3.20.24 NPC

by Rob Taylor Jr.

Courier Staff Writer

Sometime next year, don't be surprised to see rockets being launched in the Hill District.

by Rob Taylor Jr.

Courier Staff Writer

Prohibiting discrimination based on hair type, hair texture or hair style is one step away from a reality in Pennsylvania.

State Rep. La'Tasha D. Mayes, who represents the 24th House District, and Pa. House Speaker Joanna McClinton, both African American women, are leading the charge to pass the CROWN Act in Pennsylvania. The CROWN Act has already passed the Pa. House by a vote of 18221. Now it just has to

The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that the old Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center building that has long been vacant, but is still standing at 636 Herron

Avenue, will be converted into the new headquarters for The Citizen Science Lab. Andre Samuel, Ph.D., The Citizen Science Lab's Founder, President and CEO, told the Courier

exclusively that a number of additions will occur on the building, and he's especially excited about the courtyard space, where they'll "be outside launching rockets, flying drones,

and piloting robots. Who's not going to walk by and say, 'Can I check this out?'"

The official groundbreaking of the new headquarters, which is

near the corner of Herron Avenue and Milwaukee Street, will occur either in May or June of this year. All new construction

Nearly 160K Blacks in America have died from COVID-19

by Erick Johnson

The Chicago Crusader

Nearly 160,000 Blacks are among the 1.1 million people in America who have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began in

The Crusader also found that out of the 50 states, 18 had death tolls of at least 4,000 Black residents.

The pandemic exposed health inequities among America’s ethnic groups, particularly among Black, Hispanic and White residents in most states. Blacks and Hispanics had some of the lowest vaccination rates in some of America’s major cities.

Despite the availability

alone, 10,082 Black residents died from the disease over a four-year period.

In 2020 alone in New York City, 6,311 Blacks died of COVID-19, compared to, 6,043 White residents, according to the CDC data. Still, Hispanics that year had the highest casualties with 6,825 dying of the disease. COVID-19 claimed 2,217 Asian lives.

The coronavirus pandemic decimated Black communities throughout the U.S., especially in New York City, the epicenter of the pandemic where in 2020, there were more Blacks dying of the disease than the city’s White residents.

of the vaccine, the data also show that 2021 was the deadliest year not only for Blacks, but for Whites, Hispanics and Asians. The data also show thousands are still dying of the disease as of 2023.

The Crusader analyzed CDC data that includes COVID-19 casualties from 2020 to 2023. The data show that among 1,114,697 COVID-19 deaths, 157,193 were Black, 162,226 were Hispanic, 759,307 were White and 35,971 were Asian.

The figures show that Blacks disproportionally died from the disease with 14 percent of all deaths, despite the group making up over 13 percent of America’s population at the beginning of the pandemic. The pandemic struck most American cities and towns in March, 2020.

According to the CDC, that year, 62,430 Black residents died of COVID-19. In 2021, when America endured 12 full months of the pandemic, 64,533 Black Americans died of the disease, despite the availability of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. In 2022, some 30,165 Blacks died of COVID-19 and 5,216 died in 2023. The Crusader also looked at Black COVID-19 deaths in New York State and New York City. The CDC reports data on both entities separately. But together, a total of 14,786 Black residents died of COVID-19 in New York City and New York State. In New York City

Overall, 36,901 residents in New York City died of COVID-19, including 10,082 Black residents, 44,174 whites, 15,377 Hispanics and 5,353 Asians.

A total of 14,786 Black residents in New York State lost their lives during the pandemic.

With massive casualties in New York City, New York State had the highest number of COVID-19 deaths than any other state, according to CDC data. Approximately 78,846 residents in the Empire State died of COVID-19 between 2020 and 2023.

Florida had the second highest with 13,022 Black COVID-19 deaths. Georgia was third with 11,558 Black COVID-19 deaths, followed by Texas, where 11,172 died from the disease. In North Carolina, 7,604 Blacks died during the pandemic while 7,490 Blacks in California died from the disease. Michigan had 6,739 Black COVID-19 deaths, and 6,532 Black residents in Illinois died from the disease. Other U.S. states where there were more than 4,000 COVID-19 deaths among Black residents were Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, New Jersey, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Virginia and Tennessee.

Six states, including Hawaii, Maine, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming and Vermont, did not provide COVID-19 death statistics by race.

• MARCH 20

1852—The leading Black nationalist of the 1800s Martin R. Delany publishes his manifesto entitled “The Condition, Elevation, Emigration and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States.” Delany, who fought in the Civil War to end slavery, became frustrated with American racism and argued that Blacks were “a nation within a nation” who should consider returning to their Africa homeland. Delany, who became a doctor, would later advance an argument for reparations saying, “They [Whites] had been our oppressors and injurers. They obstructed our progress to the high positions of civilization. And now it is their bounden duty to make full amends for the injuries thus inflicted upon an unoffending people.” Delaney died in Wilberforce, Ohio, in 1885.

1852 “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is published in Boston and becomes a national bestseller. The novel was based in part on a real life Maryland slave named Josiah Henson. Many considered Henson the arch type “Uncle Tom” who was over accommodating to Whites and accepting of his condition as a slave. Revisionist historians have treated Henson more kindly suggesting he was simply being pragmatic and actually helped other slaves.

1883 Jan Matzeliger receives a patent for the “shoe lasting” machine, which would revolutionize the shoe industry, significantly reduce the cost of shoes and make Lynn, Mass., the shoe-making capital of the world. Matzeliger was born in Dutch Guiana (today’s Surinam) and arrived in America at 18 or 19 speaking very little English. His invention would eventually enable an entire shoe to be produced in 60 seconds by one machine. The patent was purchased by the United Shoe Company. Unfortunately, Matzeliger died at 37 before he was able to realize any of the enormous profits produced by his invention. 1957—Filmmaker Spike Lee is born in Brooklyn, N.Y.

• MARCH 21

1955— Walter White dies. As head of the NAACP, White was perhaps the most prominent and powerful civil rights leader of the first half of the 20th century. The light complexioned, blue-eyed White became somewhat of a legend in 1919 when he “passed for White” in order to investigate the notorious Elaine, Ark., race riot when marauding bands of Whites killed more than 200 Blacks. He barely escaped with his life when news of his true identity leaked out.

1960—The Sharpsville Massacre occurs, in then White-ruled South Africa, when police fired on Blacks protesting the country’s “pass laws,” which greatly restricted the movement of the majority African population. At least 67 demonstrators were killed and 186 injured or wounded.

1965—The historic Selma to Montgomery March calling for full voting rights for African-Americans begins under federal protection. The original march had actually started on March 7. But the more than 600 demonstrators were attacked with clubs and tear gas by state and local police at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Organizers, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., then went to court to get confirmation of their Constitutional right to demonstrate. The court battle was won and the march resumed under federal protection on March 21. Five months later President Lyndon Johnson signed the historic 1965 Voting Rights Act.

2010—The U.S. House of Representatives passes President Obama’s signature legislation—Health Care Reform by a 219 to 212 vote. No Republican voted for the measure.

• MARCH 22

1492—Alonzo Pietro sets sail with Christopher Columbus as he begins his famous journey to find a new trade route to China, but accidentally “discovers” the Americas. Pietro was one of Columbus’ navigators. He was known as “il Negro”—The Black.

1942— Scholar and political activist Walter Rodney is born in Georgetown, Guyana. Rodney would become one of the leading intellectual forces behind the worldwide Black Nationalist and Pan-Africanist movements of the 1960s and ‘70s. He was a brilliant scholar who traveled widely and among his major writings was the book “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.” He died in a car bombing in Guyana in 1980.

• MARCH 23

1916—Marcus Garvey arrives in the United States from Jamaica. He would go on to build the largest Black nationalist and self-help organization in world history—the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The UNIA owned everything from bakeries to a shipping line. It would develop chapters throughout major cities in the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. “Garveyism” emphasized racial pride, economic empowerment, Blacks doing for self and the establishment of a powerful Black nation in Africa to give protection to Blacks throughout the world.

• MARCH 24

1837—Blacks in Canada are granted the right to vote. Most of these Blacks had escaped from slavery in America.

2002—Halle Berry becomes the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress. She won for her role in the movie “Monster’s Ball.” She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Movie/Mini-Series for “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” in 1999. Berry was born on Aug. 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio, to an African-American father and a Caucasian mother.

• MARCH 25

1931—Ida B. Wells Barnett dies. Barnett was one of the leading Black female activists in America for over 30 years. Born in Holly Springs, Miss., she became a crusading journalist against racism and injustice with her Memphis, Tennessee-based newspaper—“The Free Speech and Headlight.” When a prominent Memphis Black man (and friend or hers) was lynched in 1892, she launched a national campaign against lynching. In 1909, she became a member of the Committee of 40 which laid the foundation for the organization which would become the NAACP. But she later sided with scholar W.E.B. DuBois when he accused the NAACP of not being militant enough. Barnett would also later join with White suffragettes in demanding that women be given the right to vote.

1931—The “Scottsboro Boys” are arrested and accused of raping two young White women—a crime which evidence suggests (then and now) never occurred. However, the saga of the nine Scottsboro Boys (young Black men aged 12 to 20) would stretch out over a period of nearly 20 years in a series of trials, convictions, reversals and retrials. The racism of the period was so thick that even when one of the young White women recanted and admitted that no rape had occurred, an all-White Alabama jury still found members of the group guilty and sentenced them to death. The convictions were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and more retrials and new convictions followed. Eventually, either by paroles or escapes, all the Scottsboro Boys would leave Alabama prisons. The last one died in 1989.

1942—Aretha Franklin , the “Queen of Soul” music, is born in Detroit, Mich.

• MARCH 26

1831— The founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Church, Richard Allen , dies at age 71 in Philadelphia, Pa. As its first bishop, Allen set the AME Church on the path to becoming the first Black religious denomination in America to be fully independent of White control. He, in effect, chartered a separate religious identity for African-Americans. He also founded schools throughout the nation to teach Blacks. This includes Allen University in Columbia, S.C.

1944— Singer/Actress Diana Ross is born in Detroit, Mich. She headed the most popular female signing group of the 1960s—The Supremes.

1950— Singer Teddy Pendergrass is born in Philadelphia, Pa. For a period, Pendergrass was the leading sex symbol in R&B music. However, an automobile accident on March 18, 1982 left him paralyzed from the chest down. Pendergrass died Jan. 13, 2010.

Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 6 p.m.

Taliya R. Allen Program Associate, The Pittsburgh Foundation Visibility Chair, Black Transformative Arts Network

Danai Battle Program Director ACH Clear Pathways

Tyrell A. Best-Savage Deputy District Director PA Congressional District 12

Chantal Braziel

Soprano Classical Singer

Lytia S. Brock

Founder Cloaked in Favor Outreach Ministries

Nathaniel Brown

Owner

Nate Brown Demolition, LLC and Brown Abatement, LLC

Fred Buckner

Senior Contract Specialist-Professional Services Pittsburgh Regional Transit

MacKaiya Cherry Communications Assistant/ Social Media Pittsburgh Steelers

Danielle V. Colquitt

Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer/ General Manager Coston Funeral Homes, Inc.

Tyler Coulverson

Branch Manager, Allegent Federal Credit Union Podcaster, Financial Literacy with TC!

Ashley R. Comans

School Board Director-Vice President, Wilkinsburg School District Media & Government Relations Manager, Healthy Start, Inc.

Daylon A. Davis

President NAACP Pittsburgh Branch

Pastor Michael Anthony Day Founder & Senior Pastor, Legacy International Worship Center President, LCOP, Inc.

Brandy Daye Principal UNITED at Twin Rivers Elementary

Deanna D. Dias

CEO Daressia Industries, LLC and Bangolz Boutique, LLC

Dorin Dickerson Host, 93.7 The Fan Morning Show Audacy

Jhason Dixon Controller Sports & Exhibition Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County

Camille L. Edmonds

Founder & Owner Her Salon, LLC

Jesse I. Exilus Deputy City Solicitor City of Pittsburgh

Sydni Goldman

Host/Producer of The Glory Hour with Sydni Goldman Cornerstone Television Network

Dorien Goodnight-Giddens

Senior Vice President, Principal for Enterprise-Wide Functions Compliance Bank of NY Mellon

Erikka B. Grayson

Project Manager, Early Excellence Project CEO/Founder, Bomb Moms, LLC

Dr. Sylvester C. Hanner

School Counselor, Pittsburgh Public Schools Mental Health Educator, SCH Counseling and Consulting

Asraiel Harewood

Director of Enrollment Operations & Strategy Carnegie Mellon University

Rashawd Hatten

Supervisor, IT Governance, Risk and Compliance, Duquesne Light Head Basketball Coach, Clairton High School

Tempestt Henderson-Sutton

Assistant Executive Director, Greater Valley Community Services, Inc. Owner, Varie-T

Miracle Jones

Director of Policy and Advocacy 1Hood Media

Talia D. Kirkland Reporter WPXI-TV

Yasmeen Manyisha Safety Press Officer

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Joan Owhe Ojo, Esq. Deputy Attorney General

Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General

Danica Phillips

Principal and Founder, Sienna Dawn Media Integrated Marketing Agency Assistant Director of Communications, Bridgeway Capital

Brooke Rawls, Ph.D., LCSW

CWEB Academic Coordinator and Clinical Assistant Professor University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work

Audia Robinson, MBA, Ph.D. Candidate

Investment Operations Analyst, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh

Shana Smith

Assistant Principal Urban Academy of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School

Tiffany Stanley

& Community Relations Manager, AAA East Central

John A. Ukenye, J.D.

Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh

Lawrence Uradu, MD Associate Chief, Division of Emergency Radiology, UPMC

Danielle

Darius

Orlando Watson

New ‘Science Center’ coming to the Hill District

Old MLK Cultural Center on Herron Ave. to become The Citizen Science Lab’s headquarters

SCIENCE FROM A1

should be completed by early 2025, according to Dr. Samuel.

"This is going to be huge for us," Dr. Samuel told the Courier exclusively, "because not only does it give us (extra) space, but it gives us that ability to have people walk by in our community and say, 'This is in my neighborhood, let me check this out.'"

The Citizen Science Lab has been in existence since 2014, described as a "community life sciences laboratory where interactive learning and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) enrichment fuel enthusiasm for all things science."

The Citizen Science Lab was originally housed in a small space inside the Energy Innovation Center, on Bedford Avenue in the Hill. Dr. Samuel, who is Black, took pride in opening a space to show the youth the ins and outs of science and research, right in their own backyard, as many of the youth involved were also Black.

By 2019, the lab had outgrown the physical space inside the Energy Innovation Center, so the lab moved to a larger space in Bethel Park, a few minutes from South Hills Village mall. But Dr. Samuel told the Courier there was always the intention to move the lab back to the Hill District, and for the last five years, "Project Dream" has been in effect, raising the capital needed for the big move.

Dr. Samuel said philanthropic support has come from, among others, McAuley Ministries, the Buhl Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, and the Hillman Foundation. Bridgeway Capital also serves as a supporter, along with elected officials like state Rep. Aerion Abney, who represents the Hill District.

On Jan. 25, Citizens Bank, which is not affiliated with The Citizen Science Lab, along with Trib Total Media, recognized The Citizen Science Lab as its 2024 "Champion in Action" for promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy. Citizens Bank's Pittsburgh Market

President, Mark Rendulic, presented a $50,000 check to The Citizen Science Lab at the lab's Washington Road location. Rendulic also said the lab would receive volunteer support from Citizens colleagues, and free print advertisements from Trib Total Media.

"It's not just about a check for us," Rendulic said. "This program (Champions in Action) is very, very focused on making sure we select very specific type of nonprofits under $5 million in revenue. Our commitment is to help them with long-term growth...Doctor (Samuel), you and your team are doing such critical work, you're making such a big difference in so many ways. Thank you for leaving D.C. and coming to Pittsburgh."

Dr. Samuel was raised in Washington, D.C., but was born in Germany to a German mother and

Black father. He began his collegiate journey at Tuskegee University, in Alabama, but he soon battled periods of drug addiction and homelessness for six years, he told the Courier. Eventually, Dr. Samuel transferred the credits he had earned at Tuskegee to another HBCU, the University of the District of Columbia, and earned a bachelor's degree there in Biology.

So how did Dr. Samuel get to the Steel City? In 2004, his wife went to law school in Pittsburgh, and Dr. Samuel made the move, too. While working at the University of Pittsburgh as a research technologist, Dr. Samuel applied to the Ph.D. program at Duquesne University. After some hard work, he walked out of Duquesne University with a Ph.D. in Biology, with a focus on molecular modeling and using proteins as a target to develop new antibiotics.

