicants must have a valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License for the entire time they are in the apprenticeship program. J. The recruitment, selection, employment and training of apprentices during their apprenticeship shall be without discrimination due to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or non-job related disabilities. The sponsor shall take affirmative action to provide equal opportunity in the apprenticeship and will operate the apprenticeship program as required under Title 29 or the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 30 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Regulations of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PLEASE BRING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WITH YOU: 1. Copy of your High School Transcript/Official or Unofficial (not the diploma) or your GED with scores (not a copy of the certificate) and High School transcript for years attended. 2. Your Driver’s License. 3. A (non-refundable) check or money order only for $25.00 made payable to Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee. We will not accept cash payments; check or money orders only. BUYER – FLEET SUPPORT MANCHESTER Port Authority is seeking a Buyer – Fleet Support Manchester to perform activities and coordinate procedures for the procurement of general and specialized parts, equipment and services for Port Authority of Allegheny County Operating Divisions and direct support for Fleet Maintenance. Secure the best prices while ensuring quality and delivery requirements Essential Functions: • Coordinate the procedures for the procurement of Non-Stock Material & Supplies for All Port Authority Operation’s Locations including the Main Shop to ensure parts for Bus Down applications. • Develop alternate sources, ensuring continuity of supply, consistency of quality and competition pricing. • Meets with or contacts sales representatives/vendors to obtain and negotiate product price and other related information. • Responsible for the development and maintenance of the new and current Stocking numbers, Kits and updates to vendor part numbers and manufacturer numbers. Job requirements include: • High School Diploma or GED. • Associate degree in Business Administration, Purchasing Administration Management or directly related field from an accredited school. Directly related work experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis. • Mi nim um of t hr ee (3 ) y e a rs procurement buying experience • Demonstrated ability in the use of Windows Applications • Effective and professional communication skills. • Demonstrated ability to work with little supervision. Preferred attributes: • BA/BS degree in Business Administration, Purchasing Administration Management or directly related field. • Experience with PeopleSoft or similar ERP Systems. • Experience in the sourcing of Automotive/ Bus Parts • Demonstrated ability in the use of Microsoft Word and Excel, FMIS (PeopleSoft) or a similar FMIS system. • Valid PA driver’s license.
We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Deborah Slocum Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 DSlocum@portauthority.org EOE AURORA INNOVATION, INC. seeks Software Engineer in Pittsburgh, PA to perform high level applied research and develop software and algorithms for autonomous vehicles. Email resumes to Mary Ellen Mahoney at memahoney@aurora.tech and include REF#00013. CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!
SOFTWARE DEVELOPER Port Authority is seeking a Software Developer to develop, test, maintain and support the company’s Internet and Intranet sites, enhance within the company. Essential Functions: •Design, develop and maintain existing Internet and intranet web applications and services which can include classic ASP, ASP.NET, VB.NET, C# and SQL • Design, develop, document test and debug new software and web applications, web services and software systems and/or applications. •Participate in software design meetings and analyze user needs to determine technical requirements. •Write technical specifications based on conceptual design and business requirements. •Identify and evaluation new technologies for implementation. Job requirements include: • High School Diploma or GED. • BA/BS Degree in Computer Science or related field. Related experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis. • Minimum of three (3) years’ experience with .NET, HTML, XML, jQuery/JavaScript and CSS and SQL. • Proven experience developing web applications using the Software Development Life Cycle. • Experience with Visual Studio. • Effective and professional communication skills. • Experience with Windows desktop and server environments. Preferred attributes: •Experience with IIS web services, SSL, application deployment and server management and configuration using a VMware server environment. • Experience with MVC. • Experience with responsive web design. • Experience with .Net Core. • Experience with Microsoft SharePoint development. • Experience with Nintex forms workflow or similar workflow software. • Experience with Microsoft SQL Server. • Experience with TFS, GIT or other source control systems.
We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Danielle Jacobson Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 DJacobson@portauthority.org EOE SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING CLASSROOM TEACHER Position available at the start of 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 March 1, 2022
We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Danielle Jacobson Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 DJacobson@portauthority.org EOE
ATTEND THE ECS VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR: MARCH 19 The Environmental Charter School (ECS) is hosting a Virtual Career Fair on Saturday, March 19 from 9-10:30 a.m. for potential applicants to meet the staff and learn about the school culture. ECS is seeking innovative and highly motivated individuals for a variety of positions for the 2022-2023 school year as the district grows to a K-11 public charter school. RSVP by March 17 at 11:59 p.m. at ecspgh.org/careers to guarantee your spot at the ECS Career Fair. CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!
