7.8.26 NPC

America’s best weekly

Remembering Tony Brown of ‘Tony Brown’s Journal’ SEE PAGE A2

Pittsburgh Courier NEW

thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00

www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 117 No. 27 Two Sections

JULY 8-14, 2026

Trump administration influencing some to halt funding for Black homebuyers Catapult Pres./CEO Tammy Thompson fed up with Trump

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

“The new administration has done everything in its power to obliterate down payment and closing costs assistance programming.”

- TAMMY THOMPSON President & CEO, Catapult Greater Pittsburgh

The non-profit organization Catapult Greater Pittsburgh, led by Tammy Thompson, has helped more than 100 people in Allegheny County become homeowners, the vast majority of whom are African Americans.

But this year, 2026, they haven’t been able to help as many people become a new homeowner, and Thompson said it’s all because of one person.

Donald Trump.

“The new administration has done everything in its power to obliterate down payment and closing costs assistance programming,” Thompson told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview, June 26. “They’ve made it almost illegal for banks to offer special purpose programming that has supported Black homeownership over the years. So without those subsidies, without those special purpose programs, getting low- to moderate-income families into homeownership has been almost impossible, especially in this (Pittsburgh) market.”

Catapult Greater Pitts-

burgh, based in East Liberty, has for the past six years paired aspiring homeowners with its housing counselors who would find, via grants and other means, but primarily via private means, the funds needed to close on a home, whether that’s for a down payment, closing costs, or even a second deferred mortgage program.

As an example, if a person, after reviewing their yearly income, expenses, credit score, etc., qualified for a $150,000 home, the person could get the home with the help of Catapult Greater Pittsburgh covering the person’s down payment and closing costs, often 10 to 15 percent of the home price. Or, if the person found a home that cost $250,000, but only qualified for a $150,000 home, Catapult would work to close the $100,000 “gap” with an array of second deferred mortgage programs.

Catapult’s housing counselors were having great success in getting that person the keys to their new home over the past six years. Thompson told the Courier that roughly 95 percent of all the people they’ve assisted in getting

their homes were African Americans, now living in homes in McKeesport, Beltzhoover, Turtle Creek, East Liberty, Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, and other locations.

“What we were able to do even two years ago is next to impossible to do today,” Thompson told the Courier exclusively. “Are we still helping folks get into homeownership? A little, but our main goal right now is helping the 100plus homeowners that we’ve gotten into homeownership over the last five years stay in homeownership and sustain that homeownership.”

In 2025, the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) warned that President Trump’s cuts to the Housing and Urban Development’s fair housing programs would “worsen the fair and affordable housing crisis.”

The NFHA pushed back against the elimination of the local Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), which was created under the Reagan administration and funded cost-effective, local nonprofits that SEE HOUSING A4

Juneteenth 2026 in Pittsburgh!

Graphic by Warren King

Pittsburgh Courier NEW

To subscribe, call 412-481-8302 ext. 136

In Downtown Pittsburgh, Black people were everywhere.

From the tribute to the late Afro-American Music Institute co-founder Dr. James T. Johnson Jr. on a sunny Juneteenth afternoon at Market

Square, June 19, to R&B legends Keith Washington and Evelyn "Champagne" King at Market Square, to the Juneteenth Grand Jubilee Parade, to the tens of thousands who danced to performers Lloyd, Musiq Soulchild,

Marsha Ambrosius and Fabolous, Pittsburgh, for a moment, almost felt like "Chocolate City."

Get more from William "B." Marshall's 2026 Juneteenth Celebration in Pittsburgh on Page A5.

NATIONAL

A2 JULY 8-14, 2026

Dignitaries, celebrities pack funeral for Khadijah Farrakhan

By Erick Johnson Chicago Crusader

Mother Khadijah Farrakhan was given a grand sendoff in Chicago, where dignitaries, celebrities and members of the Nation of Islam celebrated her life as the wife of Minister Louis Farrakhan during a nearly three-hour funeral at the Mosque Maryam.

Singers Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson, Stephanie Mills, Johnnie Gill, Reverend Otis Miss III, Mayor Brandon Johnson, former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., his mother Jacqueline and Father Michael Pfleger came to pay their respects. Minister Farrakhan, whose wife’s death was announced June 27 by the Nation of Islam, was 90.

Long lines of mourners waiting to enter Mosque began forming hours before the janazah service started at 11 a.m. A massive tent to serve as an overflow area for mourners was erected in the Mosque’s parking lot near the back of the facility.

Stony Island Avenue was reduced to just two traffic lanes as numerous lim-

ousines, funeral cars and many police and security vehicles sat parked outside the Mosque. Many people parked their cars on residential streets by many as four blocks away from the Mosque.

Inside, Khadijah’s casket stood at the altar in the ornate facility.

During a rousing speech, Ismael Muhammad, student leader of the Nation of Islam, praised Khadijah’s virtuous character and faithfulness to her husband and God. Muhammad said “God gave us the greatest helper to a man of greatest consequence. We have the Nation of Islam today because of the sacrifice and love of Mother Khadijah.

“For 72 years she didn’t stand behind her husband She stood with her husband… She was a woman God called into existence to uplift her people and humanity.”

Dressed in all white, Minister Louis Farrakhan sat stoically near his wife casket throughout the service.

At the end of the service he briefly spoke.

“This is the hardest day of

my life. Not to say goodbye, but to confess to Allah that this woman is the greatest gift I received except the coming of Allah.”

“I hope with all my heart that every man would be gifted with a woman like Khadijah.”

As Khadijah’s janazah service drew to a close, powerful winds and heavy rain began to fall as the massive funeral procession prepared to travel to Oak Woods Cemetery, her final resting place. Because of a severe thunderstorm watch in Chicago, mourners were briefly kept inside of the Mosque for safety reasons. Khadijah’s burial was delayed as organizers waited for the weather to clear up.

That happened about one hour after the funeral ended at 1:40 pm. Khadijah’s funeral procession of about 240 cars tied up traffic for nearly a mile on 67th Avenue, from Stony Island to Greenwood Avenue, the road that leads into the entrance of Oak Woods Cemetery. There, as thunderstorms threatened to return, Khadijah was finally laid to rest.

IN MEMORIAM: Tony Brown gave Black America an uncompromising voice

by BlackPressUSA Newswire For nearly four decades, millions of Americans welcomed Tony Brown into their homes each week.

But Brown was never interested in simply hosting another television program.

He wanted to transform the way Black America saw itself—and the way the nation saw Black America.

Brown, the pioneering journalist, broadcaster, educator and civil rights advocate, died June 17, 2026, at his home in Newport News, Virginia. He was 93. His death marked the end of one of the most influential careers in Black media history, but his impact continues to resonate throughout journalism, public broadcasting and higher education.

Long before diversity became a corporate buzzword or television executives embraced inclusive programming, Brown fought to place Black voices, Black issues and Black leadership at the center of the national

THE NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER PUBLISHING COMPANY

Publication No.: USPS 381940 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: 412-481-8302 Fax: 412-481-1360 The New Pittsburgh Courier is published weekly Periodicals paid at Pittsburgh, Pa. PRICE $1.00 (Payable in advance) 6 Months—$25 1 Year—$45 2 Years—$85 9-Month School Rate $35 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

New Pittsburgh Courier 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219

conversation.

His landmark television program, “Tony Brown’s Journal,” became the longest-running Black-produced public affairs television series in American history. Airing nationally for nearly 40 years, the program tackled race, politics, economics, education, criminal justice and culture with an honesty that was rare on American television.

Brown interviewed more than 1,000 newsmakers during his career, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Lena Horne, Angela Davis, Sammy Davis Jr., President Ronald Reagan and countless scholars, activists, entertainers and elected officials. Yet he often said the most important question guiding every broadcast was remarkably simple: “Will it help Black people?”

That philosophy distinguished Brown from many of his contemporaries.

Rather than chasing celebrity interviews for ratings alone, Brown viewed television as an instrument of empowerment. He believed media could either reinforce damaging stereotypes or become a powerful force for education, economic advancement and self-determination.

His commitment to changing media was rooted in personal experience.

Born William Anthony Brown on April 11, 1933, in Charleston, West Virginia, Brown overcame poverty and segregation before serving in the U.S. Army and earning degrees from Wayne State University.

After working as a social worker and journalist in Detroit, he entered public television at a time when African Americans were virtually invisible in television newsrooms and executive offices.

Brown never forgot those early barriers.

Reflecting years later on his career, he recalled that when he entered broadcasting there were virtually no Black producers or on-air personalities.

“When I started out in television, television stations had almost zero producers, zero Black faces on the air,” Brown said in an interview reflecting on his career. “I never dreamed I would ever work in televi-

sion.”

Brown served as the founding dean of the School of Communications at Howard University before later becoming the inaugural dean of the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications at Hampton University, where he helped mentor a new generation of journalists committed to public service and ethical reporting.

He also wrote books, syndicated a newspaper column and hosted radio programs while encouraging Black entrepreneurship and economic independence.

Perhaps Brown’s greatest legacy lies in the doors he helped open.

Today’s television landscape—with Black news anchors, network executives, producers, documentary filmmakers and nationally recognized journalists—is dramatically different from the one Brown entered more than six decades ago.

He often credited public television, particularly WNET, for giving him an opportunity when few others would.

“It helped shape my life in a direction nothing else was prepared to do,” Brown said while reflecting on the station’s commitment to diversity and public service.

For generations of viewers, however, Brown did far more than shape his own career.

He proved that Black public affairs journalism could command a national audience without compromising its mission. He demonstrated that television could educate as well as entertain.

And he reminded America that telling Black stories truthfully was not a niche endeavor—it was an essential part of documenting the nation’s history.

In an era when conversations about media representation continue to evolve, Tony Brown’s career serves as a reminder that progress often begins with those willing to challenge the status quo.

His voice may be gone, but the platform he built— and the journalists he inspired—continue carrying forward the conversation he began decades ago.

Based on reporting by Chicago Crusader.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

This Week In Black History

A Courier Staple • JULY 8

1805—On this day in 1805, Bill Richmond becomes the first African American to gain international fame as a boxer when he defeated Jack Holmes in a 26-round bout in England. The son of escaped slaves from Georgia, Richmond was born in New York City in 1763. He did most of his fighting in Europe. Near the end of his boxing career, he married a rich woman and retired. He died in London in December 1829.

1914—Jazz great Billy Eckstine is born in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was raised in Washington, D.C., where he began entering talent competitions at the age of 7. Eckstine would become one of the dominant Jazz singers during the era of the big bands. He has been described as “an exceptional singer who never failed to impress.” Eckstine died of a heart attack in 1993.

• JULY 9

1863—Eight Black regiments play a major role as Union troops capture Port Hudson in Louisiana. They had laid siege to the Confederate fortress since May 23. The victory, along with the July 4 capture of Vicksburg, Miss., gave U.S. forces control of the Mississippi River, cut the Confederate army in half and laid the foundation for ending the Civil War. The Civil War would drag on for another two years but the Confederate troops fighting to maintain slavery were never able to recover from the loss of Port Hudson.

1893—Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performs the first successful open heart surgery in American history.

He repaired a knife wound to the heart of one James Cornish. Cornish would go on to live for another 20 years. Williams established himself as one of the foremost African American surgeons in the history of this nation. In addition to the surgery, his achievements were many.

Born in 1856 in Hollidaysburg, Pa., he was appointed surgeon general of Freedman’s (now Howard University) Hospital in Washington, D.C. He taught at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn. He was a surgeon at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and he founded Provident Hospital in Chicago where he trained many of the nation’s early Black doctors and nurses. Williams also co-founded the predominantly Black National Medical Association.

2009—Reports first emerge suggesting that Haiti was beginning to conquer its HIV/AIDS epidemic. According to UNAIDS, the official AIDS infection rate on the poverty-ridden Caribbean island for people ages 15-49 was 2.2 percent—down from a high of nearly 8 percent in the 1980s. The decline was attributed to the closing of blood banks, where the poor sold their blood for money; the work of the Boston-based Partners in Health; and Haiti’s own GHESKIO clinic.

• JULY 10

1775—Shortly after taking command of the troops fighting for American independence from Britain, Gen. George Washington (the nation’s first president) has his adjutant general issue an order barring any further Blacks from joining the Continental Army. The decision would be confirmed by the Continental Congress in November of 1775. The fear was that Blacks who fought for America’s independence would be justified in demanding an end to slavery. And slave owners, including Washington, did not want that.

1927—David Dinkins, the first Black man elected mayor of New York City, is born on this day in 1927.

He was born in Trenton, N.J., and served as New York City mayor from 1989 to 1993.

1943—Tennis sensation Arthur Ashe was born on this day in Richmond, Va. He would become the first Black male to win the Wimbledon men’s singles championship by defeating Jimmy Connors in 1975.

Ashe would receive a contaminated blood transfusion and die of AIDS in February 1993.

1972—The Democratic Party holds its presidential convention in Miami, Fla. New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, the first Black person to actively seek the party’s presidential nomination, received 151.95 votes on the first ballot. Senator George McGovern would eventually be nominated. Chisholm had been the first Black woman elect-

ed to the United States Congress, achieving the distinction in 1968.

She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to a Barbadian mother and a Guyanese father. Chisholm’s signature phrase was “Un-bought and un-bossed.”

She died in January 2005.

• JULY 11

1905—The Niagara Movement (forerunner of the NAACP) is founded during a meeting near Niagara Falls, N.Y. Among the most prominent Blacks at the meeting were intellectual and activist W.E.B. DuBois and newspaper publishers William Monroe Trotter and Ida B. Wells Barnett.

1915—Mifflin Wistar Gibbs dies.