But before he said goodbye to Duquesne, he noticed that "we were sitting at the foot of the Hill District, and our biology labs would stay open and unused during the summer," Dr. Samuel told the Courier.

Dr. Samuel began having small programs for youth inside the previously-unused biology labs, and it didn't go unnoticed. One of the faculty members informed Dr. Samuel that a $500,000 grant was coming to the university, and "we'll turn it over to you and you can create what you want to create," Dr. Samuel said he was told.

"The Citizen Science Lab" was born. And the well-known Bill Generett, J.D., the current Senior Vice President of Civic Engagement and External Relations at Duquesne University, assisted Dr. Samuel by having Generett's Urban Innovation 21 economic development agency (which is now part of the Riverside Center for Innovation) serve as a fiscal sponsor for The Citizen Science Lab. The Citizen Science Lab held its first workshop at the Energy Innovation

Center in the Hill District in 2015. The lab eventually became its own independent nonprofit in 2018. If it's up to Dr. Samuel, he's going to make sure Black youth in Pittsburgh see how interesting it is to be a scientist. He said people often believe one has to have a background or knowledge in science to get into it, but that won't be the case at The Citizen Science Lab's current or new headquarters. There are a number of free "pipeline" programs that are offered to youth for free throughout the school year, and fees for summer camps can often be offset by the lab's scholarship fund. Dr. Samuel said The Citizen Science Lab also has programs for adults who are interested in science and research.

Upon its completion, the new headquarters for The Citizen Science Lab will have state-of-theart labs that are named after prominent Black scientists, an open glass vestibule to the front of the building with a cafe, a reception area, teaching spaces, a greenhouse and a chicken coop for egg laying. There will also be

murals painted by local Black artists that highlight Black scientists. Dr. Samuel told the Courier it all will equal 6,000 square feet of science, learning and fun.

"If you're a scientist, you're a White guy with glasses and a lab coat," is how Dr. Samuel described the stereotypical impression of a research scientist. "So, we're trying to change that, and we're also trying to have our young folks understand that...there's a very lucrative career in the sciences."

Earning a six-figure salary with your Ph.D. as a scientist is pretty much a given in most cases.

Dr. Samuel said there's one thing that seems to "hook" the young people when it comes to his classes or science in general. "Believe it or not, are those lab coats," Dr. Samuel told the Courier with a smile. "As soon as our kids come in and see a lab coat and put a lab coat on, they are transformed. The first thing they say is, 'Wow, I'm a scientist.'"

A DRAWING OF WHAT THE NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR THE CITIZEN SCIENCE LAB WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE HILL DISTRICT.

Diane and Kenneth Neely's Pop-up Art Shop

THE NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WAS THERE AS DIANE NEELY HELD A “POP-UP ART SHOP” AT THE STEEL CITY EMPORIUM, FEB. 24. IT FEATURED PIECES FROM KENNETH NEELY AND HIS STUDENTS FROM IMANI CHRISTIAN ACADEMY. IN THIS PHOTO ABOVE, IT’S THE NEELY FAMILY IN FRONT OF ARTWORK AND THEIR SONS HOLDING ARTWORK THAT MR. NEELY’S STUDENTS CREATED. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)

KENNETH NEELY EXPLAINS HIS STUDENTS’ ARTWORK TO BUYER JULIA MIREK

DAN CLARK AND JULIA MIREK BOUGHT ONE OF THE ART PIECES

CARLOS T. CARTER

Black men’s health

The Community Health Series Partnership (CHSP) has always made a point to center its information on the health and wellness of the Black community at large. This month, we’re focusing specifically on the health of Black men—a topic the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and others have indicated is especially important.

Q: Thanks for joining us again, Carlos. Why is Black men’s health so crucial?

Carlos Carter: The mere fact that Black men are dying too early is reason enough for this topic’s importance. Unfortunately, Black men have some of the lowest life expectancies and health outcomes of all groups except Native Americans.

As a middle-aged Black man, I watch too many of my peers—some folks younger than me and others slightly older—face daunting health issues that could be avoided. I’ve seen friends and community members suffer from heart disease, diabetes, strokes, obesity and poor diets, and mental health crises.

Recently, I was heartbroken (and terrified) when I was called to visit a close friend in his early forties who was hospitalized (barely escaping death) because he simply didn’t take his blood pressure medicine. Because he hasn’t prioritized his health, he has many challenges ahead of him. Saddest of all is that the crisis could have been avoided through preventative care.

The unadulterated reality is that Black men are in danger. Not just from gun violence, but from failing to take care of our health.

All of us at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh want to help sound the alarm about the systems that perpetuate inequitable health outcomes for Black men. We also want to empower them to be more intentional about prioritizing their mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Q: This edition of the New Pittsburgh Courier highlights three key perspectives on understanding the barriers that exist to Black men’s health: Racism, incarceration, and chronic disease. What other conditions and factors should we bring attention to as we seek to eliminate the obstacles Black men face in achieving health?

Carlos Carter: We all know many Black men— and Black people in general—distrust the healthcare system and other institutions that have harmed us.  I believe it’s important to build trust with Black men to help them understand the need for preventative care and healthy living.

Although I’m relatively healthy, I was not getting regular checkups. I only visited the doctor when something was wrong. My doctor

and I have a 20-plus year relationship. So when this person explained I need regular tests and checkups as I get older, I listened. Because I value my life—and trust my doctor—I now consistently receive preventative care.

If Black men are approached with empathy and intentionality (and not talked down to), it can do wonders to remove barriers and engage us in preventative care. This relational approach can help us be more receptive to listening to health professionals and increasing the likelihood of engaging in preventive care and healthy lifestyles.

Something else we must address is Black obesity.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health reports that 38 percent of Black men who are 20 years or older are obese. This is scary and underscores the need for better health education and access.

To attack obesity, we must make better food choices, such as eating foods that our worthy of our Black lives. When healthy food options are available, such as at an event, we should more deliberately seek them out. We must also get more exercise and embed physical activity into our daily routines.

Q: What role do organizations like the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh play in toppling the barriers to Black men’s health? How can we mobilize our organizations and communities to contribute to Black men’s wellness and help them thrive?

Carlos Carter: Organizations like ours need to take opportunities (including this column) to sound the alarm about the challenges to Black men’s health.

We must hold institutions accountable for their role in damaging Black men’s health.

We need to empower Black men by giving them the information and resources they need to live healthy lifestyles.

Black men are strong men and can thrive if people take the time to build relationships with us and support our journeys.  It’s never good to look at people as victims. It diminishes their power. Instead, we need to educate and support our Black men to thrive economically and holistically.

Further, Black men need to support and encourage each other. We need to openly talk about and prioritize our health and hold ourselves accountable. We need to share resources and information to help take care of our health.

At the end of the day, I want all men—and that includes Black men—to thrive and live their best lives. Let’s face it. If we don’t prioritize and fight for our health no one else will!

Racism harms Black men’s well-being —but advocacy can heal

Centuries of racism are built into our country’s structure, including education, healthcare, employment, finance, housing, and judicial systems.

Racism takes the form of unequal education; inconsistent hiring practices and job opportunities; little or no access to healthcare and/or insurance; racial profiling; police brutality; higher and more severe incarceration; and discriminatory lending practices that make it hard for Black people to get loans, buy homes, and build wealth.

Racial barriers make it tougher for Black men to succeed in life than their White counterparts, including their ability to get good healthcare. These barriers harm Black men’s physical and mental health more profoundly than white men. According to the CDC, the life expectancy of non-Hispanic/Black Americans is four years lower than White Americans. Racial and ethnic minority groups also have higher rates of illness and death across a wide range of health conditions.

University of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Sirry Alang, Associate Dean of Equity and Justice and Associate Professor of Health & Human Development, studies how racism shapes health over a person’s lifespan. “Structural racism is about two basic things for Black communities,” she explains. “It’s about unequal access to resources, including power, and how Black people are dehumanized and made to feel less than White people.”

According to research, racism causes stress that messes with a person’s brain, heart, hormones, and immune system. The result is diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, heart and kidney disease, and cancer at higher rates and with worse outcomes than white people.

“What we’re finding is that worrying about racism, being hypervigilant about your safety as a Black man, and feeling anxious about whether you can provide for yourself and your family puts wear and tear on your organs,” Dr. Alang explains. Mental health is affected as well.

In one of Dr. Alang’s studies, Black men identified that other people’s perceptions of them caused them anxiety. “The dehumanization of racism means Black men question how other people see them in the workplace, on the street, in church, on the bus,” says Dr. Alang. “This constant state of worrying about what others think is not normal. Where do Black men find a space to rest and care for themselves?”

To break down barriers to Black men’s health, Dr. Alang reminds us that Black men are not responsible for fixing the systems that harm them and shorten their lifespans. Instead, the people who benefit from the systems must make meaningful changes.

“For example, if you’re a White doctor, you should receive training about racism as a source of stress for Black men. That includes opening the door for Black male patients to talk about the stress and be treated for it,” she says. Like health professionals who identify interpersonal violence by asking patients if they feel safe at home, doctors can be trained to do the same for racial-based stress. The care would include an official diagnosis, resources to lower the stress (that are covered by insurance), and hopefully, empathy and awareness from the provider.

As an activist-scholar, Dr. Alang believes her research must produce change that matters personally to the people she serves and in a larger community context. “I had a mentor early in my career who asked me how my research

contributes to the liberation of our people,” she relates. “That question is my motivation. My research is experiential and critical, not objective. Lived experiences matter. Power matters.”

To redistribute power and resources, Dr. Alang encourages everyone to advocate for just systems via thoughtful and consistent voting at the local, state, and federal levels.

She suggests White people think about their interpersonal networks, including those they work with, spend time around, and talk to. “If you’re a White doctor with mostly White patients, you can’t reflect on the experiences of people who are harmed by racism because you’re not in a relationship with them,” she says.

From her research, Dr. Alang reminds everyone about the power of small gestures. In one study, a Black male research participant in a white healthcare facility felt more at ease when he saw a photo of Barack Obama hanging on the wall. Another participant had similar feelings thanks to a quote by Maya Angelou. Another heard Tupac’s music playing overhead in an all-White pharmacy. “These small signs sent a powerful message: Your culture matters,” Dr. Alang explains. “Representation matters.”

So while people in positions of power fight to dismantle racist systems by rewriting government and institutional policies, reimagining community safety, and sponsoring and promoting public conversations and protests, ALL of us can support Black men’s health by advocating on their behalf, learning about their lives, and being in community with them.

“Racism is an overwhelming system—but we’re not powerless,” reminds Dr. Alang. “We can care about Black men’s health by interrupting a racist joke at work or stopping a negative stereotype at the dinner table. We can be a friend to young Black men in the neighborhood. We can care for one another and improve our emotional health.”

Community support systems help Black men live longer, healthier, happier lives

Dr. Daniel Salahuddin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Pitt’s School of Medicine, also works as a Psychiatrist at Sto-Rox Family Health Center.

There, and in the Hilltop Community Healthcare Center, Dr. Salahuddin sees chronic diseases that impact Black people unequally compared to white people. The diseases include diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and cancers like prostrate and lung. They also include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders like alcohol. These chronic conditions occur disproportionally in Black men largely in part due to racism in all forms, whether it be systemic, structural, or interpersonal. “Black men tend to live in a world of hypervigilance due to these factors,” Dr. Salahuddin says. “They have to be over alert to everyone and everything around them.”

Human beings rely on this “fight or flight” response to stay alive. However, constantly being in a state of readiness to

battle or run isn’t natural. It’s also not healthy. “Fight or flight produces cortisol, a stress hormone,” Dr. Salahuddin explains. “Cortisol increases inflammation, which can lead to chronic diseases that impact both physical and mental health.”

In his practice, Dr. Salahuddin sees health disparities play out, but not like we might think. “The Black men I meet with are often lost to follow-up care. I may see them once or twice, prescribe medicine that may or may not help—then not see them again for months, years, if not ever…. Sometimes, this is due to incarceration, which we know impacts Black men the most. Often, it’s about mistrust toward the medical system and money. Which would you choose? Work that supports your family or unpaid time off to visit a doctor you may or may not trust?”

To address this, it’s important for patients and healthcare providers to work in partnership with each other. “To build trust, we need to approach every interaction with humility and always act on Black patients’ behalf,” he says. “More important than my expertise as a doctor is to listen to, hear, and see people and

validate their experiences by asking, ‘What are your goals? What will help you live a healthier life? How can we work together to make this happen?’”

Validation is an important way to help establish therapeutic alliance and support patients in making healthy lifestyle changes. By reflecting back, or “mirroring,” what a patient is sharing, they may be able to better tap into and understand what’s motivating them. For example, on the journey to stop smoking, many people are in a state of uncertainty. Dr. Salahuddin explains, “You want to stop smoking, but it helps relieve stress. But your kids hate it and it’s expensive. But it helps you calm down and focus—and is part of your daily routine,— and you’ve tried quitting multiple times without much success. My role is to reflect that uncertainty—to listen and validate it, which can help a patient examine their motivations for certain behaviors, which may ultimately lead to behavior changes, including giving up cigarettes.”

During the pandemic, Dr. Salahuddin was a host of the popular Ask a Black Doctor Facebook event, which offered Black viewers information about the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines, virus mutations, policies and processes, and myths vs facts.

Now, he’s a co-host and facilitator of Sundays At 7, a weekly Zoom event that’s transitioned from mental health education to a beautiful support group where Black people can process stress, get peer support, hear and

discuss news, and share laughs.

“Again, we’re looking at the power of community to topple barriers to Black men’s health,” says Dr. Salahuddin. “Yes, it’s important for Black men to see a PCP regularly for vaccines and screenings, so we can detect health concerns early on,” Dr. Salahuddin explains.

“But it’s also equally important to encourage Black men to connect with others in barbershops, churches, and community centers,” he adds. Being in community and feeling connected to others is a type of informal mental health support.

“It lets people know you’re not suffering alone. You can let down your guard and know that you are safe. Human beings are not designed to handle things alone, but with support from the village. When we’re in community, we better understand ourselves and others.”

Dr. Salahuddin believes that when Black men allow others to see them authentically—without their protective armor— it benefits them physically and mentally and has a huge impact on community health.

“Healthy Black men strengthen the community as father figures, mentors, and elders,” he says. “Their presence has a ripple effect on family and community dynamics that’s foundational. These men are role models who signal to Black youth, ‘This is how I want to live my life.’”

DR. SIRRY ALANG

DR. DANIEL SALAHUDDIN

Charge

Behind bars and beyond: Health equity for incarcerated Black men is an ongoing struggle

Richard Garland, executive director of Reimagine Reentry, holds his head as he talks about trends in gun violence in Pittsburgh, on Sept. 7, 2023, in his Hill District offices. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource

The connections between violence, incarceration, and health outcomes for Black men are complex.

Black men face barriers to their well-being that White men don’t. Access to quality education is unequal as are job opportunities, affordable housing, and good healthcare, especially in underserved communities.

Black men are also disproportionately exposed to community and interpersonal violence, racial profiling, and police brutality.

When they’re directly impacted by violence as victims or witnesses, they may experience physical injuries, like gunshot wounds, stabbings, or traumatic brain damage. They may develop mental health disorders like PTSD, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. They may also suffer from chronic health con-

ditions like hypertension and constant pain.

Even indirect violence can affect Black men’s health. Maybe a family member has been incarcerated or a friend or neighbor has been shot or beaten. These experiences can affect a person’s mental outlook, cause psychosocial stress, and put people at risk for interpersonal violence.

Of all the barriers to Black men’s well-being, incarceration is one of the highest. Black men are incarcerated at higher rates than White men and serve longer sentences for the same crimes—the result of racial profiling, implicit bias, harsh sentencing laws, and systemic racism within the criminal justice system.

Incarceration disrupts family life and relationships, creates financial problems, and results in stigma and discrimination that affects employment, housing, and social interactions long after release.

In the prison system, Black men face limited healthcare services, leading to unmet medical needs and untreated conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and

asthma. These conditions are made worse by limited access to healthcare, unhealthy food, and little or no exercise.

Incarcerated Black men also suffer from higher rates of substance abuse and psychological distress than the general population. The prison environment can make existing mental health issues worse, too—and lead to new ones, due to overcrowding, violence, and isolation. Even after release, Black men face more barriers to good healthcare. They may lack insurance, have difficulty finding a job due to the stigma and discrimination of being incarcerated, and feel overwhelmed as they try to navigate the outside world.

