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The criminalization of Black girls in Allegheny County is real Report says Black girls 10 times more likely than white girls to be referred to juvenile justice by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
In Allegheny County, Black girls are 10 times more likely than white girls to be referred to juvenile justice. That’s the standout headline from “Understanding and Addressing Institutionalized Inequity: Disrupting Pathways to Juvenile Justice for Black Youth in Allegheny County,” a report recently commissioned by the local Black Girls Equity Alliance. When teens are referred to juvenile justice, it begins the “school-to-prison pipeline,” which has disproportionately affected African American youth across the country. Nationally, the report said, Black youth are three times more likely than their white counterparts to be referred to ju-
venile justice. In 2019, 492 Black girls were referred to Allegheny County’s juvenile justice; 169 white girls were referred, though there are far more white girls in Allegheny County than Black girls. Out of the 492 Black girls that were referred, 155 (32 percent) were referred by the Pittsburgh Public Schools police department. Just 15 white girls (9 percent) were referred to juvenile justice by PPS police. The other leading agencies that referred Black girls to juvenile justice were the Magisterial District Judge (140), Pittsburgh Police (53), McKeesport Police (18) and Monroeville (13). The leading agency that referred white girls to the county’s juvenile justice was the Magisterial Dis-
trict Judge (54). Only 8 white girls were referred by Pittsburgh Police. The report revealed that “the majority of arrests made by PPS police are for minor offenses that are not safety related.” More than half of the Black girls arrested by PPS police resulted in a charge of “disorderly conduct,” which the report calls a “catch-all charge that includes things like excessive noise, obscene gestures or language, or other typical teenage behaviors. It is highly subjective, and there is a wealth of evidence that it is an offense for which implicit and explicit racial biases come into play.” The report revealed that in 2019, all arrests of Pittsburgh Black girls that ultimately resulted solely in a charge of disorderly conduct were made by PPS
KATHI ELLIOTT, DNP, is executive director of Gwen’s Girls Inc., Pittsburgh’s longtime organization that advocates for the betterment of Black girls and young women. Dr. Elliott also was an author in the recent report released by the local Black Girls Equity Alliance, stating that Black girls in Allegheny County are more criminalized than white girls. police. The report also gave data for Black boys, in which they were seven times more likely than white boys to be referred to juvenile justice in Allegheny
County. When it comes to summary citations, Black girls in the county are four times more likely to receive a summary citation than white girls from Pitts-
burgh Police, and 11 times more likely to be issued a citation than white girls from PPS police. SEE BLACK GIRLS A4
Black students at Thomas Jefferson High School call for board member’s resignation Board member allegedly called Black Lives Matter a ‘terrorist organization’ by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
The Black Student Alliance of Jefferson Hills wants West Jefferson Hills School District board member Jill Bertini to resign
ZYAN BARRETT
immediately, and they won’t rest until she does. The West Jefferson Hills School District encompasses the South Hills areas of Pleasant Hills, Jefferson Hills and West Elizabeth. Black students comprise just three percent of the nearly 900 students that attend the well-known Thomas Jefferson High School which anchors the district. Many of them were outraged that a school board member, Bertini, who is white, allegedly took to her personal Facebook page last week to declare that the Black Lives Matter THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS and supporters rallied at the school’s Old Clairton Road entrance on Friday, Sept. 25, movement was “a terrorist protesting comments allegedly made by school board member Jill Bertini on her Facebook page. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)
‘We were all appalled because, as a school leader, you should stand for the students.’ ZYAN BARRETT TJ HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR
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organization.” She allegedly said on her private Facebook account that she has “the right to my opinions and this is how I see it. I am sick and tired of being told what I am allowed to say, feel or think.” Bertini also allegedly said that Joe Biden “isn’t winning just like Hillary (Clinton) wasn’t winning,” the Black NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace “is not a victim,” and that “there is NO White Privilege, we all
have the exact same American privilege. Work for what you want to achieve!” Bertini then brought slavery into the mix, allegedly saying: “There are no slave owners or slaves still living in America (except for child sex slaves).” “We were all appalled because, as a school board leader, you stand for the students…and for you to say that (former NFL quarterback) Colin Kaepernick’s not a hero, that the Black
Lives Matter movement is a terror organization… terrorism is violence. We’re not violent students at all, but that’s how she made us look,” said Zyan Barrett, a senior at the school and member of the Black Student Alliance of Jefferson Hills. “As a leader, what type of mentality do you have to say this about people that you stand for?... She doesn’t deserve to have kids from ages 5 to 18 in her responsibility. She
doesn’t deserve it at all. We want her to resign.” Barrett made his comments during a rally outside of the Thomas Jefferson school grounds on Friday, Sept. 25. He was joined by other members of the Black Student Alliance, who organized the rally, but were not allowed to protest near the high school. Instead, they congregated at the Thomas Jefferson High SEE THOMAS JEFFERSON A2
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Black students at Thomas Jefferson High School call for board member’s resignation THOMAS JEFFERSON FROM A1
School sign, which sits on Old Clairton Road, marching on the street, emphatic that Bertini resign from her school board post. Aside from Bertini, Black Student Alliance members stepped to the microphone demanding more Black educators in the West Jefferson Hills School District, a Black History class become a requirement for every high school student to graduate, and Black History is celebrated throughout the school district. Barrett discussed how some Black students at the high school have heard a teacher tell students “that it’s OK for them to say the N-word in our faces,” and that a student threatened to “shoot all the Black people in the school.” Barrett said his fellow Black students have had to walk through the halls of the school and wonder, “is today going to be the day we die?” Barrett told the media that the school administration was aware of the student who made the threat, but the administration
couldn’t divulge what action was taken against the unnamed student. Pete Murphy, the principal of Thomas Jefferson High School, wrote in a letter to students and parents that “the administration, teachers and staff of this high school are unequivocally against discrimination, racism, bullying and intolerance. Every student has the right to feel safe and feel welcome in their school. Those who impede or take away others’ rights for a safe learning environment will be immediately dealt with and within the limits of school law.” But when it comes to school board members, neither Murphy nor other administrators have the legal authority to remove a board member from their post, nor have any West Jefferson Hills School District administrators publicly admonished Bertini. “More time to spread her hate,” said Tanisha Long, leader of Black Lives Matter Pittsburgh, who attendTHOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS rallied at the Old Clairton Road entrance to the high school on Friday, Sept. 25, protest- ed the protest. Carrie Lekse, a spokesing comments allegedly made by school board member Jill Bertini on her Facebook page. (Photo by Courier photographer Rob Taylor Jr.) person for the West Jefferson Hills School District, confirmed to the New Pittsburgh Courier that the school board has no legal authority to remove any board member. “Each board member has been elected by and serves at the pleasure of the residents. Every member of the West Jefferson Hills School District Board of Directors has supported ongoing efforts during the last four-plus years to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion for all of its students; in particular, minority students in the district. These efforts have included training of staff to combat racism and student programs to promote mutual respect among all students. The board anticipates continuing this work with all of its current members and supports the efforts of individual board members to reach out to the community to improve dialogue and further the mission of these programs.” The Courier has learned that Bertini was re-elected to the West Jefferson Hills School Board in November 2019. Bertini is in the first year of her four-year term, which runs until 2024, and she has showed no signs of resigning. Long praised the Black students who are demanding Bertini’s resignation. “People don’t understand how much bravery it takes to stand up, not only against your school district, the people that are shaping your education, but against your fellow students,” she told the Courier exclusively. “These kids are going to go back to school and everybody’s going to know that they were out here fighting for themselves, and not everybody’s going to react to THE that positively, and they NEW PITTSBURGH know that, and they still came out anyway. It’s a COURIER testament to what they’re PUBLISHING COMPANY willing to give to fight for what they know needs to Publication No.: USPS 381940 happen.”
“People don’t understand how much bravery it takes to stand up, not only against your school district, the people that are shaping your education, but against your fellow students. These kids are going to go back to school and everybody’s going to know that they were out here fighting for themselves, and not everybody’s going to react to that positively, and they know that, and they still came out anyway. It’s a testament to what they’re willing to give to fight for what they know needs to happen.” TANISHA LONG BLACK LIVES MATTER PITTSBURGH
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Black girls 10 times more likely than white girls BLACK GIRLS FROM A1
A summary citation in Pennsylvania is the most minor type of criminal offense, and can include disorderly conduct, loitering, harassment, and low-level retail theft, among other charges. A conviction of a summary offense usually results in a fine, but it can remain on a person’s criminal record. A summary offense conviction can be expunged from a person’s record if the person was under 18 at the time of the offense, and is now over 18 and it’s been six months after the fine was paid. If a person was adult age at the time of the offense, it can be expunged if there is a five-year period where the person was never arrested, along with the
The report revealed that “the majority of arrests made by PPS police are for minor offenses that are not safety related.” More than half of the Black girls arrested by PPS police resulted in a charge of “disorderly conduct,” which the report calls a “catchall charge that includes things like excessive noise, obscene gestures or language, or other typical teenage behaviors. It is highly subjective, and there is a wealth of evidence that it is an offense for which implicit and explicit racial biases come into play.” payment of any fines involved. The report from Black Girls Equity Alliance lets readers know that when police are called to situations in which young people are involved, police don’t have to take any formal action against the youth. Police can make an arrest, is-
sue a summary citation, or not arrest or charge anyone. But when the rates for Black boys are factored (2 times more likely than white boys to receive a citation from city police, 6 times more likely from PPS police), “this suggests that Black youth are facing legal consequences for minor
behavior in school, when those same behaviors are handled by school personnel when committed by white youth,” the report read. The authors of the report were Kathi Elliott, executive director of Gwen’s Girls Inc., Sara Goodkind (University of Pittsburgh’s School of
Social Work), Ghadah Makoshi (ACLU of Pa.) and Jeff Shook (University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work). Collectively, they implored school districts, especially Pittsburgh Public Schools, to “provide educators with the training and support they need to help, rather than criminalize youth.” Ways to do this, according to the report, include: reallocating the funds formerly used for school police to hire additional counselors, social workers and psychologists; implement a trauma-informed, restorative justice approach in schools; and support school personnel in working with
students with disabilities. The report’s authors also directly addressed those in law enforcement, including judges and local policymakers. “Develop, fund and promote alternatives to justice system processing for youth who need help,” they said in the report. The ways to do this? “Work with the police and District Attorney to develop pre-arrest diversion countywide... Stop referring youth to juvenile justice for failure to pay fines for summary citations...Ensure police and magistrates can access information SEE BLACK GIRLS A5
SARA GOODKIND, one of the four authors of the report.