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We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Alex Kumnik Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 AKumnik@portauthority.org EOE
DIRECTOROFCAMPUSDEVELOPMENT PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY Penn State has an opportunity for a top frontline fundraiser in the role of Director of Campus Development for its Greater Allegheny Campus. The University is committed to ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the success of a world-class research institution. We are dedicated to fostering institutional change required to realize a more socially just University and we value inclusion as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission. The campus is known for its diversity with approximately 43% of students and 17% of faculty/staff coming from underrepresented groups. The campus also places priority on strong academics, student support, community outreach, economic development and a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion programming. To review detailed responsibilities and requirements, please visit: https://recruitment.giveto.psu.edu/ URBAN ACADEMY OF GREATER PITTSBURGH MULTIPLE POSTIONS •Black Studies Teacher •Special Education Teacher •Classroom Teacher •Co-Teacher - Assist classroom teachers by working with students in small groups and whole groups. He or she will work with students, both directly and indirectly, to provide academic support. •Intervention Support Team Member Provide academic support to students who are below grade level and to in need of enrichment. They will facilitate small groups throughout the day and work very closely with the Math Coach, Reading Specialist, Classroom Teachers, and Principals. Please submit a resume and ALL three Clearances and three References to jobs@urbanacademypgh.org
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We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Alex Kumnik Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 AKumnik@portauthority.org EOE DIRECTOR OF MEDIA EDUCATION – PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY TELEVISION Full-Time Exempt Position Salary Range $45,000 - $55,000 Depending on Experience Benefit Package Includes SIMPLE IRA, Health, Vision, Dental Pittsburgh Community Television (PCTV) is Pittsburgh’s community media and education center, serving the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Our mission is to empower, educate, and enhance the Greater Pittsburgh community through media. Founded in 1986, PCTV operates a media production facility on Pittsburgh’s Northside and broadcasts programming 24/7 on Pittsburgh Comcast Channel 21, Pittsburgh Verizon Channel 47, Apple TV, ROKU, Fire TV, at www.pctv21.org, and on the Pittsburgh Community Television iOS app for iPhone and iPad. Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Director of Media Education is responsible for leading and implementing all of PCTV’s media education efforts, including PCTV’s fellowship program, studio technician training program, training for adults and PCTV’s youth media program. Pittsburgh Community Television is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 1, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
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CITY EDITOR The New Pittsburgh Courier is seeking a highly motivated individual with a sense of urgency in developing engaging general news and feature content to be our City Editor. The successful candidate must be an engaging storyteller with strong reporting, writing, and editing skills and the ability to work within a fast-paced production and marketing environment while maintaining high ethical standards and meeting deadlines. Our ideal candidate should also be able to produce quality photographs to supplement their stories and have graphic layout skills. Duties will include: working with editorial leadership to determine priorities for daily news coverage and reporting geared towards the Black community for both digital and print publication; and daily collaboration across a close-knit team, assisting leadership in the planning and managing of day-to-day operations, proofreading and editing copy for compliance with policies, style, and tone; and attending events, panels and speaking engagements on behalf of the publication. This is a full-time position offering compensation commensurate to experience. Excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), PTO, and more. Please send a letter of interest and resume to jobs@newpittsburghcourier.com GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting is seeking a General Assignment Reporter who can cover fast-moving, breaking news as well as in-depth reports on issues of significance in the Pittsburgh region. For complete job description and to apply, go to: pittsburghcommunitybroadcasting.org/ and follow the employment link. Please no phone calls. PCBC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively seeks diversity in its workforce.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE POSITION OF POLICE OFFICER ALTOONA POLICE DEPARTMENT Applications for Police Officer with the City of Altoona can be obtained from the Human Resources Department of City Hall Monday through Friday between 8:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. For additional information or an application, please visit the “Employment Opportunities” Quick Link on the City’s website at www.altoonapa.gov. Completed applications must be received in the Human Resources Department no later than Noon on Friday, March 18, 2022. Human Resources Department 1301 12th Street, Suite 400 Altoona, PA 16601
POLICE OFFICERS CITY OF ALIQUIPPA Qualified persons are invited to apply to the City of Aliquippa Civil Service Commission to take competitive examinations leading to eligibility for appointment as a Police Officer in the City of Aliquippa Police Department. An application form may be obtained beginning Monday, February 21, 2022. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, please email your request for a police application to: samuel.gill@aliquippapa.gov and kelly.callen@aliquippapa.gov . We can either email or mail an application to you. Completed applications must be returned by mail postmarked by March 7, 2022. Attention: Mr. Samuel L. Gill, City of Aliquippa, 581 Franklin Avenue, Aliquippa, PA 15001. The starting base salary is $42,640.00 annually. REQUIREMENTS: At the time of application applicants are required to be Act 120 Certified or have successfully completed Act 120 Training with the State Exam successfully completed by date of conditional hire, have a high school diploma or GED, be a minimum of 18 years of age, hold a valid motor vehicle operator’s license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, be a U.S. Citizen and be physically and mentally fit to perform duties of a police officer. Successful applicants must meet all other Civil Service requirements. Wo m e n a n d Minor ities A r e En c o u r a g e d to A pply. E OE 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 o rig in , a g e , d is ability, or any other 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.
