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www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 113 No. 28 Two Sections
JULY 13-19, 2022
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‘Teens today are killing each other left and right; it has to come to an end.’ -Jaia Harrison
Local students’ essays on gun violence win awards, trip to D.C. by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
“Sometimes a simple conversation can go a long way.” Those are the words of Jaia Harrison, an eighthgrade student at Manchester Academic Charter School. Those words, that simple conversation, she said, can oftentimes be the difference between peace and
violence, between life...or death. Harrison was one of the two winners in the 2022 Pittsburgh “Do the Write Thing Challenge,” an annual essay competition for middle school students. Each student submitted an essay about the impact of violence on their lives, and the essays were judged first by Duquesne University Law School students, and later by
Pittsburgh notables such as Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, retired Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Esther Bush and Highmark Wholecare Vice President Marcia Martin. The “Do the Write Thing” initiative is a sanctioned program of the Allegheny PITTSBURGH EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENTS JAIA HARRISON AND DEAHMI MOBLEY were named Pittsburgh’s “Do the Write Thing Ambassadors” for 2022, after their essays on the impact of gun violence for young people SEE ESSAYS A4 won top honors. They’re headed to Washington, D.C. this weekend as part of National Recognition Week.
A COURIER SPECIAL REPORT
The quest to get more Black attorneys in Pittsburgh Blacks account for less than 5 percent of all attorneys in the region, ACBA says by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Jamilah Wesley was too excited for the start of law school. The Richmond, Virginia, native, who just graduated from Old Dominion University (in Norfolk), paraded into the auditorium at Duquesne University, as did the 150 or so other
first-year law students. When the big doors closed, she looked around, and realized that, by her count, there were only three other African Americans in the auditorium. “It was just mind-blowing,” Wesley told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview, July 11. “Coming from where I come from, coming here it
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was drastically different. I’ve never seen anything like this.” It’s no secret that Pittsburgh isn’t Philadelphia, or Richmond, or Cleveland, in terms of its African American population. The city proper continues to lose African American residents; a 27 percent Black population in 2000 has dwindled to about 22 percent today, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A Gender Equity Commission report in 2019 revealed that Pittsburgh was one of the worst places in SEE BLACK ATTORNEYS A3
FIRST-YEAR LAW SCHOOL STUDENT JAMILAH WESLEY, left, with Common Pleas Judge Nicola Henry-Taylor. Judge Henry-Taylor is both a mentor to Black law school students in Pittsburgh and an employer in the Allegheny County Bar Association’s “Summer Clerkship” program.
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This Week In Black History
A Courier Staple • JULY 13
Akron police shoot unarmed Black man more than 60 times Protests, some violent, have occurred in city 90 minutes from Pittsburgh by Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire
On June 27, Akron, Ohio, Police shot and killed Jayland Walker, 25, after a traffic stop and a foot chase. Walker was unarmed. Police said they were trying to pull Walker’s car over for traffic and equipment violations. His family’s attorney told the media Walker was hit over 60 times. Summit County Medical Examiner Dr. Lisa Kohler has ruled Walker’s death a homicide and a full autopsy is expected to be released in the coming days.
Cleveland’s WKYC was given permission to view autopsy photos of Walker’s body. The local TV station reported that Walker’s body was “riddled” with bullets. Protestors blocked traffic in Akron near the police headquarters on June 30. Akron canceled their annual Rib, White and Blue festival for the July 4 weekend in response to the deadly shooting of Walker. On June 30, Tymeca Cohen, Jayland Walker’s sister, was seen holding a sign demanding justice for her brother outside the Akron Police Department’s headquarters. On social media, Bishop Talbert Swan recounted
the times when unarmed Black men have been killed by police over the years. “Unarmed: Amadou Diallo 23, 41 bullets; Sean Bell 23, 50 bullets; LaQuan McDonald 17, 16 bullets; Jayland Walker 25, 90 bullets. Armed: Dylan Roof 21, killed 9, 0 bullets, James Holmes 24, killed 12, 0 bullets; Robert Long 21, killed 8, 0 bullets; Payton Gendron 18, killed 10, 0 bullets,” Swan wrote. “Four armed White men + 39 murdered people = 0 bullets fired by police and 4 LIVING White murderers,” Swan continued. “Police managed to arrest a young White man armed with an AR15 and dripping with the blood of Black people he just murdered at a #Buffalo supermarket, yet pumped 90 bullets into a young Black man over a traffic violation in #Akron,” Swan concluded. (Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is a political analyst who appears regularly on #RolandMartinUnfiltered. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke)
JAYLAND WALKER, with mother, Pamela, and sister, Jada.
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1863—One of the bloodiest race (or perhaps more appropriately “racist”) riots in America history begins. The event, known historically as New York City Draft Riots, was sparked by angry opposition to the congressionally passed Enrollment Act—a mandatory draft requiring White men to fight in the Civil War. Many Whites went on a rampage out of opposition to the draft and fear of freed Blacks competing with them for jobs. The rioting lasted from July 13 to July 16 before it was finally put down with the aid of Federal troops. But before it was over, an estimated 100 people had been killed and 300 wounded—most of them Blacks. The mandatory draft also reflected a fact commonly omitted from standard American history texts: the class nature of much legislation. In this instance, the draft only applied to poor and working-class Whites. Wealthy Whites were officially exempted from the draft by paying a fee. 1868—Oscar J. Dunn, a former slave, is installed as Louisiana’s lieutenant governor. At the time, it was the highest elective state position ever achieved by any African-American. Another Black, Antoine Dubuclet, was installed as state treasurer. However, virtually all the Black political gains after the Civil War would be wiped out by the Hayes-Tilden Compromise of 1872 and the subsequent anti-Black Jim Crow laws. It would take nearly 100 years (during the 1960s) before Blacks would once again begin to match the political gains they had made during the post-Civil War period.
• JULY 15
1779—Noted Black spy Pompey Lamb supplies the American revolutionary forces with information, which enables them to win the Battle of Stony Point— the last major battle of the Revolutionary War in New York State. Lamb had worked as a fruit and vegetable delivery man for the British Army. 1822—Philadelphia becomes one of the first major cities to open its public schools to Blacks. The first school was a segregated one just for Black boys. One for girls was opened four years later in 1826. The city’s public schools would remain segregated until the 1930s.
• JULY 16
1862—Crusading journalist and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett is born in Holly Springs, Miss. Wells-Barnett was a true militant activist. Her editorials so angered Whites in the Memphis, Tenn., area that a mob burned down the building which housed her newspaper. She was also one of the original founders of the NAACP and in 1884 she committed a “Rosa Parks” type act when she refused an order to give up her seat on a train to a White man. It took the conductor and two other men to remove her from the seat and throw her off the train. 1882—Violette A. Johnson is born. She would become the first Black female attorney allowed to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
• JULY 17
1794—Former slave and minister Richard Allen officially dedicated the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pa. The church was the first all-Black denomination not affiliated with a larger White congregation. The incident leading to the dedication took place in 1787 when Allen, Absalom Jones and several other Blacks were thrown out of Philadelphia’s St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church when they attempted to pray along-side Whites. The AME Church would go on to become one of the largest Black religious denominations in America. 1862—As the Southern, pro-slavery rebels prove more difficult in battle than expected, Congress passes a law giving President Abraham Lincoln the authority to begin recruiting free Blacks and recently freed slaves into military service during the Civil War. 1911—Frank M. Snowden is born in York County, Va. The Harvard educated Snowden would become a prominent professor at Washington, D.C.’s, Howard University and a leading authority on Blacks in ancient history. His major works include “Blacks in Antiquity: Ethiopians in the Greco-Roman Experience” and “Before Color Prejudice: The Ancient View of Blacks.” Snowden documented that “Ethiopians pioneered religion” and played a major role in the development of the greatness of ancient Egypt. Snowden also showed that Blacks influenced the development of both ancient Greek and Roman societies working in capacities ranging from musicians to scholars. Snowden died in February 2007 at the age of 95. 1942—Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is born Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louisville, Ky. Ali would join the Nation of Islam and be-
come a major opponent of the U.S. war in Vietnam. He would later split with Malcolm X when Malcolm broke away from the Nation of Islam. 1944—The so-called Port of Chicago Mutiny takes place. In the middle of America’s involvement in World War II, an ammunitions depot at Port Chicago, Calif., explodes killing 320 men—most of them Black. It was the worse stateside disaster in U.S. military history. However, when 258 surviving Black soldiers refused to return to work until they received certain safety guarantees, their refusal was labeled a mutiny by military authorities. Fifty of the soldiers were convicted of mutiny and jailed. However, after the war, President Harry S. Truman commuted their sentences.
• JULY 18
1753—This is believed to be the day Lemuel Haynes escaped from slavery in Massachusetts. The product of a Black father and a mother who was normally described in history texts as “a White woman of respectable ancestry,” Haynes would become a renowned figure in early American history. He fought with distinction in American Revolutionary War for independence from Britain and would become the first Black person ordained as a minister by a mainstream Protestant church. He was also the first Black in American history to become head minister at a predominantly White church. 1863—Sergeant William H. Carney was the first Black person to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery in battle. The bravery which led to the medal occurred on this day in 1863 at the battle of Battery Wagner. 1918—Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is born in Transkei, South Africa. Mandela would spend 27 years in prison for his struggles against the system of racial oppression in South Africa known as apartheid. When he was finally released in 1990, it was a day of massive celebration for Blacks and progressive Whites throughout South Africa and much of the world. He won hundreds of awards for his anti-apartheid efforts including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. With the downfall of apartheid in the early 1990s, Mandela would become the first Black president of the country in 1994. He was widely praised for not launching a campaign of revenge against his White former oppressors.
• JULY 19
1848—Anti-slavery activist and the foremost Black leader of his day Frederick Douglass gives a stirring speech at the First Women’s Rights Convention, which took place in Seneca Falls, N.Y. Douglas helped sway the 260 women and 40 men present to back a women’s right to vote resolution being pushed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Initially, many of the delegates opposed the resolution fearing it was too radical an idea for the times but changed their minds after hearing Douglass’ presentation. Women would not finally get the right to vote until 1920. 1941—The first U.S. Army Flying Academy for Black cadets is officially dedicated at Tuskegee, Ala. Between 1940 and 1946, 992 pilots were trained. More than 400 would see action in World War II even though many Whites initially felt Blacks were not intelligent enough to fly airplanes. The Tuskegee Airmen, as they became known, would fly with great distinction during the war. They were credited with downing 109 German planes and destroying numerous enemy fuel dumps, trucks and planes. Approximately 150 of them lost their lives during training or combat. Finally, in March 2007,more than 300 surviving members and their wives were honored and the airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal. 1952—Joe Louis Reliford broke the color barrier in Georgia State Baseball in Statesboro, Ga. He pinch hit, threw out a runner from left field and robbed the Statesboro Pilots best hitter, Jim Shuster of a home run—all in one inning and at the age of 12. His historical catch is on display in Cooperstown, N.Y., where he is the only batboy among Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees. Reliford is the author of “From Batboy to the Hall of Fame.”
THE COURIER ISN’T JUST A NEWSPAPER. IT’S BLACK HISTORY.
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NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER JULY 13-19, 2022
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A COURIER SPECIAL REPORT
The quest to get more Black attorneys in Pittsburgh BLACK ATTORNEYS FROM A1
the country economically for African Americans. And it’s no secret that the Black professionals’ population in Pittsburgh isn’t large when compared to many other places. The Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA) sports roughly 5,500 members— but less than 175 members, or less than 3 percent, are Black. Kellie Ware, Esq., the new director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for ACBA, estimated that there may be 50 or so Black attorneys in the Pittsburgh region who are not part of ACBA. Thus, according to Ware, stating that there are less than 250 Black lawyers in the Pittsburgh region...”I would say that is a fair statement to make,” she said. The Allegheny County Bar Association has a “Summer Clerkship” program, now in its 17th year, which aims to help Black law students and other students of color, those with disabilities or who identify as LGBTQ, connect with corporations in Pittsburgh. That connection leads to real-world practice in the law field, and could lead to
future employment with that corporation. “We have a strong commitment to diversity, especially around Black attorneys and creating more Black attorneys,” Ware told the Courier in an exclusive interview, July 6. This summer, 11 Black law school students who just completed their first year are participating in the clerkship program. The number of “11,” depending on which way the wind blows, could be viewed as a “high” number or a “low” number. But due to Pittsburgh’s relatively low Black native population, and its reputation across the country for not being a “Black mecca,” the number of Black law school students in the Pittsburgh area is minuscule at best. The summer clerkship program is open to firstyear law students from four law schools—Pitt, Duquesne, Penn State (main campus) and West Virginia. A Courier data analysis from a Standard 509 required disclosure submitted to the American Bar Association revealed that for 2021-22, Black first-year law students acSEE BLACK ATTORNEYS A5
FIRST-YEAR LAW SCHOOL STUDENT ADGER DRUMMOND, ATTORNEY RENEL DATULMA, ATTORNEY TAYLOR MOSLEY, FIRST-YEAR LAW SCHOOL STUDENT JORDAN FIELDS. Drummond and Fields are participants in the Allegheny County Bar Association’s “Summer Clerkship” program.