Gibbs had worked on the Underground Railroad helping Blacks escape from slavery along with Frederick Douglas. He would later become publisher of Mirror of the Times—the first Black newspaper in California.

He was also the first African-American elected to a municipal judgeship in the state.

2010—Gospel legend Bishop Walter Hawkins dies. The Grammy award-winning Hawkins died at his home in Ripon, Calif. Hawkins was part of the influential Hawkins family.

His brother was Edwin Hawkins and for a while he was married to gospel great Tramaine Hawkins.

• JULY 12

1887—Mound Bayou, Miss., perhaps the nation’s best known historically all-Black town, is founded by ex-slave Isaiah Montgomery and his cousin Benjamin T. Green. It was built as a sanctuary for former slaves during a period when Jim Crow racism and terrorism by groups such as the Ku Klux Klan were on the rise.

It is considered the oldest surviving all-Black town in America. According to the 2000 Census, the town had 2,100 residents.

1937—Actor, comedian and political activist William “Bill” Cosby is born on this day in Philadelphia, Pa. Cosby would rise from nightclub comedian, to actor in several of the so-called Black exploitation movies of the 1970s, to star of the hit NBC television series “The Cosby Show” from 1984-92. The show won numerous awards and praise for its portrayal of a middle-class African American family.

1949—Although he is seldom mentioned today, Frederick M. Jones was one of Black America’s most productive inventors. There are at least 60 patents to his credit. However, Jones is best known for the invention of an air conditioning unit.

Specifically, he designed an automatic refrigeration system for longhaul trucks and trains which he patented on this day in 1949. Jones was born in 1893 in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati. He died in 1961.

• JULY 13

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.

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JULY 8-14, 2026 A3

Pittsburgh celebrates the July 4th holiday

PITTSBURGH’S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION, JULY 4, 2026, AT POINT STATE PARK. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)

THE FAMILY HANGING OUT—RICK FOX, LEVRAYA LATIMER, AND THE KIDS RASHAD SIMMONS AND JAY JACKSON.

JADEN NDUYEN, BRUCE THORTON AKA THE JUICE MAN, AND NICOLE DIAZ FROM THE 1:11 JUICE BAR.

Feel seen.

Be heard.

Discover confidence.

Medical • Mental Health • Dental ALL INSURANCE ACCEPTED, NOT REQUIRED KEVIN MEADOWS, ONE OF THE VENDORS IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH ON JULY 4, 2026.

METRO

A4 JULY 8-14, 2026

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Trump administration influencing some to halt funding for Black homebuyers HOUSING FROM A1

ensured access to housing opportunity free of discrimination for seniors, disabled veterans, people with disabilities, people of color, families with children, women, people of faith, and more, according to the NFHA. The NFHA said Trump wanting to allocate only $55 million for HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) would be a $31 million cut from its budget during the Joe Biden administration.

“The cuts will further reduce FHEO’s ability to effectively serve people seeking housing free of discrimination, which is troubling especially as algorithms are increasingly determining people’s housing outcomes and making the discrimination more difficult to detect,” the NFHA wrote in 2025 in a press release.

The Trump administration took an unprecedented step in March of this year, the Courier has

learned, by launching an investigation of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.

The reason? The Trump administration alleged that the commission was prioritizing Black and Hispanic individuals for its down payment assistance programs, at a time when the Trump administration has been eliminating programs that emphasized “DEI,” or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The Courier found that on March 26, 2026, Craig W. Trainor, the assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity in the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), sent a certified letter to Steve Walker, the executive director of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. In the letter, Trainor said that in 2024, the commission launched its “first-ever openly racebased housing finance program—the so-called ‘Covenant Homeownership Program.’” That program, Trainor said, “appears to

dole out spoils based on race and ancestry,” alleging that “only applicants with a Black, Hispanic, indigenous, pacific islander, or Asian Indian parent or grandparent can qualify.”

Trainor then wrote: “Let me be clear: Illegal discrimination on the basis of race is morally reprehensible, socially perverse, and destructive of America’s pluralistic polity. The Trump Administration will not tolerate it.

Not now. Not ever.”

Thompson told the Courier that Allegheny County has a “First Home Allegheny Program” which, thankfully she said, is helping to get some firsttime homebuyers into homes. When a prospective homeowner comes to Catapult, the organization is helping with counseling and financial education, but then that person is usually referred to the “First Home Allegheny Program” for loan assistance, either for $10,000 or $45,000. The county reported that in 2025, the program lever-

aged more than $7 million in private mortgage lending “and produced notable equity outcomes serving a diverse cross-section of Allegheny County residents,” the county website read. “Half of the participating households were led by women, and Blackled households made up nearly 45 percent of participants.”

In Pittsburgh, housing prices are rising. Berkshire Hathaway reported a median sale price for homes in Pittsburgh in 2025 between $260,000 and $270,000. Zillow reported as of May 31, 2026, that the average home value in Pittsburgh was about $243,000. Remax reported the median sale price for Pittsburgh in April 2026 was $270,000.

While the price is rising for a home in Pittsburgh, across the nation, Pittsburgh’s average home price is below places like Charlotte, Orlando, Atlanta and Baltimore. However, Pittsburgh’s average home price is $8,000 more than Cleveland’s average

home price ($262,000), according to Remax’s April 2026 report.

When DEI programs were at its peak during the Biden Administration, along with a nation saddled by a COVID pandemic beginning in 2020, African Americans in Pittsburgh experienced a growth in homeownership. In 2020, the Black homeownership rate in Pittsburgh was 33 percent. Today, it sits at 40 percent. People like Thompson and her staff at Catapult Greater Pittsburgh, along with other organizations across the region such as the Urban Redevelopment Authority of the City of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, and Allegheny County, share some credit for the Black homeownership boost.

The question now is, will the trend continue even as President Trump’s anti-DEI policies permeate the federal agencies and, quietly, convince some private donors that they shouldn’t be helping only minorities with first-time

homeownership funds?

“We don’t have money for the down payment and closing costs assistance program,” Thompson told the Courier. Thompson said that in the past six years, Catapult had provided more than $700,000 in down payment and closing costs assistance in total to its more than 100 first-time homebuyers.

That’s no longer the case.

“Everybody that was giving money for it, they’re now afraid to do it because they’re scared of the Trump administration,” Thompson continued.

“These things that we have been able to do in the past are on halt right now; they’re not just going to happen, and I don’t think a lot of people are being honest about that. That window of opportunity for Black low- to moderate-income homeownership has pretty much closed until we see what hopefully the next administration is going to do.”

“Everybody that was giving money for it (down payment and closing costs assistance), they’re now afraid to do it because they’re scared of the Trump administration. These things that we have been able to do in the past are on halt right now; they’re not just going to happen, and I don’t think a lot of people are being honest about that.”

TAMMY THOMPSON President & CEO, Catapult Greater Pittsburgh

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JULY 8-14, 2026

A5

2026 Western Pa. Juneteenth Celebration another strong showing Among the largest Juneteenth festivals in America

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

The three-day Juneteenth Celebration in Downtown Pittsburgh, June 19-21, 2026, had performances on the Market Square stage, as well as the Point State Park stage.

In between both stages, along Liberty Avenue in front of Gateway Center, were a host of Blackowned businesses who, by all accounts, had their own celebration, too, in the pocketbook.

"It's been great," said Fred Harper of Harp's Treats, one of the vendors.

"Great investment."

Harp's Treats is the brainchild of Fred Harper and Demetria Harper.

"B. Marshall puts on a great event," Fred Harper said. "It's safe, it's profitable and everybody seems to have a good time."

The Small Business Showcase had dozens of businesses, primarily Black-owned, all along Liberty Avenue and some in Market Square as well.

K&K Fashion and Accessories is co-owned by Sharpsburg mayor Kayla Portis. Her mother, Kar-

SOME OF THE BILL HENRY BAND WITH MARGO MARSHALL AND B. MARSHALL, AT THE POINT, DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH, JUNE 20, 2026. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)

ple were Holly Williams and Phyllis Oliver. They particularly wanted to see the R&B artist Marsha Ambrosius. They loved her performance.

And they loved the overall WPA Juneteenth celebration, one of the largest in the country, year after year.

"I love it, it's well put

together," Williams and Oliver said. "B. Marshall does a really good job in getting this together and fighting for us."

Williams added: "I love to see us all together, especially when we can be safe and civil and have a good time."

JOB OPPORTUNITIES Help Wanted

TRANSIT POLICE OFFICERS Pittsburgh Regional Transit (Port Authority of Allegheny County PoliceDepartment) is seeking full-time Transit Police Officers. A Transit Police Officer is responsible for ensuring the safety of Port Authority customers, staff, and property throughout the areas it serves. Officers must enforce all local, state, and federal laws on and around our transit system.

R&B ARTIST MUSIQ SOULCHILD, BACKSTAGE WITH AVAMCSHAN, AT JUNETEENTH 2026 AT POINT STATE PARK. SEE MANY MORE JUNETEENTH PHOTOS ON THE COURIER’S FACEBOOK PAGE AND ON THE COURIER’S WEBSITE, NEWPITTSBURGHCOURIER.COM. (PHOTO BY GAIL MANKER)

en Smith-Lindo, the other owner, told the New Pittsburgh Courier that business was "excellent. Very well. We're very pleased."

"It was exceptional," added Mayor Portis. "We are looking forward to next year, for sure."

Mayor Portis said some of her more popular offerings at Juneteenth were the Negro League jerseys and scented oils for men and women.

"It was beautiful to see so many of our people in one space and embracing something so important," Mayor Portis told the Courier. "Juneteenth is so important to us."

The 2026 Western Pa. Juneteenth Celebration, presented by William "B." Marshall, actually began on the weekend of June 5-7 with a Youth Fest, featuring a basketball tournament and other activities for the youth at Mellon Park in East Liberty. There was also a Black Tie Honors Gala at the Sheraton Hotel at Station Square and a boat ride party in addition to the traditional Downtown Pittsburgh festivities.

Friday, June 19, 2026, featured dayside events at Market Square, including a musical tribute to the late Dr. James T. Johnson Jr., the co-founder of the Afro-American Music Institute in Homewood.

Market Square was also the home to R&B legends Keith Washington

and Evelyn "Champagne" King, the latter of whom is behind the smash hits "Love Come Down," "Encore," and "Shame."

The Juneteenth Grand Jubilee Parade was held on Saturday morning, June 20, 2026, featuring Pa. Lt. Governor Austin Davis and a plethora of organizations and corporations.

"Juneteenth, this year, is a moment to reflect on how far particularly African Americans have come," Lt. Gov. Davis told the Courier, "but really a moment to re-commit ourselves to the work, to civil rights, to social justice, to make sure that every person has the opportunity to live the American Dream, whatever that looks like for them. Our country's in a critical moment right now, and I think it requires all of us to step up and do more."

Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor was also a parade participant.

"I think it's good to see everybody out, weather is perfect, and then it leads into a good festival with a lot of vendors, and it's a good celebration," Mayor O'Connor told the Courier.

The Point State Park stage featured artists like Lloyd, The Bill Henry Band, Musiq Soulchild, Marsha Ambrosius, and Fabolous. Tens of thousands of people packed Point State Park each evening to see the artists.

Two of those many peo-

Port Authority Police Department Specialized Units: - Accident Reconstruction - DUI Task Force - Investigations + K-9 Unit + Narcotics (DANET) + North Hills Special Response + Team (NHSRT) + Video Forensics Transit Police Officer Salary Progression: Year one - $74,974.41 (75% rate) Year two - $84,971.00 (85% rate) Year three - $99,965.88 (100% Base rate) Master Patrol $102,964.86 (9+ Years / 3% above base) Position Benefits: Pittsburgh Regional Transit offers a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and short-term disability. Transit Police Officers are eligible for a defined contribution plan which consists of two components: a 401(a) Money Purchase Plan and a 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan.

- Cellphone - College Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment Assistance - Enhanced uniform allowance - Incentivized Education and Training Program - Lateral prior-service applied to salary progression - NO residency or air mile requirements - Paid Parental Leave Job Requirements Include: • Minimum age 21, at time of hire; • High School Diploma or GED; • Valid PA Driver’s License; • Current Act 120 certification or candidate must successfully pass the Act 120 certification test prior to employment; • Successful completion of administered written and agility exams.

Transit Police Officer Applicant Testing: Wednesday, August 5, 2026, 12pm (noon) – 3:00 pm Saturday, August 8. 2026, 8:00am – 11:00 am Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume https://careers.portauthority.org/ or directly to: Steven Sarosi Pittsburgh Regional Transit - Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 ssarosi@rideprt.org

RELIGION

A6 JULY 8-14, 2026

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Celebrating Juneteenth 2026!

GRACE MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE JUNETEENTH PARADE 2026.

(PHOTOS BY CHIEF IKHANA-HAL-MAKINA)

ANITA DRUMMOND, WITH THE KIDS, AT THE 2026 GRAND JUBILEE PARADE.

ENJOYING THE JUNETEENTH GRAND JUBILEE PARADE 2026!

Reverend A. Marie Walker’s Weekly Inspiration COURIER CHURCH DIRECTORY BAPTIST TEMPLE CHURCH Sunday Worship: 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH

7241 Race Street Pittsburgh, Pa., 15208

Sunday Mass 11 AM

Rev. C. Matthew HawkinsAdministrator

Pastor—Rev. Dr. Rodney Adam Lyde

www.baptisttemple.church

91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect PEACE whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusreth in Thee.” - Isaiah 26:3 “And the PEACE of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.”

- Philippians 4:7 REV. WALKER SAYS: Do you need PEACE? Ask yourself this question, what am I thinking about?

Sunday School/Breakfast: 9 a.m.