“There is so much going on when you’re released,” says Richard Garland, retired University of Pittsburgh assistant professor and current Executive Director of Reimagine ReEntry. Richard spent more than 20 years in various forms of incarceration before he reclaimed his life with help from mentors in Philadelphia’s Holmesburg Prison.

“You may come out in worse shape than you went in,” he explains. “You’re trying to get back in with your family and your community and find a way to get a job with a criminal record.

Physical and mental healthcare

don’t take priority.”

All the barriers Black men face upon reentry can make anxiety and depression, as well as substance abuse and addiction, spiral—especially when there’s no support and no access to safe and effective treatment. “Mental health issues are crushing our Black families and communities,” Richard says.

It’s one of the reasons Richard founded Reimagine ReEntry four years ago. He and his staff of 13 direct, coach, and mentor formerly incarcerated Black people in Allegheny County from the organization’s headquarters in the Hill District. With recent funding from the county’s $50-million-dollar-commitment to reducing community violence, Reimagine ReEntry continues to help formerly incarcerated people with mental health services, workforce development and training, family reunification, and housing.

“Our team provides hope and opportunities, so formerly incarcerated people can make healthy choices that benefit them, their families, and the community,” Richard says. “We provide this service for three years after their release.”

Reimagine Reentry also responds to gun violence through its CommUnity Peace, part of the national hospital-based violence intervention program. CommUnity Peace helps gunshot victims quickly and directly in the hospital where they’re being treated. Within 24 hours, a violence prevention coach is by a victim’s side offering social support like therapy and job training, as well as relocation services if needed. The goal is to stop the cycle of violence and lower the number of gun-related deaths. By reducing crime and violence through structural intervention, Reimagine ReEntry hopes to reduce recidivism. “We’re seeing more Black men

entering incarceration at a younger age and maturity level,” Richard explains. “Many of them arrive with undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues. While they may receive medicine when they’re locked up, will it help them — or just keep them from causing trouble?”

Other forces and programs are helping to break down barriers to Black men’s health, including social media. “More Black youth are normalizing mental health and medication on TikTok and other sites, which helps put an end to stigma,” he says.

Collaborative justice courts, too, provide a better alternative to traditional criminal justice judgments. Drug courts, for example, combine oversight and monitoring with substance abuse treatment. “The hope is to reduce reentry and help people understand why they’re abusing drugs, so they can stop,” Richard explains.

Programs that pair social workers with police are de-escalating mental health situations that can turn violent and result in injury and even death. “When someone is in crisis, social workers and police respond together,” Richard adds.

While good things are happening, more needs to be done. “There’s a quote I love from my mentor John Africa of MOVE: ‘Application don’t need no conversation,’” says Richard. “We in the Black community must act on behalf of Black youth. We must embrace and support our young Black men and help them with education and job opportunities, so they have options. Options empower people to rise above their circumstances.

“We can’t give up on our young people,” he continues. “They’re so bright, so resilient, so strong. The more I work with my staff, the more respect I have for all they offer our future.”

Live Well Allegheny REACH project brings health resources to priority Black neighborhoods

In 2018, the Allegheny County Health Dept (ACHD) received a Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant to improve health, reduce chronic disease, and make healthcare more equal in Black communities that have the highest rate of existing health inequities. A lot of work had been done before the grant was received to prepare

for action. “The work started in 2015 with the Plan for a Healthier Allegheny County,” says University of Pittsburgh’s Dr. Tiffany L. Gary-Webb, Associate Dean for DEI, Professor in Epidemiology, and the Associate Director for Pitt’s Center for Health Equity. “It continued for the next three years with a food access and physical activity pilot pro -

gram.”

It also included Dr. Gary-Webb working with ACHD to raise awareness about trends in the county’s racial health disparities in chronic disease.

The 2018 REACH grant funded the formation of the Live Well Allegheny (LWA) REACH Coalition. Directed by Dr. Gary-Webb and a leadership team, the coalition was made up

of partners—many that had worked together before. They included organizations like Pitt, Just Harvest, the Food Trust, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Healthy Start, the Black Breastfeeding Circle, and others. The coalition began meeting regularly, completed anti-racist training, and developed a mission statement

about dismantling racist systems and working together to uplift undeserved communities.

LWA REACH implemented events in three areas: Nutrition, physical activity, and community-clinical linkages. “For example, our partners ramped up neighborhood farmers’ markets for affordable fresh produce that could be purchased with

EBT/food stamps,” Dr. Gary-Webb explains. “The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council worked in the Pittsburgh Public Schools to create a policy to source local, healthier food.”

Likewise with physical activity. “We teamed up with Allegheny County Economic Development to work with communities on the built environment,” Dr. Gary-Webb continues. “Examples include fixing crumbling sidewalks, bike lanes and trails through community design projects.”

The coalition featured community-clinical links between Duquesne School of Pharmacy, the UPMC Children’s Hospital, YMCA, and the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. “These links resulted in neighborhood health and food security screenings; referrals for primary care; blood pressure management and diabetes prevention and management; and flu, COVID, and other vaccinations,” says Dr. Gary-Webb.

These are just a few of the many examples of LWA REACH’s use of grant money to make meaningful changes di -

rectly in priority neighborhoods. “We even provided mini project grants to neighborhood organizations like the Obama PTSA, Macedonia FACE, Allen Place, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Pittsburgh Black Pride,” Dr. Gary-Webb adds.

Throughout the fiveyear commitment, LWA REACH tracked and reported its progress, as well as short-, intermediate-, and longterm outcomes, to the CDC. The results were so successful, the coalition has received another five-year grant to continue its work through 2028. While Dr. Gary-Webb has stepped down from the coalition (to concentrate more fully on other health equity-related initiatives), she’s proud of the first round of progress.

“This was a concerted effort with unapologetic funding from the federal government for communities that suffer most from health disparities,” she says.

“Pittsburgh needs to be more progressive about taking action to address health disparities, especially when you compare our region to similar areas of the country.

LWA REACH is doing that—and serving as an example to other REACH cities, especially in our anti-racism work (which the CDC has recognized) and our ability to collaborate so well on behalf of citizens who suffer most from health inequities.”

RICHARD GARLAND

DR. TIFFANY L. GARY-WEBB

RICHARD GARLAND, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF REIMAGINE REENTRY, HOLDS HIS HEAD AS HE TALKS ABOUT TRENDS IN GUN VIOLENCE IN PITTSBURGH, ON SEPT. 7, 2023, IN HIS HILL DISTRICT OFFICES. (PHOTO BY STEPHANIE STRASBURG/PUBLICSOURCE

Banning discrimination based on hair styles top priority

Reps. Mayes, McClinton launch ‘CROWN Act Coalition’ during Pittsburgh event

Act's actual name is House Bill 1934.

"Locs, braids, twists, coils, Bantu knots, cornrows, afros and extensions are typically associated with Black Americans. Historically, these hair styles have created a point of reflection for many human resources managers, educators and coaches, who want employees, students, or participants to follow established policies and maintain a uniform 'neat' appearance regardless of race, culture or ethnicity," read a statement from the CROWN Act Coalition. "We can no longer stand by while Pennsylvanians are being targeted, harassed, and denied access to opportunities based on their hair type, hair texture or hairstyle."

There are 50 senators in the Pa. Senate, of whom four are Black. All four are Black men.

While the CROWN Act would pertain to both men and women, there are no Black women in the state Senate to vouch for the importance of the CROWN Act.

“When people face hair discrimination in the workplace like here in Pittsburgh in the case of Asani Porch who has a lawsuit against Aramark for hair discrimination, in school settings like Darryl George in Texas and public accommodations, it negatively affects their health," Rep. Mayes said. "We must pass the CROWN Act to ensure that natural hair, hair styles and hair texture are respected in our commonwealth.”

In 2020, the City of Pittsburgh passed its own version of the CROWN Act, banning employers from discriminating against certain hair styles. Allegheny County also passed a

version of the CROWN Act in 2020. Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are part of a growing list of cities and counties nationwide that have taken the passage of the CROWN Act into its own hands, rather than waiting on their states to make it law. It's unclear the next time that the CROWN Act will be up for a vote in the Pa. Senate, and you can add the U.S. Senate to that list. In 2022, the CROWN Act was passed nationally in the U.S. House of Representatives, but failed in the U.S. Senate. So far, only about half of the country's states have passed the CROWN Act. “People in other

states—like Arkansas, Tennessee and Louisiana—have already secured the protections offered by the CROWN Act,” Pa. House Speaker

said. “Pennsylvanians deserve the same respect and dignity, whether they are student athletes or applying for a new job. The

McClinton

CROWN Act Coalition will empower people to join the chorus of voices calling to end this outdated artifact of racial discrimination.”

STATE REPS. LA’TASHA D. MAYES, RIGHT, AND JOANNA MCCLINTON WITH FIRST LADY OF PITTSBURGH, MICHELLE GAINEY, CENTER.

PA. HOUSE SPEAKER JOANNA MCCLINTON (PHOTOS BY MARLON MARTIN)

MOSLEY, LEFT,

“Now there stood by the CROSS of JESUS His MOTHER, and His Mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His

EVERYONE THAT CAME WITH BIRTHDAY GIRL, MARY ELIZABETH CLARK, WHO CELEBRATED HER 90TH BIRTHDAY IN

(PHOTOS BY

HAPPY 90TH!

SISTERS! WITH MARY ELIZABETH CLARK IN THE FRONT ROW, MIDDLE.

ALL THE GUYS, WITH MARY ELIZABETH CLARK.

The Duquesne Dukes—Let the dancing begin

:10—Well, well, well, and you thought the big story coming out of this past weekend would be the Steelers and their new QBs. Guess again kids—How about them Duquesne Dukes punching their ticket to The Big Dance by beating VCU in a close one, 57-51, to win the A-10 Tourney!! Standing ovation and loud whistling to Coach Keith Dambrot and the team for closing out the season in high fashion, shocking the world and making it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 47 years. Yeah, that’s right, the last time they went to the NCAA Tourney Jimmy Carter was President, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac won the Grammy for Best Album and Norm Nixon was the star of the Dukes team. With a total team effort the Dukes ended the season, up to this point, with 8 straight wins and in their last 18 games went 153. Mighty impressive. In his seventh season Coach Dambrot has done what no one really thought he could do, take the Dukes to the tourney. Unbelievable, and with a Thursday, March 21 game against BYU at 12:40 p.m., I will be glued to the TV at a local establishment cheering on an inevitable victory. GO DUKES!!!

:09—What makes the Duquesne Cinderella story even more amazing is Coach Dambrot’s announcement that he will be retiring after the NCAAs to care for his wife Donna in her battle with cancer. Best wishes and all our prayers are with Donna and here’s hoping this added layer of drama uplifts the players to another upset victory Thursday and propels them to a Sweet 16 berth after this weekend. All that being said, no matter the outcome this weekend, this has been a feel great story since Duquesne went on that final winning streak to get to the NCAAs. It’s

all gravy now, all icing on the cake and I couldn’t be happier or prouder of the men and Coach Dambrot.

GO DUKES!!! :08—Yin and Yang. Hey, hey, hey, watch it, I know some stuff. With the good comes the bad. And we all know what I’m talking about, our Pitt Panthers and them getting jobbed by not getting selected to the NCAA Tourney. Yeah, they had a less-thanstellar schedule and lost some winnable games that would have helped their strength of schedule ranking but, come on, man, they had a 22-11 record in the ACC. Looking over the brackets I see at least 3 or 4 teams weaker than the Panthers that got in on reputation or were a feel good story last season and truly should have been bypassed. The fact 5 teams pulled upsets in tournaments over the weekend like Duquesne and N.C. State also didn’t help the Panthers’ cause but they have no reason to hold their heads, it was still a successful season and they should be dancing, too.

:07—All that being said, I have no problem with Coach Capel and the university turning down an NIT Tourney bid. Pitt would have been a top seed in the tourney but so what. It’s a meaningless tournament at this point

and with the portal right around the corner the team should and will have a different look next year, so playing the NIT doesn’t make a lot of sense from that standpoint. Go scout some players that may transfer in next season and go from there. ‘Nuff said.

:06—OK, finally, let’s get to the Steelers. If last week someone had told you Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would be on the roster this week for basically nothing in return and Kenny Pickett would be off the roster and landing in Philadelphia to be a backup to Jalen Hurts, you would have laughed and asked what they were smoking. Yet, somehow, we now have a serious upgrade at quarterback with a future Hall of Fame QB in Wilson and one of the most dynamic and exciting and talented young QBs in Justin Fields. I’ve watched some of his highlights and, man, the upside is tremendous. I know, I know, Wilson is the starter but also remember 60, yeah, 60 quarterbacks started games in the NFL last season. Do not be surprised if the Steelers cruise into the playoffs next season with a 12-5 record and Fields at the helm is not out of the question. Do yourself a favor, check out his highlights, the man is

electric. And only 25 years old.

:05—I’m of the opinion that, truthfully, I believe Kenny Pickett still has all the intangibles to be a good NFL QB. In Pittsburgh he was saddled with the worst O-coordinator in the NFL, was handcuffed 90 percent of the time and had a poor offensive line his entire first season. Remember how he looked once Coach Canada was gone and I believe if he hadn’t gotten injured, things probably would have progressed quite differently than where we are now. Good luck to Kenny and here’s hoping for him to have a long, stellar career in the NFL.

:04—As of this time the Steelers are actively seeking a trade with Minnesota to bring elite wide receiver Justin Jefferson to the ‘Burgh. A long shot maybe but if it happens and the Steelers can line up Jefferson and George Pickens as starters and keep them both happy, all bets are off as to how dynamic their offense can be next season. Whew, I’m getting a little hot just thinking about it. Plus, the addition of Patrick Queen to the inside linebacking corps is a major upgrade; second-team All-Pro, and the sky is the limit for his talent. Cam Johnston will absolutely be better than

Pressley Harvin III, who just couldn’t hit a punt 40 yards in crunch time, and DeShon Elliott brings a veteran presence and hard-hitting mentality to the defensive backfield we have sorely missed. An unprecedented off-season and GM Omar Khan looks as though he’s far from done. When does the preseason begin?

:03—Paul Skenes, all 6’6” of him and his 100+ mph fastball, is destined to start the Pirates season in the minor leagues for a bit of seasoning and to keep him under contract for the absolute most time the union allows. That being said, it does not look like the Pittsburgh Pirates will now be able to race off to a 20-5 start like last season when they were the talk of baseball and in first place. I understand the logistics of starting Skenes in the minors but the look of it, especially when the Pirates have improved a bit, seems short-sided. The fans deserve an all-in mentality at this point and the sooner we see Paul Skenes on the mound, the better for all concerned. And here’s a prediction—when Skenes arrives he is going to light it up and with Mitch Keller the Pirates will have a legitimate onetwo punch at the top of their rotation for several years to come. A Cy Young

Award or two is definitely now in the discussion for both of them.

:02—With incremental improvement and several key additions like Gold Glove-winning center fielder Michael Taylor, I see the Pirates getting over the hump and going 86-76 and legitimately contending for a wild card. A good bounce here and there and I think they could squeeze in and be a wild card team and once you hit the playoffs, it’s all about the pitching. Did I mention Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller? Watch out MLB!

:01—As the town’s renowned hockey purist I have to say the Pens have played abysmal hockey the last few weeks and yet still find themselves within shouting distance of a playoff spot because everybody else seems to not want to make the playoffs, too. Hard to believe but a little winning streak and they could get in. They’re aren’t winning the Cup but making the playoffs and getting hot goaltending from Tristan Jarry plus the great Sidney Crosby and you never can count out the Pens. But seriously, no Cup this season.

:00—Duquesne Dukes 66 —BYU Cougars 58— Remember where ya heard it first. I’m out.

Coach Sean Payton, thought he would be a backup at best to Kenny Pickett and help mentor him in mundane things like moving the chains and getting first downs.... ya know, minor stuff like that.

Whoever advised and prompted Kenny Pickett to demand a trade must have had relatives who were scalpers who sold two two-for-one, one-way discount tickets to the Titanic, complete with a cabin that guaranteed an oceanside view. Before, after, or whenever Russell Wilson completed the transaction with the Steelers, Kenny Pickett was informed that Wilson occupied “the pole position.”