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JULY 13-19, 2022
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Local students’ essays on gun violence win awards, trip to D.C.
DO THE WRITE THING CHALLENGE—Standing, from left: Judges Dwayne D. Woodruff, Kathryn Hens-Greco, Paula A. Cozza; Host, Ryan Houston of WPXI-TV. Seated: Teacher, Ms. Carla Knight and Do the Write Thing Ambassador Jaia Harrison; Teacher, Ms. Leslie Maben and Do the Write Thing Ambassador Deahmi Mobley.
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County Court of Common Pleas, Family Court Division, co-chaired by Common Pleas Judge Dwayne D. Woodruff and his wife, Joy Maxberry Woodruff. There are similar programs in other cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Deahmi Mobley, eighth-grader at Pittsburgh King, also on the North Side, was the second winner. Together, Harrison and Mobley are now Pittsburgh’s “Do the Write Thing Ambassadors,” and will travel to Washington, D.C., this weekend (July 15-20), where they will join other “Do the Write Thing Ambassadors” from other cities. It’s part of National Recognition Week, where the student ambassadors will visit the Library of Congress, U.S. Supreme Court and Capitol Hill, among other landmarks. A recognition dinner in D.C. will conclude the trip. “Recently my parents bought a new house. It’s a beautiful house that looks amazing on the inside, but soon after we moved in, there were many internal problems that couldn’t be seen by just looking at the walls,” Harrison wrote in her essay. “That’s the same thing with mental health. Everyone sees a well-ap-
pearing, happy person but no one sees the issues that they’re struggling with internally. If kids just had someone to talk to and share their problems, I believe that youth violence could be majorly lessened. Sometimes a simple conversation can go a long way.” Sadly, Harrison said that she feels “every kid can say they have come faceto-face with violence in different ways, whether it’s a fight, shooting, bullying or even school threats. Youth violence has been an issue for many years but over time has progressively gotten worse. Teens today are killing each other left and right; it has to come to an end. Youth violence takes a huge toll on the youth’s mental, physical and spiritual health.” But Harrison advises her fellow students to have “an escape” from the seemingly endless drama and violence that surrounds many of today’s Black youth. Her personal escape is doing makeup. “It’s a way that I could express myself. There are many things that others my age can use as their own personal escape, like drawing, modeling or even sports.” For Mobley, the wise young man often asks, “What happened to this world? How did we become
so engrossed by these things?” He’s referring to the “drinking, smoking, parties, doing drugs, and all these adult-like things” that he feels kids in his generation care about. “Even most adults act as if they weren’t raised right. I believe this causes them to not be able to teach their own kids to do the right thing. The minds of our generation are changing. The good is bad, and the bad is good. I don’t know how that works, but everyone seems to be fine with it.” But for Mobley, he said he’s focused on getting an education and being smart, along with staying out of unsafe situations. That, however, is looked down upon by many of his peers. “We need to do better as a whole,” Mobley’s essay continued. “Instead of putting others down, we should bring each other up. Instead of balling up a fist, hold someone’s hand. Instead of picking up a gun, pick up some books. And watch how society, and us as a community, change.” “Both Jaia and Deahmi wrote of a personal and tragic life experience that has led them to see life and living from a dreadful and more serious perspective than they had in the
past,” said Judge Dwayne Woodruff and Joy Maxberry Woodruff, in a joint statement provided to the New Pittsburgh Courier, July 8. “They are both passionate about violence prevention advocacy and additionally, they were both interviewed, at the courthouse, along with eight other students, and rose to the top by virtue of their ability to verbalize their thoughts, feelings and desire to affect change in their communities.” Judge Woodruff was joined onstage at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square, June 2,
by fellow judges such as Kim Berkeley Clark, Tiffany Sizemore and Nicola Henry-Taylor in presenting the awards to the students. The local “Do the Write Thing” Dinner Celebration was hosted by WPXI-TV anchor/reporter Ryan Houston, who was a member of the Courier’s Fab 40 Under 40 for 2022. “The dinner is always a unique opportunity to bring together students, teachers and parents from across Allegheny County who share in one important and common goal; to end violence,” Joy Maxberry Woodruff said.
Joy Maxberry Woodruff added about the “Do the Write Thing” program: “It gives students the opportunity to participate in classroom discussions on violence and then express their thoughts in writing...It helps the students understand that more violence is never the answer. Many students have expressed that the program has helped them feel hope and start to heal from trauma caused by violence in their young lives.”
COMMON PLEAS JUDGE DWAYNE WOODRUFF, WPXI-TV ANCHOR/REPORTER RYAN HOUSTON
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A COURIER SPECIAL REPORT
The quest to get more Black attorneys in Pittsburgh BLACK ATTORNEYS FROM A3
counted for just 6 percent (26) of the total enrolled (424). As of Oct. 5, 2021, Penn State had 11 African American students labeled “JD1” (first-year), Pitt had 9, Duquesne had 5, and WVU had 1. Those same schools awarded J.D. degrees to 511 students in the spring of 2021; just 19 (3.7 percent) were Black. Ware said the Allegheny County Bar Association would love to include more African Americans in its summer clerkship program, but with just 26 Black first-year law students in those four law schools (11 of those who study at Penn State’s main campus, 140 miles from Pittsburgh), the vast majority of Black first-year law students in Allegheny County are already in the clerkship program (11 of 14). Two of those Black first-year law students are Wesley and Adger Drummond; both are enrolled in the Duquesne University School of Law. Both are not from Pittsburgh. Wesley, as mentioned, is from Rich-
mond, Va.; Drummond is from Greenville, S.C.; both cities have larger African American population percentages than Pittsburgh. Drummond has family in Pennsylvania, and after graduating from the University of South Carolina, decided to choose Duquesne for law school. Wesley liked the small, collegial feel of Duquesne’s law school, and she was accepted into the law school without ever stepping foot in Pittsburgh before. Wesley is currently at Babst Calland, the seventh-largest law firm in Pittsburgh. It’s headquarted in Two Gateway Center, Downtown. Drummond is at Ogeltree Deakins, a labor and law employment law firm with offices at One PPG Place, Downtown. They told the Courier they are enjoying their time in Pittsburgh for law school, but both have reservations on if they will remain in Pittsburgh long-term when they finish law school and become a practicing attorney. Many Black professionals who are not from Pittsburgh
have expressed in countless studies and media reports a desire to leave the city due to its perceived lack of a large Black culture. Other African Americans who are Pittsburgh natives have left the city to attend college in, say, Washington, D.C., Chicago or Atlanta, and enjoyed the Black culture there so much that they didn’t want to return to Pittsburgh. “In Pittsburgh, there is a great sense of community to be an African American attorney here,” Wesley told the Courier. “I’m not sure if this is where I want to be long-term. Being from the Virginia area, “DMV” (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area, there are just things there that, no matter how much you try to find groups here... as a Black student there are just things that it’s sort of hard to duplicate if you come from (my) background.” Wesley, however, did say that she’s met Black students and professionals from smaller, rural areas in the Midwest who “love Pittsburgh.” Wesley’s focus is on real estate or corporate
law. She said working at Babst Calland has shown her that “how you learn the law in law school is not necessarily how you apply it in real life.” Wesley said when there’s “actual practice” occurring, “there’s a whole bunch of other factors that need to be considered other than what you learn in class. Things you have to consider that you wouldn’t even think about.” As she traverses Pittsburgh in her quest to become an attorney, she told the Courier she sometimes feels “alone” in that quest. “I come from Richmond, Va., so it was more frequent to see Black professionals than I have seen up here,” she said. “On the other hand, the Allegheny County Bar Association has been very supportive,” as she’s been able to connect with Black attorneys who are part of the ACBA’s Homer S. Brown (primarily African American) Division. It’s yet to be determined whether the election of Ed Gainey as Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor will generate more Black professionals either staying or migrating to
the City of Bridges. And there are organizations such as Vibrant Pittsburgh, headed by Sabrina Saunders Mosby, an African American woman, that constantly work to make Pittsburgh’s corporate world a more inclusive place for African American professionals. But Wesley, as she begins her second full year in Pittsburgh, said that “retention is hard, especially (with Pittsburgh) competing with other markets like D.C., Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte, New York, Philly, where you have a lot of opportunities.” Drummond is ready for his second full year in Pittsburgh, too. Right now he’s studying labor and employment law at Ogletree Deakins until August. He told the Courier he also feels there’s a lack of a “Black base” in Pittsburgh from an affluent standpoint. “But I will say that the base that is here as far as Black lawyers, they’ll take care of you, they’ll make sure that you’re not going without, they’ll make sure that you’re heard,” he said. Drummond added: “The
Black lawyers here have definitely opened their arms to me. It’s not many of them, but the ones that are here are full of substance.” Drummond did not rule out leaving Pittsburgh after earning his law degree. He did notice, though, a significant number of “Black people in Pittsburgh who are successful who aren’t necessarily from Pittsburgh. So, I think that for those of us who find themselves in Pittsburgh, it’s our duty to try to cultivate that (Black) base, grow that base and not only try to take advantage of the opportunities, but get into a position where we can create some opportunities (for others).”
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HEALTH
JULY 13-19, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Take Charge Of Your Health Today. Be Informed. Be Involved.
Sickle cell disease and pain management This month’s overview focuses on two converging topics: Sickle cell disease (SCD) and pain management — both of deep relevance to our Black community. In this overview, Dr. Charles Jonassaint, PhD, MHS (a researcher specializing in pain management and mental health care for people who are underserved) emphasizes the importance of acknowledging how stress con-
tributes to pain crises for people with sickle cell disease. We asked Carlos T. Carter, President & CEO at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, why it’s important to understand the link between stress and increased pain for SCD patients. We learned from the overview that stress plays a considerable role in triggering pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. This is insightful research
CARLOS T. CARTER
and I encourage sufferers of this disease to be advocates for their own health. I am always concerned about the wellbeing of others; I want people to have the best quality of life, so it is critical to understand this link. Stress reduces quality of life for a healthy individual and for those patients with SCD. It further exacerbates their condition and increases their pain levels to a point that could require hospitalization
and/or a lengthy recovery period. Understanding this link and developing strategies to manage and reduce stress can greatly improve the quality of life for Black people battling this chronic disease. Dr. Jonassaint has developed a mobile intervention to help reduce stress among people with SCD. Why might mobile applications like this be helpful for the Black community? Any mobile application
can be helpful if it is easy to access. This particular mobile application is helpful in building a community of support among other sufferers. I’m hopeful that it will provide tools and resources that SCD patients can have at their fingertips to navigate their own pain management in a constructive way. I’m also optimistic that SCD patients will take advantage of this to alleviate their pain and improve the quality of their life.
Reducing sickle cell disease pain in the digital age mHealth tool could help SCD patients lower stress and manage pain — without opioids. In previous features on sickle cell disease, we’ve focused on SCD’s impact on Black people who suffer more with this inherited blood disorder than any other group. According to the CDC, SCD happens in about 1 out of every 365 Black births. About 1 in 13 Black babies is born with sickle cell trait (SCT). Like other medical conditions, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, Black people with SCD face racial health disparities that impact their physical care and mental health. When you combine that inequality with Black people’s general mistrust of the medical community and mental health stigma, it’s easy to understand why many SCD patients find it hard to stay on top of their ongoing treatment. But there’s good news. SCD patients are living longer, more productive lives, thanks to new treatment, advances, and medical care. However, these individuals are still struggling with pain that can move from chronic to acute and back again. Acute pain can send SCD patients to the ER and take a toll on their mental health and quality of life. According to recent research by Dr. Charles R. Jonassaint published in the British Journal of Haematology, 8% of study participants reported at last one mental health disorder. Six percent noted a mood disorder, while 7% had an anxiety disorder. What triggers a pain crisis? According to Dr. Jonassaint, who is a University of Pittsburgh assistant professor of medicine, social work and clinical translational science — and member of UPMC’s Sickle Cell Disease team — “stress” is second only to “weather” in triggering severe pain. “Here’s just one example,” he explains. “A patient – who’s already dealing with chronic SCD pain — loses a beloved family member. That grief, and the stress associated with it, will trigger a pain crisis that sends them to the ER and may include a hospital stay and a lengthy recovery period.” A pain crisis may also involve standard treatment with opioids/narcotics despite what we now know about addiction. “Whatever we can do to lessen a patient’s dependence on opioids is a priority,” Dr. Jonassaint adds. It makes sense then to help SCD patients understand the signs of stress and give them ways to lower it. “If patients can change their behavior in a way that reduces stress, the hope is that they will avoid a pain crisis and suffer less overall,” he continues. Dr. Jonassaint’s research at Pitt focuses on improving pain and mental health care for people who live in underserved communities. He and his team believe that one way to lower stress for SCD patients is to use technology to teach them relaxation techniques. With that in mind, Dr. Jonassaint is currently conducting a study called CaRISMA, a clinical trial built for the SCD community
by the SCD community. “CaRISMA is our name for a mobile, technology-based program that treats SCD pain in a way that doesn’t rely on medications,” he explains. “It stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Real-Time Pain Management Intervention for Sickle Cell via Mobile Applications,” he says laughingly. “You can see why we shortened it.” “From a research standpoint, we know that people who suffer from
other diseases can use behavioral techniques to better manage their pain without the use of drugs. So why not people with SCD?” What is CaRISMA? It’s a current research study involving SCD patients with chronic pain.