EBENEZER MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service: 11 a.m.

Bountiful Blessings: 1st, 3rd Tuesday, 5-7 p.m.

2001 Wylie Avenue Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219

NEW EVANGELISTIC MINISTRIES

312 Viola St. Duquesne, Pa., 15110

www.sbtmparishpgh.com

EAST LIBERTY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Sunday Services: 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Summer Worship Sundays: 10 a.m.

www.ebenezerbaptistpgh.org

ROCK HOUSE OF PRAISE WITHOUT WALLS MINISTRIES Sunday Worship Service: 11:30 a.m Thur. Bible Study: 7 p.m.

Rev. Dr. Michael Diaz

www.elpc.church

CLARK MEMORIAL BAPTIST CHURCH

2535 Universal Road Penn Hills, Pa., 15235

Pastor— Robin Horton

MT. CARMEL BAPTIST CHURCH

Pastor—Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Gunn

SIXTH MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH

ST. JOHN BAPTIST CHURCH “The Love Church” Sunday School: 10 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service: 11 a.m.

209 Bridge St. Wilmerding, Pa., 15148 412-829-8925

www.mtcarmelbaptistnv.org

WHITE LILY BAPTIST CHURCH “Word Fed, Spirit Led” Sunday School: 10 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service: 11:15 a.m.

3621 Chartiers Ave. Pittsburgh, Pa., 15204 412-771-2533 Pastor—Rev. Antawn D. Coleman Sr.

Senior Pastor—Rev. Laphon Flood-Francis

www.secnbapt.com

Sunday Worship Service: 11 a.m.

319 N. 2nd St. Apollo, Pa., 15613 724-596-4032

6556 Shetland Ave. Pittsburgh, Pa., 15206 412-441-7839

www.smzbcpgh.org

108 W. 12th Ave. Homestead, Pa., 15120 412-461-8235

NEW LIFE BAPTIST CHURCH

Sunday Worship Service: 10:15 a.m.

Servant Pastor A. Marie Walker

Pastor—

Nathaniel Pennybaker

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service: 11 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service: 11 a.m.

Pastor—Rev. James D. Burwell

18 Harriet St., Rankin, Pa., 15105

Email: triedstonebaptist@comcast.net

THE SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH OF HOMESTEAD

Wednesday Bible Study: 7 p.m.

90 Port Perry Rd. North Versailles, Pa., 15148 412-823-2841

Sr. Pastor—Rev. Dr. Vincent K. Campbell

TRIEDSTONE BAPTIST CHURCH Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday Bible Study: 7 p.m.

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service: 11 a.m.

Tuesday eve. prayer line 313-209-8800, passcode 05277

116 South Highland Ave. Pittsburgh, Pa., 15206 412-441-3800

Sunday School: 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service: 11 a.m.

1301 Glenn St. Homestead, Pa., 15120 412-462-1011 www.clark1889.org

Pastor—Rev. Dorothy Stubbs

Pastor— Rev. John Welch

www.achurchforallpeople.org

Pastor—Rev. June Jeffries

CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH

MT. OLIVE BAPTIST CHURCH

“A Church with a vision, A people with a prayer, worshipping God with a praise”

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service: 10 a.m.

2200 Wylie Ave. Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 Pastor—Rev. 412-566-1437 Courtney D. Meadows

Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.

1201 Hiland Ave. Coraopolis, Pa., 15108 412-264-3125

Pastor—Rev. Brian Carswell Flanagan Sr.

SPORTS

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JULY 8-14, 2026

A7

'THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH' :10—And trust me, what the old time religion will tell ya is...the truth will set you free!

Do you actually mean to sit there and tell me that you truly believe that Michael Jeffrey Jordan on his best day would not literally take LeBron James apart at the shoelaces? ARE

YOU OUTSIDE YOUR MIND??? Listen, this is not because you know that LBJ can’t make my top 5 Greatest All-Time List. Here’s the reason why and all you need to know. #1. Michael’s killer instinct; LeBron has none and you know it.

No matter how else you feel about him. #2. Michael would just be too quick for a man 6’8” and 240 pounds...that’s just physics plain and simple. #3. You do remember the record, “I believe I can fly!” Well, you know they wrote that about MJ, right? #4. LBJ has no low post moves. You also already know that because he never goes in the low post! Ha-haha! MJ started a second career in the post. #5.

Lastly, and it bears repeating...THAT KILLER INSTINCT...THAT’S A REAL THING, MAN. THEY CALL HIM THE G.O.A.T. FOR A REASON. :09—For real, for real.

The truth is I know nothing about soccer that the average person doesn’t already know.

So, nothing to see here, people. But I know this.

It’s the #1 spectator sport in the world and #2. The U.S. had a good run. Truth be told, the FIFA operating body knew that the penalty called against American

superstar Folarin Balogun was wrong, and they did the right thing when they reinstated him, even though the U.S. lost to Belgium on Monday, July 6. :08—“You really want the truth, you can’t handle the truth!” Here’s the real reason for the FIFA “DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT!” move. This is not a situation where these teams will play again any time soon. The World Cup won’t return to the U.S. until 2038.

You can’t allow this to be a slap in the face of the host country forever or until then! Play the game man, play it now! :07—Truth be told, we all thought it would be possible for a 44-yearold woman making a tennis comeback at the highest level could fall victim to injury. Maybe not this soon, but Serena Williams will return to glory, you can take that to the bank...she’s made that way. :06—You knew the truth to this already, but raise your right hand anyway. Yes, the Pirates made some moves and some changes. But not enough and not enough money to be enough! They’re a 50/50win team no matter how hard they try.

Some good days—some bad; some great days—some bad. But until they go deep in the pocket for the whole championship deal, they’ll be 50/50. :05—What do I mean?

Truth is, they knew Henry Davis couldn’t hit. Go buy a veteran catcher who can hit.

Truth is they left Florida with these average relief pitchers. Go buy some fire! :04—Speaking of tennis, and I was if you would just pay attention. There is great truth and wisdom to the importance of your mental health, no matter how great you are. Case in point, tennis great Naomi Osaka took time off to take care of her

LEBRON JAMES

MICHAEL JORDAN mental health and now she’s back laying down the law with a shocking upset of top ranked Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon. Osaka, though, lost on Tuesday, July 7, in the quarterfinals to Karolina Muchova. :03—This is the truth, I swear! I - don’t - care who - married - who - at - Madison Square Gar-

den! And you know who I am talking about, yes you do, yes you do! :02—You know I wouldn’t lie to you about this. Your Pittsburgh Steelers report to St. Vincent College in Latrobe on Tuesday, July 28, to kick off the ‘26-27 football season. Sorry, boys and girls, but summer is over! Wait, what?

:01—OK, I am gonna have to wrap this up or I am gonna have to start making stuff up. The people don’t want too much truth. But here’s this...on Friday, July 24, me and the Pittsburgh jazz community will be dressed up and having a party at LeMont restaurant with the great Kenny Blake, the legendary

Winston Carter, and jazz singing sensation Katie Simone with or without you. And that’s the truth. Call AGI at 412-902-5761 for more information. :00—GAME OVER.

Kick this around: There's racism in soccer, too The journey of quest of team America to win the FIFA World Cup ended on Monday night, July 7, with a decisive win by team Belgium by the score of 4-1. Prior to that loss, America had defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina by the score of 2-0. The defeat proved to be costly because Folarin Balogun received a red card that forced America to play being down one man during the last 30-plus minutes of the contest.

Folarin Balogun’s red card in the U.S. Round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina sparked intense debate because it was compared to a similar foul by Lionel Messi against Algeria earlier in the tournament, which did not result in a red card.

I happened to view the United States vs. Bosnia game live as well as having viewed the replay of the foul by Lionel Messi and the ethnic insensitivity of the FIFA officials was on full display.

The look on the face of the referee that issued the red card against the American squad proved that you don’t have to spit tobacco juice, have red around the collar, drink moonshine or live slightly below the Mason-Dixon line to hold a negative view of folks with an excessive

amount of melanin in their skin.

The “man of orange” again flexed his muscle and butted in forcing FIFA to rethink their decision and rescind the penalty. Donald Trump was again hailed as the purveyor of strength that caused the reversal, evening the playing field and possibly giving

America a slight advantage. But as always, everything the bible peddler touches, withers on the vine and dies.

What is it going to take for America to get it, a world war?

On September 11, 2025, Steve Douglas posted an article on www.independent.co.uk: "Racial abuse of Black players spikes early in European soccer season." The piece begins by stating: “Racial abuse in European soccer is on the rise, with several incidents reported early in the season. The Premier League season wasn’t even 30 minutes old when Bournemouth forward Antoine Semen-

yo reported being racially abused by a spectator.

The same weekend, a German Cup match was stopped after Schalke midfielder Christopher Antwi-Adjei said he was racially abused at a throw-in. In Italy, Juventus condemned racist abuse targeting U.S. player Weston McKennie as he warmed down after a league game.”

Let me see...in Italy, Juventus “condemned” racist abuse. I hear about prisoners on death row being sentenced and condemned to death, usually somewhere along the line, the condemned man or women ends up being put to death. Folks are supposedly condemning racism, but society is not killing it. Instead of administering a lethal injection to execute racism, many folks are using “legal deflections” to assure that racism remains alive and well in its purest form. Remember, soccer is supposed to be globally diverse and inclusive, right? If you believe that cupboard full of “spin-ware,” I have a pool side villa on Mars that is waiting for you. Scoop it up for your next real estate investment.

Another article posted

by AP was published on Nov. 9, 2025, on www. telegraphindia.com ti-

tled: "From England to Spain, racist abuse of Black players escalates as Europe’s football season kicks off." The article said that police had arrested a spectator for allegedly making monkey noises and gestures toward Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé.

The article points out that: “An early-season surge in abuse directed at Black players in competitions across Europe has alarmed anti-discrimination campaigners and highlighted how racism persists in soccer despite multiple initiatives by soccer bodies FIFA and UEFA, national federations and individual clubs to eliminate it.

"I think it's more than double what we had last season at the same time," said Piara Powar, executive director of the Fare network, an anti-discrimination group which works with the global and European soccer bodies to monitor and advise on incidents at games. "If you layer social-media issues on top of that," Powar added in a phone interview, referencing the abuse of England player Jess Carter at the Women's European Championship this summer, "then you really are getting into a lot of stories coming out."

Frustrated at the lack of progress, some Black players have called for tougher penalties against offenders from both the justice system and soccer institutions.

"In this day and age, we're still, us players, getting racially abused and it just doesn't make sense," Semenyo told British broadcaster ITV. "We just want to know why it keeps happening."

The man arrested on suspicion of hurling abuse at Semenyo in the Premier League opener against Liverpool was released on bail and told he couldn't go within one mile of a soccer stadium in Britain while police investigated the incident.

Soccer's tribal culture and frenzied fan base makes it a prime stage for societal problems like racism to surface.

English soccer had a particularly harrowing time with racism in the 1970s and '80s when Black players were regularly subjected to monkey chants and offensive slurs.

Soccer's governing bodies have struggled to stamp out the problem, despite measures such as longer bans for players, heavier fines for clubs, partial stadium closures, points deductions and a three-step

protocol used by referees when racism occurs in matches.

FIFA recently fined the soccer federations of Albania, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for offenses including racism during World Cup qualifiers they hosted in June. Argentina, Colombia and Chile also were punished for what FIFA said was “discrimination and racist abuse."

FIFA created a racism task force in 2013 but controversially disbanded it three years later, saying it had “completely fulfilled its temporary mission."

Please answer this question. How in the heck can a task force be formed to address and eliminate racism or any other social problem?

But prematurely disbanding the task force with a false disclaimer just by proclaiming that the goal of the mission has been met? Meanwhile the problem of racism continues to run rampant throughout professional soccer, locally, nationally and internationally with only a placebo of words being offered as an antibiotic to treat and cure the continuing spread of the disease of racism.

A8 JULY 8-14, 2026

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

BUSINESS New Pittsburgh Courier

What, to the modern-day slave, is the Fourth of July?

J. Pharoah Doss Page B4

Classifieds

Find what you need from jobs to cars to housing B5-6

JULY 8-14, 2026

B

WWW.NEWPITTSBURGHCOURIER.COM

Kyaien O. Conner is the new Property Dean of the School of Social Work is Power!

The most powerful down payment isn’t cash; it’s financial literacy

For generations, we have been taught that homeownership begins with money. Save enough for a down payment. Improve your credit score.

Find the right lender. Close the deal. Those are important steps, but they are not the first step.

The first investment every aspiring homeowner should make is in financial literacy.

Knowledge is the foundation upon which wealth is built. Without it, income is often consumed instead of invested. Credit is misunderstood instead of managed. Opportunities are missed because they are never recognized. The gap between those who own assets and those who do not is often not simply a gap in income, it is a gap in information.

The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Kyaien O. Conner has been named the dean of the School of Social Work following a comprehensive national search. A nationally recognized scholar, educator and leader, Conner will assume her new role on July 15, 2026.

Conner (A&S ’02; SOC WK ’04G, ’08G; SPH ’07G) is a four-time Pitt graduate, having earned a BS in psychology from the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, MSW from the School of Social Work, MPH with a specialization in minority health and health disparities from the School of Public Health and finally her PhD in social work. After beginning her academic career at the University of South Florida, Conner returned to Pitt as a professor in the School of Social Work in 2023. She currently serves as associate dean, Donald M. Henderson Endowed Chair

and director of the Center on Race and Social Problems.

Conner’s research examines the drivers of disparities in health and mental health care access, use and outcomes, with a focus on advancing responsive behavioral health interventions. She currently serves as principal investigator of a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute award evaluating a transitions-in-care intervention aimed at reducing health disparities among patients discharged from hospitals with co-occurring chronic illness and mental illness.