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to be referred to juvenile justice in Allegheny County BLACK GIRLS FROM A4
on community resources and supports, perhaps via a 24-hour hotline, so that they will not feel they must refer youth to juvenile justice to receive needed supports and services,” the report read. Across the U.S., people are beginning to realize that the criminalization of Black girls is a harsh reality. In a 2018 report from the U.S. Department of Education office for Civil Rights, titled “Discipline Data for Girls in U.S. Public Schools,” Black girls were four times more likely to be arrested and three times more likely to be referred to law enforcement than white girls. Research by the African American Policy Forum and Columbia Law School’s Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies, reported in a USA Today article from May 2019, found that nationally, Black girls are almost six times more likely to get out-ofschool suspension than white girls, and more likely to be suspended multiple times than any other gender or race of student. Earlier this year, a long-form documentary was released about the topic: “PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools,” by Monique W. Morris, Ed.D., and Jacoba Atlas. Morris wrote the highly-acclaimed book of the same name in 2015. Morris also founded the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, an organization that works to transform public discourses on the criminalization of
“The young people caught up in a system that criminalizes adolescent youth are the living manifestation of the schoolto-prison pipeline in this region. Our collaborative work has led us to conclude that we are overpolicing Pittsburgh and Allegheny County youth, especially our Black students, who are disproportionately shouldering the harmful consequences of system involvement.” KATHI ELLIOTT, SARA GOODKIND, GHADAH MAKOSHI, JEFF SHOOK Black women, girls and their families. The documentary features five Black girls from cities such as Miami, Portland and Columbus, Oh., who discuss how they overcame challenges in their schools and the juvenile justice system. “This documentary is an opportunity for the Black community and beyond to finally see that this is not a niche issue and can become a vicious cycle if we do nothing,” Morris has
said. The report from Black Girls Equity Alliance puts a magnifying glass on what’s happening to Black girls here at home. “This review of local data demonstrates that our system is set up such that school police and district magistrates are perpetuating racism and punishing the poverty stemming from that systemic racism,” the report’s authors wrote. “The young people caught up in a system that crim-
inalizes adolescent youth are the living manifestation of the school-to-prison pipeline in this region. Our collaborative work has led us to conclude that we are overpolicing Pittsburgh and Allegheny County youth, especially our Black students, who are disproportionately shouldering the harmful consequences of system involvement.” KATHI ELLIOTT, DNP
The Black Girls Equity Alliance implores school districts to “provide educators with the training and support they need to help, rather than criminalize youth.” The organization outlined three primary ways to accomplish this: Reallocating the funds formerly used for school police to hire additional counselors, social workers and psychologists; Implement a trauma-informed, restorative justice approach in schools; Support school personnel in working with students with disabilities.
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Mt. Lebanon looking for diverse applicants for new DEI committee The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that the Mt. Lebanon Commission is looking for individuals to serve on a newly formed committee which moves Mt. Lebanon forward on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. The committee will be part of the volunteer community relations board. The Mt. Lebanon Commission said it’s looking for diverse applicants. The committee will consist of four working groups: Community Awareness/Community Building; Diversity in Boards and Hiring; Police Engage-
ment; and Mt. Lebanon Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Recognition, Event Planning and Incident Response. The Commission said the most important part of working on the committee is the ability for members to be respectful of differing opinions while working toward solutions. The opinions of the participants will help inform the Commission as it sets municipal policy. To apply, go to mtlebanon.org/DEICommittee Or call 412-343-3400, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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OLDER PEOPLE WITH ACTIVE LIFESTYLES
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Cultural Coach: Elders have something to teach us Dear Cultural Coach: Senior citizens contribute to our society by volunteering, mentoring youth, caring for or raising grandchildren and holding full-time or part-time jobs. So why is it when we see them on TV, in films, or in the news they always seem to be sitting around in senior citizens’ centers socializing or working out? —Older but Wiser Dear Older but Wiser: Make it a rule never to form an opinion about a community or generation based upon how its members are portrayed in the media. Writers, producers and reporters tend to view people and communities through cultural lenses, so we might end up seeing or hearing about a world that reflects journalists’ beliefs and hidden biases. Whether the subject are senior citizens, Southerners, Texans, or gays and lesbians, the media often portrays communities with a broad brush, ignoring the finer details. In such instances, each of us must fill in the missing pieces of information. This is a skill that requires patience and practice. As Americans are living longer, society is struggling to learn how to deal more competently with our agile and surging ranks of elders. Older Americans are joining gyms, enrolling for the first time in college, bungee jumping, running for and get-
ting elected to Congress, creating start-up corporations, sending e-mails and taking computer classes, chasing drug dealers off of urban street corners, campaigning with their dogs in an effort to get people out to vote, feeding the hungry and providing free health care to working people who can’t afford it. This is an impressive resume that any generation could claim with pride. Now I can hear the whispers out there: “OK, Boomer.” I’ll be the first to admit America has a generation gap. I discovered this at work when I attended a reception where jazz music was softly playing in the background. As I’m thinking, “Isn’t this a mellow event,” a young person walks over to me and says: “This music is so boring. I’m about to fall asleep.” In my generation, people who listened to jazz were avant garde. Now we are just old school. OK, so the generations may not like the same movies, or music or books. Still, older Americans are walking, talking libraries of life and history. Life’s lessons, after all, often require great suffering before great success. I asked a few chronologically-gifted people to talk to us. Here’s what they had to say:
Treat senior citizens with respect, but don’t patronize them. Avoid the tone you would use in chatting with a 5-year-old child. Don’t assume that an older person must be hard of hearing. Some older adults complain that younger people often talk loudly and overly enunciate when they converse with them. Remember, not all senior citizens are senile. Offer advice when seniors ask for it or when the situation warrants it, but try not to make it a regular practice. (Seniors, the same advice applies when talking to young people.) A senior’s memories and life’s lessons are also part of the family’s legacy. Instead of complaining about the stories, write them down, videotape them or make an audio tape so generations yet to come
can cherish them. Try to see the beauty and wisdom that age (and youth) bestows. Some elders lament people treating them as though they are invisible. When you look at someone, look at who they are on the inside. Not at skin color, wrinkles or disabilities. If a senior citizen is driving the speed limit, and you are not, don’t get mad at him or her. Rage is best reserved for the lawbreakers, such as yourself. The drivers who speed, tailgate and intimidate other motorists kill people and put others at risk. We should all be honking at you. If you are young, find a senior citizen as an ally, and, if you are old, find a young person to be an ally. Serve as one another’s cultural coach. Friendships between the people from different races and generations help to raise the collective cultural iq of a community. Seek out common ground, and common interests will follow. (Linda S. Wallace is a freelance journalist and communication specialist who helps clients develop cross-cultural messages for the workplace and the media. Readers are invited to submit questions on work or personal problems related to race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or physical differences. Address your questions to culturalcoach@aol.com)
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POISE Foundation awards nearly 90 Black-led organizations more than $900,000 Funding helps Black organizations continue critical services they provide for the community by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier
Over the past seven months, businesses, schools, families and individuals have been going through great trials as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, needs have continued to be met. Churches, community centers, day care centers and other organizations with missions to empower, uplift, and support African American families have carried on. The POISE Foundation in April announced the creation of a fund that would provide support to those organizations. The fund, aptly called the Critical Community Needs Fund—allowed Black-led organizations to continue doing their work and meeting the needs of individuals and families. As of Sept. 25, nearly 90 local organizations have received grants, from $5,000 to $25,000. In an exclusive conversation with the New Pittsburgh Courier, Karris Jackson, Chief Operating Officer at The POISE Foundation, shared: “We are first very grateful to all those who have contributed to the Critical Community Needs Fund. We are happy to be the vehicle for serving these Black-led agencies. What we know for sure is that the organizations and churches we are funding are the REAL heroes; they are on the ground and doing the real work serving our families and we are proud to partner with them.” Jackson also shared that POISE was intentional in making sure the application process was designed so completing it would not pose a barrier for potential applicants. “We knew
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people doing the work—it is them who are finding a way to continue to serve in this time of need, and we want to make that as feasible as possible.” The Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-op (BUGS), started in June 2015 by Raqueeb Bey, received a $25,000 grant. Bey, also the founder of Mamma Africa’s Green Scouts, is deeply involved in the urban agricultural culture in Pittsburgh and she founded BUGS after attending an urban agricul-
MARK LEWIS is President and CEO of The POISE Foundation.
tural meeting for the City of Pittsburgh. “They were making decisions/policy for our community; whiteled organizations had no Black staff, so we were underrepresented—we had no voice at the table, and Black growers were being left out of grants. More than this, our communities were experiencing what we called ‘food apartheids.’ Since the inception, we’ve been able to hire a farm manager, get a large plot of land on Monticello Street, and so much more.”
RAQUEEB BEY, founder of The Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-op. The organization received a $25,000 grant from The POISE Foundation due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Courier photographer Brian Cook Sr.) of our volunteers had to drop off, creating a gap in our ability to work the farm.” Bey said that because of the funds from POISE, “we’ve been able to expand our farm to produce more food, we have been able to identify new volunteers and offer them small stipends, provide PPE equipment to our staff and volunteers and create signage to keep everyone safe and about our protocol. Additionally, we were able to get more tools, and we now have an orchard. The pandemic has caused us to receive more calls for assistance because we are a ‘Teaching Farm’ and the grant has and will allow us to conduct more teaching events.” BUGS now has a vehicle to transport food to the elderly and to others who are shut-in in Homewood through a produce program in partnership with the American Heart Association. King Community Center is located in Garfield and emerged as a community outreach ministry of King of Kings Baptist Church, where Bishop L. C. Carter is the Overseer. With programming that began in 2015, they’ve been their own 501c3 since 2012.
KARRIS JACKSON, Chief Operating Officer at The POISE Foundation: “We knew the reputation of many funding sources having a very complicated and involved application process. Our goal was to eliminate the complications, remove the intimidation and get the money to the people doing the work—it is them who are finding a way to continue to serve in this time of need, and we want to make that as feasible as possible.”
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the reputation of many funding sources having a very complicated and involved application process. Our goal was to eliminate the complications, remove the intimidation and get the money to the
Bey told the Courier that when the pandemic hit, they had to reorganize “how we farm. We lost our farm manager for 14 days because she was high risk and had to quarantine herself early on, and some
They are the recipients of $15,000 in grant money from POISE and will use it to continue their work empowering families and hosting health and wellness workshops.