DR. CHARLES JONASSAINT, PHD, MHS
These patients use their smartphones to access a popular social media app that serves as a health tracking system, teaching center, and support group. Patients continue
taking their prescribed medications as indicated. When CaRISMA participants are chosen, they’re split into two groups. One group learns more about SCD via video education lessons and facts created by Sickle Cell 101. The other group learns about cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and how it can be used to lower stress. “Participants learn how CBT can help them recognize unhelpful thoughts and behaviors that may trigger an SCD pain crisis,” says Dr. Jonassaint. Once patients can recognize the behaviors, CaRISMA teaches them ways to change their negative thoughts and lower stress thru methods like distraction, activity scheduling, and relaxation. “It’s a toolkit for understanding how our thoughts and emotions affect our actions,” he says. Both the education and CBT groups check-in regularly with a personal health coach via phone, text or both. Many of these coaches are adults living with SCD. All of them provide weekly emotional and informational support. “Empathy is important for everyone’s mental health, but especially people who suffer with chronic pain,” says Dr. Jonassaint. CaRISMA also features: • “Celia,” a chat bot that’s available 24/7. Celia provides healthy lifestyle tips and facts about SCD and helps users apply what they’ve learned. • An online SCD support group of people who face similar challenges and who support each other thru virtual meet-up activities. • A pain diary that records and tracks trends in a participant’s daily pain and mood. • Toolbox and badges that let participants access content from previous lessons. What’s especially unique about CaRISMA is what Dr. Jonassaint calls “warrior stories.” He notes, “Warrior stories are teaching videos created by real SCD patients. They are not actors. They’re open and honest as they discuss their experiences with SCD. They know what they’re talking about.” What does Dr. Jonassaint hope the study will tell him and his team? “We want to know which approach is more effective at helping SCD patients reduce pain — and the depression associated with the pain. Is that the smartphone digital CBT group or the education group? “Personally, we also hope that the knowledge and support patients received from CaRISMA will help them feel more confident, so they can advocate for themselves with health care professionals and family members.” “People who suffer with SCD carry a heavy burden that impacts their mental health and quality of life in a profound way,” Dr. Jonassaint continues. “Can we use smartphone technology and mHealth tools to empower these individuals to feel better without the need for opioids? I’m hopeful we can.”
Sickle cell nerds: Sickle Cell 101 helps people understand SCD in simple, but powerful ways Sickle Cell 101 (SC101) is a Silicon Valley-based non-profit whose team specializes in educating people about sickle cell disease (SCD). Since its founding, SC101 has become a global force
for reliable, innovative, and easy-to-understand information for SCD patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and others. On the organization’s digital platforms, which includes social media,
you’ll find info about SCD and sickle cell trait (SCT) that’s evidence-based and patient friendly! Their website sc101.org includes Sicklepedia, a web resource that explains sickle cell disorders, how
SCD is inherited, types of SCD, and more. Additionally on their website, a blog tab includes recent and relevant articles about SCD, featuring experts and actual people who live with the
disease. Most importantly on its digital platforms, you can “Ask an Expert” and receive evidence-based information from SC101’s team of experts — in the comfort of your home.
You can follow SC101 on popular social media sites by searching “Sickle Cell 101.”
METRO
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
JULY 13-19, 2022
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Pittsburgh celebrates
JUNETEENTH 2022
MARCIA MARTIN, WITH HIGHMARK HEALTH, AND B. MARSHALL, LEADER OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
HIP-HOP ARTIST TALIB KWELI PERFORMING...(PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
PERFORMERS WERE EVERYWHERE, FROM MARKET SQUARE TO POINT STATE PARK, FOR PITTSBURGH’S 2022 JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
THE ICONIC BAND “WAR” PERFORMED AT POINT STATE PARK, SUNDAY, JUNE 19. (PHOTOS BY GAIL MANKER)
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RELIGION/METRO
JULY 13-19, 2022
Praise & Worship ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH 91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
“Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knows God. He that doesn’t love knows not God; for GOD is LOVE.”
Sunday Mass 11 AM Rev. Thomas J. Burke- Pastor
- 1 John 4:7-8
Rev. C. Matthew HawkinsParochial Vicar Rev. David H. TaylorSenior Parochial Vicar. www.sbtmparishpgh.com
East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Patrice Fowler-Searcy and Rev. Heather Schoenewolf Pastors 412-441-3800
REV. WALKER SAYS: WORD of GOD 1 John 4:11—Beloved, If God so loved us, we ought to LOVE one another.
Worship in person or Online on Facebook/YouTube www.ELPC.church Summer Worship.......10:00 a.m. Taize -Wednesdays.........7:00 p.m.
Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!
Duquesne Light employees help beautify the Hill District for Juneteenth
For rate information, call 412-4818302, ext. 128. We want to feature positive youth from our Pittsburgh church community. Please mail their bio and photo to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or email us: religion@newpittsburghcourier. com
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“Duquesne Light Company (DLC) was honored to partner with Grounded Strategies on June 17 for our second annual Juneteenth volunteer event,” the company told the New Pittsburgh Courier in a statement, as the company’s employees beautified the Hill District. “This year, we visited the Hill District to clear vacant lots and plant flowers to enhance and support resident-driven green space projects around the neighborhood. This effort was critical to DLC’s ongoing efforts to give back to diverse communities in the Pittsburgh region.”
METRO
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
JULY 13-19, 2022
City of Pittsburgh celebrates Juneteenth 2022
THE HOUSE OF SOUL BAND, PART OF JUNETEENTH 2022 IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
CHARLEEN GOMEZ, OWNER, with supporter Marion McAllister.
COOKIN’ IT UP!
THREE GENERATIONS OF THE FAMILY...
PAMELA LANE AND JOHN LANE, CO-OWNERS OF D.O.P.E.
FATHER RONALD COLEMAN, SON RANDALL AND MOTHER DARLA COLEMAN
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City of Pittsburgh celebrates Juneteenth 2022
THE JUBILEE PARADE—Employees of PPG Paints were part of the Freedom Jubilee Parade, Saturday, June 18, through Downtown Pittsburgh. (Photos by J.L. Martello)
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PROPERTY IS POWER 3 reasons you should trust in a mortgage broker If the time has come to purchase a home and you’ve been perusing the real estate market, it’s possible you’ve also been considering the mortgage options that might work best for you. In the event that you’re already spending a lot of time looking at homes and trying to sell your own, here are a few reasons you may want to leave your mortgage considerations to a professional. Qualifications You Can Count On If you’re new to the world of home purchasing and have concerns about learning the ropes on your own, a mortgage broker can be a great way to navigate the market and get the information you need without having to do all of the legwork. Because a mortgage broker work with a wide range of lenders that have specialty niches, and products to make a recommendation to guide you through available options so you can find the product that is best suited for your financial situation. A Knowledgeable Expert on Your Side Between putting in offers on a home dealing with lenders, it can often feel like you’re between a rock and a hard place, and getting squeezed financially. However, the ideal mortgage broker will be someone who is there solely to assist you and provide you with viable options. Instead of a very specific set of options provided by the bank, a mortgage broker will be able to identify products your lender might not suggest, which means you’ll have more options and a representative
who will be able to recommend the best ones for you. The Inside Scoop on The Industry It’s the job of a mortgage broker to be on top of the market, have a comprehensive knowledge of the products out there and be familiar with the lenders, so this
Why it’s time to pivot your business by Sherri Kolade For New Pittsburgh Courier
ANTHONY O. KELLUM
means less research and a lot more expertise you when it comes to any final mortgage decisions. Not only will they have the know-how in the industry you’re heading into, they’ll be aware of the information the lender requires and may be able to score you a better deal when the time to make a decision comes. Finding the ideal lender for your mortgage can be a struggle in times where there are so many small details to deal with, but a mortgage broker can work to simplify the process. If you’ll soon be applying for a mortgage and are considering your lender options, you may want to contact one of your local mortgage broker professionals for more information.
(Michigan Chronicle)—Businesses, it’s time to level up. Described as a “shift or turn in a new direction,” pivoting is a strong need for change in a company that is not only a strategic business move but could bring immeasurable benefits in the long run. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies had no choice but to shift into a new mindset or change their priorities to enable their businesses to thrive. Pivoting a company to an online market, while embracing adaptable technologies, is one of the many decisions that can help set up a business for success. TMS, a development hub for web applications, wrote that there are many ways company pivots develop, and many factors that can prompt a business pivot in addition to the shift to online. “A well-executed pivot can be inspiring to witness,” according to the article. “This successful business strategy has helped dying corporations rise from the ashes. Pivots can have dramatic and highly profitable effects for small businesses too. These kinds of changes could be just what your customers are looking for. “Business pivots involve a measure of risk. They require a balance of
Online
boldness and planning. The key is to keep part of the business stable and supported and part agile and moving. The most successful companies achieve this with bold, lateral thinking maneuvers.” Some pivots could be a change in a target customer market, distribution channel or pricing strategy, too, which could help online businesses “adapt to changing circumstances.” Thinking about shifting to the online marketplace? Forbes said it can be done easily, especially if it’s a small business. Here’s how: Use social media to your advantage and create (if you haven’t already) a business account and boost the company’s wares and image online. Tell customers low shopping online is a big benefit. Created a communication strategy announcing the change. Continue open communication channels with existing customers while bring on new customers. Build or upgrade your website with platforms like Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix. Add on online store/delivery or pickup to your current website. McKinsey & Company noted in an article that overcoming digital inequities (especially for Black businesses) is not the easiest thing to do. “Digital capabilities will increase Black entrepreneurs’ share of oppor-
tunities, but the corresponding business services are long-unmet needs,” per the article. “Many Black-owned businesses lack the rescoures to hire service providers that can help them digitize their businessessses, but private-sector and social-sector organization can provide free technology services and managerial assistance. Free or subsidized installation, tech support and staff training can help Black-owned businesses acquire more digital capabilities and become more able to share this knowledge with other Black-owned businesses in their communities.” Black-owned bookstore Source Booksellers’ owner Janet Webster-Jones previously told the Michigan Chronicle that transitioning to online sales made a big difference in the business that she operates with her daughter—though she still likes the in-person touch. “Coming in person is much greater than an [online] buy-sell situation,” she said, adding that while she prefers in-person camaraderie and relationship building, the pandemic forced her hand to “quickly pivot” to online sales. The bookstore, located at 4240 Cass Ave., purposely chose to not go the online route beforehand but coming out on the other side, she has the best of both worlds. SEE ONLINE B2
Give me some ‘Wiggle Room!’ What do men in skinny jeans and a tight budget have in common? NO WIGGLE ROOM! It’s hard to create a legacy when your tools of procreation are restricted. That’s right, your income is your most powerful wealth-building tool. When there’s no margin between your income and your expenses, you make it hard on yourself to get ahead and create an abundant life! I’m claustrophobic. I wasn’t always this way. Several years ago, I was on a business trip. The hotel where I was staying had a gym. I decided to take the elevator to the gym. Then it happened. The elevator got stuck. The alarm was sounding off. I was pushing button after button trying to either get an attendant or get this elevator to move. Nothing! I started breathing heavy and sweating profusely. I ended up putting my hand in the small cracks of the door. I was able to pry the elevator open. As I opened the door, I noticed that it wasn’t level. I literally had to pull myself up and climb out of the elevator. It probably lasted all of 5 minutes but it felt like 5 hours. Needless to say, I didn’t work out that day. Nor did I use the elevator the remainder of the trip. To this day I’m still claustrophobic. I live in Pittsburgh, where there are several tunnels. One of my biggest fears is being in the midst of a traffic jam and getting stuck inside the tunnel. It happens more often than I’d like to admit. Regardless of the weather, if I get stuck inside the tunnel, I have to turn on the AC, roll down the window, and talk to myself until I’m close enough to the exit where I can see light at the end of the tunnel. I know it sounds irrational. Frankly, it’s somewhat
embarrassing. I don’t like being confined. I cannot go to jail. There better be space in my casket after I die or I’m going to die a second death. (Joking) Being constricted and confined is never fun! Same holds true for your money. Many of us hate payday because it’s a reminder of how close to the edge we are living. Payday is actually “handover day.” You get paid and you hand your hardearned money over to bills, expenses and debts. After the bills are paid you think to yourself, “I work too hard to be this broke.” You’re frustrated that you bust your butt for two weeks, yet after you pay bills, you have nothing left over to splurge on yourself. There’s no fun money. There’s no going out to eat money. There’s no date money. There’s barely enough gas money remaining to get you to and from work for the next two weeks. The idea of saving money for your future is wishful thinking when your present is costing you every single dollar you got. You internalize that “it is what it is!” Most of your close friends and family members are enduring the same struggle so you believe it’s the American Way. You give yourself peace of mind by focusing on the good things. At least I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food to eat and decent transportation. Deep down inside you hope for a brighter day. You think the answer is more money. More money is always a good thing. But if more money was
the answer, why are people of all income levels struggling to get by? A person’s bills and expenses parallel their income. The more “income” the more “out-go.” In other words, more money, more problems! There is another way! But you have to become claustrophobic about your money. You cannot be OK with your expenses being wrapped around your money like skinny jeans. You don’t want to be confined in an elevator that’s not working. You want to put yourself in a position where you can see light at the end of the tunnel. You want to see your debt balances going down and your saving and investment balances going up. How do you do that? Give yourself some wiggle room!! Free yourself First: Free up a minimum 10 percent of your household income. Let’s assume that your household income is $60,000 per year or $5,000 per month. You need to free up at a minimum of $500 per month. This $500 cushion will be used to first establish a minor emergency fund of $1,000 to $3,000 depending on income stability. Once you establish your minor emergency fund it will be used to accelerate the process of you paying off all your debt except for your mortgage. We’ll detail how to pay off debt in future articles. How do you create wiggle room? One of three ways: Increase income, reduce expenses, and do a better job of managing your money. The key is to do all three.