She is also co-investigator on a multi-site National Institute of Mental Health study focused on training volunteers in low-income communities to deliver brief depression interven-

KYAIEN O. CONNER

SEE CONNER B2

When it may make sense to claim Social Security at 62

by Jeanne Sahadi

ANTHONY O. KELLUM For too many families, especially within historically underserved communities, the home-buying process remains wrapped in mystery. Mortgages seem intimidating. Credit reports appear confusing. Closing documents feel overwhelming. As a result, many qualified families delay purchasing a home for years or never pursue it at all because they assume they are not ready.

In many cases, they are closer than they realize.

The challenge is not always financial. It is educational.

Education transforms fear into confidence.

When individuals understand how credit scores are calculated, they begin making intentional financial decisions. When they learn the relationship between debt-to-income ratios and mortgage approvals, they become strategic rather than reactive. When they understand budgeting, savings, interest rates, equity, and appreciation, they stop viewing a home solely as a place to live and begin recognizing it as a wealth-building asset.

Financial literacy changes behavior because it changes perspective. This is why homeownership education should never begin when someone is ready to purchase a home. It should begin years earlier in our schools, churches, community organizations, workplaces, and around our own kitchen tables.

Imagine a generation of young adults graduating from high school understanding compound interest before they understand consumer debt, imagine college graduates knowing how to read a mortgage estimate with the same confidence they read a job offer. Imagine families discussing SEE PROPERTY IS POWER B2

Most financial experts will tell you to wait to claim your Social Security retirement benefits at least until your full retirement age (which is now 67) or even as late as age 70.

Why? Your benefit will be permanently lower if you claim at 62, which is the earliest age to start collecting.

In fact, it would be 30 percent lower than what you’d receive if you wait until 67. And your benefit would be 24 percent higher if you wait until age 70.

So, say your initial monthly benefit at 67 would be $2,000. It would be reduced to $1,400 if you claim at 62; or increased to $2,480 at 70.

But figuring out the best age to claim your benefits isn’t always straightforward. That’s because your personal circumstance and finances (such as other sources of retirement income and your tax bracket) can be complex and so are the Social Security rules governing them. (Here’s just a small taste of the gazillion permutations that may apply.)

Factors to consider include your health and longevity expectations, your marital and parental status and your economic needs.

And some people of late also may be trying to factor in what might happen as we approach 2032, the year that the Social Security Trustees estimate the program will only take in enough revenue to pay out 78 percent of promised benefits unless Congress makes changes to the program—or simply decides to borrow to close the gap.

When 62 may be the right call If you’re in poor health, it may make sense to claim at 62 if you don’t expect to live for many years.

Depending on your health status, you may even qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, said Jack Smalligan, a senior policy fellow in the Tax and Income Supports​Division at the Urban Institute. While it’s an arduous process to apply and can take a while to get approved, Smalligan said, it may result in a higher combined benefit than the reduced retiree amount you’d otherwise get at 62.

Another instance in which claiming at 62 might make sense: You retire earlier than you wanted due to a lay-

off or other circumstance and can’t make ends meet.

“Social Security is amazing if this does happen to you. It’s a really important backstop,” said Bill Sweeney, AARP’s senior vice president of government affairs.

Married couples’ complexities The question of when to claim can get complicated when you’re married (or were married), and/or have dependent children.

For starters, married couples might want to strategize the best time for each spouse to claim their own retirement benefits to maximize what SEE SOCIAL SECURITY B2

Don’t wait ‘til April: Do your mid-year tax check-up NOW Most people don’t think about taxes until January, February, March—or April 14 at 11:59 p.m.

That’s the problem.

Tax season is when you file your taxes.

Tax planning is what you do before the year ends. There’s a big difference between the two.

By the time tax season arrives, most of the financial moves that could have helped you are already in the rear view mirror.

You can’t go back and change how much money was withheld from your paycheck.

You can’t undo a year of sloppy recordkeeping. You can’t magically recreate receipts you lost eight months ago.

That’s why the middle of the year is the perfect time for a tax checkup.

You have roughly half the year behind you and half the year still in front of you.

That means there’s still time to correct mistakes, organize your paperwork, adjust your withholding and make strategic financial moves before December 31.

Don’t wait until tax season to discover a tax problem. Find it now while you still have time to fix it.

Get Your Tax Records Organized If your tax records are scattered between a kitchen drawer, your email inbox, your glove compartment and screenshots buried in your phone, you’re already making tax season harder than it needs to be.

Create one central location for tax-related documents. It can be a clearly labeled paper folder, an electronic folder or secure

tax software. The method matters less than the organization.

Keep track of income documents, charitable contributions, business expenses, medical expenses when applicable, education costs, estimated tax payments and other records that may support a deduction or credit.

Good recordkeeping does two things.

First, it makes tax preparation faster and less stressful.

Second, it reduces the chance that you overlook a deduction or credit simply because you forgot about an expense.

You can’t deduct what you can’t document.

Check Whether Life Changed Your Tax Situation Life changes. When life changes, taxes often change with it.

Did you get married? Divorced? Have a baby? Lose a spouse? Take custody of a dependent? Send a child to college? Buy a home? Start a side hustle? Retire?

These events can affect your filing status, dependents, deductions, credits and overall tax liability.

Your filing status is especially important because it helps determine your standard deduction, tax brackets and eligibility for

certain tax benefits.

Don’t assume your tax return will look the same this year simply because it looked a certain way last year. A major life event can change the entire picture.

New life. New circumstances. Possibly new tax rules.

Keep an Eye on Your Adjusted Gross Income Adjusted gross income—better known as AGI—is one of the most important numbers on your tax return.

In simple terms, AGI is your total income minus certain adjustments. Your AGI can affect your taxable income and eligibility for various deductions and credits.

That’s why tax planning should include more than asking, “How much money did I make?”

The better question is: How much of my income will ultimately be subject to tax, and what legitimate moves can I still make before year-end?

Depending on your circumstances, contributions to certain retirement accounts and other allowable adjustments may reduce taxable income.

This is where proactive tax planning

matters. Waiting until you receive your W-2 or 1099 is not tax planning. At that point, the year is over and many opportunities are gone.

Check Your Tax Withholding Now This is one of the biggest mid-year moves you can make.

Federal income taxes generally operate on a pay-as-you-go system. If you’re an employee, taxes are usually withheld from your paycheck. If you’re self-employed or have other income without withholding, you may need to make estimated tax payments.

The problem is that many people never check whether enough—or too much—is being withheld.

Then tax season comes around and they’re shocked.

Some owe thousands of dollars. Others receive a huge refund and celebrate like they hit the lottery.

Pump your brakes.

A large refund often means you gave the government too much money throughout the year. A big tax bill may mean you didn’t pay enough.

The goal is not necessarily the biggest refund. The goal is accuracy.

The IRS Tax Withholding Estimator can help workers and retirees estimate how much federal income tax should be withheld. The updated estimator also reflects major tax-law changes affecting deducSEE DAMON CARR B2

BUSINESS

B2 JULY 8-14, 2026

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Student loan borrowers face September 29 deadline

by Charlene Crowell As of July first, the income-driven student loan repayment plan that lowered monthly payments for more than 7 million borrows while accelerating loan forgiveness is gone. In place of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan are two new choices that now require borrowers to prioritize either the amount of loan payments or the total amount borrowed.

“Borrowers should really do their research to see what plan is going to work best for them,” said Nicholas Kent, undersecretary of Education in a recent interview. “But the reality is that SAVE borrowers will have to transition to a new repayment plan sooner rather than later.”

Under the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP), monthly loan payments are based on that borrower’s income and number of dependents. Alternatively, the Tiered Standard Repayment plan offers fixed terms of 10, 15, 20, or

25 years based on a borrower’s total outstanding loan balance.

The deadline to choose is September 29. Once borrowers complete their new enrollment, monthly payments will begin per the terms of each. After the deadline, any borrower that did not choose will be placed in a standard repayment plan. Further, pending SAVE applications will be denied.

The SAVE plan’s popularity was due to the meaningful relief that borrowers with modest incomes or long repayment histories received.

Many achieved reduced payments, as the plan factored in income and family size. Hundreds of thousands of borrowers with smaller original balances were able to reach loan forgiveness more quickly.

Reactions to these changes from student loan advocates vary from worsening financial stress to anticipating higher payments and still unresolved student loan servicer issues.

A June issue brief by the Julian Bond Institute found that 45 percent of all student loan borrowers suffered credit distress—missed payments or collections—over the past five years. This financial strain is taking a toll on consumers’ long-term financial goals.

“For many borrowers, they’ll end up having a higher payment in the RAP plan than they would in the IBR plan, and certainly (more) than they would in the SAVE plan,” Abby Shafroth, director of the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Program said.

“Now 7.5 million borrowers have weeks to switch repayment plans,” stated Chris Hicks, Senior Policy Advisor at Protect Borrowers. “The companies standing between them and default are the same ones that have spent decades driving borrowers into it. Lawmakers and regulators at every level must step up now to protect bor-

rowers by reining in these servicers—instead of handing them yet another opportunity to profit at borrowers’ expense.”

Hicks’ comments stem from a recently released joint report by Protect Borrowers and the Debt Collection Lab at Princeton University. Entitled, Repeat Offenders, the report takes aim at student loan servicers that are paid more than a billion dollars each year to support borrowers but instead “provided borrowers with the wrong information, taken illegal fees, and wrongly rejected applications for borrowers trying to get in an affordable repayment plan.”

The report also found that in 2025, every nine seconds another borrower defaulted on their loans. As the lack of effective student loan servicing continues, the report rejects the idea that the new payment plans will relieve the financial stress of unsustainable loan debt.

“This report makes clear

that the dysfunction borrowers experience isn’t a series of isolated mistakes, said Bonnie Latreille, visiting Senior Fellow with the Debt Collection Lab at Princeton University and former Student Loan Ombudsman for the U.S. Department of Education. “It’s the predictable result of a fragmented system that shifts risk onto the people least equipped to absorb it, with no one held accountable.”

The end of SAVE and the start of new repayment plans are the result of a 2025 lawsuit settlement reached last December. The lengthy litigation brought in 2024 by Missouri’s then-Attorney General (AG) Andrew Bailey was joined by his colleagues in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Dakota, Ohio, and Oklahoma in a lawsuit that challenged SAVE, arguing the program was illegal.

The only former SAVE borrowers excused from these payments are those who have been approved for either for-

bearance or deferment, both temporary and most often used during financial hardships. Forbearance allows a temporary pause in payments but does not pause interest accrual. Deferment also allows a temporary payment pause but can also pause interest from accruing —depending upon the type of loans borrowed. Information on these choices, who is eligible and the terms affecting each is available on Federal Student Aid’s website.

“For a population already managing multiple debt obligations, with little savings and limited cash flow, policy changes that increase payment obligations, narrow repayment options, or resume aggressive collections could not be coming at a worse time”, concluded the Julian Bond Institute brief.

(Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)

Property is Power! The most powerful down payment isn’t cash PROPERTY IS POWER FROM B1

equity, investment property, estate planning, and generational wealth as naturally as they discuss careers.

That kind of education changes communities.

The wealth gap did not emerge overnight, and it will not disappear overnight. It was shaped over decades through unequal access to opportunity, capital, and financial education. While public policy can and should continue addressing systemic inequities, individuals and families cannot afford to wait for perfect legislation before improving their financial futures.

Knowledge is available today.

Preparation is available today.

Opportunity is available today.

Homeownership remains one of the most effective ways for working families to build long-term wealth. Monthly mortgage payments build equity instead of

simply covering housing costs. Appreciating property values can increase household net worth.

Homeowners gain financial stability, borrowing power, and assets that can be transferred to future generations. But none of those benefits are realized without understanding how to navigate the journey.

Financial literacy is not simply about balancing a checkbook or maintaining a budget. It is about understanding how money works, how credit works, how investments grow, and how ownership creates lasting economic mobility.

It is about replacing myths with facts.

It is about replacing uncertainty with preparation.

It is about replacing financial survival with financial strategy.

This is precisely why the Property is Power movement exists.

Our mission extends beyond mortgages. We are committed to educating families so they can make

informed decisions that strengthen their financial futures. Every seminar, workshop, conversation, and consultation is rooted in one belief—informed people make empowered decisions.

Frederick Douglass once observed that “knowledge makes a man unfit to be a

slave.” His words remain relevant today. Financial knowledge liberates people from cycles of dependency, misinformation, and missed opportunities. It equips families to participate fully in the American economy not merely as consumers, but as owners. Property is

Power!

(Dr. Anthony O. Kellum— CEO of Kellum Mortgage, LLC Homeownership Advocate, Speaker, Author NMLS # 1267030 NMLS #1567030 O: 313-263-6388 W: www.

KelluMortgage.com.)

Property is Power! is a movement to promote home and

community ownership. Studies indicate homeownership leads to higher graduation rates, family wealth, and community involvement.

When it may make sense to claim Social Security at 62 SOCIAL SECURITY FROM B1

they can get as a family.

This is especially relevant when there is a great age or earnings disparity between spouses, according to Martha Shedden, president and cofounder of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts (NARSSA).

And if you have a spouse or dependent children (or an ex-spouse) who would qualify for survivor benefits when you die, they are likely to get less after you’re gone if you claim at 62 than if you wait until your full retirement age.

Trying to anticipate Social Security changes?

The question of when to claim benefits is a current one for Gen Xers in their 50s and early 60s.

Given that Congress only has a short window to “shore up” Social Security’s revenue shortfall in 2032, some people may think claiming early might make it less likely their own benefit will be affected by lawmakers’ potential changes.