In a conversation with the Courier, Cassandra Williams, executive director of the center, explained: “The POISE Foundation grant will allow us to increase our level of support to our families, along with strengthening our food distribution program which includes hosting hot meals and fresh produce—this we do in partnership with other agencies such as the Food Bank of Greater Pittsburgh and Eat Initiative. The hot foods distribution will take place up to three times a week, targeting certain families and seniors.” Additionally, King Community Center is now able to expand its Health and Wellness Amid COVID-19 workshop series. Topics include Having a Health and Wellness Regime is Critical, and Survival Planning and Action in Unprecedented Times. “These are just two of the workshops we provide,” Williams said. “We also have a workshop that focuses on gardening and specifically instructing our families (on) how they can grow their own food even if they don’t have yard space—container gardening. The grant funds have blessed us in our efforts to continue to be a blessing in the Garfield community.” Pastors Nathaniel and Jessica Brown are co-founders of 5AELITE. It’s an organization dedicated to strengthening families and empowering children by reversing the impact of trauma by promoting holistic wellness. Brown shared with the Courier that their mission had them to be in the schools, reaching children in their learning environment. “The $8,500 grant from the POISE Foundation will allow us to expand our thinking. Where there is limitation there is creativity,” Jessica Brown said. “Our critical response now is assisting students with embracing their new normal, assist-
ing parents and families in optimizing their goals. We cannot reach them in schools, but we have been able to secure a space outside of school—The Community of Change
CASSANDRA WILLIAMS is executive director of King Community Center in Garfield. King Community Center received an $8,500 grant from The POISE Foundation due to the coronavirus pandemic. in Chartiers, in the West End. In a few weeks we will be in this space— allowing us to provide parent power outside of school.” 5AELITE can support home-schooling, empowering parents to feel equipped to be their student’s primary educator by starting a home-school co-op which will consist of a trauma-informed philosophy. “Additionally,” Jessica Brown told the Courier, “we’ll be set up to create a Home-School Management System. The curriculum will be online where it can be accessed by students and parents alike.” These are just three of the 87 agencies who applied and received Critical Needs Funds from POISE, as of Sept. 25, the Courier has learned exclusively. Some other agencies awarded grants include: Hill Dance Academy Theatre ($10,500); Melanin Mommies Pittsburgh ($5,000); Ozanam Inc. ($5,000); and Pittsburgh Black Nurses In Action ($15,000). The total of all the funds distributed as of Sept. 25 was $921,000.
Raqueeb Bey said that because of the funds from POISE, “we’ve been able to expand our farm to produce more food, we have been able to identify new volunteers and offer them small stipends, provide PPE equipment to our staff and volunteers and create signage to keep everyone safe and about our protocol. Additionally, we were able to get more tools, and we now have an orchard.”
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Dawn Webb-Turner is back where she started, and is loving it Westinghouse graduate returns to school to teach sixth grade by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Dawn R. Webb-Turner is returning to a familiar place. The former third-grade teacher at Pittsburgh Faison is now teaching sixth grade History and Science at Pittsburgh Westinghouse Academy 6-12, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned.
With the coronavirus pandemic, all students are currently learning remotely, but Pittsburgh Public Schools announced recently that in-person instruction could return in early November. Webb-Turner should know the hallways pretty well at Westinghouse—she graduated from there in 1985, and
her father, the legendary coach and teacher George A. Webb Sr., is a Westinghouse and City League institution. Webb-Turner most recently taught at Pittsburgh Allegheny, where she had been stationed for the last 10 years. Richard Morris, with the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and another Westing-
DAWN R. WEBB-TURNER, with her father, coaching legend George A. Webb Sr.
house institution, asked Webb-Turner to come and teach at Westinghouse. “It was a very hard decision at first, but then the more I thought about it, I knew it was only destiny to return home to a place I had been around since I was 2 years old, and later graduated from,” Webb-Turner told the New Pittsburgh Courier exclusively. Webb-Turner plans to finish her teaching career at Westinghouse. Webb-Turner’s daughter, Sahaar Turner Lyles, graduated from Westinghouse in 2011 in the Business and Finance, and Scholar programs. She’s now the communications coordinator for Remake Learning, and owner of her own online magazine business, Nubian Impulse. Webb-Turner has been the president of Our House Development Real Estate Services, LLC, for 15 years. She is very involved with organizing the North Upland Street Block Club and Let’s Clean Up Our House Committee, where youth are taught the importance of picking up trash off the street and maintaining a clean environment. Webb-Turner told the Courier she plans to integrate her entrepreneurial spirit and financial literacy knowledge in her Social Studies classes at Westinghouse. She can teach the students financial literacy, as Webb-Turner was a
DAWN R. WEBB-TURNER bank manager for Three Rivers Bank and later, a business banker for PNC. She also plans to create a curriculum around the Westinghouse Wall of Fame. “It is very important for our youth to really understand the great stories that our beloved school holds beyond sports. If it wasn’t for me becoming a member of the Westinghouse Commission of Recognition, I wouldn’t have known
many of the untold stories. Our stories enable us to see ourselves through our own eyes, narratives, and possibilities,” she said. “I feel that once we take control of our narratives, we will take back the perception of Westinghouse.” Webb-Turner holds a bachelor’s in Science and a master’s degree in Teaching, both from the University of Pittsburgh.
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Trump proposes 1776 Commission to ‘reinstate patriotism’ in schools? J. Pharoah Doss B6
BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2020
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
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Find what you need from jobs to cars to housing B4-5
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Supreme Court decision jeopardizes CFPB’s future, independence (NNPA)—A June 29 U.S. Supreme Court split decision represents a major setback to both the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the consumers who have come to rely upon the agency. Since 2010, more than 25 million consumers were helped by the agency’s efforts that returned over $11 billion. Although the case known as Seila Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, was argued on March 3 of this year, its origins date back to 2017 when Seila
The Court majority argued that CFPB is “unique.” “The CFPB Director has no boss, peers, or voters to report to,” wrote Justice Roberts in the majority opinion and was joined by Associate Justices Sam Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. “Yet the Director wields vast rulemaking, enforcement, and adjudicatory authority over a significant portion of the U. S. economy. The question before us is whether this arrangement violates the Constitution’s sep-
Charlene Crowell
READJUSTING
Commentary Law, a California-based debt relief firm, asked the CFPB to set aside a civil investigative demand (CID) that sought information to determine whether it was engaged in illegal debt relief practices. CFPB declined to set aside the CID and turned to a California federal court to pursue its interests. In response, Seila Law restated its challenge of the independence of the agency’s Director who could only be removed by a President for cause, seeking to have the entire agency abolished as unconstitutional.” The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision refuted CFPB’s hallmark: its independent Director. By allowing for an agency Director to be removed for any reason, it now becomes possible for partisan interests to influence whether or not a full, 5-year term of office enshrined in the law will occur, or that powerful corporations will be held accountable.
aration of powers…“We therefore hold that the structure of the CFPB violates the separation of powers,” continued the Chief Justice …The agency may therefore continue to operate, but its Director, in light of our decision, must be removable by the President at will.” The creation of an independent consumer agency was the legislative intent defined in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. Enacted in the aftermath of the worst financial crisis since that of the 1930s Great Depression, CFPB assumed direct responsibility for financial oversight and enforcement on a range of consumer issues that included mortgages, small dollar loans, student debt, credit cards and more. This agency authority included the rights to conduct investigations, issue subpoenas and civil investigative demands, initiate administrative SEE INDEPENDENCE B2
Managing the finances of your business in today’s economy by BlackPressUSA As a small business owner, the effects of the pandemic may have taken a tremendous toll on your financial picture. Now, as you continue down the road to recovery, you can count on Wells Fargo for the information you need to make more informed and confident decisions. What are the benefits of developing a relationship with a banker? One of the best perks of getting to know your banker is the ability to get help tailored to your business as your needs continue to evolve over time. Whether participating in a government loan program or deferring payments on an existing loan, having someone who knows your business and understands your goals makes all the difference. And in times of crisis a dedicated banker helps ensure you’re up to date on changes as quickly as possible, addressing your individual questions and concerns. What are my options in terms of federal loans and grants? There are many newly developed
programs for businesses to access much needed financing. The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers many options to help businesses through COVID-19, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). If you received a PPP loan, keep tabs on how you spent the funds. This will make it easier to sort out potential loan forgiveness or repayment terms when the time comes. Other loan options offered by the SBA include Debt Relief, Express Bridge Loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) designed to help you through economic challenges. You can also review options through the Federal Reserve. Their Main Street Lending Program offers various high-dollar loans with deferred interest. How can I access additional capital? Our new Open for Business program supports Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) nonprofits to provide support to small business owners who were hit hardest by the pandemic. Through this program, we’re donating $400 million in PPP
processing fees to support minority-owned small businesses. CDFI’s are the fastest solution to getting funds in the hands of small businesses who need it most. Contact your local Small Business Development Center to find out more options for grants at the city and state level. What can I do to pivot my business to increase cashflow? You’ve most likely already made some modifications to how your business operates. We suggest identifying new revenue streams and adjusting your services based on your customers’ current needs. Consider expanding your online footprint to be more accessible, or cut unnecessary costs. It’s wise to prepare for unpredictability by staying in touch with trends that will impact your business. It’s also helpful to measure and track the effectiveness of any operational changes. (To learn more ways we can help you stay Open For Business, visit the Wells Fargo Small Business Resource Center at: smallbusinessresources.wf.com)