Increase income: If you want to spend, save, and, invest more money and not change your lifestyle, you need to earn more. Ideas to increase income: Promotion on current job, overtime on current job, second job, side hustle, side business. Temporarily suspend retirement savings (no longer than 2 years). If you receive a large tax refund check ($2,500 or more), modify the W4 form to receive more money in your paycheck. Sell some things that you no longer use and/or you can’t realistically afford. Reduce expenses: A penny saved is a penny earned. It requires less blood, sweat, and tears to reduce expenses than it does to create income. Ideas to reduce expenses: Do it yourself, do without, stop dining out, cancel subscriptions you don’t use, curtail spending on your vices. You know what they are. Manage your money: Know what you owe! If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Create a budget. Be proactive about your money and tell it what to do instead of wondering where it went. Account for every penny to every $100 spent. Doing this will help you isolate wasteful spending, give your money purpose and allow you to prioritize your money, life, and time. If there’s no wiggle room between your income and expenses, your goals, your dreams, and your life are going to suffocate. Give yourself some WIGGLE ROOM! The more wiggle room you have, the faster you can beat debt, put your savings on steroids and have a life. (Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412-216-1013 or visit his website @ www.damonmoneycoach.com)
BUSINESS
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NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
INVESTMENTS :
Your money working hard for you by Jordan Woods For New Pittsburgh Courier
Saving money is certainly better than spending it frivolously. But being responsible also means spending so that our money works for us even when we’re sleeping. Investing, particularly in the stock market, can be scary or intimidating, especially when you’re just starting. However, it should be an important aspect of your long-term goals (remember, we’re working to build generational wealth). This installment will give you the framework to become a savvy investor by exploring some examples investment vehicles in terms of risk and potential return, and providing you with resources to plan your investment strategy. Investment Vehicles 1. Low Risk: • Certificates of Deposit (also known as “CDs”) give your money to the bank for a specific period of time, giving them extra cash on hand. In turn, you receive a more predictable return (typically 0.5-3 percent) at a rate that is often higher than that of savings
accounts. CDs are also covered by the same FDIC insurance that your bank is, further protecting your investment. • Treasury Bonds are fixed-interest U.S. Savings Bonds issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. They are fully backed by the United States government and are considered to be among the safest investments one can make, but do not reach their maturity date for 10+ years after being bought. 2. Medium Risk: • The most talked about investment vehicle is the stock market. You can buy stakes of ownership yourself, or you can put your money in the hands of an group of finance professionals who focus their time on finding the best mixed of investments for a consistent, positive return (typically around 5-10 percent). • A Mutual Fund is a company that pools money together from investors and then invests that money in stocks, bonds, short-term securities, etc. They help to mitigate some of the risk through diversification, but also can include
some riskier investments as part of their portfolios, meaning that they can reap some of the rewards of high-risk investments without exclusively relying on those investments. • An Index Fund (or ETF) is a type of mutual fund that is designed to invest in, and thus replicate, the performance of one particular type of investment. For example, an S&P 500 ETF would invest money across all of the S&P 500 companies, so that the fund’s performance matched that of the S&P 500. 3. High Risk: • Junk Bonds are bonds that promise higher interest payments than regular bonds, primarily because they come with a higher risk of default, because the entity issuing them is in poor financial shape. These bonds are typically issued by companies looking to raise capital quickly. • Cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin) are digital assets that serve as mediums of exchange, using cryptography to ensure more secure financial transactions. Many types of cryptocurrencies experi-
ence large swings of positive and negative returns that are unpredictable, but if caught at the right time can potentially increase your positive return tenfold—or more. Many, if not most cryptocurrencies have no official backing, further exposing your investment. These are just some of the many ways that exist for you to invest your money. No matter how you choose to invest, one essential guideline is to spread out your portfolio across a few different investment vehicles. This practice, known as diversification, is a prudent response to the fact that some investment types, and individual investments within each type, are more volatile than others. ROI is the percentage of your original investment that you have gained or lost since you decided to invest. An acceptable ROI from following sound investment principles is typically around 7-8 percent over the long term. This is including outlier investment scenarios where people made and kept large sums of money in a short period of time. Keep this in mind when deciding where to invest and when
analyzing your portfolio’s performance. Two things we all can and should do are to start small, and then remain patient with our investments. Often lower average positive returns over time also come with less risk, and vice versa. First Independence Bank’s Asset Allocation calculator can help you create a balanced portfolio and their Investment Returns calculator can help you track and meet your long-term investment goals. Keep an open mind when easing your way into investing. Whether you’re saving for college, looking to start a business, or looking towards retirement, keep in mind the typical timeline for returns for the things you choose to invest in and how that aligns to the timeline for your reason(s) for investing. Working with an investment professional and doing your own research will help you create and stick to a dynamic investment strategy that is based solely on your personal financial goals instead of those of other people. (First Independence Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender)
Faster processing of disability claims for people with Alzheimer’s by Josh Grant For New Pittsburgh Courier
Currently, more than five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Since the onset of Alzheimer’s can occur in people before they retire, it may strike during an individual’s working years, preventing gain-
ful employment as the disease progresses. As a result, people with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers must figure out how they’ll pay for care. Our benefits and services are vital to people with early-onset Alzheimer’s who are unable to work and have no other source of income.
For more than a decade, Social Security has included early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in our list of Compassionate Allowances program. The program identifies debilitating diseases and medical conditions so severe they meet our disability standards. Compassionate Allowances allow for faster processing
of disability claims for individuals with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and several other neurodegenerative disorders. You can read more about our Compassionate Allowances program at www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances. To learn more about how Social Security disability insurance works and
Why it’s time to shift your business online ONLINE FROM B1
That really kept us going,” she said of the over year-long experience. “The online store generated more [customers]. The pandemic changed everything [and] caused a lot of new ways of …thinking new action plans.” The Washington Post reported statistics of others who shared similar thoughts to preferring in-person busi-
ness to online. Even though in the last couple of years there has been a dramatic turn in online shopping roughly 90 percent of U.S. commerce happens offline. “Small businesses, including restaurants, bookstores and yoga studios, have long earned their keep through brick-and-mortar operations build on attracting customers to come in, gather, min-
gle and spend money,” the article noted while recognizing the pandemic (and endemic) is putting alight dent in those numbers. CNBC reported that retail returns increased to an average of 16.6 percent in 2021 in comparison to 10.6 percent a year ago, based on a survey by the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail. That totals up to over $761
billion of merchandise that retailers think will end up back at stores and warehouses, according to the article. “As online sales increase, the return rate has also increased significantly, and I don’t think it’s a secondary problem anymore,” said Mehmet Sekip Altug, an associate business professor at George Mason University, in the article.
to apply for benefits, visit our disability page at www.ssa.gov/ disability. Please share these resources with friends and family. (Josh Grant is Social Security District Manager in Pittsburgh.)
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NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
JULY 13-19, 2022
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The Choice
Guest Editorial
Bullets flying everywhere but do we really care? The recent mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, continues a disturbing trend for 2022 with the number of such incidents now around 309—with more inevitably to come. Years ago, when the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary occurred Dec. 14, 2012, Americans were shocked that something so terrible, so heinous, so callous could occur in our own country—particularly at the hands of another American. Back then, America still seemed more focused on weapons of mass destruction and the efforts of foreign agents to cause havoc in the U.S. But as the number of mass shootings has continued to escalate, most, if not all committed by disgruntled, if not mentally impaired American citizens, one has to wonder why our legislators and other officials have not done more to bring an end to such incidents. In the latest mass shooting, the alleged shooter had a history of mental health challenges including an attempted suicide and a documented threat to murder his entire family. Yet, he still was able to purchase guns under his own name and with relative ease. The bullets seem to fly with reckless abandon with shootings taking place everywhere—from small suburbs like Highland Park to major urban locations. And while the president has flags flying at half-mast at the White House, families and friends in the Chicago suburb are left to bury their loved ones—the youngest being just eight years old. One couple who died in the melee, leave their two-year-old son, whose father protected the child by shielding him with his own body, to grow up as an orphan. Haven’t we had enough? How much more must Americans endure? Where are our priorities? While the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade to protect the yet unborn, what about those already living? Don’t they matter just as much? Apparently, they—we—do not. (Reprinted from the Washington Informer)
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(TriceEdneyWire.com)—“If there is no struggle there is no progress. …Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” That 1857 quote from Frederick Douglass accurately describes our current circumstance and gives little hope for a future consistent with the principles of governance outlined under the Constitution. We face an erosion of the freedoms that originally applied to free, White, land-owning, men, and extended only by struggle to women, the progeny of enslaved persons, native Americans, and others illegitimately forced by social convention to surrender the benefits of full citizenship. Unfortunately, too many of us have been lulled into the submission predicted by Douglass by either ignorance, apathy, or both. Many have become the dupes of “victim propaganda” believing the spoon-fed fiction of helplessness in the face of oppression. And even though our lives are enmeshed in the social and societal processes of this nation, others are convinced, and spread the message of malaise, that we should reject participation in deciding those who manage the processes that impact us daily. Rather than allowing those who read me to go unaware, I want to ‘clang the
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
Commentary bell’ about another occasion for us to join the struggle. As with Roe, the struggle may not yield desired outcomes, but, through the struggle, “we will not go quietly into the night.” As I write this, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court has agreed to entertain an argument allowing state legislatures instead of voters to determine the outcome of elections. Moore v. Harper is scheduled for argument before the Supreme Court of the United States during the court’s October 2022-2023 term. According to the SCOTUS docket page, the case concerns the independent state legislature doctrine, which theorizes that state legislatures alone are empowered by the Constitution to regulate federal elections without oversight from state courts. The question presented: “Whether a State’s judicial branch may nullify the regulations governing the “Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives and replace them with regulations of the state courts’ own devising, based on vague state constitutional provisions purportedly vesting the state judiciary with power to prescribe whatever rules it deems appropriate to ensure a “fair” or “free”
election.” The short version: Moore v. Harper concerns the independent state legislature doctrine, which theorizes that state legislatures alone are empowered by the Constitution to regulate federal elections without oversight from state courts. The lower court ruling that SCOTUS agreed to review states: We hold that our constitution’s Declaration of Rights guarantees the equal power of each person’s voice in our government through voting in elections that matter. A SCOTUS reversal of the lower court’s ruling would give authority to state legislatures to regulate Federal elections without judicial oversight. On this authority, they could design partisan districts to maintain power in perpetuity or choose the winners themselves. The WAPO analysis concludes: “Immense power would go to legislative bodies that are themselves undemocratic, many advocates say, because they have been gerrymandered to create partisan districts, virtually ensuring the party-in-power’s candidates cannot be beaten. Republicans control both legislative chambers in 30 states and have been at the forefront of pushing the theory.” SCOTUS will make a choice. We MUST make our choice also! (Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. is a minister, a UN Peace Ambassador, and President of the Dick Gregory Society.)