Somewhere along the way, Pickett demanded to be traded. Afterward, the Omar Khan “bullet train” was spotted idling outside of Acrisure Stadium wait-

ing to transport the now ex-Steelers and new Eagles QB with “warp speed” to “the city of brotherly love.”

I’m not sure if Kenny Pickett is hyped about playing in a city that had a magistrate’s court on the lower level to keep rabble-rousers in check.

There was an article in sportingnews.com posted on Jan. 29, 2023, that reported: “There was a jail at Lincoln Financial Field, but it was shut down shortly after it was opened. The Eagles’ old home, Veterans Stadium, had a jail for unruly fans that lasted awhile.” Hey Kenny, good luck if you decide not to dress in Philly. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter and guru Gerry Dulac recently posted this on X: “The Steelers made the move because of the way Pickett was poorly handling the arrival of Russell Wilson, according to sources. That

came on the heels of Pickett’s behavior last season when he refused to dress as the emergency third quarterback in Seattle in Week 17.”

First and foremost, Gerry Dulac is not going to post anything that might be in the ballpark of slander or libel.

Also, Mark Madden, the Pittsburgh area sports instigator, had this to say on X about the “King” Kenny trade. “Small hands, big ego, no b___s. Farewell to a gutless coward who’s running away from failure to hide across the state. Anybody doubt that Seattle story now? BIG ***KING BABY. Arrogant w/o accomplishment. I was right all along. HAW, HAW, HAW, HAW! I accept your apologies.”

On March 18, Victoria

Hernandez posted the following on usatoday.com: “Kenny Pickett sees Eagles trade as a ‘reset,’ ‘confident’ in leaving Steelers on good terms.” She writes: “Pickett said the move is a ‘reset’ after a tumultuous season in the Steel City when he had ankle surgery and was demoted from the starting role.”

Now hear this, his paltry 6 touchdowns against 4 picks and his half-game

heroics, simply did not cut the mustard. He was not demoted because of his injury. Pickett’s injury and the insertion of Mason Rudolph exposed the reality that the Steelers needed an option for the future and that option was not Kenny Pickett. Hernandez went on to quote Kenny Pickett as saying: “It just felt like it was time from the things that transpired and wanted to get a chance to go somewhere else to continue to grow my career....I just think it’s a good reset. I think getting a chance to play on this team in that quarterback room with a couple great guys, helping those guys out any way I can and just be ready if my number’s called somewhere down the road. It’s a crazy, crazy league, crazy business, just trying to put my best foot forward and be an asset for this team. I think the communication is what it is, it was behind closed doors....I’m confident in the way that I handled it. I handled it the way I should’ve handled it. I’m excited to be here. It worked out so well that Philly was the place I ended up landing in, so I think everything happens for a reason and I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”

Liar, liar, _ss on fire. C’mon. “Just trying to put my best foot forward and be an asset for this team.”

Where was his best foot when he became “baby Huey,” showcasing behavior that indicated that he may have surmised incorrectly that he was the entitled one and his number one QB position was simply going to be dropped back into his lap even in light of his atrocious performances? After that juvenile behavior and once Mason Rudolph signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent, did Pickett incorrectly surmise that any additional quarterback brought into the QB room would be there strictly as his backup? Well, in my circle of critical thinkers: “Homey don’t play that.” Or in 2024 jargon, “Homies don’t play that.” Homies in this case are Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan. Once Pickett faced the reality that he was going to face the prospect of being demoted to a second-string and maybe a third-string QB position, he reneged when faced with being a part of a genuine quarterback competition. He pulled the “I’m a first-round draft pick” card. The Steelers replied, “What do you mean Ke-

mosabe?” You are now a former first-round pick.

In addition to that, there is not even a slight QB crisis in Philly. If Jalen Hurts continues to put up the rushing and passing numbers that he has been putting up, over past seasons and remains healthy, Kenny Pickett might figure on getting in a game during the preseason or at the end of games that are out of hand or getting inserted in meaningless end-of-the-season games when the Eagles have clinched a postseason berth. It is not Thanksgiving in March, but for all intents and purposes, Kenny Pickett’s “goose” has been cooked.

The cost of being a woman: A $1.6 trillion yearly wage gap

by Bria Overs (Word

In Black)—On this year’s Equal Pay Day, there’s little to celebrate. Although women now earn more than ever have, the gender wage gap persists.

And they’re feeling the pain in this current economy and political climate.

In 2023, women earned, on average, 21.8 percent less than men, according to the Economic Policy Institute. While that’s better than 2022, where women made 22.9 percent less, it’s not necessarily because jobs are starting to pay better—and higher education and self-advocacy only improved wages so much.

The EPI found that the pay improvement is likely because men’s wages have stagnated.

Research from the National Partnership for Women and Families found that women lose $1.6 trillion yearly because of the wage gap.

“That’s a lot of money that

we want in the pockets of women and their families,” Jocelyn Frye, president of the organization, says. For Black, Latina, and Indigenous women, the wage gap problem is compounded by racial and gender discrimination, along with occupational segregation. These factors not only contribute to pay disparity with White men, but also Asian women and White women. Because of the type of jobs these women work, many of which are hourly positions with little to no options for retirement savings, health insurance, and other benefits, this pay discrepancy adds to the racial wealth gap for each racial and ethnic group.

Frye adds that Black and Latina mothers, in particular, are more often the primary or sole breadwinners of their families, making them the “key to economic stability for their families.”

“When you ensure that

I liken social media to stand-up comedy. You can test various jokes or ideas and get instant feedback. When I returned to writing, my first published article was, “How can you be Bored and Broke.” I shared the article on social media. Article did numbers. I’ve shared several articles and memes since then. I have yet to duplicate those numbers. Recently I shared a meme on social media. It was titled, “Why some People stay Broke.” This meme did so well and sparked so much conversation within a group of 78,000 members, they took it down. This experience made me look back at various subject matters that I posted on social media. I notice, every time I mention the work “Broke,” it generated massive feedback—both positive and negative. What’s a writer to do? “Double-Up and Double Down!” I mentioned the word “Broke” twice in the title of this article.

When I was a kid, we use to joke around saying, “you might be ghetto if…..” We’d name something funny we’ve observed that you can only appreciate in the hood. We’re going to do something similar in this article. But first, let’s define “Broke” and distinguish it from “Poor.” Ric Edelman said “Broke” is a matter of the wallet. “Poor” is a matter of the mind. You can fix broke. Poor? Not so much. To be broke is to be completely out of money. You can earn a high income, spend it all and be broke. Being in debt is worse than being broke. When

they can participate in the economy equally, then they will do better, and their families will do better,” she says. “We know that centering women of color and the economic narrative is

of their working years.

But beyond that, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, several states have made women’s reproductive health a leg-

Research from the National Partnership for Women and Families found that women lose $1.6 trillion yearly because of the wage gap.

really critical to the economic growth of our families and our nation.”

The Wage Gap and Reproductive Justice

When women enter motherhood, they are hit with the “motherhood penalty”—a unique phenomenon where women see a decline in their earnings that can last the rest

you’re broke, you simply need money. When you’re in debt, you need money to pay the debt only to end up broke. Regardless of your income level, if you’re a non-saver you’re going to eventually end up BROKE. Saving is the cornerstone of financial stability. Not saving is stupid. You cannot outearn stupidity.

That should be obvious, but it’s not. So, we’ll delve deeper. You might be broke or end up broke if you don’t identify and fix what I’m about to list below.

Myopic Perspective—Woe it’s me! The little man can’t get ahead. Nobody wants to see me win. Poor is a state of mind. You have to fix your “stinking-thinking.” You are what you think. If you think that you’ll be broke and miserable the rest of your life, you’re right. You’ve accepted status quo and refused to do anything about it.

islative target. So far, 14 states have banned abortions, while 11 states have gestational limits between six and 22 weeks, according to KFF.

“Many of the attacks we see, we believe, have multiple effects as we’ve seen across the board,” Frye says. “It’s not just about abortion, it’s access to IVF,

access to OBGYN care writ large, it’s maternal health. All of those things affect the economic stability of families.”

Businesses Could Help Solve the Gap

Both Frye and the Economic Policy Institute believe federal and state policymakers should do more to close the pay gap.

In 2017, the Trump administration suspended an Obama-era wage gap initiative that required companies with 100 or more employees to confidentially report to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) what they pay employees, categorized by job type, sex, race, and ethnicity.

The Salary Transparency Act and Pay Equity for All Act were introduced in Congress in March 2023, but there has been no movement in the year since. States like California, Maryland, and New York have passed laws requiring salary ranges on

some captain-save-a-chick is going to rescue you, apply for Social Security Disability, you’re mentally unstable. Good luck with getting approved.

Fishing for compliments—You go girl! You’re the man! We all love compliments. Are compliments worth our financial stability? Suze Orman said, “People spend more than because they feel less than.” There’s nothing wrong with having nice stuff as long as you act your wage and ensure there’s money left over to save after you pay your bills.

Too lazy to work—You don’t work, you don’t eat—so says the Bible. If you’re of sound mind and able body and you refuse to work because you don’t feel like it, WOE! It’s YOU! Your ability to work is your greatest asset. Your income generated from working is your largest wealth-building tool. If you’re avoiding working because you don’t want to pay child support or you think

Dreads the B-word People think they’re limited and restricted by budgets. What limits and restricts you is your income, not your budget. A budget is a spending, saving and investment plan. If you want to spend more, save more, and invest more, you need to earn more. Easier said than done, right? It requires less effort, blood, sweat and tears to reduce expenses than it does to increase income. A budget allows you to prioritize your money, life, and time. Saving isn’t a priority—Money you save today is either your future goals, future lifeline, or future paycheck. Money talking...If you save me today, I’ll save your butt tomorrow. Yet the average person saves less than $.05 for every $1.00 earned. No savings equal no

job postings. However state efforts only partially solve the pay gap issue because women could easily fall on the lower end of the salary range. Besides, some employers still ask for previous pay history, making it more challenging for women to negotiate pay that reflects their worth.

While the nation waits for legislation, business owners can help with this issue by examining and addressing how they pay women in their workplaces. “We really have to rely on employers to do their own due diligence and to include race and gender into the analysis they do because many will say they are looking at their gender pay gap, but then won’t look deeper,” Frye says. They should “look at how they’re enforcing and ensuring they’re looking at their workforce on a regular basis to minimize inequality.”

financial stability. Low savings equal no financial security. Inability to save means you’re doomed to financial ruin. Debt is hazardous to your wealth— Credit increases your purchasing power but reduces both your standard of living and your net worth. When you use credit, you pay more because of interest. When you use credit, you allocate a portion of your income to payments for an extended period of time. Hard to save when you owe. Use credit wisely? NO! Use credit only when absolutely necessary! Broke people consistently pay interest. Wealthy people consistently earn interest. You may think they’re wealthy. They should earn interest. They became wealthy by avoiding debt and saving money earning compounded interest instead of subjecting their hard-earned income to a life-time of payments.

Those are the major keys to staying broke or ending up broke. Following are other reasons you might be broke if:

• You own a car you can’t afford

• You own a house you can’t afford

• You don’t invest in yourself

• You don’t have any goals

• You’re an impulsive shopper

• You buy liabilities instead of assets

• You don’t have an emergency fund

• You blame others for your financial demise

DESPITE

Why experts say keep land in your family if you can

by Bria Overs

Will

Edmond,

vegan chef and travel content creator, had had enough. After spending 13 years living in Atlanta and a couple of years in Louisiana, he decided it was time for a change. It was time to return to his roots.

“Cities are becoming more stressful,” Edmond, 39, tells Word In Black. The appeal of urban living has declined for some due to the traffic, crime, and the rising cost of living. “I know my family has land back in East Texas. I can go back, clean it up, get it together, and build some unique structures on it. And that’s what led me here.”

In 2022, Edmond and his partner, Austyn Rich, moved back to Edmond’s ancestral hometown in East Texas, also known as Piney Woods. It’s a rural area known for its beauty, pine trees, lakes, and nature trails. And it’s here that Edmond’s family land—a whole 45-acres passed down through generations—is located.

But this experience, where Black folks keep land in the family, is rare. Financial experts frequently laud homeownership as the key to wealth building. Yet, the Black homeownership rate has never been above 50 percent—a level other ethnic and racial groups have reached and surpassed. For the Black community, the loss of land and property contributes to the widening homeownership gap and the even wider racial wealth gap.

“The immediate cause of home loss is the lack of estate planning,” says Nke-

tiah “Ink” Berko, an equal justice works fellow at the National Consumer Law Center. “Either someone didn’t write a will, or maybe they did, but in the will, they left the home to five or six people. And by doing that, they’ve fractured the homeownership interests in the property.”

known as “heirs property” or “tangled title,” creates challenges and difficulties in maintaining and keeping the property within the family.

This phenomenon also affected Edmond’s family.

Congress is right: Federal Reserve’s Reg. II will hurt minority communities in America

I am pleased to congratulate Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) who led a coalition of lawmakers who wrote to the Federal Reserve urging the central bank to withdraw Regulation II—its new proposal to reduce the cap on the debit card swipe fees merchants must pay to debit card processors—out of concern that it will hurt minority communities’ credit access.

Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

Commentary

hit the small financial institutions that had to subsidize this giveaway for them hard. It gave many of them no choice but to reduce fee-free checking from 75 percent to 40 percent.

The Federal Reserve now estimates that six million Americans are “unbanked,” and many more are “underbanked”—meaning they must use alternative financial prod -

ucts like check cashing services instead of traditional checking and savings accounts to make ends meet. The debit card cap has contributed significantly to this crisis.

According to a 2022 Consumer Reports survey, one in three Americans has a will, but 77 percent of Black Americans lack one.

“My family, we own about six acres, and then my cousins up the street own some of the land as well,” he says. “We have all of

With Black families losing their land at alarming rates, splitting property among relatives can build wealth when done right.

the land still in our family to this day.”

Estimates vary on the exact amount of Blackowned land lost. The Land Trust Alliance, a land conservation advocacy organization, estimates that between 1865 and 1919, Black folks in the South owned 15 million acres of land. By 2015, Black Americans had lost 97 percent of their land.

The American Bar Association offers a similar statistic: between 1910 and 1997, Black farmers and families lost more than 90 percent of the 16 million acres they owned—and the organization considers that to be a conservative estimate.

Splitting Land Between Family

Berko says that land initially divided by a few children can become further divided by several grandchildren and even more so by subsequent generations. This division,

On his father’s side of the family—which also owns a lot of land—a relative sold off their portion. Selling is one way to lose land, but other ways are incredibly burdensome to families.

A National Consumer Law Center report co-authored by Berko highlights laws and policies that could protect, resolve, or prevent heirs property.

According to the report, heirs property owners are at greater risk of property tax lien foreclosure and frequently miss out on benefits or disaster relief.

Or, mortgage companies may refuse payments from “people who are not the borrower, refuse to provide information about how much is owed, and refuse to consider heirs for loan modifications or other foreclosure avoidance options,” according to the report.

“A lot of people lose their

land for $4,000 because nobody in the family can agree to even pay anything on it, and then they lose it,” Edmond says. “Well, you only owe that much on it, and the land was worth $100,000. Now somebody else has it. I see that a lot around here.”

Tax and mortgage foreclosures leave families vulnerable to investors who offer to purchase the property for much less than it is worth, adding to the racial wealth gap.

Keeping it in the Family

In 2023, Edmond, Rich, and their family members turned the abandoned land into a homestead and “glamping” destination called Glamping Remote. When the project was complete, they shared their story publicly.

Edmond says it was important for him to share his journey and his family’s story because it can serve as an example of what’s possible for Black people. With it being unlikely that houses and property will get cheaper, Edmond believes if people can work with the property in their family or help pay the property taxes, they should.

“If people want to have any type of wealth or to hold on to land that’s been passed down from generation to generation, they need to come back to their grandfather’s and uncle’s land,” he says. “Land is something that’s only made one time.”

You might be ‘Broke’ or end up ‘Broke’ if...

DAMON CARR FROM B1

• You purchase financial products you don’t understand

• You don’t separate wants for needs

• You have poor spending habits

• You don’t seek to understand personal finance

• You spend more than you earn.

• You don’t consistently save or invest

• Your money seems to magically disappear with nothing to show for it

• You make emotional purchases and confuse fun for happiness

Who wants to be broke? Nobody! Heed the advice.

Identify areas where you may be falling short and fix it. Those of us who are 40 and over, we made our fair share of financial mistakes. Our working years are numbered. We don’t have time to keep repeating these mistakes and expecting our mistakes to fix themselves.