“When we were many years out it was universally agreed that there wouldn’t be cuts to retirees already collecting benefits in any meaningful way,” said Marc Goldwein, senior vice president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which has a calculator that lets you choose options to cure the program’s shortfall.

But now, Goldwein noted, “It’s much more likely that some of the changes are born by current beneficiaries.”

In any case, trying to game out those changes by claiming early means “you’re doing a lot of guesswork there. Maybe you’re protecting yourself against a little bit of policy uncertain but you’re hurting yourself against other types of uncertainty,” Goldwein said.

One big one: You may live longer than you expect. If so, and you claim at 62, you are likely to receive less in lifetime benefits from the program than if you’d waited, even if modest benefit changes are made.

Making the call It’s hard to make any decision until you have the latest estimates of what your benefits will be at different ages. The easiest way to get those is to sign up for an online Social Se-

curity account at ssa.gov.

Because there are lots of rules and permutations to be aware of—even for those who have never married or had kids—it may

pay to consult with an accredited financial adviser who has training in how the program works. That could include a certified financial planner who is

also a Retired Income Certified Professional (RICP) or Registered Social Security Analyst (RSSA).

Dean of the School of Social Work CONNER FROM B1

tions to peers experiencing acute depression, helping to expand community-based mental health support.

Conner also serves in a leadership capacity on the National Institutes of Health-funded Advanced Research Institute for Geriatric Psychiatry.

Her contributions have earned numerous dis-

tinctions, including the University of Pittsburgh Distinguished Alumni Award. At South Florida, she received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Civic and Community Engagement and the Black Faculty Member of the Year Award.

“Throughout her career, Dr. Conner has exemplified collaborative leadership, academic excellence, and an un-

wavering commitment to community-building,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Joseph J. McCarthy, in a statement. “I am confident that her vision, energy and dedication will guide the School of Social Work to even greater impact and distinction in the years ahead.”

Don’t wait ‘til April: Do your mid-year tax check-up NOW DAMON CARR FROM B1

tions for qualified tips, qualified overtime, eligible car loan interest and an enhanced deduction for qualifying seniors.

That matters because your tax situation may look different from previous years.

If the numbers suggest you’re significantly over-withholding or under-withholding, you may need to submit an updated Form W-4 to your employer.

Don’t guess. Run the numbers.

Pay Attention to the New Tax Breaks Recent tax-law changes created several provisions that taxpayers should understand before filing season.

Eligible seniors age 65 and older may qualify for an additional deduction of up to $6,000. Qualified tipped workers may be eligible to deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips. Eligible workers may deduct up to $12,500 in qualified overtime—or up to $25,000 for joint filers. Certain taxpayers may also deduct up to $10,000 in qualified

passenger vehicle loan interest.

These tax breaks have eligibility rules, income limitations and other requirements. The headline may say “no tax,” but that doesn’t mean every dollar automatically qualifies for every taxpayer.

Tax laws come with fine print. Read it— or work with somebody who does.

Update Your Personal Information Moved recently? Changed your name?

Address changes should be reported to your employer, the U.S. Postal Service and the IRS. Individuals can use Form 8822 to officially notify the IRS of a home mailing address change.

If your name changed because of marriage, divorce or another reason, update the Social Security Administration as well.

Why does this matter? Because mismatched names, outdated addresses and incorrect records can create unnecessary delays and administrative headaches.

Small paperwork problems can become big tax-season problems.

Use Retirement Contributions as a

Tax-Planning Tool Saving for retirement isn’t just about your future. Depending on the type of account and your eligibility, it may also provide tax benefits today.

Contributions to a traditional workplace retirement plan may reduce your current taxable income. Deductible traditional IRA contributions may also provide a tax benefit for eligible taxpayers.

If you’re behind on retirement savings, increasing contributions during the second half of the year may accomplish two goals: building your future nest egg and potentially reducing your current tax burden.

That’s what I call making your money multitask.

But don’t contribute blindly just for a tax deduction. Understand the account, contribution limits, eligibility rules and impact on your overall financial plan.

The Bottom Line Here’s what I want you to understand: Tax season should not be your first conversation with your taxes.

A mid-year tax checkup gives you time— time to organize, time to correct, time to adjust and time to plan.

Review your records. Revisit your filing situation. Monitor your income. Check your withholding. Update your personal information. Study the new tax rules. Look for legitimate opportunities to reduce your taxable income.

December 31 is coming whether you’re ready or not.

The smartest taxpayers don’t wait until tax season to ask, “What happened?” They plan before the year ends and ask, “What can I still do about it?”

That’s the difference between simply filing a tax return and actually doing tax planning.

(Damon Carr, Money Coach & Tax Pro can be reached at 412-216-1013 or visit his website at www.damonmoneycoach.com) Helping you flip your finances from stressed to blessed—one smart decision at a time.

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JULY 8-14, 2026

B3

Why should we celebrate?

Guest Editorial

Escape from ourselves

by Dr. Yaounde Olu

Recently, Ricky Smiley, a nationally syndicated American comedian, actor, television host, radio personality, and actor, has dumped on Oprah Winfrey because of a comment that she made about the late, great singer, Whitney Houston. Basically, he called her out on what he believes is an example of Oprah’s disloyalty and “being out of touch with the Black community.“ Oprah, according to observers, revealed something about Whitney that he feels should have been left a secret. When Whitney was on the set of The Oprah Winfrey Show, she stumbled and fell as she walked onstage. Oprah, at the time, refused to publicize the issue because she said it might have a negative impact on Whitney’s career.

Fast forward to the current day. There are those who believe that Oprah did NOT have ill intent; her comment didn’t appear to be hostile. Oprah was known to have a concern and love for Whitney. There are a few souls who believe this, but numerous others feel that it was “business as usual” coming from a Black woman who is out of touch with the Black community.

A lot of people have jumped on Ricky Smiley’s bandwagon, but others believe that this act was not done with malicious intent. Whatever the case, the “fit hit the shan” anyway and Oprah is being hit with a lot of criticism. Interestingly, somehow everyone who feels like Oprah is a betrayer has jumped on Oprah AND Gail! What does Gail have to do with this??? The answer: pure misogyny!

Many Black people hated on Oprah when she first arrived on the scene in Chicago, which caused Phil Donahue’s ratings to drop. That seems to be when the “hatred” of Oprah began. There was a time in Chicago when Black women in beauty salons would have a field day dumping on Oprah. But that’s not new. Too many people dump on our women, but embrace our men, at least to a certain extent. But men get dumped on too!

The sad truth is that the Black community seems to parasitize itself! Self-hatred is demonstrated on a daily basis in Black communities. This might be the reason that there is so much violent crime in Black communities.

One of the most ridiculous ramifications of this danger to our community is being demonstrated by the decision of the Supreme Court to get rid of Haitians and Syrians. Regarding Haitians, SCOTUS has ruled that the United States can willfully deport at least 300,000 Haitians back to Haiti, and this is not limited to illegals; legal Haitians stand to be deported as well!

During an interview, a Haitian who currently resides in the United States, revealed that Haitians believe they will be killed if they are forced to go back home, and that rival gangs are in control of Haiti. When queried about this, one of Trump’s cohorts said that the Haitians can’t stay here; they have to find somewhere else to live. This is RIDICULOUS, especially since White South African immigrants were the only ones admitted to our country last year! Today, due to Blackon-Black hatred, thousands of Haitians are shaking with the fear that they will be murdered if they return home.

Ultimately, too many Black people tend to hate other Black people, and some of them also tend to embrace “White people.” One of the things that we must understand is that we are entitled to our own opinions, and we deserve to have ideas that others don’t like. Too bad; people are naturally diverse in thinking and action. The apparent conclusion is that Black people will continue to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fate until the community reaches the conclusion that no one can save us but us! We must stop parasitizing our communities, unite, and focus on the upliftment of the entire Black community. We must love and trust each other! In other words, we must escape from our current selves in order to forge a new direction leading to success. Aluta continua.

(Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)

Founded 1910

Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm Office Manager

Rob Taylor Jr. Managing Editor

John. H. Sengstacke

Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

Ashley Johnson Sales Director

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Many days leading up to the celebrations in the midst of a costly war that’s killed many, in the midst of a deadly disease in The Congo, in the midst of so many of our Palestinian and Ukrainian brothers and sisters being murdered on our dollars, with right here at home mothers talk about not being able to feed their children—with the same in the Sudan, with brothers and sisters under tension in Cuba suffering from a blockade proudly carried on by so-called leaders of our nation. Instead of trying to help the people of Venezuela through a devastating earth quake, our leaders are threating more war.

The list goes on.

So, why should we celebrate anything in this so-called land of the brave and home of the free? In our neighborhoods, we are witnessing starvation, health problems, untreated mental problems and more just to see the top dog in our nation justify in addition to his $400,000 taxpayers’ salary, justify his banking over 2 billion more dollars!

How can we justify spending billions of dollars, killing hundreds of people dying for a problem President Barack Obama had already resolved? How can we stand losing friends around the world to satisfy the ego of a person in the White House who thinks he is a king, and has the right to do whatever he chooses? How can he nor his family who never had the courage

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

Commentary to fight for liberty or justice for this country—yet enjoy all of its liberties without honoring the things for which other young men and women continue to die to protect us—including him, his children, grandchildren and rich friends?

I just don’t understand how any of them, except Dr. Mary Trump, the President’s niece, sleep at night or through the day in meetings where Trump should be listening and at least trying to make things better for our people. NO! He just sits through them sleeping, waking up using vulgar language when our children are awake trying to study.

He uses his time texting silly messages and criticizing those trying to make the world better. That’s left to Pope Leo and us!

Trump’s only interest seems to be monetizing the presidency, and making it possible for his family, friends, spouse (By the way, what kind of work does she do to make what is reported to be about17 million dollars?) His V-P Vance, and his closest friends got theirs, too—one of which is Lutnick and God only knows who else! He can’t find time to get to the bottom of

the Epstein Case! Meanwhile, the victims still suffer and he doesn’t care enough to tell his “personal” lawyers over at DOJ to give up the information so they can move on to solving some of this racism, sexism, wars he said he would never start, and all the mean things he has caused and supported.

If he were taking care of the business he was elected to handle he would not have time for sleeping in public, trying to denigrate others, trying to figure out how to find some of the kind of stuff on his friends as he looks for on Jack Smith, Letitia James, James Comey and trying to figure out how to out do our best president of all time—President Barack Obama.

While many Americans were at least trying to bring out the best of America, he was flying up to Mount Rushmore—hoping to get a picture with the mountain to make it appear that he belongs there! His ego won’t even let him move that tarp from the Kennedy Center. We Americans know he has no business leading any celebration in the name of America! Unfortunately, his behavior and attacks on democracy loom over what should be our celebration while he opens a “priority probe” into the 2020 election in Georgia that he lost, but tried to illegally gain votes to win!

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

Rep. Jasmine Crockett will be missed (TriceEdneyWire.com)—As a Black man in America, if I were placed on trial for a major crime such as first-degree murder and knowing I was totally innocent, it would be impossible for me to forget the long criminal justice history of this nation, particularly when it resulted in the incarceration and sometimes execution of Black men who did not commit the alleged crime.

Therefore, my freedom and entire future would depend on having a competent and aggressive lawyer fighting on my behalf. My representative would need to be a meticulous, strategically bold, and grounded attorney—one who will hold the opposition accountable. Since my life is on the line, I would need a lawyer who has a little “bulldog” in them and is fighting for me. Someone who, at the right moments, can be highly aggressive and combative in a righteous, indignant way when shameless lies, schemes, and hypocrisy need to be exposed and destroyed. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, as a civil rights lawyer and member of the U. S. Congress, exemplifies the type of fighter I would need if my future were at stake in the courtroom, the public square, city hall, state legislatures, and throughout the halls of Congress.

America’s 250th anniversary celebration was a reminder of how critical it is for people of color to have competent yet aggressive representatives fighting for their futures.

When President Trump sidelined America 250, the long-standing bipartisan commission tasked a decade ago with planning anniversary festivities, he replaced it with his own group of political allies, called Freedom 250.

The national celebration was then redefined in Trump’s terms, reflecting his personal vision of America. What should have been a national civic milestone highlighting patriotism in inclusive and unifying terms became a MAGA campaign rally. John Pitney, a former national Republican official who now teaches political science at Claremont McKenna College,

David W. Marshall

Commentary said Trump is diverging from the tradition of presidents who have used moments of national triumph and tragedy to speak as Americans first, not as partisans.

The meaning behind America’s 250th anniversary and national patriotism differs for Black Americans, who have shown love for a country that has not always returned it. It is true that America is the “Land of Opportunity,” a phrase and theme received because of its historical promise of economic mobility, vast available land, and freedom that allowed immigrants to build a better life through hard work. This contrasted with the rigid European class structures, offering hope that anyone could succeed regardless of their background.

This description of opportunity has its caveats when it comes to the Black community. The caveats come from the fact that America is a land of denied opportunities. At other times it has become the land of opportunity gained, and then the land of opportunities taken back.

Opportunities, whether they are denied, gained, or taken back, all depend on who is fighting for you and who is fighting against you.

If we don’t win the fight, denied opportunities will never be gained, and gained opportunities will ultimately be taken back. Therefore, 250 years for Black Americans means 250 years of fighting and maintaining.

We need to know who is fighting for us (Rep. Jasmine Crockett) and who is fighting against us (Rep. Byron Donalds). For example, last year Rep. Donalds authored a bill (D.C. Crimes Act of 2025) aimed at aggressively cracking down on juvenile crime in the nation’s capital, which drew sharp criticism from Democrats for rolling back judicial

discretion and leniency for young offenders.