What did we expect? (TriceEdneyWire.com)—As soon as the Supreme Court announced its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a decision that allowed states, not the federal government to legislate women’s bodily autonomy and right to choose, those who support abortion rights took it to the streets. They gathered with am enthusiasm fuelled by outrage that a right established nearly fifty years ago has been snatched back. They gathered outside the Supreme Court, and at state capitals and state courts, angrily chanting “we won’t go back”. They have pressured the White House, imploring President Biden to do something to preserve abortion rights at the federal level. They have rightfully excoriated Maine Senator Susan Collins (R), who voted to confirm all three of the most recent conservative justices Gorsuch, Kavenaugh, and Comey Barret, saying that she believed them when the asserted, under oath, that they believed that Roe was a precedent that could not be overruled. I agree that the Dobbs decision was wrong and infringes on women’s bodily autonomy. But I wonder what those who took it to the streets expected when the terrible trio joined the Supreme court. Rabid Republicans have been trying to overturn the Roe decision for decades, mistakenly describing themselves as “pro-life”. They support life in the womb but not in the world, failing to fund Medicare expansion, the child tax credit, affordable and quality housing and education, and other things that support a quality of life for children and their parents. Taking it to the streets after the fact may be emotionally satisfying and movement-galvanizing, but it is too little too late. As soon as the three conservative joined the court, Roe was bound to be overturned. Instead of acting and strategizing, activists are impotently
Julianne Malveaux
Commentary reacting. The only way Dobbs can be reversed now is to both expand the Supreme Court and elect people at the state level that will support women’s bodily autonomy. The Dobbs decision has racial reverberations. Black women are lower income than others, and more likely to have abortions, mostly for economic reasons. Many are mothers of several children and simply cannot afford one more. The removal of their bodily autonomy has economic consequences for women when unwanted pregnancies can cause interruptions in education and employment. While laws exist to prevent discrimination against pregnant women, these laws are often unevenly enforced, and women of modest means often lack the resources to bring this discrimination to court. Women of modest means may also face barriers in traveling to get an abortion in a state that allows them. Missing work, paying for services and paying for transportation can cost as much as a thousand dollars. Some employers, like Starbucks, Yelp, Microsoft, PayPal say they will pay up to $4000 for employees who must leave the state to get an abortion. But do women really want their employers to know the details of their health status? Voting has consequences, which seems to be why the Senate has been so opposed to passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Instead, states have passed legislation to chip away at voting rights, passing new restrictions, gerrymandering, and worse. What if the outcry of outrage about finding
for Dobbs had been directed, months ago, toward the Senate’s failure to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Then, perhaps, we might be in a better position to preserve abortion rights, and other rights. Unfortunately the same women who decry the loss of their bodily autonomy thought so little of voting autonomy that they failed to turn out in droves when both the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Freedom to Vote Act failed in the Senate. Now, Democrats are hoping that the Dobbs decision will motivate people to get out and vote for Democrats. But Democrats have been asleep at the wheel, trying so hard to mollify Republicans in the name of compromise that they’ve turned off those who want more immediate action. President Biden has been leading the party since January of 2021. Why has nothing been done since then to take action on abortion rights, especially since we could have expected the Dobbs outcome. Inaction on voting rights is directly connected to the Supreme Court action to reverse our abortion rights. And Clarence Thomas has indicated that they won’t stop at abortion rights. In his concurring opinion, he has indicated that the court could reverse decisions about contraception, marriage equality, and same sex relationships. The GBLTQIA community is alarmed, but really, what should they expect from a court packed with sexual abusers and perjurers who have pledge to take our country backward? Too many Democrats have been too silent for far too long. Taking it to the street in outrage is fine. But we shuld have been in the streets before votes to confirm Gorsuch, Kavenaugh, and Comey Barrett. We were silent and they have been strategizing to take away our rights. What did we expect?
America has two law enforcement standards The recent shootings by law enforcement of individuals being pursued by police have reminded many people of color of what appears to be an unwritten universal double standard. One would think that after the George Floyd murder and the subsequent murder of a young Black man following a traffic stop in the state of Minnesota, that something might have been learned. We just witnessed a young Black man in Akron, Ohio being shot more than 60 times by police following a pursuit for what allegedly was a traffic violation. We can still remember another Black man who was shot because he had a cell phone in his hand when confronted by police. The list is almost endless, from California to Chicago to North Carolina, from Missouri, and from New York City where a Black man was choked to death over some cigarettes. Now let’s look at the “White” side of law enforcement, starting with the most recent Fourth of July mass shooting in Illinois. An 18 to 20-year-old White male kills seven
John E. Warren
Commentary people and wounds 31 others. When police check-up with him, he is taken into custody without a shot being fired. Another 18 to 20-year-old in Buffalo, New York mass murders ten African Americans at the Tops Supermarket and he is arrested without a shot being fired. Let us not forget Rittenhouse, who killed two people with an assault weapon, also was arrested “alive”, was tried in Minnesota, and was acquitted, becoming a national hero of the Extreme Right. It appears no matter how much we (Blacks and those Whites who join us) march and protest, it makes no difference to law enforcement around this country. This same shoot-to-kill mentality,
if the alleged lawbreaker is Black or Brown, appears to be universal. It appears that the solution to this problem cannot be legislated because we can’t make laws to change the hearts of men. But we must not let each of these incidents become just a matter of business when dealing with White folks, but continued acts of murder if one is a person of color. We know there are no federal murder laws, but we can mobilize within each state where these “murders” occur and take action against those who do not prosecute these murderers of unarmed people to the fullest extent of the law. This year’s Fourth of July mass murder is a testament to the hypocrisy of a Congress, both House and Senate, that refuses to outlaw assault weapons and enacts weak and meaningless gun laws as pacification of an aggrieved nation. A midterm election is coming up. We have homework to do if we are going to make a difference.
(Dr. John E. Warren, is Publisher, The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint)
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JULY 13-19, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Childhood is not meant to be deadly (TriceEdneyWire.com)—In every child’s life, there comes a point where innocence succumbs to life’s cruelty and pain. It is the moment when the child starts to become aware of the cold-hearted world in which we live. “It takes a village to raise a child” is the African proverb that means that an entire community of people must provide for and interact positively with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. It means we care for children even when the child is not our own. It also means that, as adults, we make sacrifices for the child’s welfare. So many times, the failure of the “village” destroys a child’s innocence and life. The senseless death of any child, regardless of race or class, is heartbreaking, yet it never ends. In 1944, the death of three children from Alcolu, South Carolina, reminds us of how children are affected by America’s long history of violence, its hate-driven criminal and judicial systems, and the cruel influence of people with power. Mary Emma Thames, 7, and Betty June Binnicker, 11, were murdered by severe blunt force trauma to the face and head, while George Stinney Jr., 14, was executed by the electric chair. Stinney was the youngest person in the United States to be sentenced to death and executed in the 20th century. Thames, Binnicker, and Stinney were like any typical kid, but, Stinney, who was Black, was accused of murdering the two girls who were White. For decades, civil rights lawyers have cited the George Stinney case as one of the most blatant examples of racially biased justice, yet it is a widely unknown story. Binnicker and Thames’ bodies were found in a ditch after the girls had failed to return home the night before. The two girls were last seen alive riding their bikes looking for flowers when they saw Stinney and his younger sister near their home. The two girls asked Stinney if he knew where they could find flowers. After police learned from a witness that Binnicker and Thames were seen talking to
David W. Marshall
Commentary Stinney, the 14-year-old was arrested while his parents were not home. He was interrogated alone for hours without the presence of his parents or an attorney. Police later claimed that Stinney confessed to the murders, but according to his sister Aime, she was with him when the crime occurred. Stinney’s parents did not see him before or during the trial due to the threat of attack or lynching. Detained in jail 50 miles away in Columbia, Stinney was isolated and alone with no support from his family during his confinement and trial. Stinney’s family maintained he was innocent, insisting that their son was too small to commit such a crime and too naïve to handle the pressure put on him by law enforcement officials. The George Stinney story is typical of Jim Crow justice, where he was tried before a jury of all White men. While Whites crowded the courtroom, Blacks were not allowed to enter. His court-appointed counsel was a tax commissioner who never challenged the police officers who testified that Stinney confessed to the two murders, nor did he challenge the prosecution’s presentation of two contradictory versions of Stinney’s verbal confession. Stinney’s counsel did not cross-examine witnesses or call any witnesses on his behalf. The 14-year-old had no defense, with the trial presentation lasting only two and a half hours. After deliberating for fewer than 10 minutes, the jury found Stinney guilty of murder. On the same day, the judge sentenced him to death by electrocution. No trial transcripts still exist, and Stinney’s counsel filed no appeal. He was able to see his parents on one occasion after the trial. Electric chairs were not made for children. Standing at 5 feet, one inch tall, and weighing 95 pounds, George Stinney was too small for the adult-size electric chair. The mask and the straps were also too big to contain him. In less than three months, a 14-year-old child was charged with murder, tried, convicted, and executed by the state of South Carolina. His family buried him in an unmarked grave, fearing vengeful Whites would vandalize it. Cruelty has become so accepted and normalized that even innocent children will not be safe and protected from death if it goes against safeguarding the interest of those with wealth and power. While they took 10 minutes to convict him, it took 70 years to exonerate him. Rumors about the actual culprit had long traveled through Alcolu’s tightknit Black communities. An alternate version of who killed the girls said the culprit was a well-to-do White man whose father had steered blame onto Stinney and away from his son. The real killer was never brought to justice. The fact that two girls suffered a horrific death and people knowingly punished the wrong person because of his race is an injustice and insult to those young girls’ lives. Some would say times are different now. While it is true we are no longer living in the Jim Crow era, we are still living in a world where powerful people of influence can be cruel. The senseless deaths of children resulting from mass shootings in schools continue because the interest and greed of the NRA will always be protected. Protected by elected lawmakers and defended even by parents whose own children could one day be killed in a future mass shooting. (David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America. He can be reached at www.davidwmarshallauthor.com.)
It can’t happen here? During the great depression, Sinclair Lewis wrote a dystopian novel about a charismatic populist candidate that captured the US presidency and then became a fascist dictator. The title of the book was It Can’t Happen Here. When Donald Trump ran for President in 2016, a handful of literary critics compared Trump’s rhetoric to the fear-mongering main character in Lewis’s novel and assumed the similarities would prevent Trump from gaining traction. Yet, Trump won the Republican nomination. The Republican Party was split over their presidential candidate. Half felt Trump didn’t represent their conservative values and his racist public persona would destroy the Republican brand. The other half supported Trump to make sure a Democratic president didn’t appoint the next slate of Supreme Court justices. Trump won the presidency. The literary critics were shocked and felt it finally happened here. Except Trump ended up a self-destructive oneterm anomaly compared to the all-encompassing demagogue in the novel. Trump did appoint three Supreme Court justices to the bench, giving the conservatives the majority. Though Trump lost reelection, his supporters believed the long-term effect of his presidency would be through the Supreme Court. Recently, the Supreme Court declared
J. Pharoah Doss
Check It Out there was no constitutional right to an abortion and overturned Roe v. Wade (1973). After 50 years of protesting legalized abortion, pro-life activists were finally able to say: It Can Happen Here. But what’s happening is analogous to what just happened in Afghanistan. When America withdrew military forces from Afghanistan last year, international women’s rights organizations asked in fear: What will happen to the first generation of girls? Those born immediately after the 2001 US invasion who never lived under Taliban rule. To understand the fear of the women’s groups, we have to ask: What life was like for women once the Taliban, a fundamentalist Muslim movement, seized control of Afghanistan in 1996? The Taliban imposed “gender apartheid” placing all women under quasi-house arrest, banished women from the workforce, expelled girls from schools, prohibited women from being in public without a male relative, and made strict dress codes for women. Punishments for violating these rules ranged from beatings to floggings to executions.
To make matters worse, the enforcers of these dark age punishments prohibited women and girls from being examined by male physicians. Since female doctors and nurses were terminated from the medical field, healthcare for women rapidly became non-existent. Barely 10 percent of women were able to access prenatal and maternal care, and only 6 percent of women gave birth in the presence of trained medical personnel. Deaths associated with pregnancy and childbirth were the highest in the world. In 2001 American forces toppled the Taliban, created a new government, and drastically improved the lives of Afghan women for two decades. In 2021 the first generation of girls born post-Taliban were adults. These young women spent their childhoods under the impression Taliban rule was a backward way of the previous century, and collectively believed–that could no longer happen here. Unfortunately, after the US withdrew its military, the Taliban returned with vengeance. Now, the first generation of post-Taliban girls have counterparts in the United States. If all the American girls born at the beginning of the 21st century were told as soon as they entered adulthood, a headline would read: 10-year-old rape victim denied an abortion after Roe v. Wade is overturned. All of them would have said: It can’t happen here.
Jan. 6 Committee and Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Will voters reward those who spread the lie or hold their representatives accountable? We need a new surge from idealists and reformers to overcome the cynics that put democracy at risk. The House Select Committee on Jan. 6 has detailed what at some level we already knew. Trump lost the election. He knew it. His advisers knew it. His Justice Department knew it. The courts confirmed it. There was no evidence of voter fraud. Trump lied—and continues lying to this day. No one likes a sore loser, but Trump would not accept that he lost. He railed about fraud so often that he convinced his followers that the election must have been stolen. He used the false claims to raise a stunning amount of money—$250 million—for an election defense fund that was a fiction. He used the money for his political and personal purposes. He not only misled those who believed in him, he ripped them off. So it goes. That’s not the real scandal. We have had a sense about Trump for a long time. Even his supporters understood he was a scoundrel, they just mistakenly thought he was their scoundrel. Those who got misled and fooled aren’t really the problem. The problem is the cynical politicians who echoed the lies —and knew better. They not only re-enforced the lies, they acted on them. Across the country, Republicans used Trump’s lies not just to demand recounts of ballots in various states, they used them to change the law in very specific ways. They made voting more difficult, particularly for working and
Jesse Jackson Sr.