(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412-2161013 or visit his website @ www.damonmoneycoach.com)

I sympathize with the feelings of these congressional members. Having dedicated my life to advancing civil rights and promoting economic advancement for African Americans, I fear that this proposal, while well-intentioned, will create regressive outcomes that will ultimately hurt the very people it is intended to help.

While lowering the current cap on debit card swipe fees may appear like a reasonable measure to take in what has proven to be a lackluster economy for many merchants, my experiences — from coordinating youth activities with Rev. Martin Luther King to serving on the national board

Many financial institutions have also raised customer fees in response to interchange fee caps, with Rule II poised to intensify these challenges. Regulation II will increase them even further. According to Nick Bourke, former Director of Consumer Finance at The Pew Charitable Trusts, it may bring up to $2 billion in additional consumer costs. This escalation of fees threatens to sideline even more minority communities

of directors for the NAACP — have underscored the importance of scrutinizing policies for their broader implications. When doing so with Regulation II, I— like the congressional coalition—concluded that lowering the swipe fees would hurt the same small financial institutions that minority communities depend on for credit access, which would thus widen the nationwide racial wealth gap and banking disparities.

Economic history tells this story well. While reluctant to do so at the time, the Federal Reserve first limited swipe fees on debit card transactions on 2011. Studies, including one from the Richmond Federal Reserve, indicate that most retailers did not pass their savings onto consumers— a significant portion even raised prices. Meanwhile, as Main Street continues to struggle with the policy, Federal Reserve studies have found that large corporations have reaped nearly $8 billion annually since this rule was enacted. Although large corporations benefited from not having to pay as much in swipe fees, this price control

from the banking system, impeding their access to essential credit services required for entrepreneurship and homeownership.

The Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve are committed to advancing racial equity. By proposing Regulation II—are not intentionally doing the bidding of large corporations; however, they may be being misled by these companies’ advocacy efforts.

The Fed is taking every effort to promote income equality and workplace diversity and inclusion, but Regulation II would undercut its great work in this respect and cause potential harm to millions of minority families. Now that a congressional coalition has drawn the Fed’s attention to this concern, the central bank should respond by taking a closer, harder look at its Regulation II proposal. It is the only right and just thing to do.

(Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).)

WILL EDMOND (left) and Austyn Rich (right) left Atlanta to move back to Edmond’s ancestral land in East Texas with the goal of creating a homestead and “glamping” destination (Credit: Will Edmond)

healthcare

Something ain’t clean in the milk…this is an opinion reached by someone observing the state of healthcare delivery in America. We live in an age where technology is so advanced that scientists are able to send the spaceship Voyager on a trip outside our solar system, but we can’t cure the common cold.

Moreover, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is threatening to change the way we see the world. Those supposedly in the know are apparently fearful about what is to come. They expect the intelligence of machines and/or software to take over the world. Technology is so advanced nowadays that the sky seems to be the limit as to what AI can accomplish.

Basically, in almost every area of modern life, technology is leaping ahead at an incredible rate. Some of the progress being made is phenomenal; we appear to be moving forward so fast into the technological future people might think we are actually reaching a level that competes with the real Star Wars franchise.

But something ain’t clean in the milk. The more advanced we become, and the more we learn about medicine and health, the sicker people are becoming. The more we move ahead, the farther behind we seem to fall when it comes to health outcomes. In a world populated by healthcare geniuses who are envisioning inputting electrodes in human brains to help control biological processes, we are falling short of successful health outcomes.

What can be wrong? After all, so much is being spent on healthcare initiatives that an outside observer might conclude that healthcare outcomes are better than ever, especially in an advanced society like ours. But once again, something ain’t clean in the milk; something’s not adding up, and apparently people are not paying adequate attention. If they do, they will see clearly that something is wrong with our healthcare model!

The problem? With all of the advances we have made, we still live in a sick society. People, for the most part, are becoming victim to more and more health challenges that offset the positive gains that should be evident, considering the amount of money that is earmarked for healthcare initiatives.

Currently, we are witnessing an increase in certain kinds of health problems, but we are not sure of the causes. For example, cancer, heart disease, strokes, RSV, shingles, diabetes, kidney disease, and more are rampant. And disturbingly, there seems to be an uptick in Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Cases of dementia, in particular, seem to be skyrocketing, with all kinds of snake-oil salesmen hawking products that allegedly reverse the incidence of this problematic disorder.

The healthcare industry, therefore, is out of sync with the amount of money that it generates. In other words, there is a backward, or upside-down relationship between healthcare needs and the amount of money spent on it. The more money thrown at the problem, the more people are suffering. People are not being healed as much as they are being kept in a holding pattern.

Why is this happening? Most likely it is because there is more money to be made when the public is kept in a holding pattern, as opposed to being treated with methods that would actually result in cures. The healthcare industry seems to be focused on making money and not on healing.

Who is at fault in this? On the one hand, citizens should be given as much help as possible financially because our environment, especially the impact of industrial pollution, is responsible for a lot of illness. On the other hand, citizens know this, but they are not holding the healthcare industry responsible and insisting it change the way it does business.

Essentially, there is enough blame to go around. But we also know that power concedes nothing without demand. Citizens stand to lose the most if they don’t insist that the healthcare industry change its strategy and focus on healing as opposed to maintenance. Our healthcare system is upside down and needs to change! A Luta Continua.

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Listening to the news one would think Fani Willis is the criminal, but let’s get this straight. Donald Trump is the one with the 91 charges that he is on trial for in many states trying every conceivable trick to get out of the charges.

Atty. Nathan Wade did the honorable thing. To avoid further unfair challenges against him or D. A. Fani Willis, he stepped down.

Afterall, he came to the job after D.A. Willis made an effort to hire someone else to handle the Trump case. That is a highly respected former Gov., Roy Barnes, who served as a GA State Senator and State Rep., as well as Governor who D.A. Willis invited to serve in a lead role on the Trump case.  He understood what that would’ve been like and turned it down.  It wasn’t like D.A. Willis was just determined to hire Atty. Nathan Wade. For those who were in such an uproar about his getting the job, just couldn’t bear a Black male and a Black woman handling such a case that was so obviously a crime the entire world heard Donald Trump commit.

During Trump’s attempt to pressure Secretary of State, Bradford Raffensperger, into changing election results, Trump said, “I just want to find 11,780 votes.” That was the number needed for Trump to steal the election from Joe Biden who was fairly elect-

ed. That was the crime! Another obvious criminal act was the Stormy Daniels “Keep quiet” case. Michael Cohen told us about it years ago! Unfortunately, he served time for Trump’s un-lawful behavior!  Why does Trump continue making others pay for his crimes?  Look at what he did to Allen Weisselburg, Michael Cohen, Peter Navarro and others who have paid for protecting Trump.  When will he pay for all of his crimes? I’m proud of New York Atty. General, Letitia James, for finally getting a conviction for which Trump has to pay; for Atty. Roberta Kaplan, E. Jean Carroll’s attorney for finally getting a conviction for Trump’s RAPE against E. Jean. Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg, is working on another case against Trump. Judge Tanya Chutkan is on hold with an extremely un-American case against Trump for January 6th where Trump calls a group of his friends “good” people! We’re not sure about the woman judge in Florida who is handling the documents case that Trump claims are his—for no reason other than

Trump saying he could do whatever he wanted to do with the documents! He also claims he will be a dictator once he is elected again!  Well, I have no problem knowing Black women will be the biggest supporters to prevent his dream of becoming a dictator!  I pray that women of all racial and ethnic groups will join us and prevent him from getting to be President again. Remember, he wants to continue urging people to prevent women from controlling our own bodies, and he says he is proud for making it possible for his Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade! Now, let’s go back to Georgia. Thanks to Georgia Judge, Honorable Scott McAfee.  He obviously knew who we date had nothing to do with the relationship between our sister, D.A. Fani Willis, and Atty. Nathan Wade.  She didn’t just say, “Let me give this job to Nathan.”  She gave it to him after asking others and being turned down and because she found him to be a qualified attorney! He was not found to be guilty, nor was she.  This case was all about Wade being a Black man and Fani being a Black woman who were capable of trying a case against Trump and more likely than not, to convict him and the other parties—some of whom have already pled guilty!

(Dr. E. Faye Williams, President of The Dick Gregory Society.)

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—“When you get to my age, certain things become clearer than ever before. I know the American story. Again and again, I’ve seen the contest between competing forces in the battle for the soul of our nation. Between those who want to pull America back to the past and those who want to move America into the future. My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on core values that have defined America. Honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor.”—President

Joe Biden, 2024 State of the Union

Address President Biden’s third State of the Union Address on March 7 met with overwhelmingly positive reviews for both its powerful content and his energetic delivery.

Falling as it did just days after the release of the National Urban League’s 2024 State of Black America® report—which included a special section, Evaluation for Progress: Report on the Biden Harris Administration—it’s worth noting the contrast between this address and the 1976 address by President Gerald Ford that inspired the original State of Black America report.

Both President Ford’s address and Sen. Edmund Muskie’s opposition conspicuously failed to mention the challenges facing Black Americans at the time. In contrast, President Biden not only wove racial equity throughout his speech, but he also delivered it on the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, a transformational moment in the Civil Rights Move-

ment. Encouragingly, the speech explicitly addressed all three “Ds” in the National Urban League’s agenda: Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity, Defeat Poverty. “I ask all of you, without regard to party, to join together and defend democracy,” President Biden said. “Respect free and fair elections. Restore trust in our institutions. And make clear—political violence has absolutely no place, no place in America.”

Highlighting the anniversary of Bloody Sunday and pointing out the marchers in the chamber, he said, “Hundreds of foot soldiers for justice marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, named after the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, to claim their fundamental right to vote,” he said.

“They were beaten. They were bloodied and left for dead … Five months later, the Voting Rights Act passed and was signed into law. But 59 years later, there are forces taking us back in time: voter suppression, election subversion, unlimited dark money, extreme gerrymandering.”

He called on Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Right Act, two bills that are at the heart of the National Urban League’s advocacy.

In calling for an end to book bans

and the erasure of America’s history of racial violence and discrimination, President Biden called diversity a “core value of America.”

In addition to assembling the most diverse Cabinet, senior leadership, and federal judiciary in history—including the first woman and person of color to serve as Vice President and the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court—President Biden on his first day in office disbanded the Trump Administration’s 1776 Commission, which has sought to erase America’s history of racial injustice., and revoked Trump’s damaging executive order restricting diversity and inclusion training.

Several times during the speech, President Biden referenced the American Rescue Plan, which lifted more people out of poverty than any piece of legislation in the past 50 years, spurring the greatest single-year reduction in child poverty on record, and driving child poverty to a record low.

“The child tax credit I passed [as part of the American Rescue Plan] cut taxes for millions of working families and cut child poverty in half. Restore that child tax credit. No child should go hungry in this country.”

The National Urban League is proud to have worked with the Biden Administration to help defend democracy, demand diversity, and defeat poverty, and we are committed to continue holding President Biden and all elected officials accountable to the imperatives of racial equity and economic opportunity.

We, the citizens of the United States of America, as well as our fellow citizens of the world, are living in a period of unprecedented conflict. While the word “hatred” is rarely used or mentioned, it is the source of the worst among us toward others. In this country, founded upon the melting pot idea that there is room for everyone, we find people continuing to be attacked based on their race, color, religion, nationality and appearance. It is timely that two of the world’s greatest religions would intersect this month with a shared idea that for ages has been the solution to hate and its destruction.

The Christian observance of Lent and the Muslim observance of Ramadan are intersecting with a shared religious practice known as “fasting”. The Christian observance calls for giving up certain foods or practices for a 40 day period as a symbolic sharing with Christ in his suffering. Lent is calculated based on the spring equinox.

Ramadan falls on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which follows a lunar cycle. As a result, the dates for Ramadan change every year, and the period of fasting is for one month. Muslims fast from

dawn until sunset for the entire month. The fast is broken each evening with a meal called “iftar”. Fasting is one of the five Pillars of Islam, which are the foundations of Muslim life. Christian fasting in contrast, as established by the Catholic Church, leads up to Easter which celebrates the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.

The importance of this discussion rests with the fact that the concept of fasting in both religions is to bring one closer to God. For the Christian, prayer and self denial during this period seeks to draw one closer to God by reflecting on one’s life and conduct in regards to others.

Muslims believe that Ramadan is a time of heightened spirituality during which they can purify their souls and seek forgiveness for their sins.

It sounds like this is a good time for all of America to engage in some prayer and fasting for a nation at odds with itself and for a people engaged in hatred and violence against others. What greater way to stop the hate than through prayer and fasting, regardless as to whether one is Christian or Muslim or any other faith. The concept of fasting with both religions appears to be in line with this scripture from the Bible in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says:

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall Humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear

From heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

We as a nation have an opportunity during this period to set in motion the healing we all so desperately need. Prayer and Fasting have changed the course of individuals, people and nations and it is not too late for us. Let’s get about the business of Stopping The Hate. (Dr. John E. Warren is Publisher, San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper)

No one likes to be taken for granted

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Realignment and transformation throughout our nation’s political landscape is not new. Our country will always be divided over who gets the political upper hand and the fight to keep it. With today’s polarization approaching Civil War levels, the division is no longer regional (North vs. South). It is more political (red vs. blue) but remains divided by culture, race, and class. At one time, the Democrats were the conservatives, and the Republicans were the liberals. It is unlikely we will ever see the two parties flip again in ideology, but the internal political transformation on the state level will always take place.

Whenever I think of the Democratic Party, I see it as a big tent party of political inclusion. It generally welcomes a broad spectrum of views and beliefs, reflecting a nation of people with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Those making up the big tent may not always agree on every topic, but diverse ideas and backgrounds should always be welcomed. The Democrats, with its broad coalition of movements, face a greater challenge than Republicans in keeping their big tent intact from one election to another. Since people don’t like to be taken for granted, the Democratic Party must work hard and focus on expanding the big tent and keeping it unified. Therefore, Democrats should have listened more to Tom Vilsack when he sounded the alarm as Agriculture Secretary in the Obama administration. Vilsack grew frustrated with a culture in Washington that often ignored rural America’s struggles. “I just sometimes think rural America is a forgotten place,” he often said. The fact that many White, working-class voters turned decisively to the former reality TV star after supporting Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 played a big part in electing Donald Trump as president. Before Trump’s surprising victory, Vilsack complained loud and often that the Democratic Party had given up competing in large areas of the country that were necessary to win Senate seats, governor’s races, and state legislatures. “Democrats need to talk to rural voters,” Vilsack once warned. “They can’t write them off. They can’t ignore them. They actually have to spend a little time talking to them.” Before Vilsack became Agriculture Secretary, he served two terms as governor of Iowa, which is 95 percent White. His eight years as governor should have been the national blueprint for the Democratic Party to follow in addressing the isolation of White working-class voters in rural America—now, rural America has become the heart of Trump’s MAGA movement.

David W. Marshall

When Vilsack won his long-shot race for governor in 1998, it was the first time Iowa had elected a Democrat in 32 years. In eight years, he transformed the state’s political landscape when he was followed by a Democrat governor who, for the first time in four decades, had a Democratic legislature. “I personally took over managing legislative races,” Vilsack said. “We won the House and the Senate, and we had three of the five members of Congress.” Vilsack’s success was a boon for Barack Obama, whose 2008 victory in Iowa proved that he could attract the support of White Midwestern voters.

As the party of political inclusion, the Democrats were deaf to Vilsack’s warnings. All the political gains in Iowa made at the state and federal levels and in presidential elections are now erased. Today in Iowa, Republicans dominate every aspect of state government while controlling both U.S. Senate seats and three of the four U.S. House seats. After Obama left office, Trump also won the state in the last two presidential elections. Duplicate this in pockets throughout the nation, and the Democrats are hard-pressed to keep the Obama-winning coalition together. It shows how the Democrats are losing the culture wars. Surprisingly, the Democrat’s big tent does not accept the rural White working-class voters in the same manner it accepts White working-class voters from urban areas who typically aligned themselves with unions. The political transformation saw Iowa change from red to blue and back to red. Today, Florida is in the midst of its own political transformation by building on a trend over the last decade that has pushed the state further to the right. Miami-Dade County has long been a Democratic stronghold in Florida. If Republican success in expanding their support with Hispanic voters continues to gain momentum, it would likely take Florida out of play entirely for Democrats in future presidential elections.

Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster who worked on Obama’s successful 2012 presidential campaign, said that instead of working to counter the GOP’s outreach efforts, Democrats, by and large, ceded ground to Republicans, especially in Miami-Dade County. “The larger realignment has been accelerated by the lack of a comparable presence on the playing field by Democratic organizations and party efforts to try to maintain or regain the hold they had on Hispanic voters in 2016,” Amandi said. “They just left the playing field.”

As the Democrat’s political base shrinks in Florida with a growing number of Hispanic voters flipping to the Republicans, the Democratic Party’s dependence on the Black vote becomes even more critical with future elections. No one likes to be taken for granted. As rural voters nationally felt ignored and taken for granted, Hispanic voters in certain areas of the nation are feeling the same way. The Democrats cannot afford to make the same mistake with Black voters.

(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.)

Constance Garnett translated the majority of Russian literature into English in the first half of the twentieth century. After translating Dostoevsky’s novel Demons, Garnett changed the title to The Possessed. Decades after Garnett’s death, translators changed the title back to Demons to remain true to Dostoevsky’s theme.  A Russian literary critic explained, “For Dostoevsky, ideas are living cultural forces that have the capacity to seduce and subordinate the individual consciousness, and the individual who has become alienated from his own concrete national traditions is particularly susceptible.”

Dostoevsky’s characters displayed what is now known as ideological possession. The ideology itself isn’t necessarily the problem; it’s the way people believe it, which can be harmful.

In 2015, the Advocate, a popular LGBT news outlet, reported that antigay Texas pastor Rick Scarbrough, who had promised to go to jail to defend traditional marriage, was now threatening to put himself on fire to prevent marriage equality.

The US Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriage shortly after Scarbrough’s threat. Scarbrough informed the reporters that he never intended to set himself on fire, but his ideological enemies encouraged him to do so. One writer even quipped, “It should be noted that self-immolation is a time-honored way to make a political point. There’s no excuse to get cold feet now.”

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, vaccinations were required at a number of public places in Australia. Conservative politicians from Australia and around the world disagreed with the requirements. On New Year’s Day 2022, a man protesting vaccine mandates set himself and his car on fire. Firefighters extinguished the fire and rushed the man to a hospital.

This man’s action, like Scarbrough’s threat, was perceived as idiotic, and because both were associated with right-wing extremism, their causes were deemed ridiculous and not worth dying for.

However, when individuals are overzealous for left-wing causes, self-im-

J. Pharoah Doss Check It Out

molate, and die, they are celebrated by those who won’t take their own lives but are ideologically possessed enough to live vicariously through the extreme act.

Later in 2022, climate activist Wynn Alan Bruce set himself on fire in front of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC. According to those close to Bruce, he was protesting inaction on the climate crisis and had planned the act for over a year.

A Zen Buddhist priest who knew Bruce came to his defense, saying, “This is not suicide. This is a deeply fearless act of compassion to bring attention to the climate crisis.”

Sociologist Michael Biggs noted that this sort of demonstration was employed in South Vietnam to protest the Vietnam War and is still used by Tibetans. Since 2009, over 100 Tibetans have self-immolated as a protest against Chinese rule. Hundreds of activists in India, South Korea, and Kurdistan died by self-immolation while protesting.

Defenders of Bruce would like us to believe that this form of protest is beyond Western understanding, since the Western mind is self-centered and materialistic. Maybe, but that is not why it is beyond Western understanding; suicide is condemned by the major Western religions as well as the major Eastern religions.

The Zen Buddhist priest understood this, which is why it was critical to remove the stigma of suicide from Bruce’s self-immolation in order to celebrate it. Activists frequently invoke Martin Luther King Jr., to defend “self-sacrifice.” King famously stated, “If a man hasn’t found something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” However, King was referring to losing one’s life fighting for the greater good, not taking one’s own life to make a political statement.

Last month, 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell self-immolated at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. Bushnell live-streamed his reasoning shortly before setting himself on fire. Bushnell stated, “I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force. I will no longer be complicit to genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers—it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.” While Bushnell was on fire, his final words were, “Free Palestine!”

A number of opinion writers questioned whether Bushnell was a hero or mentally ill.

Human rights activist Owei Lakemfa responded, “I will not put it past people who lost their humanity to claim that Bushnell was a psychiatric case. Such persons cannot understand how a person could sacrifice his life this way.”

Lakemfa compared Bushnell to the abolitionist John Brown.

In 1859, Brown led 22 men to seize the US arsenal at Harpers Ferry to initiate a slave revolt across the South. Ten of Brown’s men were killed during the attack; seven were apprehended and executed, while the rest escaped. Those who knew Brown referred to him as a zealot, no different than the characters in Dostoevsky’s novel The Possessed. Brown even asked fellow abolitionist Frederick Douglass to join the raid. Douglass declined because he thought the idea was suicidal.

Lakemfa eulogized, “The flames that extinguished young Bushnell’s life were in the United States, but they were seen all over the world. They were flames of love for humanity.” Finally, Lakemfa posed a startling question: “What greater love can a human have than to sacrifice his life for others?”

Only an ideologically possessed individual would paraphrase Christ to transform Bushnell’s suicide into martyrdom.

Obviously, Lakemfa forgot these paraphrased words of Christ: Many will use my name to lead many astray.

Trump’s secret weapon: Stupidity

(BlackPressUSA)—For almost a decade, Americans have been scratching their heads over the meteoric rise of Donald J. Trump’s political career. When then-Congressman Keith Ellison appeared on the July 26, 2015, edition of ABC’s “This Week” and warned that Donald Trump could become the Republican presidential nominee for the 2016 presidential election, the program’s host, George Stephanopoulos, laughed along with the show’s other panelists and stated, “I know you don’t believe that.”

Now, eight years after Keith Ellison’s warning, America has witnessed multiple instances of Donald Trump’s deplorable behavior and suffered through an ugly period while Trump occupied the White House. Trump was impeached twice and now stands indicted multiple times for crimes related to his misconduct before, during and after his term of office. Apart from those antebellum presidents who were enslavers, Donald Trump has been the most noxious individual to hold this nation’s highest office. Any clear-thinking American would be hard-pressed to name a single admirable characteristic this man possesses. Yet, millions of Americans are keen to see him returned as head of state.

Trump’s popularity with a large segment of American voters should not be a mystery to anyone who has paid attention to American history and has a clear understanding of the dominant foundational myths of American culture.

The history of this country is one of oppression and abuse. Beginning with Christopher Columbus, European imperialism has driven the enslavement and genocide inflicted upon the indigenous people of this land. A report written in 1495—(only three years

Oscar H. Blayton

after Columbus first landed in the Western Hemisphere)—describes how Columbus and his followers captured more than 500 Arawak men, women and children to be sold in the slave markets in Spain. This report also describes how approximately 200 of those captives died during the voyage eastward over the Atlantic Ocean and their bodies were dumped into the ocean.

The diaspora of Europe that spread across North America in the years following Columbus’ voyages brought with them death and misery to the people they found here as well as to the people they dragged here in chains. In the ensuing centuries, imperial invaders and colonizers gained great wealth by exploiting the land and labor of others.

This is not a history of which anyone could be proud, yet nationhood demands heroic myths that extol the virtues of the ancestors. Those founders, particularly the founding fathers, were practically deified, as evidenced by the famous painting in the dome of the U.S. Capitol titled, “The Apotheosis of Washington.” This painting depicts the first president accompanied by female figures representing Liberty and Victory, and surrounded by several other representative figures, being elevated into heaven. The literal meaning of “apotheosis” is to make one a god. This painting bears no evidence of the existence of the enslaved who were

forced to toil without compensation at Mount Vernon and other plantations under Washington’s control. Nor does it depict the people of the First Nations who were forced to withdraw from their ancestral lands to give way to the colonial invaders.

Our national myth is that America was settled by good White people who brought this land to its full potential through hard work and virtuous behavior. Any narrative that contradicts this myth is erased or banned, hence the fanatical surge of book banning and efforts to hide historical events that speak truth to the American myth.

But this begs the question: Why is it necessary to distort our history and obscure facts?

The answer lies in the fact that America is, and always has been, a corporate enterprise. The first invaders and the founders were seeking to gain or maintain wealth. And corporate enterprises, whose sole existence is wealth driven, operate under a management style known as the “mushroom principle” where employees—like mushrooms— are kept in the dark and periodically given a load of manure.

Donald Trump also applies this principle as his political strategy. He merely substitutes the “American enterprise” for “corporate enterprise” and “voters” for “employees.” Trump was hatched in a corporate environment and understands well the mushroom principle. With an uninquisitive mind and a significant bent towards sloth, Trump is a perfect fit for a large segment of America’s voting population. Sloth is not merely laziness; it is a condition of sluggish mentation and self-centered indifference. Trump has no interest in improving his mind, and neither do his followers. Herein lies their connection. Trump, as a stupid person, is the ideal candidate for a stupid voter. People who do not want to know the truth of history, or the nature of their own characters, are delighted by Trump’s matching qualities.

An uneducated, unthinking and uninquisitive electorate will vote for a candidate with matching characteristics. Trump is clearly an idiot; even his die-hard supporters must recognize this. But they see themselves in him.

And they see their support of him as a form of self-preservation. As long as Trump appears to be stupid, stupid people will vote for him.

(Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia. His earlier commentaries may be found at https://oblayton1. medium.com/)

(The post, “Trump’s

at the next regular Sheriffs Sale; provided, that if the sale is made on MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2024 the bidder may pay ten percent of purchasing price but not less than 75.00 in CASH, CERTIFIED CHECK, OR CASHIERS CHECK THE DAY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE SALE, e.g. TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2024, BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:30AM AND 2:30PM IN THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE. And the balance in CASH, CERTIFIED CHECK, OR CASHIERS CHECK, on or before MONDAY, APRIL 8, 2024, at 10:00 O’CLOCK A.M. The property will be resold at the next regular Sheriff’s Sale if the balance is not paid, and in such case all money’s paid in at the original sale shall be applied to any deficiency in the price of which property is resold, and provided further that if the successful bidder is the plaintiff in the execution the bidder shall pay full amount of bid ON OR BEFORE THE FIRST MONDAY OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH, OTHERWISE WRIT WILL BE RETURNED AND MARKED “REAL ESTATE UNSOLD” and all monies advanced by plaintiff will be applied as required by COMMON PLEAS COURT RULE 3129.2 (1) (a)

FORFEITED SALES WILL BE POSTED IN THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND LISTED ON THE SHERIFF OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY WEB SITE.

AMENDMENT OF THE CODE SECOND CLASS COUNTY NEW CHAPTER 475 THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 475, ENTITLED TAXATION IS HEREBY AMENDED THROUGH THE CREATION OF A NEW ARTICLE XII, ENTITLED, “SHERIFF SALES”, AND COMPRISED AS FOLLOWS: SUBSECTION 475-60: RECORDING OF DEEDS AND NOTIFICATION OF SHERIFFS SALES TO TAXING BODIES.

A. FOR ANY REAL PROPERTY OFFERED AT SHERIFFS SALE DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF REAL ESTATE TAXES AND PURCHASED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH SUCH SALE, THE SHERIFF SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FILING THE DEED AND, WITHIN SEVEN DAYS OF FILING OF THE SHERIFFS DEED, PROVIDE WRITTEN NOTICE OF THE CONVEYANCE TO THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY OFFICE OF PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS. THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION SHALL INCLUDE THE DATE OF THE SALE, IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROPERTY SOLD BY BOTH ADDRESS AND LOT AND BLOCK NUMBER, AND THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE INDIVIDUALS OR OTHER ENTITY THAT PURCHASED THE PROPERTY.

B. AT THE TIME OF THE SALE THE SHERIFF SHALL COLLECT ALL REQUISITE FILING COSTS, REALTY TRANSFER TAXES AND FEES, NECESSARY TO PROPERLY RECORD THE DEED.

C. WITHIN SEVEN DAYS OF RECEIPT OF WRITTEN NOTICE FROM THE SHERIFF, THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY OFFICE OF PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS SHALL FORWARD COPIES OF SUCH NOTICE TO ALL TAXING BODIES LEVYING REAL ESTATE TAXES ON THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE MUNICIPALITY AND SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED. AS REQUIRED BY SECTION 14 OF ACT NO. 77 OF 1986, THE COST OF ALL DOCUMENTARY STAMPS FOR REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAXES (STATE, LOCAL, AND SCHOOL) WILL BE DEDUCTED BY THE SHERIFF FROM THE PROCEEDS OF THE SALE. Purchasers must record their deeds and pay the necessary recording fees. Pursuant to Rule 3136 P.R.C.P. NOTICE is hereby given that a schedule of distribution will be filed by the Sheriff not later than 30 days from date of sale and that distribution will be made in accordance with the schedule unless exceptions are filed thereto within 10 days thereafter. No further notice of the filing of the schedule of distribution will be given.

A Land Bank formed under 68 Pa. C.S.A. 2101 et seq. may exercise its right to bid pursuant to 68 Pa. C.S.A. 2117(d) (2) through Pa. C.S.A. 2117(d) (4) on certain properties listed for sale under the municipal claims and Tax Lien Law, 53 P.S. 7101 et seq. The Sheriff of Allegheny County will honor the terms of payment which the Land Bank has entered with any municipalities having a claim against the property. If the Land Bank tenders a bid under Pa. C.S.A. 2117(d)(3) or 2117(d)(4) the property will not be offered for sale to others and the Property will be considered sold to the Land Bank for the Upset Price as defined in P.S.7279 and no other bids will be accepted. NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT ALL SHERIFFS DEEDS TENDERED TO

“This document may not sell, convey, transfer, include, or insure the title

of support underneath the surface land described or

to herein and the owner or owners of such coal may have the

to remove all of such coal, and in that connection

any house, building or

on or in such 35

A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 624

MORTIMER AVENUE, TURTLE CREEK, PA 15145. DEED BOOK 8756, PAGE 559. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 454-N-254.

DEFENDANT(S): ROBERT D. CASSIN III

4 APR 24

******************** CASE NO. MG-22-000750

DEBT: $90,481.04

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S): KML LAW GROUP, P.C.

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S): SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106 ******************** ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

(215) 627-1322

******************** SHORT DESCRIPTION:

IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, BOROUGH OF WHITE OAK:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 3237 JACKS RUN ROAD, MCKEESPORT, PA 15131. DEED BOOK 16855,

28 APR 24 PLAINTIFF(S): Wilkinsburg School District and Wilkinsburg

VS.

Unknown Heirs of Robert C. Reisch a/k/a Robert C. Reisch, Jr., Deceased

CASE NO. GD 23-007587

DEBT: $11,417.39

Finnegan, as Surviving Heir of Kevin Finnegan and Denise L. Finnegan, Deceased, Unknown Surviving Heirs of Denise L. Finnegan, Deceased and Unknown Surviving Heirs of Kevin Finnegan, Deceased ******************** CASE NO. GD-23-010636

DEBT: $11,543.85

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S): Stephen M. Hladik, Esquire

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S): Hladik, Onorato and Federman, LLP 298 Wissahickon Avenue, North Wales, PA 19454

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

Telephone: (215) 855-9521 ******************** SHORT DESCRIPTION: ******************** In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, CITY OF ‘CLAIRTON:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A SINGLE

FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DWELLING BEING

KNOWN AND NUMBER.ED AS 415 NORTH 5TH STREET, CLAIRTON, PA 15025. DEED BOOK VOLUME 6236, PAGE 732. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 764-B-305.

52 APR 24

DEBT: $213,353.11

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, 9th Ward, City of McKeesport:

PARCEL NO. 1: BEING VACANT LAND KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 3514 YORK STREET, MCKEESPORT, PA 15132. DEED BOOK VOLUME 15626, PAGE 265. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER. 464-D-332. PARCEL NO. 2: HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 3514 YORK STREET, MCKEESPORT, PA 15132.

54 APR 24

DEFENDANT(S):

Mark McCarrison and Deanna McCarrison ******************** CASE NO.MG-23-000875 ********************

DEBT: $59,960.81

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S):

PADGETT LAW GROUP ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S): 700 Darby Road, Suite 100 Havertown, PA 19083 ******************** ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER: 850-422-2520 ********************

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

******************** ALL THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PIECE OF GROUND SITUATE IN THE BOROUGH OF PITCAIRN, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY AND COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A TWO-STORY BRICK DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 339 KENNEY AVENUE, PITCAIRN, PA 15140. DEED BOOK VOLUME 12186, PAGE 137, INSTRUMENT NUMBER 2004-31375. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 747-A-292.