Rep. Crockett took to the House floor to publicly detail Donalds’s own criminal history as a young adult. She noted that Donalds was charged with a felony at age 21 but avoided permanent conviction due to a mercy and expungement program that he then opposed for others. “Imagine being a young man born to Jamaican and Panamanian parents who messed up not once but twice. Imagine standing in front of a judge with your whole future hanging in the balance, and instead of prison, you are given a promise of mercy,” Crockett said of Donalds, without mentioning his name.

She continued, “Your record gets wiped clean; you get a second chance at life. Now, imagine taking that promise and turning it into a promotion. You go to college, you get a job and even become a member of Congress. That’s what redemption looks like. That’s what America is supposed to be about, and that is exactly the story of the next wannabe governor from Florida as a young man,” Crockett said of Donalds, who is now a gubernatorial candidate in Florida.

She continued, “Now, he’s the face of a bill that would not afford young people in Washington, D.C. the same opportunities afforded to him. Let me be real, if he had grown up under Donald Trump’s America, or under the very D.C. Crimes Bill he’s pushing…He wouldn’t be standing here as a member of Congress.” Calling out the hypocrisy, Crockett said, “I will not sit quiet while a man who was saved by grace turns around and tries to snatch grace away from others….”

We should feel pride and patriotism knowing that we have Rep. Crockett fighting on our behalf.

She will be missed as she leaves Congress this year.

(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of God Bless Our Divided America).

B4

FORUM

JULY 8-14, 2026

Cruelty is the point: Haiti, TPS, and the politics of punishment (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Haiti is not an abstraction.

Haiti is a nation whose pain has too often been treated as policy collateral, a people whose labor is welcomed when needed and whose lives are discounted when convenient.

Now, with the Supreme Court allowing the Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and Syrians, more than 350,000 Haitians who have lived and worked legally in the United States face the possibility of deportation to a country the world knows is in crisis.

Temporary Protected Status is not a gift. It is a recognition of reality. It says that when a country is overwhelmed by violence, disaster, political collapse, or humanitarian emergency, deportation is not simply enforcement. It is endangerment. To strip Haitians of this protection now is to pretend that paperwork matters more than human life.

Haiti is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Armed groups control much of the country, violence has disrupted ordinary life, hunger is widespread, and humanitarian assistance remains far short of the need.

So what kind of country sends people back into that?

What kind of country says to people who have built lives, paid taxes, raised children, staffed hospitals, opened businesses, cared for elders, cleaned rooms, cooked meals, driven trucks, and strengthened communities: your labor was welcome, but your life is disposable?

Cruelty is not an accidental byproduct of this policy.

Cruelty is the point.

Julianne Malveaux

Commentary Haitians have long been punished for being Black, free, defiant, and inconvenient. The first Black republic in the world was born of revolt against slavery, and the nations that profited from slavery never forgave Haiti for proving that enslaved people could liberate themselves. France extracted a ruinous indemnity. The United States occupied Haiti. International lenders, foreign governments, and domestic elites have repeatedly treated Haiti as a problem to manage, not a sovereign nation to respect; a profit center, not a proud and sovereign nation. The present crisis cannot be separated from that long history of extraction, intervention, and contempt.

Now that contempt appears in the sterile language of immigration law. “Temporary” becomes the excuse. “Protected” becomes the promise broken. “Status” becomes the thin legal thread holding families together.

The Supreme Court’s ruling did not create the hatred of Haitian migrants, but it gives official permission to act on it. We have seen the ugliness before. Haitians have been accused of disease, criminality, dependency, and disorder.

They have been stereotyped, detained, deported, and scapegoated. During the 2024 campaign, Springfield, Ohio became a national symbol of anti-Haitian hysteria after false claims about Haitians eating pets were amplified for political gain. That lie was not just ridiculous; it was dangerous. It turned neighbors into targets.

Springfield tells another story. Haitians came there to work. They filled jobs. They opened businesses. They joined churches. They enrolled children in schools. They helped revive a struggling city. After the Court’s ruling, many now face fear and uncertainty. Even Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, reportedly called ending Haitian TPS a mistake, pointing to the conditions in Haiti.

That matters. Because the question is not whether Haitians belong in Springfield, or Boston, or Miami, or New York, or Washington, D.C. The question is whether the United States will acknowledge that Haitians already belong here because they are already here, already contributing, already woven into the fabric of our communities.

The numbers tell part of the story, and they are overwhelming. But they do not tell the whole story. Behind every number is a family deciding whether to pack, hide, fight, or pray. Behind every number is a child who may know no home but the United States. Behind every number is an employer wondering who will show up for work, a landlord wondering whether a tenant can stay, a congregation wondering whether its members will disappear. Behind every number is a disabled elder wondering whether the care attendant will come to bathe her, feed her, and help her live with dignity.

TPS holders are often described as if they are temporary people. They are not. They are people with temporary legal protection, many of whom have been here for years or decades because the conditions that displaced them have not been resolved. Temporary status can become a permanent limbo. It allows people to work but not fully settle, to contribute but not fully belong, to live under the shadow of a government decision that can turn a lawful worker into a deportable person.

That shadow is now darker.

We should be honest about what this is. It is not simply immigration enforcement. It is not simply administrative discretion. It is a choice to make vulnerable people more vulnerable. It is a choice to destabilize families and communities. It is a choice to ignore Haiti’s suffering while benefiting from Haitian labor. It is a choice to act as if Black migrant lives are expendable.

The United States has legal power. That has never been in doubt. The deeper question is whether it has moral sense. Haiti has been punished for its freedom, exploited for its labor, burdened by debt, occupied, stereotyped, and scapegoated. Sending Haitians back into danger continues that long, ugly pattern.

But cruelty does not have to have the last word. Congress can act. The administration can halt deportations.

Communities can protect their neighbors. Churches, unions, employers, advocates, and people of conscience can refuse to let Haitian families disappear quietly into deportation machinery. At minimum, this country should extend TPS, halt deportations to Haiti, and create a path to permanence for people who have already built their lives here. The opposite of cruelty is not sentiment. It is solidarity, organized and insistent.

A humane nation would not send people back into danger. A just nation would repair some small part of the damage it has helped create. A grateful nation would recognize Haitian workers, families, caregivers, students, entrepreneurs, and neighbors as part of its own story.

Cruelty may be the point of this policy. Resistance must be the point of our response.

(Dr. Julianne Malveaux is a DC based economist and author.)

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

What, to the modern-day slave, is the Fourth of July?

Over the last decade, just before Independence Day, Black intellectuals wrote opinion pieces about Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Every year, these Black intellectuals reminded Americans that Douglass exposed the hypocrisy of a country that celebrated liberty while maintaining the institution of slavery. During America’s 250th anniversary, many Black thinkers declared that Douglas’s speech is more relevant than ever under a Trump presidency.

Professor George Yancy remarked, “On this July 4, I will personally continue to confront the truth that Black people in this country continue to mourn and continue to suffer under anti-Blackness.” Bishop William J. Barber II suggested that this Fourth of July should be a time of contemplation, repentance, and resistance, much like Frederick Douglass believed.

If dissent is the highest form of patriotism, then we should embrace this type of Fourth of July commentary. However, on America’s 250th anniversary, maybe we should ask: What, to the modern-day slave, is the Fourth of July?

Martin Plaut’s 2025 essay, Slavery in Africa Today: A Crisis Ignored

by Its Own Institutions, states that “Slavery persists in parts of Africa in brutal, dehumanizing forms. Men, women, and children are trafficked, sold, and inherited as property. The suffering is real and ongoing. What is perhaps more shocking, however, is not just that slavery exists but that powerful regional institutions, notably the African Union and the Arab League, have failed to confront it with the urgency and clarity it demands … Whether out of political calculation, denial, or fear of self-implication, the silence from these bodies has contributed to a vacuum of accountability—and allowed the ancient crime of slavery to persist in the modern era.”

J. Pharoah Doss

Check It Out If modern-day slaves could hear Douglass’s 1852 speech, it’s doubtful they would dwell on American hypocrisy. It’s most likely it would help them see how America progressed over time by putting the values outlined in its founding documents into practice.

Douglass stated that the Constitution is a glorious liberty document when interpreted as it ought to be.

Examine its preamble and consider its goals. Is slavery among them?

If the Constitution were intended to be, by its authors and adopters, a slave-holding instrument, why aren’t the words “slavery,” “slaveholding,” or “slave” found anywhere in it? Douglass rejected the notion that the Constitution contained even one pro-slavery clause because, when read plainly, its principles and goals are hostile to the existence of slavery.

Douglass delivered his famous speech 76 years after the Founders signed the Declaration of Independence. Douglass noted that 76 years is old age for a man, but nations number their years in the thousands, and according to that fact, America is still in its childhood.

Douglass underlined that hope lay in the belief that America was still young. He argued that America was still at an impressionable stage of its existence and that the high lessons of wisdom, justice, and truth would guide the country’s destiny.

From the time the U.S. Constitution went into effect in 1789 to 1852, the federal government did not abolish slavery. Douglass’s question, “What to the slave is the Fourth of July?” was directed at the federal

government for failing to extend liberty to all those under its jurisdiction. However, there was incremental progress at the state level to end slavery. Between 1776 and 1852, at least 11 states passed legislation abolishing slavery, either immediately or gradually.

Douglass was aware that the end of slavery in these states would direct the federal government’s destiny. A destiny forged by a bitter Civil War, erroneous Supreme Court judgments, segregation laws, and a Civil Rights Movement that forced the federal government to once again put into practice the true meaning of its creed as stated in its founding documents.

Achieving the American dream is characterized as having the opportunity to prosper, providing food and shelter for family members, educating children, and hoping for a better life for future generations.

Black Americans are not excluded from this chance.

In fact, Byron A. Ellis, Ph.D., managing director of the Jethro Project, reported that in 2022, the aggregate income of Black people in the United States exceeded the GDP of many countries around the world.

If Black America were a country, its GDP would rank 60th in the world.

Black intellectuals would dismiss that data and point out that Black income in America is unequal to White income. Therefore, America continues to violate the basic principles established in its founding documents.

These Black intellectuals fail to realize that modern-day African slaves compare themselves to Black Americans, not White Americans.

This leads us back to the original question: What, to the modern-day slave, is the Fourth of July?

The answer is simple: it serves as an annual reminder that freedom and a better life are both achievable, as demonstrated by Black Americans.

America hangs a Help Wanted sign: ‘FOR U.S. CITIZENSHIP—WHITES ONLY!’ DETROIT—Words from Emma Lazarus’ poem The New Colossus, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore, send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp by the golden door,” seem to have been etched from the bronze plaque of the Statue of Liberty. It should now read, “Don’t give me your tired, your huddled masses, who don’t deserve to breathe free, they lack the pure blood like you and me, we don’t want you here, if you don’t look like us we don’t want you near.”

The United States Supreme Court has made it very clear that it supports the racist policies and agenda of the Trump Administration to deport millions of Black, brown, and yellow folks who don’t fit the image of President Donald Trump and Stephen Miller.

They seem to believe in only the purest, most opaque form of whiteness in skin tone and ideological perspective.

The 6-3 ruling gives this regime the right to end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of those who have been living in the U.S. for decades, who escaped or migrated to this country from wars, catastrophes, and conditions of violence.

Trump and Miller got what they have always been seeking. Trump has called it, “The greatest deportation program in American history.” Stephen Miller, whose parents and other family members, along with the three wives of Donald Trump and their families, immigrated to this country seeking asylum, while reaching for a green card.

This is one of the starkest examples of White supremacist ideology and racial animus for those who are not White Anglo-Saxon and Protestant.

Where are the so-called Christian evangelicals? There is nothing Christlike, loving, caring, or humane about a policy that denigrates a people based on race, color, language or culture.

The Word is, “I was a stranger and you took me in,” Matthew 25:35. More than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians stand to be uprooted by this ruling.

The holders of Haitian TPS status generate $5.9 billion dollars annually to the U.S economy and contribute $1.5 billion in federal, state and local taxes. Among Haitian TPS workers are 22,000 cooks and servers, 7,000 factory workers, 8,000 landscapers and hospitality staff, 3,000 school assistants, 13,000 nursing assistants, 14,000 retail staff, 12,000 delivery and taxi drivers, 15,000 agricultural workers, 8,000 caregivers, and 58,000 home health aides.

The American Immigration Council

Rev. Wendell Anthony

Commentary also reports that 112,000 health care workers in America are Haitian born.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research notes that over 21 percent of Haitian Americans work in the healthcare industry.

Many Haitians, over 520,000, reside in South Florida. In the state of New York, particularly Brooklyn and Queens, there are over 185,000.

In one of the most hypocritical rulings of the court, Justice Samuel Alito, in his majority opinion wrote, “The plaintiffs were unlikely to prove that race was a motivating factor in the decision to terminate Haiti’s TPS designation and that the administration’s stated policy views could rest on race neutral justifications.”

The President has openly and clearly referred to Haiti as a “shithole country” and falsely accused the Haitians of Springfield, Ohio of “eating cats and dogs.”

He has accused them of, “Poisoning the blood of our country.” Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller, architect of this Policy of Deportation, posted on X a clip of Trump’s September 2024 Presidential debate, “Great news for the dogs and cats of Springfield.” This same court in an earlier decision in September 2025, Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem, by a 6-3 margin ruled that ICE agents could use race or language in the work they do or where they happen to be demanding their papers in Los Angeles in order to stop and detain suspected immigrants.

What a contradiction.

A second part of this ruling rests on the “metering” or turn back policy at the border. Justice Alito indicates an alien standing in line does not arrive in the U.S. simply by attempting and failing to set foot in this country.

The others can be turned back.