Commentary poor people who live in urban areas. They reduced early voting days, ended voting on Sunday, limited voting places in urban areas, made vote-by-mail more difficult, demanded new forms of ID that discriminated against students and minorities, and more. Second, they made the possibility of distorting the vote more likely. They got rid of non-partisan election officials and replaced them with partisans. They gave state legislatures greater power to overturn elections simply because they don’t like the results, regardless of how the majority voted. By 2024, as many as 20 of the 50 states will run under election orders that are much more exposed to partisan manipulation. Third, at the national level, they blocked every effort to reform the process. They blocked revival of the Voting Rights Act, which used to enjoy bipartisan support. They blocked efforts to perfect the electoral system and protect it from partisan meddling. They blocked reforms that would make it easier to register, harder to gerrymander districts, and set national standards for the country. The cynicism of these politicians is
clear. They assume that Americans won’t let issues of democracy define their vote. They assume that not only will they pay no political cost for undermining democracy, they will be rewarded for it. The Trump lies fuel the anger of the Republican base—and dismay those who oppose those lies. The former are more likely to vote; the latter more likely to be turned off. Are these Republican cynics right? Pollsters suggest they are. Voters are concerned about the price of food and gas, jobs and the economy, crime, and other concerns that impact their daily lives. They assume the existence of democracy. They assume that the debates over reforms are questions of partisanship, not patriotism. A likely result is that Trump’s Big Lie may end up discrediting him, but not the Republican politicians who joined in echoing it and cowered before Trump’s wrath. To date in the Republican primaries, those who stood up to Trump have not fared well, while those who kowtowed to him have done better. That is where we are. The Jan. 6 Committee will prove its case: Trump lied and tried to overturn an election he knew he lost. Now voters have to decide. Will they reward those who spread the lie or hold their representatives accountable? Many commentators say that the committee has put Trump in the dock. In fact, it is our democracy that is in the dock. Will it be defended or deformed? Will it end strengthened or undermined? We need a new surge from idealists and reformers to overcome the cynics that put democracy at risk.
After the repeal of Roe v. Wade: What does it mean for Black women? (BlackPressUSA)—After the jolting decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade on June 24, many women had to re-adjust their thinking regarding health care and personal decisions. For Black women already dealing with historic and systemic challenges around access to health care and an increased rate of maternal death, the decision was more than personal. “Black women tend to live in states hostile to reproductive healthcare, Roe’s overturn directly endangers Black women’s lives by exacerbating pre-existing access restrictions. Forcing Black women to carry dangerous, potentially deadly pregnancies to term will worsen the ongoing Black maternal mortality crisis that sees Black women dying from pregnancy at three times the rate of white women,” wrote Michelle Webb, Communications Director of the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI). Additionally, many states have poor social services such as substandard prenatal care and high child poverty rates. The economic factors will become an issue immediately in states that have laws that are put into place as a result of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe. The reversal was a stunning change of almost half a century of landmark law on women’s reproductive rights. In an interview with Black Press USA the day after the decision, Linda Goler
Lauren Victoria Burke
Commentary Blount, President of the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI), spoke on how the decision by the court will impact Black women specifically. “I am worried about the sort of the internalization of that messaging and the trauma that will cause in this next generation—but more to the point right now. What we will see over the next few years is an increase in the maternal mortality rates for particularly for Black and brown women, but for all women, maternal mortality is projected to increase by 20 to 21 percent. For Black woman it’s 33 percent,” Blount said. “We’re talking about another two or 300 Black women who will die every year simply because they don’t have access to abortion care because they can’t make that choice. Most Black women live in the south and this is where it is going to be more felt—the deepest I would say, but also, I’m thinking about poverty. The number one reason Black women, and all women, choose to have to get an abortion is because they can’t afford the child at
the time. Most people who are choosing abortion already have children and they know they can’t afford to have another child. So, this means that for Black women and Latinas in particular, the poverty rate is likely to increase by another 15 to 20 percent,” Blount told Black Press USA. The 6-3 ruling by the court ended the constitutional right to an abortion and there is now no federally guaranteed right to an abortion in U.S. States. “The fall of Roe will also condemn Black women who seek abortions due to financial hardship to an inescapable cycle of impoverishment along with the poor health outcomes that accompany it. Roe was a significant step toward a more equitable society in which Black women had access to the autonomy and agency they have traditionally been denied,” Michelle Webb added. “By overruling nearly fifty years of legal precedent, the Court has turned the clock back on decades of progress made by Black women in America—and fanned the flames of a deadly public health crisis in the process,” added Webb hours after the decision came down. All three of the Associate Justices appointed by former President Donald Trump, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Comes Barrett, voted to overturn Roe.
(Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE.)
New Pittsburgh Courier
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JULY 13-19, 2022
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
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Public Notice
Public Notice
SONNY BOY
NOTICE OF CONDEMNATION IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
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IN RE: THE CONDEMNATION BY THE COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY OF A CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND LOCATED IN ROSS TOWNSHIP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA REQUIRED FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE THOMPSON RUN CULVERTS NO. 2 AND NO. 3 LOCATED ON THOMPSON RUN ROAD (COUNTY ROAD 2303-00) CONDEMNEES: WILLIAM E. COLE AND CATHERINE COLE, AS THEIR INTEREST MAY APPEAR CASE NO: GD 22- 8361 Estimated Just Compensation: $1,600.00 TO: WILLIAM C. COLE AND CATHERINE COLE TAKE NOTICE that a Declaration of Taking was filed July 5, 2022 at the above referenced docket number. Name of Condemnees: WILLIAM E. COLE AND CATHERINE COLE Name & Address of Condemnor: Allegheny County, (“County”) 101 Courthouse, 436 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Authorizing Statute(s). Article IV, §§2 and 6 of the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter, Article VII, §§701.02 and 703.07 of the Allegheny County Administrative Code and the Act of 1953 July 28, P.L. 723, Art. XXVI, §5601, et seq. Authorizing Ordinance. Ordinance No. 18-22-OR, enacted June 21, 2022 and approved on June 23, 2022. The ordinance may be examined at the offices of Condemnor, noted above. Condemnation Description. The purpose of this condemnation is to acquire certain property located within Block & Lot #282-P-65 and Block & Lot #282-P-96 required for the replacement of the Thompson Run Road Culverts No. 2 and Culvert No. 3, in Ross Township, Allegheny County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Statement of Condemnation. Condemnee’s property identified on the Viewers’ Plan marked as Exhibit B to the Declaration of Taking, attached hereof, has been condemned as of July 5, 2022. The title acquired by the County is a fee simple required right-of-way interest, in the area labeled “Required Right-of-Way,” a temporary easement interest, in the area labeled “Temporary Construction Easement,” and a permanent easement interest, in the area labeled “Substitute Right-of-Way Easement” on Exhibit B. Plans showing the property condemned may be inspected in Condemnor’s offices noted above and are also lodged of record in the Allegheny County Department of Real Estate, at State Highway Plan Volume 189 at age 7. Just compensation for the condemnation is secured by the County’s power of taxation, which is deemed pledged as security for the payment of damages as, shall be determined by law. Challenging the Condemnation. If Condemnee wishes to challenge the power or the right of County to appropriate the condemned property, the sufficiency of the security, the procedures followed by County or the Declaration of Taking, the Condemnee must file preliminary objections within 30 days after being served with Notice of Condemnation. Howard M. Louik Attorney for Condemnor NOTICE OF CONDEMNATION IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA IN RE: THE CONDEMNATION BY THE COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY OF A CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND LOCATED IN ROSS TOWNSHIP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA REQUIRED FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE THOMPSON RUN CULVERTS NO. 2 AND NO. 3 LOCATED ON THOMPSON RUN ROAD (COUNTY ROAD 2303-00) CONDEMNEES: ART IMAGE AMERICA LLC, AS ITS INTEREST MAY APPEAR CASE NO: GD 22- 8362 Estimated Just Compensation: $500.00 TO: ART IMAGE AMERICA LLC, a New Jersey domestic limited liability company, Entity Identification #450439485, through its registered agent, Mr. Ahmet Remzi Tezcan, 55 Bloomfield Avenue, Paterson, NJ 07503 TAKE NOTICE that a Declaration of Taking was filed July 5, 2022 at the above referenced docket number. Name of Condemnee: Art Image America LLC, a New Jersey domestic limited liability company Name & Address of Condemnor: Allegheny County, (“County”) 101 Courthouse, 436 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Authorizing Statute(s). Article IV, §§2 and 6 of the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter, Article VII, §§701.02 and 703.07 of the Allegheny County Administrative Code and the Act of 1953 July 28, P.L. 723, Art. XXVI, §5601, et seq. Authorizing Ordinance. Ordinance No. 18-22-OR, enacted June 21, 2022 and approved on June 23, 2022. The ordinance may be examined at the offices of Condemnor, noted above. Condemnation Description. The purpose of this condemnation is to acquire certain property located within Block & Lot #282-P-101 required for the replacement of the Thompson Run Road Culverts No. 2 and Culvert No. 3, in Ross Township, Allegheny County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Statement of Condemnation. Condemnee’s property identified on the Viewers’ Plan marked as Exhibit B to the Declaration of Taking, attached hereof, has been condemned as of July 5, 2022. The title acquired by the County is a fee simple required right-of-way interest, in the area labeled “Required Right-of-Way,” a temporary easement interest, in the area labeled “Temporary Construction Easement,” and a permanent easement interest, in the area labeled “Substitute Right-of-Way Easement” on Exhibit B. Plans showing the property condemned may be inspected in Condemnor’s offices noted above and are also lodged of record in the Allegheny County Department of Real Estate, at State Highway Plan Volume 189 at age 7. Just compensation for the condemnation is secured by the County’s power of taxation, which is deemed pledged as security for the payment of damages as, shall be determined by law. Challenging the Condemnation. If Condemnee wishes to challenge the power or the right of County to appropriate the condemned property, the sufficiency of the security, the procedures followed by County or the Declaration of Taking, the Condemnee must file preliminary objections within 30 days after being served with Notice of Condemnation. Howard M. Louik Attorney for Condemnor LEGAL ADVERTISING
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THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH Sealed bids will be received in the Bellefield Avenue Lobby, Administration Building, 341 South Bellefield Avenue until 11:00 A.M. prevailing time July 26, 2022 and will be opened at the same hour for the purchase of the following equipment and supplies:
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) The Southwestern Pennsylvania Corporation, a 501(c)(3) corporation, on behalf of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), is requesting Technical Proposals and Price Proposals (together, the Proposal package) for Transportation D e m a n d Ma nagem ent (TD M) Media Management Services. The goal of the selected firm or team of firms will be the promotion of TDM, and to continue to increase the number of people choosing to share their rides to work or school in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region, and to promote all forms/options other than single-occupancy vehicles (SOV’s), for transportation throughout the 10-county SPC region. The Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released by SPC on July 13, 2022. Copies may be downloaded from the SPC Website (www.spcregion.org) or may be obtained by e-mail request to Anthony Hickton at Ahickton@spcregion.org. Electronic submissions will be required via SPC’s SharePoint site. Full submission details are provided in the RFP document. Proposal packages are due on August 15, 2022.