The City of Altoona is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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Whose team is it? It’s Mike Tomlin’s team! And congrats, Team USA, on a nice Winter Olympics!
ERIN JACKSON won the Gold medal for Team USA in speed skating.
:10—OK, let’s get a few things out of the way first. And trust me when I tell ya a few of these pills are gonna be hard to swallow. #1. You had better believe me when I tell you Coach Mike Tomlin made the call to bring Coach Brian Flores in from the cold. If he doesn’t pull the trigger it just doesn’t happen. (All due respect to Mr. Rooney) #2. You just might be looking at the next Steelers head coach... I’m just sayin’! :09—Now here’s the one you have to take the big gulp on... For all the guys out there who never wanted a Black coach to begin with, well, welcome to the Rooney Rule. And yes, they’re out there. Granted I know they don’t read the Courier because our readers are better than that, but they’re out there... I’m just sayin’! :08—However, the shame of it all is that the Steelers had to come to the rescue again. In 32 head coach positions there are now three Black Head Coaches, Mike Tomlin of our Pittsburgh Steelers, Lovie Smith now of the Houston Texans and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. C’mon man!!! :07—Which now begs
the question about other Black coaches who are long overdue for their shot versus the continued recycling of the same ole same ole. Such as Eric Bieniemy, Byron Leftwich, Jim Caldwell, Leslie Frazier, Vance Joseph,
due to COVID protocol. Kudos to Elena on another superb Olympics. :05—Speaking of the Winter Olympics... Great job Team USA, after all you train to compete in events the rest of the competitors have been doing all their
Overtime
Bill Neal Marvin Lewis and Rakeem Morris just to name a few. :06—Elena Meyers Taylor, a name you didn’t know until now but should never forget. She is currently the Black woman that has won the most medals for an African American athlete in Winter Olympics history with a Bronze in the Two Women Bobsled and Silver in the Women’s Monobob. And, befitting her stature, she was voted by her USA teammates to carry the flag in the closing ceremonies after missing out on carrying the flag in the opening ceremonies
lives. And congratulations to Erin Jackson, a Black woman who captured the Gold medal in speedskating. Hoo-Rah! :04—Oh, this just in... Your Pittsburgh Penguins are in first place in the Metropolitan Division and are in search of their fourth Stanley Cup under the superstar status of Sidney Crosby, who by the way just scored his 500th goal against... you guessed it, the hated Philadelphia Flyers, whooooo, by the way, he has scored the most goals on. Whew, that’s all the hockey stuff I’ve ever known. :03—Everybody! Ev-
erybody! Everybody, stand up and cheer because your Pittsburgh Pirates baseball season is here. Yeah, I know it feels like the season just ended a couple weeks ago but pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training now!!! Thus begins our journey to win 80, no... 75, no... 70, no... okay, 65 games. But that’s as low as I go. :02—NBA All-Star Weekend this past weekend was in Cleveland. Is it over yet? Whew. And I am a basketball guy but talk about an event that needs an overhaul! :01—Let me leave you with this nugget. For all you Steph Curry fans, and I’m not mad at ya - but before you crown him the greatest shooter, scorer, ballhandler and passer of all-time, you might want to Google Pete Maravich, who by the way, hails from Aliquippa. Still holds the NCAA all-time scoring record he set in 1967 with 3,667 points at an average of 44.2 per game at LSU before the adoption of the three-point line and the shot clock and did not play as a freshman due to archaic NCAA rules at the time... C’mon man! :00—GAME OVER.
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