80 APR 24

DEFENDANT(S): JOSHUA NEELY, MONIQUE NEELY and SAMUEL NEELY, III, KNOWN HEIRS OF APRIL L. NEELY, DECEASED, and THE UNKNOWN HEIRS OF APRILL. NEELY, DECEASED, and THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, ********************

CASE NO.GD-23-011901

DEBT: $51,198.83

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S):

LEON P. HALLER, ESQUIRE

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S):

PURCELL, KRUG AND HALLER 1719

NORTH FRONT STREET HARRISBURG, PA 17102 ********************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

717-234-4178 ********************

SHORT DESCRIPTION: ******************** In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Borough of Bridgeville:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 1000 MCLAUGHLIN RUN ROAD, BRIDGEVILLE, PA 15017. DEED BOOK VOLUME 9847, PAGE 220. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 322-C-104.

81 APR 24

DEFENDANT(S): BST PGH - 2 LLC ***************

CASE NO.GD-23-012950

DEBT: $114,709.62

********************

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S): PADGETT LAW GROUP

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S): 700 Darby Road, Suite I 00 Havertown, PA 19083 ********************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER: 850-422-2520 ******************** SHORT DESCRIPTION:

ALL THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PIECE OF GROUND SITUATE IN THE 26TH WARD OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYL-

VANIA:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A TWO-STORY BRICK DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 3951 PERRYSVILLE AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15214. DEED BOOK VOLUME 18927, PAGE 192, INSTRUMENT NUMBER 2022-17451. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 0115-D-00252.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings NOTICE OF SCHEDULED QUARTERLY MEETING (Pursuant to the Act of July 19, 1994, P.L. #386, 65 P.S. 261)

THE CITY OF PITTSBURGHEQUIPMENT LEASING AUTHORITY BOARD MEETING SHALL BE HELD ON:

Thursday, April 18th, 2024 at 2:00 P.M.

CITY COUNTY BUILDING, ROOM 646 (THE LEARNING LAB) PITTSBURGH, PA 15219

This meeting is open to the public to participate in person or via conference call at the following number:

Call-in Number: 1-412-851-3584

Guest Passcode: 202 409 159#

TOWNSHIP OF NORTH FAYETTE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

On March 26, 2024, at 6:45 PM, at the North Fayette Township Building located at 400 North Branch Road, Oakdale, PA, 15071, pursuant to the Zoning Ordinance and the Municipalities Planning Code, the Board of Supervisors shall hold a Public Hearing, to inform and take public comment on the Application of Amitkumar Vaghasiya, for Conditional Use Approval to allow a Accessory Amusement Arcade at 7948 Steubenville Pike, Imperial, PA 15126 in the MU Mixed Use Zoning District (Allegheny County Parcel ID No. 799-D-2)

The Application is available for review online at https://www.northfayettepa.gov/ or at the Township Offices during normal business hours. Anyone unable to attend the Public Hearing may deliver written testimony to the Township Municipal Office on or before March 25, 2024, at 4:00 PM.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this hearing, please contact the Department of Administration at (724) 693-3118. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the hearing will enable the Township to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this hearing.

James

Mangan Township Manager

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Proposals for a Debit Card Payment Service

Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 18.

For more details and submission information, visit: https://solicitations.alleghenycounty .us/.

Erin Dalton Director

REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS

ALLEGHENY COUNTY

SANITARY AUTHORITY

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) is accepting Letters of Interest and Statements of Qualification (RFQ) from Professional Companies who wish to be considered in providing the following services for the Clean Water Program:

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PROPERTY AND RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION SERVICES

CLEAN WATER PLAN

CAPITAL PROJECT S-451

An informational meeting will be held on-line via Microsoft Teams at 9:00am, April 3, 2024, to clarify the goals and purpose of the RFQ.

All parties interested in attending the informational meeting shall email the Procurement Officer no later than 4:00pm (EST) the day prior to the meeting.

Interested Parties shall submit five (5) hard copy submissions and one electronic submission (Flash Drive) via hand delivery, regular mail, and overnight delivery to:

Allegheny County Sanitary Authority 3300 Preble Avenue

Admin Annex Bldg., Room 106 Pittsburgh PA 15233

Attn: Suzanne Thomas, Procurement Officer

All questions should also be submitted, in writing, to Ms. Thomas at procurement@alcosan.org.

ALCOSAN intends to award the services to one firm to perform all of the services. Electronic submittals must be received no later than 2:00 p.m. (EST) April 19, 2024. It is Consultant’s responsibility to ensure the documents have been received.

Late submittals will not be considered. Additional information and instructions may be obtained by visiting:

https://www.alcosan.org/workwith-us/planned-and-active-bids

ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities, disadvantaged and women’s and Service-Disabled Veteran business enterprises to submit qualification statements or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to the selected Consultant /Firm. The Party selected shall be required to utilize minority, disadvantaged, and women’s and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned business enterprises to the fullest extent possible. The goals of the ALCOSAN’s Minority and Women Business Policy are listed on the ALCOSAN website at www.alcosan.org.

Kimberly Kennedy, PE Director, Engineering and Construction

2 B24-03-24A

3 B24-03-26A

Rug Rental & Laundering Service

TWC Antennas

To join the bid opening through Microsoft Teams meeting on your computer, mobile app or room device

Meeting ID: 281 878 030 563

Passcode: KAiQke

Or call in (audio only)

412-927-0245

Phone Conference ID: 663 845 208#

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 on each of the above items at 10:00 AM on March 14, 2024, through your web browser via Microsoft Teams Video conferencing.

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Meeting ID: 237 620 962 991

Passcode: nPFY4w

Or call in (audio only)

412-927-0245 Phone Conference ID: 607 521 346#

Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged.

Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the

PRT 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 d.b.a. PRT 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 d.b.a. PRT 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 PRT reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

The

Convention Center. The contract for this work will be with the

& Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Inquiries regarding the bidding should be made to the Sports & Exhibition Authority 171 10th Street, 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Attention: Lucas Kistler- E-mail: lkistler@pittsburghcc.com, Telephone: 412-325-6179.

Bid Packages may be obtained after the date identified below through Accu-Copy at (724) 935-7055. Additional information on the project can also be found of Accu- Copy’s website at https://accu-copy.com/plan-room

The Instructions to Bidders

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.

Passcode:

Or

Time/Date/Location for

TOWNSHIP OF UPPER ST. CLAIR

Sealed and separate bids will be received by the Township of Upper St. Clair, 1820 McLaughlin Run Road, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania until 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 16, 2024, and the BIDS will be publicly opened and read thereafter in the Township Building at the same address for the following:

COMMUNITY & RECREATION

CENTER ROOFTOP UNITS #4 & #7 REPLACEMENT

Please refer to

1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15222

& ROSS MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR

NEW CONSTRUCTION OF NORTHVIEW MIDRISE

IFB NO. 2023-40-REBID Electrical Only

ALLIES & ROSS MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION will receive sealed bids for the electrical scope of work for the new construction of the Northview Midrise. The construction work is estimated to begin in November 2024. The estimated value of the project is in the following range Electrical Construction: $1,310,800.00 - $1,557,300.00

Bid Documents will be available on or about Monday, March 18, 2024 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.

A Virtual Pre-Bid Conference will be held on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. virtually at the following link:

Join Zoom Meeting

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85497122233?pwd= K4CYodaVbECK6BBseVFTANd6aKo0dR.1

Meeting ID: 854 9712 2233

Passcode: 105386

Bids will be received at:

Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) Procurement Department 412 Boulevard of the Allies, 6th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Attn: Kim Detrick, Director of Procurement until 9:00 a.m. Thursday, April 11, 2024 at which time and place all bids will be received.

HACP will be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing of 9:00 AM on April 11, 2024 in the One Stop Shop conference room, which is located on the first floor in the lobby of 412 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Attn: Kim Detrick, Chief Procurement Officer.

Bids may also be submitted electronically at the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/request/rUC4lJbkHMGyg6gvz5b3 and can still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 412 Boulevard of the Allies, 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

All bids must be received at the above address no later than 9:00 A.M. on April 11, 2024, regardless of the selected delivery mechanism.

The bid opening on April 11, 2024 at 9:00AM will be conducted virtually via Zoom at the following link:

Join Zoom Meeting

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88142117298?pwd=wt9Lfw YaGnNZMQupAFOcF1bbIfjMze.1

Meeting ID: 881 4211 7298

Passcode: 724831

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.

ALLIES & ROSS MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION 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 ALLIES & ROSS

The

The

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, President & CEO

ALLIES & ROSS MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Allies

BOROUGH OF BRENTWOOD EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

entity and international project with high level of techno-commercial complexity and drive junior controller tasks. This position is for a roving employee who will work in unanticipated locations throughout the United States. The employee will have to relocate, but travel is not required from any particular location. Apply at: https://careers.hitachi.com

Bayer U.S. LLC’s Pittsburgh, PA, office seeks a Cloud Architect This is a fully remote position, and the employee can work from anywhere in the United States to be responsible for cloud technologies, cloud platform operations, and cloud governance with a focus on automation, analysis, modification, and testing of cloud services. Apply at http://career.bayer.us, #800694 or Careers_us@bayer.com with resume, salary requirements, and reference to #800694 (Cloud Architect).

PUBLIC WORKS SUMMER HELP Come work in the nicest community in the South Hills. Brentwood’s renovated park and swimming pool are the jewels of the South Hills. Applications are being accepted by the Borough of Brentwood for seasonal Public Works employees for the 2024 summer season. The job will involve mowing grass, trimming shrubs, shoveling asphalt, installing signs, painting, and general labor work. The applicant is required to wear steel-toed shoes. Work hours are Monday through Friday 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Preference will be given to borough residents. Rate of pay is $15.00 per hour. Applications will be accepted until April 12, 2024. This will be a seasonal position but could be extended to no more than 6-months. Applications are available online at www.brentwoodpa.gov. Please email application to Susan Toth, Finance/HR Director stoth@brentwoodpa.gov. Handwritten applications will not be accepted.

Susan Toth Finance/HR Director

INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB)

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that specifications and proposal forms for furnishing all labor and materials and professional consulting and/ or construction services for the following project(s) entitled:

• Rhythm Square 2237 Centre Avenue Pittsburgh PA 15219+

Allegheny County

Bid documents may be obtained from Sota Construction Services, Inc. by contacting TJ Toomey at ttoomey@sotaconstruction.com. You can also call 412-925-0040 (cell)

ALL BIDS WILL BE RECEIVED until 1:00 PM on April 11th 2024 at the offices of Sota Construction Services. Bids will be publicly opened at 1:00 PM immediately following at the Sota Construction Services, Inc. offices at 80 Union Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15202.

Bids must be submitted as your company’s standard proposals and be enclosed in a sealed envelope, bearing the name and address of the bidder on the outside, addressed to Sota Construction Services, Inc. and marked with the project name.

There will be a site walk thru on March 28th at 12:00 PM to review the existing building conditions.

Bids for the following scopes will accepted:

DEMOLITION CONCRETE

MASONRY STRUCTURAL & MISCELLANEOUS STEEL

CARPENTRY – ROUGH & FINISH

THERMAL PROTECTION – WATERPROOFING / EPDM ROOFING

OPENINGS – DOORS/ WINDOWS/ STOREFRONT

FINISHES – DRYWALL/ ACOUSTICAL CEILINGS/ FLOORING/ PAINTING

SPECIALTY ITEMS

FURNISHINGS – CASEWORK AND WINDOW BLINDS

FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEM

PLUMBING HVAC SYSTEMS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS SITE WORK/ SITE UTILITIES / SITE EXCAVATION SITE IMPROVEMENTS – PAVING/ FENCING/ RETAINING WALLS

“Compliance is required with the Davis-Bacon Act and other Federal Labor Standard Provisions; Title VI and other applicable provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Department of Labor Equal Opportunity Clause (41 CFR 60 – 1.4); Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974; Executive Order 11625 (Utilization of Minority Business Enterprise); Executive Order 12138 (Utilization of Female Business Enterprise); in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the Allegheny County MBE/WBE Program enacted July, 1981, which sets forth goals of 13 percent Minority and 2 percent Female Business Enterprise; and the Allegheny County Ordinance #6867-12, setting forth goals of 5 percent Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.

Further, notice is hereby given that this is a Section 3 Project under the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, (as amended) and must to the greatest extent feasible, utilize lower income residents for employment and training opportunities and Section 3 Business concerns and all contracts and subcontracts for this project shall contain the “Section 3 Clause” as set forth in 24 CFR, Part 135.38. Moreover, compliance is required by the prime contractor and all subcontractors with the Federal General Conditions included in the contract documents between ACED and the operating agency. These Federal General Conditions are to be incorporated by reference into all construction contracts between operating agency and contractor, contractor and subcontractor(s), and subcontractor(s) and lower tiered subcontractor(s).”

Compliance with Davis – Bacon Prevailing Wages and PA RACP Key Compliance Guidelines are required.

If there are additional questions, please contact TJ Toomey, Estimating and Preconstruction, at Sota Construction Services, Inc.

DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

PROJECT NUMBER 24TG01 (GENERAL)

PROJECT NUMBER 24TE01 (ELECTRICAL)

PROJECT NUMBER 24TMFS01 (MECHANICAL/FIRE SUPPRESSION) CORE CEILING RENOVATIONS

at PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

ELECTRONIC BIDS & BID OPENING PROCEDURE:

Electronic Bids will be received by the Allegheny County Airport Authority until 1:00 P.M. prevailing local time, May 1, 2024.

The ACAA is modifying its typical bid opening process; the formal bid opening procedure will be conducted virtually – any/all firms submitting a Bid to the ACAA will be given special access to view the opening event.

Once bidding is closed, any/all firms submitting a bid will be issued an Invitation (via email) to access the formal bid opening event via a live webcast. Bidders will also be notified of the results via an email within (24) hours of the Bid Opening event.

ACCESS TO BID PACKAGE DOCUMENTS:

ALL BIDDERS shall be required to provide a completed formal Bid Document Request application in order to acquire bidding documents for any/all of the above listed Project Numbers.

No bidding

–April 3, 2024 – 10:00 AM

The meeting will be a Microsoft Teams Meeting. To join the meeting the following number can be called (877) 286-5733 - United States (Toll-Free) – Conference ID 127 236 313#. Please email TMPBids@flypittsburgh.com to receive the link to join by computer.

A site visit will be conducted. Details regarding the site visit will be provided at the Pre-Bid meeting. Note that no questions can be asked during this Prebid Meeting. Any/all questions must be issued to the CM as an “RFI”.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR

PERENNIAL PLANTING AT PRESSLEY HIGH-RISE

IFB #250-07-24

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s):

Perennial Planting at Pressley High-Rise IFB #250-07-24

The documents will be available no later than March 18, 2024 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 10:00 a.m. on April 11, 2024

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 a.m. until the closing time of 10:00 a.m. on April 11, 2024, in the lobby of 412 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 412 Boulevard of the Allies, 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.hacp.org.

Questions or inquiries should be directed to:

Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 412 Boulevard of the Allies 6th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832

A pre-bid meeting will be held via Zoom meeting on April 2, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. Please see meeting information below:

Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 879 8760 0871

Passcode: 280946 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, to view and download IFB/RFPs documentation.

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.

The

EEO/AA/M/F/Vets/Disabled.

The PNC Financial Services

Group, Inc. seeks a Data Engineer Senior in Pittsburgh, PA. The position allows for the ability to work from home with appropriate telecommuting systems for up to three days per week, with a minimum of two days per week in the office.

Within the Retail Lending Data Fabric Solution department, be responsible for performing analytical and engineering tasks on vast amounts of structured and unstructured data to extract actionable business insights. Specific duties include:

(i) ingesting large volumes of data from various external sources into Hadoop and building data pipelines (ii) developing IT based Hadoop strategies for business data implementation, date acquisition, execution, reporting, and archive recovery; (iii) advising IT, business, applications, and operations counterparts to ensure data integrity and availability; (iv) developing the PoCs for business problems leveraging Hadoop eco system; and (v) educating business community users with Hadoop best practices and latest techniques to optimize the code.