How to invest with confidence You panic when there’s news of a down market. You assume that your investment portfolio is doing well when there’s news of a thriving economy. You may be one of those people that shy away from investing or you invest ultra conservatively because you’re afraid that you’ll lose all your hard-earned money. You may be one of those people who hired an investment advisor and hope that the advisor is leading you in the right direction. I’m not going to give you a hot stock tip. As a matter of fact, I think that investing in individual stocks is a bad idea for my target readership—hard-working, upwardly mobile ordinary people looking to beat debt, save for future goals and retire rich. Instead, I’m going to share some basic fundamentals about investing. In this article you’ll find simple time-proven practical information that will help you become a confident investor. This isn’t a complete self-help guide to investing. This advice will help you save time, money and frustration whether you choose to work with an investment broker or if you choose to go at it alone. Below you’ll find eight key points that will make you a more confident investor: Objective—Every dollar saved and every dollar invested should have a clear definitive purpose or goal. You could be saving for emergencies, down payment on a home, retirement, college, new car, and/or vacation. Your objective can be whatever you want it to be. It’s simply important that you have a definitive goal. By establishing a purpose, it helps to determine where you’ll save and how much you need to save. Time Horizon—Now that you have a goal, you’re accumulating money to reach your goal. When will you need to access
the money to fulfill your goal? If you’ll need to access the money in the next five years, it’s not safe to tie this money up in investments at all. You’re better off placing this money in safe conservative saving accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, or money market mutual fund accounts. These types of accounts are also known as cash equivalents because they’re relatively safe and easily accessible. If you won’t need this money for five years or greater, you can consider investing in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds. Saving for retirement and other long-term saving goals is a little different. Although you may access the money in the next five years, your retirement can last 30 or more years. As a result, you’ll want to keep this money invested in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds. However, you can consider being a little more conservative within your mutual fund holdings. Risk Tolerance—It’s important that you’re able to sleep at night and not be overwhelmed with the up and down swings of the market. Would you consider yourself a conservative, moderate, or an aggressive investor? A financial game plan, accurate knowledge, and a diversified investment portfolio will help you to better cope with and understand risk. Diversification—Invest with mutual funds exclusively. A sure-fire way to minimize risk in your investment portfolio is to have your money spread around in
various places. Mutual funds offer many benefits to the common investor. Its major benefit is that it allows you to take advantage of being invested in hundreds to thousands of different companies. If you have mutual funds that hold 500 companies in its portfolio, it’s highly unlikely that all 500 will rise, fall, or go belly-up at the same time. People who lose their life savings in the stock market do so because they’re heavily weighted in individual stocks. Employees of companies like Enron whose entire retirement portfolio went down the drain did so because they were heavily weighted in Enron stocks. If they would have held mutual funds with 500 or more companies in its portfolio and Enron was one of those companies, the losses derived from Enron would have been offset by the other 499 companies who remained stable and/or growing. Asset Allocation—The biggest decision you’ll make that impacts your return on investment is not which mutual fund you select. It’s how your investment is allocated between stock, bonds, and cash equivalents. Stocks are riskier than bonds. Stocks have also been more rewarding than bonds over an extended period of time. According to Ibbotson, an independent research firm, stocks have an average rate of return 12 percent over the past 100 years, whereas bonds have an average rate of return of 6 percent over the same time span. Cash equivalents averaged right around 3 percent. The more your portfolio is weighted toward stock,
the higher your rate of return will be. Track Record—Before selecting a mutual fund, you want to look at its track record. The longer the mutual fund has been in existence, the longer the track record you can obtain. At a minimum you want to purchase mutual funds that have a five-year track record or better. A track record will give you a history of how well the mutual fund performed over the years. You can obtain unbiased information detailing the track record along with other details about mutual funds from Morningstar. Morningstar is one of the largest independent firms that rate mutual funds and other investment vehicles. Dollar Cost Averaging—As opposed to trying to time the market or investing a large lump sum, it’s better to systematically investment money at regular time intervals over an extended period of time regardless of the fluctuation of the market. This allows you to buy more mutual fund shares when prices are down and allows you to buy fewer shares when prices are high. Those who contribute to company sponsored retirement plans with each paycheck are practicing dollar cost averaging. Expense Ratio—The expense ratio details the cost that you’re paying for a mutual fund. Operating fees and marketing expenses are all factored into the expense ratio. Loads or sales commissions are not. The average expense ratio is 1.6 percent. This works out to cost $16 per year for every $1,000 account value. I consider an expense ratio 1.0 percent or lower to be fair. A lower expense ratio means more of your money working for you. (Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached at 412-216-1013 or visit his website @ www.damonmoneycoach.com.)
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BUSINESS
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2020
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
The United States Postal Service delivers much more than mail by Ray Curry For New Pittsburgh Courier
America’s Postal service has been an essential institution that has connected every one of us as Americans even before we were a nation independent of Great Britain. The most American of traditions Benjamin Franklin was appointed our first Postmaster General in 1775. This democratic treasure, which has proven as reliable as it has self-sufficient, was a model for how government service should work. Its rich history is America’s history of adaptability, ingenuity and grit. Franklin used the system to get mail from Congress to our armies during the Revolution. In 1823, the service started using waterways to deliver mail, then began using railroads and in 1847 saw the first issued stamps. The famous Pony Express took up the task in 1860. By 1896, the service began delivering to some rural addresses, so people did not have to go to the town post office for their mail anymore. By 1923, all houses were required to have a mail slot. And in 1963, zip codes were introduced. Also very American, a 1970 strike by organized labor led to an even more efficient operation and the Postal Reorganization Act that established the United States Postal Service as we know it today. And true to its roots, the revitalized United States Postal Service (USPS) knew how to make a buck. The reorganization legislation called for the phasing out of the post office’s direct government subsidies by 1983. The post office has been operating without any taxpayer money since then. In fact, as recent as the start of this century, from 20032006, and despite the advent of email and stiff competition from companies like UPS and FedEx, the post office reported a 9.3 billion profit. I would say that is a pretty decent business model. But then HR 6407 came along in 2007. The act mandated that the post office calculate its retiree pension and healthcare costs for the next 75 years, including workers to come, and set aside enough over the next 10 years to cover them. An article appearing in Business Insider put the impact of the requirement this way: “To put this in perspective, that’d be like you only working from age 18 to 28 and then expecting to live on that income until you were 103 years old.” What would Ben Franklin say? Needless to say, the bill and its contents have proven devastating. The long and the short of it has meant that the USPS has had to contribute about $5.6 billion a year for people who had not yet retired, in addition to the amount for current retirees. No business is forced to operate like this, and I dare to add that no business could operate like this. Also, the new bill took away
THE POSTAL SERVICE provides the only service that guarantees delivery to every American, which makes it especially crucial for rural areas and small towns that are too costly for private companies like FedEx or UPS to deliver to. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA) the ability for the post office to set prices. First-class mail, marketing mail, and other post office products have all been tied to the consumer price index, and therefore the post office could not increase rates for those products above the rate of inflation. All told, the post office has incurred a loss of $78 billion from 2007 through 2019 and owes $55 billion related to its future pension and health benefit obligations. Add in lost revenue related to COVID-19 and politically charged controversies over reductions in equipment and attendant slowdowns, the USPS is now in dire straits. Shall we really allow this most American of institutions to fail through no fault of its own? It is unthinkable for it not to survive. It is unthinkable to rely solely on private companies for such critical services. It is truly a dagger in the heart of our American heritage. Of immediate consequence, consider the impact to mail recipients during this pandemic. The USPS handles 1.2 billion prescription drug deliveries each year. The service also transports millions of lab tests and essential medical supply shipments. It ensures that checks and payments arrive to keep small businesses operating. It helps seniors receive household items, social security and Medicare checks. And communications from family and friends from far away have been delivered on time, through as they say “rain, sleet and snow.” Since the emergence of COVID-19, USPS workers have been on the front lines, delivering millions of personal protective equipment and vital supplies to hospitals.
They’ve made sure shelters, food banks, and businesses have the supplies they need. In addition, they’ve made deliveries to home-bound, highly susceptible individuals. Needed now more than ever The notion to privatize the USPS is a truly un-American idea and could not come at a worse time. The recession we are experiencing due to the coronavirus is hitting Black Americans much harder than White Americans, with Blacks nearly three times more likely to be hospitalized for Covid-19 and their unemployment rate at 14.6 percent compared with 9.2 percent for Whites. The Postal Service provides the only service that guarantees delivery to every American, which makes it especially crucial for rural areas and small towns that are too costly for private companies like FedEx or UPS to deliver to. Privatizing the service would add to the expense of crucial deliveries at a time when we are more and more relying on deliveries to receive our daily needs. Then think about the importance of the post office in ensuring that the people’s will in our democracy will be accurately and duly noted. In November, the postal service will play a crucial role in allowing Americans across our land and in foreign countries to cast their vote in our upcoming Presidential election. So many of us will be turning to the USPS to deliver our ballots safely and securely. And please also think of the USPS and those in its employ. The postal service has delivered a solid, secure, middle class lifestyle to a more than 600,000 workers and to an es-
pecially high number of Latino and African Americans. In the case of African Americans, when Congress passed a law just after the Civil War that ended the Whites only hiring practice for postal jobs, the postal service became a haven of good jobs offering secure wages, benefits, and civil service protections. Today, African Americans make up 27 percent of the Postal Service a rate more than double that of the national labor force. Coupled with our government’s anti-discrimination policies, the USPS has made the American Dream possible, even when racial discrimination put up walls in other areas of work. And privatization, I would argue, is un-American for another reason. It is yet another attempt at union busting. Both the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), which represents primarily non-rural letter carriers employed by USPS as well as the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), which represents postal clerks, mail processors and sorters, building and equipment maintenance, custodial workers, truck drivers and others employed by USPS, would be in serious jeopardy. We must secure this most American of all American institutions. Demand that we save the USPS Fortunately, there is a way forward. The Delivery for America Act (H.R. 8015) can help make this happen. This legislation will deliver urgently needed funds to the postal service and reverse detrimental policy changes that are currently restricting postal workers’ ability to deliver mail and packages on time.