HYBRID VEHICLE General Information regarding bids may be obtained at the Purchasing Office, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, RM 349 Pittsburgh, PA 15213. The bid documents are available on the School District’s Purchasing web site at: www.pghschools.org Click on Our Community; Bid Opportunities; Purchasing - under Quick Links. The Board of Public Education reserves the right to reject any and all bids, or select a single item from any bid. We are an equal rights and opportunity school district
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Bids/Proposals
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PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY ADVERTISEMENT Separate sealed Bids for the Work as listed hereinafter will be received at the Purchasing and Materials Management Department of Port Authority of Allegheny County (Authority) Heinz 57 Center, 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222-2527 until 1:30 p.m. on August 10, 2022 (Please call David Hart at (412) 566-5415 prior to arriving at this location - all participants must provide and wear a mask at all times and practice minimum social distancing of 6 feet between other individuals) and will be opened and read at 2:00 p.m. via teleconference at: (toll free phone number: 1-855-453-6957 and conference ID #4485786). Each Bidder shall be solely responsible for assuring that its Bid is both received and time stamped by a representative of the Purchasing and Materials Management Department at or before the advertised time for submission of Bids. Bidders submitting bids via FedEx, UPS, USPS, or other carrier must immediately provide tracking information to the assigned contract specialist via e-mail. Upon delivery, bidder will notify the assigned contract specialist with an e-mailed receipt. Bids received, or time stamped in the Purchasing and Materials Management Department after the advertised time for the submission of Bids shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for Award. GUARDED RAIL REPLACEMENT CONTRACT NO. SYS-22-05 The Work of this Project includes, but is not limited to, the furnishing of all supervision, labor, material, tools, equipment and incidentals necessary to: replace rail and existing strap guard with guarded rail at three track crossing locations; Westfield (Alton and Hampshire), Willow Ave and Alfred Street; replace ballast, wooden tie and direct fixation plates, install pre-cast embedded grade crossing panels at road crossings, remove and replace train control signal LED flashers, electronic bells, poles, foundations, wire and conduit, upgrade ADA ramps at crossings, perform station platform concrete repairs at Westfield Station, perform system testing, and provide maintenance and protection of traffic, pedestrians and Authority Light Rail traffic. Bid Documents will be available for public inspection and may be obtained on or after July 11, 2022 at Authority’s offices at the following address (If you are picking up bid documents, please call David Hart at (412) 566-5415 prior to arriving at this location - all participants must provide and wear a mask at all times and practice minimum social distancing of 6 feet between other individuals): Port Authority of Allegheny County Purchasing and Materials Management Department Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527 Bid Documents are available for purchase as follows: Bid Documents are available in an electronic form on memory stick upon payment of ($15) per memory stick. Payment shall be by check or money order (NO CASH), payable to “Port Authority of Allegheny County.” No refunds of payment will be made. Upon request, Bid Documents can be mailed upon receipt of payment in full. Should the purchaser wish to have the Bid Documents delivered via special delivery, such as UPS or Federal Express, the purchaser shall provide its appropriate account numbers for such special delivery methods. This Project may be funded, in part, by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and/or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Authority, in compliance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, as may be amended, require that certified Diverse Businesses (“DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts for this Project. In this regard, all Bidders shall make good faith efforts in accordance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, to ensure that DBs have the maximum opportunity to compete for and perform contracts. Bidders shall also not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts for this Project. If aid is required to involve DBs in the Work, Bidders are to contact Authority’s Director of Employee Relations and OEO at (412) 566-5262. The Bidder’s attention is directed to the following contacts for Bidder’s questions: Procedural Questions Regarding Bidding: David Hart - Authority (412) 566-5415 email: Dhart@Portauthority.org All other questions relating to the Bid Documents must be submitted by mail or email to: Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 Attn: David Hart email: Dhart@Portauthority.org In addition, the Bidder’s attention is directed to the following schedule of activities for preparation of its Bid: 9:00 a.m. Pre-Bid Conference July 19, 2022 Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 5th Floor Board Room 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 (Attendance is not mandatory, but strongly recommended) 1:30 p.m. Bids Due August 10, 2022 Purchasing and Materials Management Department Bids submitted via Fed Ex, UPS, USPS or other carrier are subject to the notification requirements indicated above. Please call David Hart at (412) 566-5415 prior to arriving at the Heinz 57 location – all participants must provide and wear a mask at all times and practice minimum social distancing of 6 feet between other individuals. 2:00 p.m. August 10, 2022
Bid Opening will be conducted via teleconference at: Toll free phone number: 1-855-453-6957 Conference ID #4485786
Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Bids
ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT NO. 1730 MONONGAHELA DEEP TUNNEL INTERCEPTOR CLEANING Sealed Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1730 – Monongahela Deep Tunnel Interceptor Cleaning shall be received at the Engineering Department office of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15233, until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Thursday, September 1, 2022 and then shall be publicly opened and read. A non-mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting will be held via a video conference call on Microsoft Teams on Monday, J uly 2 5 , 2 0 2 2 a t 1 0 : 0 0 A .M ., Prevailing Time. Prospective Bidders are encouraged to attend this meeting. ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Proposals or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to the successful bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority or women’s businesses to the fullest extent possible. Contract Documents may be examined and obtained at the Engineering office of the Authority. A non-refundable fee of One hundred dollars ($100) (no cash or credi t cards w i l l be accepted) will be charged for each set of Contract Documents received. Bid Security shall be furnished by providing with the Bid a Certified Check or Bid Bond in the amount of 10% of the Bid Price. The successful Bidder will be required to furnish a Performance Bond equal to the Bid Price. Contract documents must be purchased directly from ALCOSAN to qualify as an eligible bidder. Any Technical Questions regarding the Contract Documents should be directed to Milton Lenhart, ALCOSAN, via email to milton.lenhart@alcosan.org . Any questions regarding the Purchase of Contract Bidding Documents should be directed to Kathleen P. Uniatowski, ALCOSAN, via email to contract.clerks@ alcosan.org . The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, to waive any informality in any Proposal and to accept any Proposal should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY Michael Lichte, P.E. Director of Regional Conveyance FURNISHING AND INSTALLATION OF THE ELEVATOR SYSTEM INVITATION FOR BIDS The URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY of Pittsburgh will receive bids for the FURNISHING AND I NSTALLATI O N O F THE ELEVATOR SYSTEM on behalf of and for the sole benefit of Jasmine Nyree Homes, Inc. (3-story building) located at 304 Ashlyn Street in the Sheraden neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh, and all work incidental thereto required to complete the furnishing and installation of the elevator system. Bids will be accepted no later than 12:00 p.m. prevailing time on Friday, the 12th day of August 2022, via IWT (Ion Wave Technology). The contractor is to notify the URA via phone or email at least 30 minutes before bids are due if there is a problem encountered while submitting through the IWT portal. No late bids will be accepted. Contract documents will be electronically available after 12:00 p.m. on July 15, 2022, only on IWT. Paper copies will not be available for pickup. Contract documents will not be mailed. Bids will only be accepted through IWT. Instruction to register for IWT can be found here: https://www.ura.org/media/ W1si ZiIsIjIwMjEvMDEvMDYvM2xhbn kyMWE0cF9OT1RJQ0VfVHJhb nNpdGlvbl9mcm9tX1B1YmxpY 19QdXJjaGFzZV90b19JV1Quc GRmIl1d/NOTICE_Transition%20 from %2 0Public%20Purchase%20 to%20IWT.pdf A pre-bid meeting will be held on JNH building 07/22, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Please email Zainab Al Kafage, Project Engineer zalkafage@ura.org, to obtain information for this meeting. All interested parties are strongly encouraged to attend.
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ACHA-1682, TELEPHONE ANSWERING SERVICE Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) is seeking Proposals from qualified vendors to provide Telephone Answering Services, per specifications in the RFP. ACHA is now conducting all competitive solicitation on an internet-based eProcurement Housing Marketplace. ACHA is paying for all costs for the use of the Marketplace so, there will be no additional charges for your company to use the Marketplace to download documents or submit responses to ACHA. AGENCY CONTACT PERSON: Guy Phillips, Purchasing Manager Telephone: (412)402-2435, E-mail: gphillips@achsng.com. HOW TO OBTAIN THE RFP DOCUMENTS ON THE EPROCUREMENT MARKETPLACE: 1. Access ha.internationaleprocurement.com (no “www”). 2. Click on the “Login” button in the upper left side. 3. Follow the listed directions. 4. If you have any problems in accessing or registering on the eProcurement Marketplace, please call customer support at (866)526-9266. PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: No Pre-Proposal Conference: If you have any questions regarding this proposal or any of the documents, use the “Question and Answer area in the eProcurement Housing Marketplace Website. QUESTION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE Friday, August 5, 2022, 2:00 PM ET HOW TO FULLY RESPOND TO THIS RFP BY SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL: 1. As directed within Section 3.2.1 of the RFP document, submit proposed pricing, where provided for, within the eProcurement Marketplace. 2. As instructed within Section 3.0 of the RFP document, submit One (1) Original and Three (3) copies of your “hard copy” proposal to the Agency Administrative Office. PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL RETURN & DEADLINE * Friday, August 26, 2022, 2:00 PM ET 301 Chartiers Ave, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 (The proposed costs must be entered within the aforementioned eProcurement Marketplace and the “hard copy” documentation must be received in-hand and time-stamped by the Agency by no later than 2:00 PM ET on this date). The Authority encourages responses from §3 business concerns, small firms, minority firms and firms that have not previously performed work for the ACHA. The Allegheny County Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all submissions. ALLEGHENY COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY Frank Aggazio, Executive Director
ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT NO. 1744A - E-G-H CHARTIERS CREEK – OHIO JUNCTION ACCESS SHAFT IMPROVEMENTS Sealed Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1744A – Chartiers Creek – Ohio Junction Access Shaft Improvements shall be received at the Engineering Department office of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15233, until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Friday, August 26, 2022 and then shall be publicly opened and read. A Pre-Bid Meeting will be held via a video conference call on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 10:00 A.M., Prevailing Time. Prospective Bidders are encouraged to attend this meeting. Attendance at the pre-bid meeting is not mandatory. ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities a nd wom en t o s ubmi t b i d s o n Authority Contracts or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to successful Bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority and women’s businesses to the fullest extent possible. Contract Documents may be examined and obtained at the Engineering office of the Authority. A non-refundable fee of One hundred dollars ($100) (no cash or credit cards will be accepted) will be charged for each set of Contract Documents received. Bid Security shall be furnished by providing with the Bid a Certified Check or Bid Bond in the amount of Ten Percent (10%) of the Bid Price. The successful Bidder will be required to furnish a Performance Bond equal to the Bid Price. Contract documents must be purchased directly from ALCOSAN to qualify as an eligible bidder. Any questions regarding the Technical Aspects of the Contract Documents should be directed to Julia Spicher, ALCOSAN, via email to julia.spicher@alcosan.org . Any questions regarding the Purchase of Contract Documents should be directed to Kathleen P. Uniatowski, ALCOSAN, via email to contract.clerks@alcosan.org . The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informality in any bid and to accept any bid should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so. ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY Michael Lichte, P.E. Director of Regional Conveyance
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Estate of JAMES N. WATSON, Deceased, of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No.: 02-22-03719, Sandra Brooks, 289 Maxwell Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 or to PNC Bank, N.A., 300 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or to AUBREY H. GLOVER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 NOTICE OF TRUST ADMINISTRATION The Trustee named below gives notice of the death of JEAN M. SEILER, Bethel Park, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, who died on March 7, 2022. During her lifetime, the said Decedent established the Jean M. Seiler Revocable Trust under Trust Instrument dated November 5, 2012, as the same had been amended and restated, of which Tammy Ardolino is the Trustee. The Trustee requests all persons having claims against the Decedent to make known the same in writing to her or her attorney, and all persons indebted to the Decedent to make payment to her without delay: Tammy Ardolino, Trustee 2298 Sidgefiled Lane Pittsburgh, PA 15241 or to Aubrey H. Glover, Atty. Brenlove & Fuller, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of MS. DIANE SANDRA MILLER, Deceased, of 639 Prospect Street, Crescent, Pennsylvania 15046, Estate No.: 02-2201479, Mr. Todd Kevin Miller and Ms. Cheryl Lynn Miller, Co-Executors, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108 Estate of ROBIN KENYATTA LITTLEPAGE, A/K/A ROBIN LITTLEPAGE, deceased of Pittsburgh,PA, No.: 4066 of 2022, Regina K. Cobbs, Administrator, 2917 Maryland Avenue, North Versailles, PA 15137 or to Jennifer Roller Chontos of Chontos & Chontos, P.C. Attys. 561 Beulah Road, Turtle Creek, PA 15145 In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphan’s Court Division, Estate of MARILYN J. S. HERRLICH, deceased, Case No. 3758 of 2022: Notice is hereby given that on June 9, 2022 a Petition was filed by Harry C. Herrlich to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Marilyn J. S. Herrlich in the real estate located at 14 East Woodford Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15210 and determine that fee simple title is vested in Harry C. Herrlich. Estate of HENRY C. FLOOD, JR. No. 02-22-03539 Date of Death: 05/05/2022 PNC Bank, National Association Attn: Sharon L Whitney, VP 300 Fifth Ave, FL 31 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 And/or: Carolyn A. Witworth, Esquire 1500 One PPG Plaza Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Estate of RAYMOND F. SCHUSTER, deceased of Forest Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No.: 02-22-04301, Nicholas P. Brenlove, Executor, 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 or to ROBIN L. RARIE, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017