At the same time the U.S. is planning to send legal immigrants back to Haiti, there is a travel advisory for Americans warning them not to visit Haiti.

It states, “Do not travel to Haiti due to the risk of crime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest, and limited health care.”

Haiti has been under a national state of emergency since March 2024, with a level 4 travel advisory.

This is the highest level of personal risk when visiting a particular country.

Even more mind boggling is that Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who voted to support this anti-immigrant ruling, has adopted two Haitian children.

One must wonder what these children of Haitian parents, now living in the United States, feel about the door slammed on others striving for their freedom and opportunity?

Has America not learned the lesson of the M.S. St. Louis of 1939?

The ship departed from Hamburg, Germany to escape the violence of the Nazi’s carrying 937 passengers. Most of them were Jewish refugees.

They eventually sailed to America arriving near the Florida coastline.

They were refused entry to the U.S.

by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and were forced back to Europe.

One year later in May 1940, the Nazi’s invaded Europe.

Tragically, 254 of the original passengers were murdered in the Holocaust, which they were attempting to escape.

Today, White South African beneficiaries of the White supremacist system of Apartheid are being welcomed in the United States with open arms.

Black South Africans cannot come in.

The New York Times reports these White refugees will receive a welcome bag containing an android tablet, an American flag, copies of the Constitution, and Declaration of Independence.

They will also receive a sanitized package of literature which includes a Trump view of American and South African history with a critique of racial equity and civil rights laws, promoting the discrimination against White people.

On the eve of the commemoration of 250 years of American independence, America must never forget.

In 1779 over 500 free Black Haitians, known as Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint Dominque, fought for American independence alongside French and Continental troops during the siege of Savannah.

A monument to the Haitian soldiers still stands in the center of Franklin Square in downtown Savannah, Georgia.

America would not be America without the enumerable contribution of its Black and Brown sons and daughters.

Toussaint Louverture, known as the Father of Haiti, cries out from the grave, “We are free today because we are stronger. We will be slaves again when the government becomes the stronger.”

Let us as a people remain strong.

CLASSIFIED New Pittsburgh Courier

B5

JULY 8-14, 2026

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Public Notice

Public Notice

NOTICE IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Notice is hereby given to the following persons, their heirs, successors or assigns, and to all persons whatsoever, that the City of Pittsburgh, by John Miller, Assistant City Solicitor, 328 City County Building has petitioned the Court of Orders quieting title to the following tax acquired real estate, pursuant to Act No. 171, approved December 11, 1984.

GD-26-004086 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Mallory Craig and the Unknown Heirs, Successors and Assigns of Mallory Craig.

Concerning the Following Property: 852 Suismon Street. Block & Lot 24-J376. 23rd Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0037. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. –GD-26-005197 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Lu Chriesia Hammie-Buie, E. Leaugeay McNeal, Michael Anthony Rumble, Mortgage Electronic Rgistration Systems, Inc., its successors and assigns, St. Francisville, LLC, its successors and assigns, PWSA, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of LuChriesia Hammie-Buie, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of E. Leaugeay McNeal, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Michael Anthony Rumble.

Concerning the Following Property: 7217 Monticello Street. Block & Lot 174F-136. 13th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0043. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. –GD-26-005199 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs H. Edward Cable, Kathryn I. Cable, PWSA, ALCOSAN, PA Department of Revenue - Inheritance Tax Division, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of H. Edward Cable, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Kathryn I. Cable.

Concerning the Following Property: 0 Valle Rue Street. Block & Lot 20-F237-1. 20th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0030. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. GD-26-005200 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Myron Randall, PWSA, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors and Assigns of Myron Randall.

Concerning the Following Property: 2 Oakwood Pl. Pgh., PA 15208. Block & Lot 174-S-135-B. 13th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0046. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. GD-26-005203 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Angelo Zallo, Vincenza Zallo, Mandes, Inc., its successors and assigns, PWSA, ALCOSAN, Commonwealth of PA. Dept. of Revenue, Caulis Negris, LLC., its successors and assigns, Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors and Assigns of Angelo Zallo, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors and Assigns of Vincenza Zallo.

Concerning the Following Property: 0 Deary Street 15206. Block & Lot 124G-360. 12th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0047. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. –GD-26-005217 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Edward L. Washington, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Edward L. Washington; PWSA, their successors and assigns; ALCOSAN, their successors and assigns; Dollar Bank F.S.B., their successors and assigns; Allegheny County Court Records - Criminal Division.

Concerning the Following Property: 5362 Hillcrest Street. Block & Lot 50H-41. 10th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0042. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. –GD-26-005216 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Bryan Eberhardt, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Bryan Eberhardt; PWSA, their successors and assigns; Concerning the Following Property: 1133 Itin Street, Pgh. PA 15212. Block & Lot 24-B-237. 24th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0045. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. –GD-26-006326 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Robert F. Boatwright, Willye H. Boatwright, Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, US Attorney – Western District of PA, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Robert F. Boatwright, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Willye H. Boatwright.

Concerning the Following Property: 78 Climax Street 15210. Block & Lot 15L-16. 18th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0049. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. GD-26-006330 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs R. J. Jace Development, LLC., its successor and assigns, PWSA, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America Concerning the Following Property: 530 Junilla Street 15219. Block & Lot 10-L-313. 5th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0052. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. GD-26-006347 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Cortell Thomas and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Cortell Thomas, ALCOSAN, PWSA,National Tax Funding, its successors and assigns, Caulis Negris, LLC., its successors and assigns, GLS Capital, Inc., its successors and assigns.

Concerning the Following Property: 5360 Hillcrest Street. Block & Lot 50H-40. 10th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0041. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. GD-26-006353 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Irene Dix, Commonwealth of PA Department of Revenue, the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Irene Dix, Creative Solutions Investments, LLC., its successors and assigns Concerning the Following Property: 0 Marlow Street 15220. Block & Lot 20R-248. 20th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0048. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. –GD-26-006346 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Richard A. Valorie, Colleen E. Valorie, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Richard A. Valorie, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns.

Concerning the Following Property: 850 Spring Garden Ave 15212. Block & Lot 24-E-124-A. 23rd Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0050. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. GD-26-006343 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Robert B. Barnes, Edna Barnes and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Robert B. Barnes, and the Unknown Heirs, Successors, and Assigns of Edna Barnes.

Concerning the Following Property: 6523 Shetland Ave. Block & Lot 124-P338. 12th Ward, Pittsburgh. 2026-RE-0053. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD. WHEREUPON the Court granted a rule on the aforesaid persons, and all persons, whatsoever, to appear and show cause within thirty days from this notice why the title of the CITY OF PITTSBURGH to the aforesaid real estate should not be adjudicated and decreed valid and indefeasible as against all mortgages, ground-rents, rights, title, interest in or claims against the aforesaid real estate, and to further show cause why the sale of the said real estate should not be made free and clear of all the aforesaid claims whatsoever.

JOHN MILLER ASSISTANT CITY SOLICITOR CITY OF PITTSBURGH

Support the publication that is ALWAYS focused on Pittsburgh’s African American community.

Subscribe to the Courier today by calling 412-481-8302, ext. 136.

SONNY BOY 3 9 4

5 7 0 6 8 2

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Public Notice

Public Notice

NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND FORECLOSURE SALE WHEREAS, on November 09, 2009, a certain mortgage was executed

by MARGARET SHILOBOD, as mortgagor in favor of DOLLAR BANK F.S.B. as mortgagee and was recorded in Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County in Mortgage Book M Vol 37422 Page 337 or Instr # 2009-104594 (“Mortgage”); and WHEREAS the Mortgage encumbers property located at 320 Fort Duquesne Boulevard 21H Pittsburgh, PA 15222, parcel number 1-c-1662218(“Property”); and WHEREAS, the Property was owned by MARGARET SHILOBOD by virtue of deed dated 6/20/1989 and recorded 6/21/1989 in Book Page 393 ;and WHEREAS, the Mortgage is now owned by the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“Secretary”), pursuant to an assignment recorded on Book M Vol 44537 Page 465 or Instr # 2014-81797, in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; and WHEREAS, a default has been made in the covenants and conditions of the Mortgage is serious default due to violation of (a) (v): An obligation of the Borrower under this Security Instrument is not performed and that no payment was made, and remains wholly unpaid as of the date of this Notice; and WHEREAS the entire amount delinquent as of 3/30/2026 is $333,252.60 plus interest, costs and other charges through the sale date; and WHEREAS, by virtue of this default, the Secretary has declared the entire amount of the indebtedness secured by the Mortgage to be immediately due and payable; NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to powers vested in me by the Single Family Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1994, l2 U.S.C. 3751 et seq., by 24 CFR Part 29, and by the Secretary’s designation of me as Foreclosure Commissioner, recorded on 06/28/2012 in Misc. Bk DE, VL 14933 Page 17, in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, notice is hereby given that on 07/28/2026; at 10:00 AM at the Main Entrance of the Allegheny County Courthouse located at 436 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 all real property and personal property at or used in connection with the following described premises will be sold at public action to the highest bidder: All that certain Unit - 21-H (“Unit”) of Gateway Towers Condominium (“Condominium”), located in the Second Ward of the City of Pittsburgh, County of Allegheny and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which Unit is designated in the Declaration of Condominium of Gateway Towers Condominium recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in Deed Book Volume 6122, pages 929-979, inclusive, (“Declaration of Condominium”), as amended by First Amendment recorded 9/5/1979 in Deed Book Volume 6161 page 377, as amended by Second Amendment recorded 12/17/1979 in Deed Book Volume 6203 page 487; as amended by third Amendment to Declaration of Condominium recorded 4/30/1982 in Deed Book Volume 6466 page 1, as re-recorded 9/21/1982 in Deed Book Volume 6538, page 637, as amended by Fourth Amendment to Declaration recorded 9/21/1982 in Deed Book Volume 6536 page 619, as amended by Fifth Amendment to Declaration recorded 8/6/1985 in Deed Book Volume 7133 page 268 and as amended by Sixth Amendment to Declaration dated 11/19/1987 and recorded in Deed Book Volume 7687 page 492, and Declaration Plan, recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in Plan Book Volume 110, pages 97-106, inclusive.

Together with an undivided .3140% interest in the common elements as more fully set forth in the aforesaid Declaration of Condominium and Declaration Plans (“Common Elements”).

Tax ID / Parcel No. l-C-1662-218 The sale will be held 07/28/2026; at 10:00 AM at the Main Entrance of the Allegheny County Courthouse located at 436 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will bid $333,252.60 plus interest, costs and other charges through the sale date.

Ten percent (10%) of the highest bid is the deposit required at the sale.

The amount that must be paid to HUD by the mortgagors or someone acting on their behalf so that the sale may be stayed is the total delinquent amount of $33,325,260.00 as of 03/30/2026, plus all other amounts that would be due under the mortgage agreement if payments under the mortgage had not been accelerated, advertising costs and postage expenses incurred in giving notice, mileage by the most reasonable road distance for posting notices and for the Foreclosure Commissioner’s attendance at the sale, reasonable and customary costs incurred for title and lien record searches, the necessary out-of-pocket costs incurred by the Foreclosure Commissioner for recording documents, a commission for the Foreclosure Commissioner, and all other costs incurred in connection with the foreclosure prior to reinstatement.

There will be no proration of taxes, rents or other income or liabilities, except that the purchaser will pay, at or before closing, his prorata share of any real estate taxes that have been paid by the Secretary to the date of the foreclosure sale.

When making their bid, all bidders, except the Secretary, must submit a deposit totaling ten percent 10% of the Secretary’s bid as set forth above in the form of a certified check or cashier’s check made out to the Secretary of HUD. Each oral bid need not be accompanied by a deposit. If the successful bid is oral, a deposit of ten (10%) percent must be presented before the bidding is closed. The deposit is nonrefundable. The remainder of the purchase price must be delivered within thirty (30) days of the sale or at such other time as the Secretary may determine for good cause shown, time being of the essence. This amount, like the bid deposits, must be delivered in the form of a certified or cashier’s check. If the Secretary is the high bidder, he need not pay the bid amount in cash. The successful bidder will pay all conveyance fees, all real estate and other taxes that are due on or after the delivery of the remainder of the payment and all other costs associated with the transfer of title. At the conclusion of the sale, the deposits of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned to them.

The Secretary may grant an extension of time within which to deliver the remainder of the payment. All extensions will be for fifteen (15) days, and a fee will be charged in the amount of $150.00 for each fifteen (15) day extension requested. The extension fee shall be paid in the form of a certified or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. If the high bidder closes the sale prior to the expiration of any extension period, the unused portion of the extension fee shall be applied toward the amount due.

If the high bidder is unable to close the sale within the required period, or within any extensions of time granted by the Secretary, the high bidder’s deposit will be forfeited, and the Commissioner may, at the direction of the HUD Field Office Representative, offer the Property to the second highest bidder for an amount equal to the highest price offered by that bidder.

There is no right of redemption, or right of possession based upon a right of redemption, in the mortgagor or others subsequent to a foreclosure completed pursuant to the Act. Therefore, the Foreclosure Commissioner will issue a Deed to the purchaser(s) upon receipt of the entire purchase price in accordance with the terms of the sale as provided herein.

KML LAW GROUP, P.C. Foreclosure Commissioners (215-825-6305)

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

Support the publication that is ALWAYS focused on Pittsburgh’s African American community.

Subscribe to the Courier today by calling 412-481-8302, ext. 136.

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

The New Pittsburgh Courier....

Often Imitated.

NEVER Duplicated.

Call Allison Palm for your subscription at 412-481-8302, ext. 136.