The Act has passed the House of Representatives. The Senate must follow suit immediately. Across the nation, delivery of mail has slowed dramatically due to the Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s recent decisions. Eliminating overtime and cutting down on late trips has created massive mail backlogs, leading to late deliveries of critical prescription medications and threatening the integrity of the upcoming November election. This bill would help address the backlog by remedying the impact of these policies and prohibiting “any change that would have the effect of delaying, deferring, or curtailing mail, allowing for the non-delivery of mail to a delivery route, or increasing the volume of undelivered mail.” The Delivery for America Act appropriates the $25 billion that the USPS requested to sustain the level of service all Americans depend on. Efforts to shrink the postal service would disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities, women and veterans more than others. In addition, as of 2018, more than 100,000 military veterans are employed by the USPS. We MUST protect postal workers’ jobs. And we MUST ensure a safe and secure election. In the coming weeks, voters across the country will prepare to exercise their civic duty to elect their government, and Congress must do everything in its power to ensure that voters will be able to do so safely. For our citizens, for our democracy, for our livelihoods… We must support the USPS in every way we can. (Ray Curry is Secretary-Treasurer, UAW)
Supreme Court decision jeopardizes CFPB’s future, independence INDEPENDENCE FROM B1
adjudications, prosecute civil actions in federal court, and issue binding decisions in administrative proceedings. The dissenting opinion written by Justice Elena Kagan was joined by Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, and Sonya Sotomayor. “Throughout the Nation’s history, this Court has left most decisions about how to structure the Executive Branch to Congress and the President, acting through legislation they both agree to. In particular, the Court has commonly allowed those two branches to create zones of administrative independence by limiting the President’s power to remove agency heads… If precedent were any guide, that provision would have survived its encounter with this Court—and so would the intended independence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.” “The Court today fails to respect its proper role,” continued the dissenting opinion. “It recognizes that this Court has approved limits on the President’s removal power over heads of agencies much like the CFPB. Agencies possessing similar powers, agencies charged
with similar missions, agencies created for similar reasons… Congress and the President established the CFPB to address financial practices that had brought on a devastating recession and could do so again. Today’s decision wipes out a feature of that agency its creators thought fundamental to its mission—a measure of independence from political pressure.” It is noteworthy that while the case was under Supreme Court review, the current CFPB Director, made no effort to explain or defend the agency. In the remaining few months in the current Congress, consumer advocates must now heighten their watchful role to ensure that as many other agency responsibilities can be preserved and pursued as legislatively intended. Many reacted swiftly and directly. “Though the consumer bureau remains intact, it is worrisome that the Court weakened its political independence from the preferences of any one administration or the political pressure of large financial institutions,” said Diane Standaert, Director of the Hope Policy Institute, a nonprofit focused on under-served communities of color and other low-income households. “As laid bare by COVID, the
underlying disparities in access to safe financial services creates the foundation for disparities in economic opportunity, particularly for communities of color.” “The CFPB was created after the Great Recession to protect Americans from unscrupulous businesses that have too much power to wreak havoc on the public,” said Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Senior Director of Federal Consumer Programs “Now, the Supreme Court has agreed with the CFPB’s director, who actively worked with the Trump administration and a debt collection law firm, of all things, to undermine the Bureau’s independence from politically-connected special interests.” “The Seila decision therefore leaves the CFPB intact but weakens the Director’s independence, making it more likely that the Director will hesitate to cross the financial industry players that have the ear of the President — as has happened repeatedly under the current leadership of the CFPB,” noted Lauren Saunders, the Associate Director of the National Consumer Law Center. “We have seen in this Administration how agency heads who dare to express
independent views have been shortlived, and it is unfortunate that the consumer watchdog has lost the critical independence that Congress gave it when addressing the fallout from the 2008 financial crisis,” added Saunders. “Nonetheless, the CFPB survives as an agency with the rest of its critical consumer protection tools intact, and it will be up to the current and future CFPB directors to resist political pressure to favor corporations over consumers.” “The Supreme Court’s decision to defang the CFPB’s for-cause removal provision will render the agency less effective and leave consumers vulnerable to bad actors on Wall Street,” said Will Corbett, Litigation Director with the Center for Responsible Lending. “Predatory lenders and their allies in Congress have consistently tried without merit to weaken CFPB’s independence for political reasons. Today, the majority of the U.S. Supreme Court has joined in that effort, ensuring financial damage for consumers for years to come,” Corbett concluded.
(Charlene Crowell is a Senior Fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)
OPINION
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2020
B3
Two friends gone
Guest Commentary
Trump brands Black U.S. Senator to crime and avoids denouncing violence By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA)—On August 18, speaking at an event at the White House, President Trump said, “The suburban voter, the suburban housewife, women and men living in the suburbs, they want security and they want safety. They don’t want to have their American dream fulfilled and then have a low-income housing process built right next to their house or in the neighborhood... That’s not part of the deal.” On August 31, with 62 days until Election Day, Trump said, “Westchester was ground zero for what they were trying to do. They were trying to destroy the suburban beautiful place—the American dream really. They want low income housing and with that comes a lot of other problems including crime, may not be nice to say but, there is a level of violence. So, you have this beautiful community in the suburbs including women right— they want security. I end it where they build low income housing projects right in the middle of your neighborhood. I ended it. If Biden gets in, he already said it’s going to go at a much higher rate than before. You know who is going to be in charge of it? Cory Booker, that’s gonna be nice OK.” Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey represents and lives in Newark. In recent days since the end of the Republican Convention, Trump has made his 2020 election strategy clear: He will attempt to scare White suburban women. Barely trying to conceal his consistent racism, Trump appeared to be attempting to get White suburban voters to vote for him by using fear and channeling various stereotypes about violence, crime and poverty. During the week of the Republican convention fear was a reoccurring theme that never left the stage. Trump has steadfastly avoiding being critical of the recent violence seen in Wisconsin after Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha Police Officer. In August 2017, days after a racist rally in Charlottesville of neo-Nazis resulted in the murder of Heather Heyer and the inadvertent deaths of two Virginia State Troopers responding, Trump said, “I watched those very closely, much more closely than you people watched it. And you have—you had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent, and nobody wants to say that, but I’ll say it right now. You had a group—you had a group on the other side that came charging in without a permit, and they were very, very violent.” At the time, White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was on staff at the White House. The turmoil in Charlottesville was just a precursor of what was to come. In only the last six months, Trump has mishandled a deadly pandemic that has led to the deaths of over 180,000 Americans. The U.S. now leads the world in the number of deaths. Trump’s use of fear in an attempt to win the White House easily surpasses recent Republican presidents who have marketed “law and order” and other tag phrases to stoke fear in the minds of White suburbanites. Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon and George Wallace used similar southern strategy tactics to get White voters galvanized. But no one has gone as far as Trump has in stoking fear and inciting violence. Trump’s consistent reliance on controversy, fear and race baiting is likely to get worse in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election.
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Cancer is not our friend! In one month, it has taken two awesome friends who, given their accomplishments, had the potential for more valuable contributions. Their loss is significant during these chaotic times. Characterized as geriatric, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a youthful 87-year-old—in spirit and heart. She didn’t accept the status quo or abandon her principles because “things were always that way.” She had the heart of a warrior and battled against the retrenchment of regressive conservatism in the political mainstream. She did not live a privileged life devoid of gender discrimination. She rejected gender superiority. Like most women of her generation, she endured, yet rejected, the stereotypes of female intemperance and unsuitability for occupations commonly perceived as men’s work. She used her legal acumen to attack long-established barriers to female access. She saw value and worth in all human beings and worked energetically to remove cultural and societal barriers. Her understanding of gender discrimination informed her understanding of racial discrimination. When SCOTUS declared Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional and relieved states with historically racially discriminatory practices of preclearance requirements for changes to voting laws, Justice Ginsburg famously stated, “The sad irony of today’s de-
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
Commentary cision lies in its utter failure to grasp why the VRA has proven effective… Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.” At 43, Chadwick Boseman was on the opposite end of the age continuum as Justice Ginsburg. He had just begun making his mark on the palette of the American culture. His body-of-work gives preview to the extent of our loss in his future efforts. In both 42 and Marshall, he provided a realistic look at the challenges and triumphs of Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall, navigating racism indigenous to the “Land of the Free.” I was riveted to his portrayal of James Brown in Get on Up in which the physicality of his performance was a wonder to behold. Although Chadwick routinely performed at a superior level and, predictably, would only get better, his real contribution to our community and the world was his portrayal of King T’Challa of the fictional nation of Wakanda in the film Black Pan-
ther. It was truly a matter of wonder to see the growing anticipation and excitement in OUR community before release of the movie. His T’Challa was a depiction of a Black male projecting positive, uplifting behaviors. These depictions gave many— young and old—a sense of pride and hope, and the confidence to strive for a more fruitful future. Chadwick’s greatest achievement would be after his death when we learned of his medical challenges and the grace and strength with which he faced them in the final four years of his life. Making ten films in the span of his illness, his deportment defied the ravages of the disease. He left nothing on the table; he lived using God-given talents to live his best life. Please go online and view his Howard University commencement speech. We glimpse a measure of the fortitude in his character and the strength he shared with us—even when we were unaware! My two subjects fought differently but acted in common to reject wasted time and procrastination. They acted with courage and conviction for purposes higher than themselves. Rather than allowing disease to consume them, they used their talents to serve as exemplars for the larger community. They consumed the time they were given to be their best selves. In this time of chaos and uncertainty, we would be well-served to live with the same commitment to humanity. (Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women.)
Grand Jury decision is glaring example of America’s two-tiered justice system (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“The rallying cries that have been echoing throughout the nation have been once again ignored by a justice system that claims to serve the people. But when a justice system only acts in the best interest of the most privileged and whitest among us, it has failed. For the sake of Breonna Taylor, for the sake of justice, and for the sake of all Americans, law enforcement agencies and their representatives throughout the country need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Is this who you are? Is this the example you want to set for the rest of the world and for future generations?”—Benjamin Crump, attorney representing Breonna Taylor’s family Perversion of justice is too feeble a term to describe the decision of a grand jury in Louisville not to file even a single criminal charge related to Breonna Taylor’s death. The barrage of gunfire that endangered Breonna’s neighbors is the very same gunfire that took Breonna’s life. The grand jury’s decision that the risk of injuring neighbors is a crime but the actual killing of an innocent young woman is not defies comprehension. Grand juries respond to the evidence presented to them by prosecutors; because the proceedings are secret, we don’t know what the jurors were told and what was withheld from them. Witnesses are questioned only by the prosecutor, and there is no one to challenge inconsistencies in their statements or cross-examine them. The tragedy of Breonna Taylor’s death is likely to go down in history as one of the most glaring examples of the two-tiered system of justice we have in the United States in 2020— one for White Americans and another for Black people. Kentucky is a Castle Doctrine state and has a “stand your ground” law. But when Breonna’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker—a licensed gun owner with no criminal record—exercised his right under Kentucky law to de-
Marc H. Morial
To Be Equal fend himself and Breonna, he was charged immediately with attempted murder. There is no earthly reason to doubt that he believed a home invasion was in progress and their lives were at stake. He immediately telephoned 911, crying and pleading for help. The White officers who smashed their way into the home and returned Kenneth’s single shot with a flurry of deadly and reckless gunfire, are absolved. That’s the justice system for White America. If not for the sustained pressure of activists and protesters, Kenneth would still be in jail. That’s the justice system for Black America. Endangering neighbors with gunfire is a crime. That’s the justice system for White America. Fatally shooting an innocent woman is not a crime. That’s the justice system for Black America. When White shooters who live in a “stand your ground” state claim self-defense in the death of a Black person, 36 percent are ruled justifiable homicides. That’s the justice system for White America. When Black shooters claim self-defense in cases involving the deaths of White people in these same states, just 3 percent are ruled justifiable homicides. That’s the justice system for Black America. In February in Georgia, father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael, who are White, fatally shot 25-yearold jogger Ahmaud Arbery, who is Black, after running him down in their truck. The prosecutor in charge of the case immediately determined the gunmen were justified under
Georgia’s citizen arrest and self-defense laws It wasn’t until May, after the New York Times shone light on the case and video of the killing emerged, that the pair were criminally charged. Attorney Robert Patillo, executive director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Peachtree Street Project in Georgia, told NBC News, “Let’s say Arbery was a 19-year-old cheerleader named Lily White, running down the street. Two or three Black men hopped in a pickup truck and the chase ended when they shot Lilly White down on tape. I ask you, who among us believes seriously we would be having a conversation, any kind of debate, about whether they should be charged, will be tried or convicted?” Would police have filed attempted murder charges against a White man who fired on intruders who burst into his home, smashing the door off its hinges? Would police even have sought, or been granted a “no knock” warrant for Breonna’s apartment had Breonna been White? Such warrants, which allow police to enter without declaring themselves, are reserved for targets who are a known danger. Neither Breonna nor Walker had criminal records. The grand jury’s decision was all the more disheartening for the six months Breonna’s family has waited for justice. It is hard not to give in to despair. In his most famous speech, Martin Luther King Jr., called despair both a valley and a mountain. He encouraged us not to wallow in that valley, and to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. Our protests and our advocacy have not been in vain. They have shone a light on injustice. They pressured prosecutors to drop the unjust charges against Kenneth Walker. The criminal justice system may continue to discriminate against men and women of color, but it no longer does so in the shadows.
(Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA.)
Letter to the Editor
Trump is running scared, very scared Founded 1910
Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher Allison Palm
Rob Taylor Jr.
Jeff Marion
Office Manager
Managing Editor
Circulation Consultant
John. H. Sengstacke
Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)
Dear Editor: On September 18, Trump was in the news carping there is too much emphasize on the history of American slavery in U.S. public education. And he intends to convene some sort of commission to stop it, when and if he is re-elected. On the one hand, this is obviously another Trump tactic to distract attention from the major concerns before the nation, such as the coronavirus pandemic, that he has no logical plans to address and tries, in vain, to evade. But Trump is running scared in 2020. He is terrified. Foremost on
his mind is the nightmare that he will be prosecuted if he loses the White House come November 3. So, his recent plan to apparently burn the history books on U.S. slavery is another race card tactic to rally the white electorate that voted for him in 2016. In 2016, Trump was on the offensive strutting, clowning, and red-necking. He said with a grin he planned to take a long vacation at Mar-A-Lago if he lost his bid for the White House. Now, he must defend his 45 months of chaos and treachery, and should he lose in 2020 he may end
up in the jailhouse. Between now and November 3 Trump has boxed himself in a corner, and he can only move further and further toward the racist reactionary right. At some point between now and November 3, terrified and desperate Donald Trump may go to one of his Mar-A-Lago closets, dress up in one of the honorary KKK robes he surely must own, and campaign in it. Look for that. Fred Logan Pittsburgh
New Pittsburgh Courier
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WOMEN’S CENTER & SHELTER OF GREATER PITTSBURGH (WC&S) is a comprehensive domestic violence program serving adult and child survivors of domestic violence & facilitating intervention groups to men who batter. WC&S is hiring two Education Facilitators to provide evidence-based violence prevention curricula in high school environments. WC&S offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package. Go to wcspittsburgh.org for more details. Send a resume and cover letter to careers@wcspittsburgh.org by October 7, 2020. MEMBERSHIP MANAGER •Full-time exempt management position •Bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years of successful professional annual giving fundraising experience including financial analysis/budgeting experience, donor acquisition, retention, upgrading and renewal programs •Experience managing a membership and donor database, preferably Raiser’s Edge •Full range of benefits including healthcare, 403(b), vision, dental and PTO days Send resume’ to: badams@thefrickpittsburgh.org We are an Equal Opportunity Employer
DIRECTOR, DATA ENGINEERING American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.’s Pittsburgh, PA, office seeks a Director, Data Engineering to lead and foster growth of a high performing team of data experts and advancing our techniques and toolset to continuously improve performance, flexibility and integrity of our data assets. Send CV with cover letter, references, and salary requirements to: American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., Attn: Sarah Lauterbach, Re: Director, Data Engineering, 77 Hot Metal Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. FACILITIES MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN, ADJUNCT INSTRUCTORS (DAY AND EVENING) C.A.D., CULINARY, ELECTRICIAN, WELDING, AND HVAC/R Pittsburgh Technical College is seeking qualified applicants for the following positions: •Housekeeping, P.T. Evenings, work experience in related field. •Facilities Maintenance, F.T. Experience Four years f.t. work experience in related field •C.A.D. Instructors for AET& MET Programs Associate degree required, Bachelor’s preferred •Culinary and Pastry Chef Instructors Associate degree required, Bachelor’s preferred ACF, CCE, or CEC preferred but not required •Electrician Instructor Electrician journeyman experience or licensure required •HVAC/R Instructor, EPA Universal Certification required Must pass criminal background check. Immediate opening at our North Fayette campus near Robinson Towne Center. Apply to www.ptcollege.edu (Employment with PTC) or www.workforptcollege.com . EOE M/F SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking the following Substitute Teacher Positions: High School Math High School Physics High/Middle School Computer Science High School Business, Computer and Inform Technology High School Biology/Chemistry High School Biology High School Special Education Middle School English Language Arts/Social Studies Middle School Science Middle School English Language Arts Middle School Math/Science Intermediate School Art Application Deadline 4:00 PM, October 1, 2020 Complete job descriptions are available at: www.southfayette.org EOE SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Application Deadline 4:00 PM, October 1, 2020 Complete job description available at: www.southfayette.org EOE JANITORIAL POSITION Clean Medical Office, North Shore Area, Mon-Fri (6PM - 9PM)-$12.00 Hr., Background Check Performed. Must be experienced Call 412-795-1395
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Estate of WENDEREUSZ NANCY J. AKA WENDEREUSZ NANCY JANE, Deceased of Harrison Township, Estate No. 03180 of 2020, Larry P. Wendereusz Admin. 225 1st Street, Evans City, PA 16033, or to Michael J. Saldamarco, Esq., Ste. 100, 908 Perry Hwy. Pittsburgh, PA 15229 Estate of MS.MARIAN JANE KONTER, Deceased of 108 Western Avenue, Moon Township, PA 15108. Estate No. 02-2004181, Mr. Harold J. Konter, 108 Western Avenue, Moon Township, PA 15108, Administrator, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Estate of DOLORES J. HARTY, Deceased of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Estate No. 02-20-04016, Kevin J. Podurgiel, Executor, 136 Knox Street, Bridgeville, PA 15017 or to ROBIN L. RARIE, Atty. BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of MS. MARIA D. FORGIONE, Deceased of 538 Maple Street, East Pittsburgh, PA 15112. Estate No. 02-13-04220, Ms. Janet Wei, 103 Backbone Road, Sewickley, PA 15143, Administratrix, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Estate of PATRICIA ANN PAPPATERRA A/K/A PATRICIA A. PAPPATERRA , Deceased of McKees Rocks, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Estate No. 02-20-04148, John Edward Pappaterra, Executor, 3175 E. Winged Foot Drive, Chandler, AZ 85249 or to TODD A. FULLER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of KENT G. TAYLOR, SR., Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA. Estate No. 04043 of 2020, Raja Taylor, Administratrix, 220 Seneca Street, Turtle Creek, PA 15145 or to Thelma C. Spells, Esquire Atty. 1533 Bidwell Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15233
ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY The Community College Board of Trustees will hold a meeting on October 1, 2020. Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the meeting will be held virtually beginning at 4:00p.m. and streamed on CCAC’s YouTube page at: https:// w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / c h a n n e l / UCHredThkcovF-8JzeHw8g_A. A copy of the Agenda for the Board meeting will be made available for review on the College’s website (www.ccac.edu) on September 28, 2020. Comments regarding items scheduled for action by the Board may be submitted via email to brichardson@ccac.edu by no later than 3:00 p.m. on the date of the meeting. Comments will be read into the record, up to a maximum of three minutes each.
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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH PUBLIC NOTICE OF REVISED PAYMENT STANDARD The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP), in accordance with federal law and regulation, is proposing revisions to its Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standard Schedule. The revised 2021 Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Payment Standard Schedule is available for review and comment from September 21, 2020 to October 20, 2020 on the HACP Web Site: www.hacp.org. Printed copies of the revised payment schedule can be obtained by contacting the HACP Executive Office at 412-4565012. A Public Hearing to receive public comments on the revised 2021 HACP Payment Standard Schedule will be held on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. via Zoom: 10:00 a.m. via zoom: Meeting ID: 951 7225 1024 Passcode: 490733 (US) 1-301-715-8592 Passcode: 490733 5:00 p.m. via zoom: Meeting ID: 993 8466 5386 Passcode: 419474 (US) 1-301-715-8592 Passcode: 419474 Written comments on the proposed revisions to the HACP Payment Standard must be addressed to: “Attention: HACP Payment Standard Schedule” at HACP Housing Choice Voucher Department, 200 Ross Street, 7th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 and must be received by October 20, 2021. Once approved, the final revised HACP Payment Standard Schedule will be effective…. If you are a person with disability and need an alternate means of reviewing this information, please contact the Disability Compliance Office at 412-456-5282 to discuss the options available.