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BANK INVESTMENT RISK SPECIALIST (MULTIPLE OPENINGS) The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has multiple openings for a Bank Investment Risk Specialist in Pittsburgh, PA to work within the Market Risk Management department and provide advanced quantitative and financial analyses utilizing financial risk modeling software programs and modeling tools in support of monitoring market risk. This position offers the ability to telecommute with appropriate telecommuting systems for up to three days a week per week, with a minimum of two days per week in the office. Specific duties include: (i) operating financial models related to market risk, liquidity risk, capital adequacy, regulatory reporting requirements and/ or credit/counterparty exposures; (ii) maintaining risk management models including review and validation of data sources, documentation, outputs; (iii) analyzing results of various processes such as Value-at-Risk (VaR) models, Potential Future Exposure (PFE) models, economic capital models, liquidity stress tests, backtesting and/or P&L attribution to support current regulatory requirements; (iv) assessing and understanding movements in risk parameters and their impact on risk; (v) leading and executing analytical projects, from solution design and data integrity evaluation through documentation and implementation; (vi) partnering with model developers to design and user acceptance test new market risk models; and (vii) developing reporting infrastructure, including databases, for financial products, leveraging knowledge of computational methodologies and assisting other business groups to better utilize system capabilities and meet requirements. Master’s degree in Computational Finance, Financial Engineering, Statistics, Economics, or Applied Mathematics is required. Must know (from any completed university-level coursework, seminars, workshops, or real-world, hands-on experience) the following: (i) financial instruments and markets (i.e., interest-rate, foreign-exchange and commodity price risks) and corporate credit risk management concepts including Value at Risk (VaR), Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) and the Basel Accords; (ii) markets and valuation for financial products including fixed income securities and derivatives; (iii) statistical methods for analyzing financial data including regression, statistical inference, and time series analyses using statistical languages; (iv) probabilistic techniques for finance including financial models that rely on stochastic calculus; (v) numerical methods for finance including Monte Carlo and optimization methods and finite difference methods for partial differential equations; and (vi) financial computing and analysis of financial data using languages including SQL, R, C++, and Python. Interested individuals apply online at www.pnc.com using keyword R108358. 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. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council is seeking a full-time Executive Director. The Council’s mission is to build a more just, equitable and sustainable regional food system. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications by July 16, 2022. To apply: https://pittfoodpolicy.bamboohr. c o m / j o b s / v i e w. p h p ? i d = 2 3 & source=aWQ9MjM%3D PROGRAM MANAGER – DC FLOW MODELING & SIMULATION American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.’s, Pittsburgh, PA, office seeks a Program Manager – DC Flow Modeling & Simulation to be responsible for optimizing the material flow in the distribution centers. Send CV with cover letter, references, and salary requirements to: jobsaeoinc@ae.com. MINISTER OF MUSIC MT. OLIVE BAPTIST of Coraopolis is currently accepting applications for the position of Minister of Music. Job description and application for the position can be found at www.mtobaptist.org Deadline for applications is August 7, 2022. Interested candidates send application to: Mt. Olive Baptist Church Minister of Music Search Committee 1201 Hiland Ave. Coraopolis, PA 15108 mobchurch@comcast.net SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking: MIDDLE SCHOOL PHYSICAL EDUCATION SUBSTITUTE TEACHER Position is available for the 2022-2023 school year Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM July 13, 2022 SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HEAD VARSITY GIRLS TENNIS COACH Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM July 22, 2022 SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a CERTIFIED SCHOOL NURSE Position available at the start of the 2022-2023 school year Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM July 22, 2022
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SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER Position available at the start of the 2022-2023 school year Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM July 22, 2022 FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICERS CITY OF ALIQUIPPA BEAVER COUNTY, PA Qualified persons are invited to apply to the City of Aliquippa Civil S ervi ce Commi ssi on t o t ake competitive examinations leading to eligibility for appointment as a Full-Time Police Officer in the City of Aliquippa Police Department. The base rate is $42,640.00 plus a uniform allowance. A pplicat ions m ay be obt ained beginning July 12, 2022 and are available online at kelly.callen@aliquippapa.gov, or at the Aliquippa Police Department at 300 Franklin Ave. Aliquippa, Pa. 15001. The applications must be returned by mail or in person at the Police Department by Monday, July 25, 2022 at 4:00 PM. During this application period, the customary application fee of $35.00 is being waived and applicants will incur no fees to apply. Requirements: At the time of application applicants are required to be Act 120 certified or have successfully completed Act 120 Training with the State Exam successfully completed be date of conditional hire, have a high school diploma or GED, be a minimum of 18 years of age, hold a valid motor vehicle operator ’s license issued be the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, be a U.S. Citizen and be physically and mentally fit to perform duties of a police officer. Successful applicants must meet all other Civil Service requirements. The City of Aliquippa is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE MANAGER The Strategy Division is launching a comprehensive continuous improvement program, Organizational Excellence. The role of Enterprise Performance Manager at Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is a high visibility role in which you will be responsible for developing and owning critical, complex, and cross-functional business initiatives to support successful execution of PRT’s Strategic Plan. The Enterprise Performance Manager will have the opportunity to shape this program and build a team to execute a transformation of the way PRT works and deliver services as an organization based on Lean Six Sigma and similar process improvement methods. Performing the business intelligence aspect of the role you will be providing critical information to the leadership team based on using business analytic tools and techniques such as Power BI. The Enterprise Performance Manager will be expected to develop, implement, and manage complex programs that integrate multiple elements or programs to achieve organizational excellence. The successful candidate will lead enterprise performance management and relevant training throughout PRT at all levels to become a valued partner to senior leaders and front-line staff. You will be known as a “change agent” who constantly challenges the status quo with a data- and customer-first perspective. Essential Functions: • Develops, manages, and facilitates key processes and tools for identifying, prioritizing, resource planning, training and executing initiatives and projects that support the Strategic Plan. • Participates in strategic planning efforts. Monitors data and identifies trends and patterns, analyzes best value propositions, and recommends enhanced or new solutions. Leads analytical efforts on special projects to improve operating efficiency from business and technical perspectives. Develops reports, feasibility studies, and briefings on specific issues. • Leads multidisciplinary teams of employees to synthesize, clarify, define and document business requirements and processes. Evaluates requirements and processes and recommends feasible solutions. Job requirements include: • Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university with major coursework in Business, Public Administration, or other related field plus five (5) years of increasingly responsible work experience in performance analytics, enterprise risk management and/or data management research in a government or private setting, three (3) years of which were in a managerial capacity. • Valid driver’s license is required. • Vaccination required. Preferred attributes: • Ideal candidate will possess a Lean six Black Belt or a Master Black Belt certification. • Experience in assessing and creating management systems that support a culture of continuous improvement • Experience using Power of Business Intelligence or similar software platforms or applications. • Experience leading highly diverse teams in a broad array of projects/subjects. • Knowledge of program and risk management. • Knowledge of supervisory and managerial techniques and principles. • Excellent oral and written communications and attention to detail. • Skill in strategic planning, coordinating, and implementing programs and activities. • Skill in interpreting, organizing, coordinating, and executing assignments, projects, and programs. • Skill in handling multiple tasks and prioritizing. • Skill in data analysis and problem solving. • Ability to work with frequent interruptions and changes in priorities. • Ability to establish and maintain trust and good working relationships with Pittsburgh Regional Transit staff, management, board members, and the public. • Ability to exercise good judgment, tact, and diplomacy in all dealings and maintain confidentiality as required. • Keen ability to drive work independently with little direction. • Ability to quickly become well versed in the subject matter. • Experience with placing high value on the customer experience.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit offers a generous benefits package, teleworking, vacation and sick days and is a certified age and military friendly employer. The annual salary range for this position is $114,468 to $137,381. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Missy Ramsey Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 MRamsey@portauthority.org EOE
METRO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER POSITIONS We are an integrated medical, mental health, and dental clinic, located in Swissvale. We serve the neighborhoods of Swissvale, Wilkinsburg, Braddock, the greater Pittsburgh area, and all people who come to us. At Metro, our providers collaborate with each other to treat every aspect of a patient’s health, all under one roof. We offer all of our services to everyone, regardless of identity, income, insurance status, or the ability to pay. We are currently hiring for: CRNP - This Candidate Must Be Certified in HIV/AIDS Training Physician / Assistant Medical Director Mental Health Director Community Resource Coordinator Billing Clerk Medical Assistant Executive Assistant Volunteer Member of the Board of Directors Please check out our website to apply and for more details. https://recruiting.paylocity.com/ recruiting/jobs/All/b085f46dec61-4d08-8807-56348a339fcd/ Metro-Family-Practice Metro Community Health Center extends great benefits to our eligible employees. MCHC current benefits are: MCHC pays 100% of the employee premium for UPMC Platinum Small Business Medical, United Concordia dental, STD, LTD and Life insurance VBA vision coverage is offered as voluntary coverage that paid for by the employee Medical and Dependent Care FSA and HRA 2 weeks of paid parental leave 20 days (4 weeks) of PTO for your 1st two years 10 paid holidays 401k with a 4% match
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JULY 13-19, 2022
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FROM ADDICT TO ADVOCATE Chicago woman defeats addiction with help from CTA and MAT treatment
by Danielle Sanders Chicago Defender
We don’t always get second chances in life but when we do, the results can be life-altering. Evelyn B’s story is one of survival, struggle, resilience and victory. Evelyn B, a Black woman from Chicago and a recovering opioid addict, grew up in a home where packaging and selling drugs were a part of day-to-day life. That eventually led to secondhand addiction. Following the discovery of withdrawal symptoms, Evelyn received support from her faith-based community and was surprised to learn that there was medication available to help curb cravings, known as Medication-assisted Treatment, or MAT. Today she advocates for increased access and widespread awareness of effective treatment options that are all too often unheard of. In addition to her advocacy work, Evelyn is a participant in the Chicago Transportation Authority’s Second Chance Program. The program is one of the largest workforce re-entry programs in the country. Using a comprehensive approach, the Second Chance program prepares participants to become self-sufficient by offering training, education, and mentorship. The Chicago Defender spoke with Evelyn B about her journey, her recovery, and her involvement in the CTA’s Second Chance program. Chicago Defender: Tell me a little about your background. Evelyn B: I grew up in Oak Park but when I moved to Austin my life totally changed. I’ve been incarcerated and an addict for many years. I’ve sold drugs and done just about everything you can think of. Chicago Defender: How did you get addicted to opioids? Evelyn B:
It was my family.
It was the environment I grew up in. My family sold it and used it. My mother and uncle died from AIDS from sharing needles. I remember telling myself I would never do that but when I started selling it, I was scooping it up with my hands and no mask and ended up with the worst habit anyone would ever see. Chicago Defender: When did you get to a place where you said enough is enough and it’s time to quit? Evelyn B: Like most addicts, I got tired. Most addicts get tired after they run out of money. The turning point for me happened when I was sitting in Sunday school. Regardless of what I was doing in the streets, I always went to church. I grew up that way. In any case, I was sitting in my pastor’s Sunday school class but had been up all night drinking and doing drugs, so I fell asleep in the front row. After class, my pastor said to me, “When you get tired, let me know” and he walked away. I kept on with this chaos and self-destruction in my life until I couldn’t do it anymore. My pastor was the first call I made when I was ready to get my life together. I was tired. I was tired of not being productive, doing drugs, and going to jail. I knew I strayed off my path and I wanted to get to a school. I know everything I’ve experienced in my life was for me to help others. Chicago Defender: What was recovery like and how did you come to learn about Medication-assisted Treatment (MAT)? Evelyn B: It was difficult to find a treatment that worked. I learned about MATs while in recovery. I tried different treatments, but Vivitrol worked. Vivitrol is an FDA-approved prescription medicine (it comes in the form of a once-per-month injection) that’s used to treat alcohol dependence or prevent relapse to
opioid dependence. Once I began Vivitrol, it allowed me to focus on other areas of my life—like writing my book, volunteering in the community, and reconnecting with my family. Chicago Defender: You are a participant in the CTA’s Second Chance program. What role did that program play in helping you rebuild your life? Evelyn B: It was everything. It gave me discipline and focus. Before getting my assignment, we spend two weeks in the classroom. That classroom time helped me. They gave me a chance to give myself a second chance. They taught me about working at CTA and how to build my resume. It was great. I love that program. I learned self-awareness, discipline, and communication skills in addition to skills to prepare me as a CTA employee. Chicago Defender: What advice would you give people who may be struggling with addiction? Evelyn B: I would tell them that it’s never too late. Don’t ever give up on yourself. The struggle is hard but with faith and work, you can break that cycle. I’ve been clean since 2016. Chicago Defender: What goals and plans do you have going forward? Evelyn B: The CTA’s Second Chance program was such a blessing. I want to continue with CTA eventually becoming a permanent employee. I tested out of the Second Chance program and became a customer service assistant. I set high goals and wanted to learn how to drive for CTA. I tested and received my permit and now I’m waiting for bus operator training.
THE COURIER ISN’T JUST A NEWSPAPER. IT’S BLACK HISTORY.
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JULY 13-19, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
City of Pittsburgh celebrates Juneteenth 2022
ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY INC.
AT THE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION ATOP MT. WASHINGTON, IT’S SHANEE MOMAN, MARIAH FISHER, IRENE SPARKS (PHOTO BY DAYNA DELGADO)
PITTSBURGH BLACK NURSES IN ACTION
AT THE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION ATOP MT. WASHINGTON, IT’S TERRANCE AUSTIN, SHERESA MCCAULEY, MAURICE THOMAS (PHOTO BY DAYNA DELGADO)
AT THE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION ATOP MT. WASHINGTON, IT’S CHON PRYOR, CONNOR PRYOR (PHOTO BY DAYNA DELGADO)