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

B6

CLASSIFIEDS

JULY 8-14, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Public Notice

Public Notice

NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND FORECLOSURE SALE WHEREAS, on February 10, 2010, a certain mortgage was executed

by JOAN R. MINETTI and ROBERT C. MINETTI as mortgagor in favor of BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. as mortgagee and was recorded in Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County in Mortgage Book M Vol 37788 Page 90 or Instr # 2010-15974 (“Mortgage”); and WHEREAS, the Mortgage encumbers property located at 2520 Willowbrook Road Pittsburgh, PA 15241, parcel number 0668-G-00030-000000(“Property”); and WHEREAS, Record Owner ROBERT C. MINETTI died on 03/01/09. By operation of law title vests solely in JOAN R. MINETTI and ROBERT C. MINETTI is hereby released of liability pursuant to Pa.R.C.P. 1144 ;and WHEREAS, the Property was owned by ROBERT C. MINETTI & JOAN R. MINETTI by virtue of deed dated 8/3/1992 and recorded 8/4/1992 in Book 8779 Page 121; and WHEREAS, the Mortgage is now owned by the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“Secretary”), pursuant to an assignment recorded on 5/25/2016 in Book M Vol 46479 Page 452 or Instr # 2016-34756, in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania; and WHEREAS a default has been made in the covenants and conditions of the Mortgage s in serious default due to violation of (a)(v): An obligation of the Borrower under this Security Instrument is not performed, and that no payment was made, and remains wholly unpaid as of the date of this Notice; and WHEREAS the entire amount delinquent as of 3/30/2026 is $295,501.87 plus interest, costs and other charges through the sale date; and WHEREAS, by virtue of this default, the Secretary has declared the entire amount of the indebtedness secured by the Mortgage to be immediately due and payable; NOW THEREFORE, pursuant to powers vested in me by the Single Family Mortgage Foreclosure Act of 1994, l2 U.S.C. 3751 et seq., by 24 CFR Part 29, and by the Secretary’s designation of me as Foreclosure Commissioner, recorded on 06/28/2012 in Misc. Bk-DE, Vl-14933 Page 17, in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, notice is hereby given that on 07/28/2026; at 10:00 AM at at the Main Entrance of the Allegheny County Courthouse located at 436 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 all real property and personal property at or used in connection with the following described premises will be sold at public action to the highest bidder: ALL THAT CERTAIN LOT OR PIECE OF GROUND situate in the Township of Upper St. Clair, County of Allegheny and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, known as part of Lot No. 5 in the Krebs Construction Company Sub-division Plan of Lots Nos. 9 & 10 in the Willowbrooke Farms Plan as recorded in the Recorder’s Office of Allegheny County in Plan Book Volume 44, Page 69, April 8, 1949, and more fully bounded and described as follows, to wit: BEGINNING at the Westerly side of Willowbrooke Road at the dividing line between Lot Nos. 4 and 5 in the Krebs Construction Company Subdivision of Lots Nos. 9 and 10 of the Willowbrooke Farms Plan; thence along the Westerly side of Willowbrooke Road South 6° 22’ East a distance of 75 feet to the dividing line between Lot Nos. 5 and 6; thence along said dividing line South 83° 38’ West a distance of 150 feet to a point; thence North 6° 22’ West through Lot No. 5 a distance of 75 feet to a point on the dividing line between Lot Nos. 5 and 4; thence along said dividing line North 83° 38’ East a distance of 150 feet to the Westerly side of Willowbrooke Road, the place of beginning.

Being designated as Block 668-G, Lot 30, in the Deed Registry Office of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Being known and designated as 2520 Willowbrook Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15241 SUBJECT to coal and mining rights and all rights and privileges incident to mining of coal heretofore conveyed or reserved as shown by instruments of record; and to a 75 foot building line (measured from the center line of Willowbrooke Road, 40 feet wide) as shown on aforesaid plan.

The sale will be held 07/28/2026; at 10:00 AM at the Main Entrance of the Allegheny County Courthouse located at 436 Grant St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will bid $295,501.87 plus interest, costs and other charges through the sale date.

Ten percent (10%) of the highest bid is the deposit required at the sale.

The amount that must be paid to HUD by the mortgagors or someone acting on their behalf so that the sale may be stayed is the total delinquent amount of $295,501.87 as of 03/30/2026, plus all other amounts that would be due under the mortgage agreement if payments under the mortgage had not been accelerated, advertising costs and postage expenses incurred in giving notice, mileage by the most reasonable road distance for posting notices and for the Foreclosure Commissioner’s attendance at the sale, reasonable and customary costs incurred for title and lien record searches, the necessary out-of-pocket costs incurred by the Foreclosure Commissioner for recording documents, a commission for the Foreclosure Commissioner, and all other costs incurred in connection with the foreclosure prior to reinstatement.

There will be no proration of taxes, rents or other income or liabilities, except that the purchaser will pay, at or before closing, his prorata share of any real estate taxes that have been paid by the Secretary to the date of the foreclosure sale.

When making their bid, all bidders, except the Secretary, must submit a deposit totaling ten percent 10% of the Secretary’s bid as set forth above in the form of a certified check or cashier’s check made out to the Secretary of HUD. Each oral bid need not be accompanied by a deposit. If the successful bid is oral, a deposit of ten (10%) percent must be presented before the bidding is closed. The deposit is nonrefundable. The remainder of the purchase price must be delivered within thirty (30) days of the sale or at such other time as the Secretary may determine for good cause shown, time being of the essence. This amount, like the bid deposits, must be delivered in the form of a certified or cashier’s check. If the Secretary is the high bidder, he need not pay the bid amount in cash. The successful bidder will pay all conveyance fees, all real estate and other taxes that are due on or after the delivery of the remainder of the payment and all other costs associated with the transfer of title. At the conclusion of the sale, the deposits of the unsuccessful bidders will be returned to them.

The Secretary may grant an extension of time within which to deliver the remainder of the payment. All extensions will be for fifteen (15) days, and a fee will be charged in the amount of $150.00 for each fifteen (15) day extension requested. The extension fee shall be paid in the form of a certified or cashier’s check made payable to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. If the high bidder closes the sale prior to the expiration of any extension period, the unused portion of the extension fee shall be applied toward the amount due.

If the high bidder is unable to close the sale within the required period, or within any extensions of time granted by the Secretary, the high bidder’s deposit will be forfeited, and the Commissioner may, at the direction of the HUD Field Office Representative, offer the Property to the second highest bidder for an amount equal to the highest price offered by that bidder.

There is no right of redemption, or right of possession based upon a right of redemption, in the mortgagor or others subsequent to a foreclosure completed pursuant to the Act. Therefore, the Foreclosure Commissioner will issue a Deed to the purchaser(s) upon receipt of the entire purchase price in accordance with the terms of the sale as provided herein.

KML LAW GROUP, P.C. Foreclosure Commissioners (215-825-6305) LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Legal Notices

Legal Notices

Petition to Determine Title to 402 Mifflin Street, West Mifflin, PA 15122, formerly owned by Patricia Ann McLindon Posipanka, deceased, filed June 27, 2024 by Robert J. Posipanka, No. 4228 of 2024. Peter B. Lewis, Counsel, Neighborhood Legal Services, 928 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Estate of ROBERT R. KRESS, Deceased, of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No. 0226-03876, Cynthia K. Safran, Executor, 624 Bluff Street, East Pittsburgh, PA 15112 or to ROBIN L. RARIE, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of OLIVER COLEMAN, A/K/A OLIVER RAY COLEMAN, Case No. 3808 of 2026. Maurice Lee Coleman appointed Administrator

by Order dated June 15, 2026. Peter B. Lewis, Counsel, Neighborhood Legal Services, 928 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

Support the publication that is ALWAYS focused on Pittsburgh’s African American community.

Subscribe to the Courier today by calling 412-481-8302, ext. 136.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

SONNY BOY LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

Help Wanted

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY D.B.A. PRT Electronic Bids will be received online at PRT’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org).

Bid submittals will be due at 1:00 PM on July 31, 2026 and will be read at 1:15 PM, the same day, though your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

Bid Number

Bid Name

1

B26-29

Okta Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication

2

B26-35

TX65 Modems

No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held on the above solicitation on July 15, 2026, at 11:00 AM and can be joined through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory but is strongly encouraged.

Teams meeting information is available within the Bid Documents for this solicitation on rideprt.org and eBusiness.rideprt.org. Potential bidders may also email the contract specialist assigned to the solicitation.

Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by PRT after 12:00 PM (noon) on July 23, 2026.

These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County d.b.a. PRT and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations.

Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing.

Port Authority of Allegheny County d.b.a. PRT hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Board of PRT reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF BEAVER BEAVER, PENNSYLVANIA INVITATION TO BID The HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF BEAVER will receive sealed bids, in duplicate, until 1:00 PM. (local time) on Thursday, August 13, 2026 at the office of the Housing Authority of the County of Beaver, 300 State Ave, Beaver, Pennsylvania at which time bids will be publicly opened and read aloud for the following: Three Elevator Modernization Thomas Bishop Apartments, Brodhead Apartments and Sheffield Towers A fifteen percent (15 %) bid bond is required for this project.

Proposed forms of contract documents, including Plans and Specifications may be obtained from the Housing Authority of the County of Beaver by first mailing $125.00 in the form of a check made payable to the HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF BEAVER, 300 State Ave, Beaver, PA 15009 for each set of documents so obtained. An additional $15.00 is required if you want it mailed. DEPOSITS ARE NOT REFUNDABLE. All bidders are REQUIRED to buy the full set of plans and specifications. Plans and specifications will be available on Thursday, July 9, 2026. Please call to arrange for pick-up. (724) 775-1220 ext 2022.

EQUALEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, Build America Buy America (BABA) and Section 3 Compliance are required.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at Thomas Bishop Apartments, 1023 6th Ave, New Brighton, PA 15066.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings

PUBLIC NOTICE ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY The Finance Committee of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority will hold a special meeting for general purposes on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. prevailing time, in the Trefz Board Room at its offices located at 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15233. Official action on the Committee’s recommendations will take place at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors at a later date. The public may view the meeting via livestream by visiting www.alcosan.org.

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO!

ADVERTISEMENT Sealed bid proposals are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 on the following items: Request for Proposal 3165 Independent Audit of the Annual Security Report (ASR) Development and Clery Compliance Process Proposals will be received at the Purchasing Department until 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Thursday, August 6, 2026.

Any bid or proposals received after this deadline will be considered as a “late bid” and will be returned unopened to the offerer.

No bidder may withdraw his bid or proposal for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.

The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses.

For more information, contact Michael Cvetic at mcvetic@ccac.edu.

Bid forms are also available on the CCAC website: www.ccac.edu.

Community College of Allegheny County Purchasing Department 800 Allegheny Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15233 ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Public Safety Committee of the Borough of Wilkinsburg, that the July meeting of the Committee, scheduled for July 9, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. will be re-scheduled for July 9, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Beginning in August, these meetings will return to their normal scheduled time of 9:00 a.m.

Meetings will continue to take place in Council Chambers (2nd Floor) of the Borough of Wilkinsburg, 605 Ross Avenue, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221. Zoom link(s) will be made available under the event description on the Borough website at https://www.wilkinsburgpa.gov/.

CHIEF OF POLICE – WILKINSBURG BOROUGH The Borough of Wilkinsburg is seeking an experienced law enforcement leader with a proven record of professionalism, integrity, sound judgment, and a commitment to public safety to serve as its next Chief of Police.

About the Community Located just 7 miles outside of Downtown Pittsburgh, the Wilkinsburg community offers welcoming residential neighborhoods just minutes from the one of the country’s most thriving and most livable cities. The Borough operates under a Home Rule Charter, with a strong Mayor form of government. Borough Council is comprised of nine members elected at-large, as well as a voting Mayor.

The department, under the supervision of the Mayor, responds to calls within and patrols the 2.25 square mile area, with over 14,000 residents, 24/7. The department also maintains cooperative partnerships with the Wilkinsburg School District and local healthcare institutions.

Responsibilities · Provide leadership under the supervision of the Mayor for all department operations, personnel, fleet/equipment, and facilities. · Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, MPOETC standards, and departmental policies. · Serve as a visible and accessible leader, building positive relationships with residents, business owners, township staff, and regional partners. · Advise the Borough Manager and provide periodic reports on public safety matters and ensure the department’s operations align with organizational goals and community expectations. · Be willing to attend municipal meetings, as needed.

Qualifications · Current Pennsylvania MPOETC (Act 120) Certification · Current or equivalent rank of Sergeant, Lieutenant, or higher · Progressive supervisory and command experience in law enforcement · Strong administrative, leadership, organizational, and communication skills · Valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License How to Apply Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and professional references to: Borough of Wilkinsburg Attn: Personnel Committee 605 Ross Avenue Wilkinsburg, PA 15221 Or via Email: SAndrejchak@wilkinsburgpa.gov Posted: 07/05/2026 Open Until Filled

Deadline:

The Borough of Wilkinsburg is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Borough reserves the right to modify the selection process, establish additional qualifications, or reject any or all applications.

Duolingo, Inc. seeks Assoc Product Mngrs, Growth (Pittsburgh, PA) to drive user grwth by defining prdct strategy & roadmaps, & ownng key optmztions acrss the user lifecycle.

Req’s a Bach dgr in Info Systms, Sftwr Mngmnt, Comp Sci or rltd.

Mst have knwldg or crswrk in: Usr exp dsgn; Data Anlytcs; Hypothesis Testng; Compttv Advntg; Cgntv psychol; Human-comp intrction; Usr rsrch; Intrction Dsgn; & Rapid Prototypng. Some telecmmtng prmtd consistnt with cmpny policy.

Email rsms to jobs@duolingo.com, ref code 1248.

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128