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Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Public Notice of Revised Flat Rent Schedule The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP), in accordance with federal law and regulation, is proposing revisions to its Low Income Public Housing Flat Rent Schedule. The revised 2021 HACP Flat Rent Schedule is available for review and comment from Oct. 1, 2020 to Oct. 30, 2020 on the HACP Web Site: www.hacp.org; Copies of the 2021 Flat Rent Schedule can be obtained by contacting the HACP Executive Office at 412-456-5012. A Public Hearing to receive public comments on the revised 2021 HACP Flat Rent Schedule will be held on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. via Zoom: 10:00 a.m. via zoom: Meeting ID: 925 6435 0010 Passcode: 005128 (US) 1-301-715-8592 Passcode: 005128 5:00 p.m. via zoom: Meeting ID: 925 3292 2634 Passcode: 596130 (US) 1-301-715-8592 Passcode: 596130 Written comments on the HACP Flat Rent Schedule must be addressed to 2021 HACP Flat Rent Schedule. Comments must be received by close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Oct. 30, 2020 and sent to the following e-mail address: michelle.ralston@hacp.org or call 412-456-5075. Once approved, the final revised HACP Flat Rent Schedule will be effective Jan.1, 2021. Persons with disabilities requiring assistance or alternative formats, or wishing to submit comments in alternative formats, can contact the HACP ADA/504 Coordinator at 412456-5020, Extension 2504; TTY 412-201-5384. All other questions should be addressed to the Executive Office at 412-456-5012.
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PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org). Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 a.m. on October 15, 2020 and will be read at 11:15 a.m., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information for the Bid Opening), for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)
Bid Number B200871A B200972A B200973A B200974A
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Bid Name Fire Alarm System Testing & Certification Cummins ISB Engine Parts Track Switch Heaters Non Destructive Testing of Rail
No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 a.m. on September 29, 2020. Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing. Port Authority of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. The Board of Port Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids. PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org). Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 a.m. on October 7, 2020 and will be read at 11:15 a.m., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information for the Bid Opening), for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)
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Bid Number B200868AR
Bid Name Microsoft Enterprise Agreement
No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 a.m. on September 24, 2020. Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing. Port Authority of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award. The Board of Port Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
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LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 20-10 Port Authority of Allegheny County (Authority) is requesting proposals for the performance of the following service (“Contract Services”): FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES The work under the proposed Agreements consists of financial advisory services (Contract Services) with a pool of two firms for each category listed which shall include, but not be limited to: 1) Financial and Strategic Planning Services and 2) Debt and Investment Management Advisory Services. While it is currently the Authority’s intention to enter into agreements with a pool of two firms for each category, this number may be adjusted up of down, at Authority’s sole discretion, based upon the number of proposals received and the Authority’s evaluation of same in relation to its financial advisory services needs in each of the categories. A Proposer may submit a single proposal for one or both of the above identified categories. The required Contract Services will be issued on a work order basis as they are approved to proceed by Authority. The Agreements will be for a threeyear period with the option to extend the term of the Agreements up to an additional two years, at the sole discretion of Authority. A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available on or after September 29, 2020, and can be obtained by registering at the Authority’s ebusiness website: http://ebusiness.portauthority.org and following the directions listed on the website. Please note that Proposers must register under the ebusiness category of PSFAIB – Pro Fin Advisory/Invest/Bank for this RFP. Proposers may also register in other categories for any future RFPs issued by Authority. If you have specific questions regarding this RFP, please contact Anna Marie McKibben at (412) 566-5104 or amckibben@PortAuthority.org. An Information Meeting for interested parties will be held at 9:30 a.m., prevailing time, October 13, 2020 via Microsoft Teams video conference and/ or call to answer any questions regarding this RFP. A call-in number has been set up for the Information Meeting. The dial-in information is as follows: To join by Microsoft Team video conference: •https://bit.ly/3mHvBpB To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: •412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) •Conference ID: 599 333 953# Electronic proposals must be both received and time stamped by a representative of the Purchasing and Materials Management Department through Authority’s Ebusiness website at or before 2:00 p.m., prevailing time, October 30, 2020, at http://ebusiness.portauthority.org. Proposals received or time stamped by a Purchasing and Materials Management Department representative after the advertised time for the submission of proposals shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for award. Each Proposer shall be solely responsible for assuring that its proposal is timely received and time stamped in accordance with the requirements herein. This Contract Services may be funded, in part, by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The proposal process and the performance of the requested services will be in accordance with guidelines and regulations of the FTA “Third Party Contracting Guidelines”, FTA Circular 4220.1F, as amended, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Port Authority of Allegheny County, in compliance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, as amended, implements positive affirmative action procedures to ensure that all Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“DBEs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed, in whole or in part, with federal funds, if any, provided under or for the proposed Agreement. In this regard, all recipients or contractors shall take all necessary and reasonable steps in accordance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services. Port Authority of Allegheny County, in compliance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, as may be amended, require that certified Diverse Businesses “DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services. In this regard, all Proposers, and the Contractor, shall make good faith efforts in accordance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, to ensure that DBs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services. Further, proposers and the Contractor shall also not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sex, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts or subcontracts for these Contract Services. Authority reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in its sole discretion.
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2020
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SONNY BOY
Black quarterbacks are the new standard of the NFL I have something that I have forced to switch to other posi- sect defenses. been inclined to get off my tions in order to make the rosBlack “life” matters as far as chest for the past few years. ter of many NFL teams. today’s Black and brown NFL A representative of “Black Remember when it was the quarterbacks are concerned Lives Matter” called me standard of quarterbacks to because the public and the around the time that a young appear cerebral as far as the NFL has finally accepted the man named Eric Garner was way that the position of quar- reality that many defensive placed in a chokehold by an terback was defined? If the linemen can run sub-fiveNYPD police officer and lat- quarterback was not stationed second 40-yard times, QBs er died. He was originally in the pocket surveying the de- no longer afford to be “pocket arrested for allegedly selling fense looking for, finding and backs.” loose cigarettes Quarterbacks not illegally. The ofonly have to extend ficer’s name was plays, they have to Daniel Pantaleo. make new plays. The I declined to value of Patrick Majoin the Black homes and Deshaun Lives Matter Watson is now close movement. to three quarters The majority of a billion dollars. of the attorneys Unlike Black Lives representing Matter, Black quarvictims’ famiterbacks do matter. lies have gotten Ben Roethlisbergpaid after filer is a Pittsburgh ing civil suits Steelers’ future against the police depart- exploiting a defensive weak- Hall-of-Fame player. Howevments that employed the offi- ness, that athlete was usually er, he is a play extender. Macers that committed the civil graded as not smart enough homes, Watson, and Jackson violations. Young Black peo- the assume the position of an are “playmakers.” Defensive ple being slayed while these NFL QB. Many white quarter- coordinators don’t lose sleep money-seeking attorneys are backs were slow-footed; but it over Big Ben outrunning their being paid and sometimes didn’t matter, the position was defense; maybe out-gunning laid….you digggg. I declined defined by not how slow you them, but certainly not outto associate with any move- were downstairs but how fast running them. ment until Blacks stop killing you were upstairs. You could Black quarterbacks are not Blacks, as well. Game, set, run a nine-second 40-yard the future of the NFL; they match. dash as a white QB as long as are the new standard of the Now that I have laid that you were able to read and dis- NFL. nest egg on your doorstep, let’s take a look back on the treatment of Black quarterbacks during the past 100 years in the NFL. The league has mucho egg on its face regarding the employment of not only Black quarterbacks, but Black athletes in general in regards to pay scale and the marketing of brown and Black players. Fritz Pollard was the first Black NFL quarterback to perform in 1923. However, from Willie Thrower to Doug Williams to Donovan McNabb, Kordell Stewart, James Harris, Marlin Briscoe, Colin Kaepernick, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and the current NFL Hall-of-Famer in waiting, the K.C. Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes...there could have been many more but as many fans and scribes may know, in the past many outstand- LAMAR JACKSON, of the Baltimore Ravens. ing Black quarterbacks were
Inside Conditions
Aubrey Bruce
DESHAUN WATSON, of the Houston Texans.
PATRICK MAHOMES, of the Kansas City Chiefs.
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SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 6, 2020
Broken faith (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Black people occupy a place between hope and despair. We hope our nation will keep its promises—that all people are created equal, that justice is both blind and fair, that truth matters, that there is integrity. We struggle against the imperfections, the racism that is baked in the cake called the United States. We fight to rectify historical wrongs, we pass laws to soften the sting of predatory capitalism. But we despair when we continue to see police killings of unarmed Black people when we tolerate a “leader” who would prefer a lie to the truth when more than 200,000 have died from COVID, and the “leader” won’t bother to wear a mask. No wonder that Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, said, “I have no faith in the legal system.” Charles Booker (D), a member of the Kentucky state legislature, said, “Justice failed us.” How can Black people have faith in a system that minimizes our lives and our value? The roll is too long to call, but besides Breonna, there are others—Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, George Floyd. Cellphone recordings make it easier for us
Julianne Malveaux
Commentary to see some of this police misconduct. There is a straight line between the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision of 1854, the Black Codes and Jim Crow laws of the twentieth century, and the police massacres that have happened in the twenty-first century. The Breonna Taylor case is especially egregious. Police used a battering ram to enter a home in the middle of the night. According to most witnesses, they did not announce themselves. Breonna’s boyfriend, thinking someone had broken into their home, shot, hitting a police officer in the leg. They responded with more than 20 rounds of ammunition, hitting Breonna at least six times. She died. It took more than six months for the Attorney General to convene a grand jury, and the grand jury indicted none of the three police officers who executed the no-knock warrant. The grand jury indicted one for shooting into a White neighbor’s house. They shot into a Black neighbor’s house, too, but no one has been indicted for that. The grand jury seems to have ignored discrepancies in the incident report, which no one can explain. No wonder Tamika Palmer says she has no faith in the justice system. No wonder so many other Black people look askance at the so-called justice system, which means “just us.” The racism embedded in the criminal justice system erodes any faith we had in it. We are used to Black death. After all, thousands of us were lynched, and no one ever paid the price. Black Wall Street was destroyed and the only people arrested were some of the Black people who were victims of a rabid mob. Some faith in our system, even with its flaws, is central to the operation of our democracy. If we don’t believe in our institutions, we won’t respect them. That’s why we exist hope and despair, hoping our country will keep its promises, despairing that it cannot, or will not, make an effort. The current President has spent his entire presidency undermining our nation’s institutions. He has undermined scientists, run roughshod over environmental regulations, flaunted every rule, and used our Treasury as a personal profit center. But the worse thing he has done recently is undermine our electoral system by indicating that if he does not win the election, it is because the election is rigged. He has refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power unless he likes the results, and has suggested that mail balloting is fraudulent. He has repeated the allegations of is “widespread fraud” so frequently that many in his base believe it. He has used racist rhetoric to inflame his base, many of whom are domestic terrorists who travel, armed, from city to city, harassing protestors. Trump does not care about the integrity of institutions. He cares about winning by any means necessary. Republican leaders don’t stand up to his perfidy because they support his results, if not his methods. Do they want to win at the expense of our democracy? No faith in the judicial system eroded trust in the electoral progress, but resilient Black people still vote, protest, and legislate, because we must. Our historical memory demands that we resist. Our hope is the young leaders pushing for justice and change, and rejecting this administration’s absurdity.