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quantitative Finance, Mathematics, Information Technology, or Information Systems Management plus 5 years of experience in application design, development, and testing using Agile Methodology in or for the Retail Banking environment is required. Must have experience with: (i) extracting data from SQL Server, Teradata and Oracle databases and transforming and loading it on Central repository using ETL tools Hive, Impala, Python, and Spark; (ii) implementing operations including data processing, access, storage, governance, and security using Hive, Impala, Cloudera manager, and Cloudera Navigator; (iii) utilizing data query tools including HQL, SQL, R, and Python to manipulate, analyze and interpret data; (iv) data governance involving Alation data platform; (v) creating data pipelines using Toad for Oracle, adding transformations and filters to the pipeline to clean and manipulate the data; (vi) building data pipelines using pySpark to prepare the consumable datasets for data analytics and reporting; (vii) optimizing existing algorithms in Hadoop using Spark context, Spark-SQL, Data Frames and RDDs; (viii) data analysis, data mapping techniques, and creating data visualizations for end users using Python Plotly library and Tableau; (ix) performing data wrangling, data mining and anomaly detection using Jupyter Lab and Toad Data Point; (x) data modeling and data schema design; and (xi) customer life cycle in banking industry including Payments, Origination, Servicing and Default Management, and Charge off. 40 hours/week, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Interested individuals apply online at www.pnc.com using keyword R156666. PNC provides equal employment opportunity to qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other categories protected by law.

TECHNOLOGY ENGINEER

SENIOR

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. seeks a Technology Engineer Senior in Pittsburgh, PA. Position allows for the ability to work from home with appropriate telecommuting systems for up to three days per week, with a minimum of two days per week in the office.

Duties include: (i) lead the development of the most complex, new and emerging technologies, select appropriate platforms and integrate and configure solutions; (ii) leverage technical knowledge and industry experience to design, build and maintain technology solutions; (iii) develop software components and hardware for new and emerging technology projects and align them with business strategies and objectives; (iv) consult junior staff regarding complex issues and best practices; (v) provide a systematic analysis on the most complex client requirements within the traceability framework and resolve any functional problems encountered; and (vi) oversee the quality of complex project deliverables while ensuring compliance with relevant standards and processes.

Master’s degree in Computer Applications, Computer Information Systems, MIS, Computer Science or Computer Engineering plus 3 years of software development experience in a distributed, microservices environment using Object Oriented Languages (Java, Python or Node. js) or Amazon Web Services and related tools is required. Must have experience with: (i) design and development of large-scale, fault-tolerant distributed applications including commenting and documenting code, test-driven development, defensive coding and planning for scale, conducting code reviews and providing inputs during retrospective sessions; (ii) database technologies, relational databases or NoSQL databases; (iii) defining business priorities and success measures to design and implement solutions using Advanced Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, infrastructure, and Modern Application; (iv) implementing Software Process Improvement methodologies to achieve goals such as increasing system throughput, reducing cost, and achieving higher product quality; (v) collaborating with product, engineering, data science, and design team to define and implement requirements for the backend services, components, and interfaces; (vi) identifying state-of-the-art technologies and making recommendations for system and process improvement; (vii) big data application development and cloud data warehousing (Hadoop or Spark); and (viii) working in a startup environment or architecting products from the ground up. 40 hours/week, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Interested individuals apply online at www.pnc.com using keyword R156257. PNC provides equal employment opportunity to qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other categories protected by law.

McAuley Ministries awards 24 grants totaling over $1.6 million to nonprofit organizations

McAuley Ministries, Pittsburgh Mercy’s grant-making foundation, has awarded 24 grants totaling over $1.6 million to support capacity building, disaster response, education, empowerment, environmental care, essential needs and social services, peacemaking, and whole-person health initiatives in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland, its three focus neighborhoods. The announcement was made on Feb. 19, 2024.

Over the past 15 years, McAuley Ministries has awarded 975 grants and community support totaling over $56 million.

“These grant awards are a representation of the strength of our community assets and the vitality of our neighborhoods,” stated Marisol Valentin, executive director of McAuley Ministries, in a statement to the New Pittsburgh Courier. “In 2023, the McAuley Ministries Board of Directors, together with our Advisory Council members and our community partners, spent time re-envisioning education along the Mercy Corridor covering the Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland. We are rich in assets that support our children, schools, and families, but we do not have a community plan to coordinate the resources. By partnering with A+ Schools, we can build the ‘Akeelah and the Bee’ movement where we, as a community, wrap around our kids and support the vision our public schools have for their spaces.”

A+ Schools Pittsburgh Executive Director James Fogarty stated, “A+ Schools is proud to support the work of so many great organizations working in the Hill District with McAuley Ministries. There are incredible assets supporting our children and families, and working together we can remove the barriers and coordinate the resources so that every kid is in every school every day. This model has proven to be effective in schools in the North Side, especially Pittsburgh Perry Traditional Academy, where support from the Buhl Foundation has led to a teacher-led plan that leverages community supports to create opportunities for children. We look forward to continuing the work of learning from schools, families, and organizations about their opportunities and challenges, and we’re honored to have the support of McAuley Ministries to do this work,” Fogarty continued.

Grouped by grant-making priorities, the recipients of McAuley Ministries’ most recent grants are:

Capacity Building

• Bethel-Trinity Community Development Corporation (BTCDC): $51,000 for general operating support. Bethel-Trinity CDC’s vision grew out of the deep racial inequities experienced by the Bethel A.M.E. Pittsburgh’s congregation. In reclaiming a measure of restorative justice by coming to an agreement with the Pittsburgh Arena Real Estate Redevelopment LP and the Pittsburgh Penguins, BTCDC is directly confronting the systemic racial inequities in the Hill District neighborhood and beyond by working to create a new model of community development, by and for the community and its people. BTCDC community center will offer safe and beautiful spaces for learning and living and will model a program

that promotes home ownership and generational wealth-building.

• Hill Dance Academy Theatre (HDAT): $10,000 to support 15 students and six faculty to attend the 34th Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance in Memphis, Tenn. Held in January, the conference focused on artists, education, leadership, and youth. In 2025, HDAT will host the 35th Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance in Pittsburgh, making it the first academy to co-host the annual Conference and Festival. This historic moment will take place during HDAT’s 20th anniversary year-long celebration. HDAT’s mission, to provide professional level training in Black Dance traditions, history, culture, and aesthetics that engages and empowers students to pursue careers in Black dance, has remained the core focus and intentionally drives the curriculum, programs, performance, and development of faculty and students.

Disaster Response

• Salvation Army: $7,500 to support families impacted by the August 12, 2023, house explosion in the Rustic Ridge development in Plum Borough.

Education

• A+ Schools Pittsburgh: two grants totaling $112,000 to provide the data, tools, strategies, facilitation, and coordination of resources at the family, school, and community-wide levels to address the barriers that are the root causes of chronic absence and student academic failure. For too many residents of the Hill, the economic disadvantages that families face are a function of years of systemic racism and oppression. A+ Schools will work with school staff, community partners, students, and families to identify issues, needs, and barriers to coordinate community resources to address the community challenges (housing, health, transportation, etc.) that impact attendance and co-create interventions with schools, so they are places where students and families want to be.

• Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF): $20,400 for out-of-school time (OST) and cultural enrichment programming. Students experiencing homelessness have an increased need for high-quality outof-school time learning. Housing instability brings a multitude of stressors that impede their ability to focus on academics and build positive relationships. HCEF’s out-of-school time learning is a critical way to reach students experiencing homelessness in Allegheny County and bridge their formal and informal learning. Working collaboratively with three major housing agencies, HCEF designs holistic and open-ended learning opportunities for its children and families.

• Neighborhood Learning Alliance (NLA): $51,000 for the Energizing Tomorrow’s Future Career Leaders & Workforce program. Neighborhood Learning Alliance strives to improve education and opportunities of lower-income families within Allegheny County through strategic partnerships with the community and faith-based organizations. In line with United Nations

Sustainable Development Goals and inspired by Pittsburgh’s new federal workforce development hub designation, NLA aims to create elementary afterschool and summer camp career pathway activities that expose low-income and minority elementary students to mid-to-high paying career fields through interactive design labs.

• Strong Women, Strong Girls Inc. (SWSG): $25,500 to empower girls to reach their full potential. SWSG acknowledges that racial inequities have led to academic and wealth gaps, meaning that higher education is less accessible to girls of color. The purpose of this project is to empower girls in the Hill District to envision a broader future for themselves. SWSG will implement their core mentoring program at four program sites in the Hill District: ACH Clear Pathways, Wesley Center, Pittsburgh Miller, and Pittsburgh Weil. This is a curriculum-driven, female-centered mentoring program that will reach 30 girls in grades 3-5 in the Hill District.

Empowerment

• Catapult Greater Pittsburgh: $51,000 for homeowner and homebuyer support in the Hill District. The homeownership program is focused on helping low-income, primarily Black families improve their financial health, become first time homebuyers, and/or protect their existing homes as a key asset for generational wealth building. Focused on Hill District residents, Catapult will provide a comprehensive trauma-informed financial counseling and education program (SAVE), a repurchase counseling and support program (DOOR), as well as an existing homeowner programming (KEY) that will focus on education around home maintenance; understanding mortgage, escrow, tax, and insurance payments; estate planning; and avoiding predatory lending. Their newest initiative will include Tangled Title clinics and financial support for critical home repairs.

• Pittsburgh Scholar House: $102,000 for the Wayfinders Program PILOT in the Hill District. The Pittsburgh Scholar House’s Wayfinders Program addresses the barriers that impede degree completion for single-parent families in the Hill District. Many of these families are highly motivated to earn degrees but face significant challenges due to poverty, which hinder their progress. These challenges include limited access to childcare, transportation, and the resources necessary to navigate higher education. This program provides critical education navigation support, conducting comprehensive family needs assessments and developing academic success plans.

• Ujamaa Collective: $306,000 over three years to grow and sustain a hub of Black cooperations. Ujamaa Collective was founded with a social mission to act as a catalyst to advance Africana Women by providing a fair-trade marketplace for cultural, artistic, and entrepreneurial exchange through cooperative economics in the Historic Hill District and beyond. The funds will support an ongoing cooperative development for Black creative businesswomen through shared marketing, sales, placemaking, and training, as well as

to additionally nurture and contribute to the ecosystem and relationships that will undergird the cultural shift necessary for these values-based businesses to thrive.

Environmental Care

• Women for a Healthy Environment (WHE): $20,400 for a pilot program that will explore the correlation of absenteeism and environmental triggers in the home. WHE believes environmental triggers which exist often in the home can be a cause for an underserved child to seemingly miss more school. Working with various community organizations as well as school building personal in the proposed schools to identify students who are missing instruction time due to asthma or allergy issues. WHE’s overarching goal is to ensure all children, especially focusing on those in our selected communities, have access to equitable programs and resources to succeed in school.

Essential Needs & Social Services

• Acculturation for Justice, Access, and Peace Outreach (AJAPO): $10,000 in emergency funding to support housing for newly arriving refugees. AJAPO is a refugee resettlement nonprofit organization. As their first point of contact in the United States, refugees received through AJAPO to Pittsburgh are provided with a myriad of services to assist their resettlement. These include housing, cultural orientation, medical, transportation, employment, school enrollment, childcare, government IDs, and a continuum of social services coordination up to five years after their arrival in the United States. Approximately 28 percent of the refugees they serve settle along the Mercy corridor.

• 412 Food Rescue Inc.: $51,000 for food recovery operations. To reach more families and individuals experiencing food insecurity along the Mercy corridor, 412 Food Rescue aims to expand and scale its revolutionary food insecurity intervention and food waste prevention efforts. 412 Food Rescue partners with food retailer donors, nonprofit organizations, and volunteer drivers to provide surplus food to individuals and families who are experiencing food insecurity in neighborhoods with high rates of poverty. To further access to healthy food, their Good Food Project brings nutritious prepared meals straight to the doorsteps of those who need it most.

• Community Human Services (CHS): $51,000 for food pantry support. CHS’ largest food pantry provides individuals and families with free, fresh food from all food groups to assist in optimal nutrition and well-being. Located strategically in the neighborhood of Oakland, CHS works to eliminate food scarcity in Allegheny County by distributing food, with minimal qualifications required, to people in need. The focus is on healthy, fresh, and accessible food with a wide variety of products that fit the needs of unique diets and cultures. CHS provides individuals and families with fresh fruits and vegetables, non-perishable food items, dairy products, and a choice of meat and fish.

• Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank: $51,000 to feed neighbors along the

Mercy corridor. Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank aims to enable our neighbors to have nutritious food, to connect people to community resources so they can thrive, and to build new initiatives that address food insecurity far into the future. Racial disparities in food security, poverty, and access to fresh food and health care—the result of systemic racism— have led to many people of color having a greater incidence of underlying health conditions that make them particularly vulnerable. Conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are often diet-related, making food insecurity one of the most critical social determinants of health.

• Hill District Consensus Group (HDCG): $153,000 over three years for general operating support. HDCG mission is to create effective pathways for intergenerational residents to overcome economic, social, and housing disparities. Its framework includes emphasizing prevention, displacement, and eliminating barriers for people before they become a crisis within their homes by working with legal aid, the URA, ACTION-Housing, etc., to help stop the revolving door to eviction.

• Jubilee Association Inc.: $51,000 for operations support. Founded in 1979 as a soup kitchen, Jubilee now offers a comprehensive array of social services to help people achieve self-sufficiency. Jubilee provides services in the areas of basic needs, social services, housing assistance, employment, childcare, and outreach. Many individuals come in crisis and have nowhere else to turn. Jubilee improves the stability of low-income people, particularly among minority populations, by providing direct access to food, clothing, and hygiene items; preventing homelessness by providing financial assistance to cover rent, utilities, transportation, and other related costs; quality, affordable childcare; counseling and case management support; and employment assistance.

• The Pittsburgh Contingency Inc.: $153,000 over two years to the Pittsburgh Contingency as the fiscal agent for the Senior Jazz Connection (SJC). In 2019, the SJC organized four events blending music, senior services, social opportunities, and good food for seniors. The success of these events inspired SJC to continue, but events were paused temporarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With funding support from McAuley Ministries, SJC relaunched the concept in winter of 2022, building on lessons learned and responding to increased demand for opportunities for socialization. The Senior Jazz Connection and Resource Fair is a bi-monthly event rotating through senior communities and community venues. Each Jazz Café features live music, a hot meal, and an array of community-based service providers serving seniors. The service providers will be vetted to ensure low-barrier access and high need in the community.

• Sisters Place Inc.: $153,000 for the supportive housing services provided by Sisters Place, a Sisters of Mercy legacy program. Sisters Place has 30 years of expertise in housing initiatives. Since relocating to the Hilltop area in 2020, Sisters Place offers safe

support services and is bridging resource gaps that make parent and family well-being possible. In addition to their Supportive Housing Program for families experiencing homelessness, Sisters Place has offered homelessness prevention services to the community and is committed to being a safety net for families when ends don’t meet.

Peacemaking

• Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP): $51,000 for the Civic Engagement, Racial Equity, and Anti-Violence Project. B-PEP and its on-going advocacy are well regarded in the African American community as it speaks up loudly on almost every occurrence of racial injustice, abuse, and inequity that arises in the region. B-PEP will continue its civic engagement get-out-the-vote efforts in 2024 and will employ all its election cycle activities in each election. B-PEP has also joined with other concerned groups to initiate conversations with the local police to address areas of concern and to inform the public about relevant public safety issues that affect them.

• The Pittsburgh Contingency Inc.: $25,500 to the Pittsburgh Contingency serving as the fiscal agent for Project Safe Storage. The newly formed organization uses community events to educate individuals on safe gun storage and the impact of gun violence with the goals to reduce the number of accidental shootings, injuries, and deaths in children; firearm thefts; suicides; and incidences of gun violence. In addition, the purpose is to have open dialogue about firearm safety in the home, provide the RAC as an instant take-home solution; provide education, awareness, empowerment, engagement, and resources; and develop collaborative solutions to address these pressing public health issues. The events aim to create a space for open, constructive dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.

Whole-Person Health

• The Thelma Lovette YMCA: $153,000 over three years for membership assistance. The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh is made up of people of all ages and from every walk of life working side by side to strengthen communities. Together, they work to ensure that everyone, regardless of ability, age, cultural background, ethnicity, faith, gender, gender identity, ideology, income, national origin, race, or sexual orientation, can reach their full potential with dignity. The Thelma Lovette YMCA will partially fund memberships for 65 families each year. The grant will also support youth programs such as swim lessons, flag football, and the Junior Cavs, a fair play youth basketball learning league that emphasizes having fun while encouraging skills development, teamwork, sportsmanship, and community involvement.

• U PMC Matilda H. Theiss Family Health Center and the Hill District Rebels Youth Football Team: $5,000 to secure an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) machine for the Hill District Rebels Youth Football Team.