FORUM
Trump proposes 1776 Commission to ‘reinstate patriotism’ in schools? Ten days after a litzer Prize-winMinneapolis police J. Pharoah Doss ning series, The officer killed George 1619 Project. (The Floyd and rioting Pulitzer Center erupted across the adapted the projU.S., Robin DiAngeect for use in K-12 lo, author of “White schools and teachFragility,” was asked ers are using it in to facilitate a confer4,500 classrooms.) ence call with 184 The 1619 Project Democratic memdeclared the year bers of Congress. DiAngelo told the 1619, when the first African slaves arwhite office-holders, just because you rived at Britain’s Jamestown colony in marched in the sixties, or served a Virginia, as the actual founding date diverse district, or had a Black room- of America and not 1776. The 1619 mate in college, doesn’t make you ex- Project also claimed that British colempt from self-examination. Until you onies in America sought independence wrestle with the question: What does because Britain decided to abolish it mean to be white? You will continue the slave trade, concluding that the to enact policies—intentionally or not American Revolutionary war was sin—that will harm Black lives. gle-mindedly waged to preserve slavDiAngelo’s lectures are labeled “an- ery. President Trump said, “This projtiracism consciousness training,” but ect rewrites American history to teach ever since DiAngelo rose in stature our children that we were founded on after the George Floyd riots, the fed- the principle of oppression, not freeeral government noticed their diver- dom. Nothing can be further from the sity-training programs are inculcated truth. America’s founding set in mowith DiAngelo-type ideas. tion the unstoppable chain of events Therefore, President Trump ordered that abolished slavery, secured civil the director of the Office of Manage- rights, defeated communism and fasment and Budget to cease and dissent cism, and built the most fair, equal, from using taxpayer dollars to fund and prosperous nation in human hisdiversity-training programs across tory.” the federal government. These were However, President Trump antraining programs that utilized con- nounced the creation of the “1776 cepts such as “White Privilege” and commission” to “reinstate patriotism” “Critical Race Theory.” The Trump in schools. Of course, far-left critics acadministration stated the government cused the president of planning to crehas wasted millions of dollars “train- ate “Trump Youth” in similar fashion ing” workers to believe “virtually all to “Hitler’s Youth” and indoctrinate white people contribute to racism” or children with white supremacy. For “benefit from racism,” and the federal once, the far-left is on the right track. government will not accept our em- They just need to refrain from all the ployees receiving “training” that seeks hysteria and make a reasonable arguto undercut our core values as Amer- ment. icans and drive division within our Now, patriotism means love of counworkforce. try, but there’s a popular notion that The Trump administration also states “the highest form of patriotism canceled a 12-week Centers for Dis- is dissent.” The president accused The ease Control and Prevention training 1619 Project of promoting the latter course called: Naming, Measuring, and and he wants public schools to instill Addressing the Impacts of Racism on the former. But love and dissent are the Health and Well-being of the Na- emotional responses that shouldn’t be tion and World. This training taught targeted for manipulation by school that racism was a public health crisis curriculums. Prioritizing emotional and that systemic racism caused po- results over the stimulation of thought lice killings of unarmed people of color. will hinder the development of deducThe Trump administration called the tive reasoning. training course “textbook” critical race Now, the potential conflict between theory, which concentrates on race The 1776 commission and The 1619 rather than individuals when analyz- project will take cancel culture to a ing social issues and history. different dimension. The conflict will Then, at a White House history con- cancel out the idea that students ference, President Trump denounced should be encouraged to draw their The New York Times Magazine’s Pu- own conclusions.
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended important social justice gains (TriceEdneyWire. com)—The late Ruth Ben Jealous Bader Ginsburg was an intellectual giant with a righteous spirit. She used her brilliant mind and steely determination to protect the gains of the civil rights movement and advance the values of freedom, equality, justice, and opportunity. She inspired generations of activists with the example of her persistence. We who learned from and looked up to Justice Ginsburg now must fight for her legacy. Ginsburg may be most remembered for her lifelong struggle to overcome and eliminate obstacles to equality and opportunity for women, including the right of women to make the most important decisions about their lives, their bodies, and their families. The truth is that she was just as steady in her defense of the gains made by other great social justice movements of our time, including the fight to expand access to health care. In the face of intense Republican efforts to destroy the Affordable Care Act—known as Obamacare—Ginsburg defended the ACA and the constitutional powers of the federal government to protect people’s wellbeing. The ACA has been hugely important to Black Americans, whose health outcomes and mortality rates are significantly worse than white Americans. The ACA produced real progress in narrowing health disparities, but President Donald Trump and the right-wing judges he has been putting on the courts— and would like to fill Ginsburg’s seat with—would do away with Obamacare and its expansion of Medicaid. If they kill the ACA, 23 million people will lose health coverage. Ginsburg served on the Supreme Court at a time when the well-funded right-wing push for ideological domination of the federal courts began to take hold. She often played the role of the Great Dissenter. She denounced rightwing justices’ indifference to the impact of their decisions on working people. She exposed the conservative majority’s bogus justifications for unjust decisions. Lilly Ledbetter went to court when she discovered the company she worked for had been unfairly paying her less than
men for years. She was denied justice when the Supreme Court’s conservatives twisted the federal law that was supposed to protect employees from discrimination on the job. Wage discrimination harms Black women, who are typically paid just 62 percent of what white non-Hispanic men are paid. It takes a typical Black woman 19 months to make what a White man earns in 12 months. Ginsburg’s dissent showed Congress the path to put protections back in place. And I will never forget Ginsburg’s blazing dissent from the right-wing justices’ 2013 vote to rip the heart out of the Voting Rights Act—gutting one of the greatest accomplishments of the civil rights movement. She documented the ever-changing tactics of voter suppression and intimidation targeting Black voters. And she called out the majority for failing to recognize the “transformative effect” that the Fifteenth Amendment, enacted after the Civil War, aimed to achieve. She was proved correct when state after state, mostly old Confederate states, imposed new restrictions on voting that fell most heavily on Black citizens, whose disenfranchisement the Voting Rights Act was designed to prevent. Ginsburg told a reporter that she would like to be remembered as “Someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. And to help repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has.” We will remember her as that, and as much more. We will remember her as a true patriot, committed to the American ideal of equality under law, a principle for which she fought literally until her dying breath. With her writing and the example of her life, Justice Ginsburg bent the moral arc of the universe in the direction of justice. And when injustice advanced, she planted seeds of democratic renewal that we must now nourish with our own lives and activism.
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(Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation.)
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Jesse Jackson Sr.
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Myths and lies about poverty (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“The poor will always be with us,” say the cynics. No doubt, some will always be wealthier than others. We wouldn’t want to live in a society that forced all to be equal. But poverty isn’t inevitable. The 30 million people in America who lived in poverty even before the pandemic when unemployment was at record lows needn’t exist in that state. Too many myths and lies cloud our understanding of the poor. Most poor people are not Black. More are White than Black, female than male, young than old. More have a high school education. Some graduate. Poverty in America used to be far worse; about a third of Americans lived in poverty in the 1950s. Poverty was reduced, dramatically, by Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. The war on poverty was defeated not by poverty, but by the war in Vietnam, which sapped resources, attention and will. Most poor people work when they can. They take the early bus. They do the hardest jobs for the least amount of money. They bear the most amount of stress. They care for the children of others. They tend to the sick. They serve food in restaurants. They sweep the streets. They clean bedpans beneath hospital beds that they cannot lie in when they get sick. Many are essential workers who are at greater risk in the pandemic. When the pandemic forced the economy to shut down, millions lost their jobs— and their health care at work, if they had any. Over 30 million still draw unemployment, with over a million new applicants each week as companies continue to lay off workers. Many more children are hungry. Public policy—the “stimulus checks,” the enhanced unemployment insurance, the expansion of food stamps (SNAP), the partial moratorium on evictions and foreclosures, the aid to businesses if they kept their employees on payroll—saved millions from poverty. Now those benefits have expired, but the unemployment remains high. Many companies are declaring bankruptcy. Many are slashing payrolls with permanent, not temporary layoffs. Again, public policy could help. The House passed another rescue package—the HEROES ACT —that would provide another round of stimulus checks, sustain enhanced unemployment benefits, continue the expanded food stamps, extend the payroll protection subsidies and provide aid to states and localities to avoid the layoffs of millions of public employees. The Republican Senate refused to act—and refused to compromise. Senate leader Mitch McConnell put together a $1 trillion alternative but didn’t even try to get his members to support it. Twenty Republican senators opposed doing anything. The nonpartisan Urban Institute noted that a second round of stimulus checks alone would keep 8.3 million people out of poverty from August to December. The extension of enhanced unemployment benefits would keep 3.6 million out of poverty. The continuation of food stamp expansions would keep about 1.7 million out. If all three were enacted, 12.2 million people would be kept out of poverty for the rest of the year. Mitch McConnell refused to act. Donald Trump, the great “deal maker,” refused even to get involved. After the benefits expired, McConnell finally decided to pass a bill out of the Senate, but his Republican colleagues would support only about $300 billion in new money for a bill that did not include the stimulus checks, did not include the SNAP benefits and limited unemployment assistance to $300 a week, half of what it was in the first rescue package. They voted to put millions of Americans into poverty. Public policy matters. We could eliminate poverty in this country with sensible policy. Raise the minimum wage to a living wage; empower workers to organize and negotiate a fair share of the profits they help to produce. Guarantee affordable health care for all. Provide affordable housing for all. Provide high-quality pre-K and quality education for all. Add a jobs guarantee, so that instead of forcing workers onto unemployment when the economy slows or their company goes belly up, they can move to a public job doing work that is necessary—from retrofitting buildings for solar heating to caring for our public parks to providing care for the elderly and more. Let’s not fool ourselves. America has millions of people in poverty because Americans choose not to demand the policies that would lift them out of poverty. Because corporate CEOs choose profits and bonuses over fair pay for their workers. Because small-minded legislators are more responsive to those who pay for their party than those who are in need. This isn’t complicated. The recent decision to block action on a second rescue package is a decision to increase the number of Americans in poverty, the number of children who go hungry. The Bible teaches we will be judged by how we treat the “least of these.” We should shudder at that judgment.