New Pittsburgh Courier 5-29-19

America’s best weekly

Taj-Aya Barnes

Montez Newsome

Recognized by IUP Dept. of Criminology

Wins 2 races at City League Championships

Take Center Stage

Metro A5

Sports B5

Lifestyles A6

Pittsburgh Courier www.newpittsburghcourier.com

NEW

Vol. 110 No. 22

Two Sections

Published Weekly

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

$1.00

Amanda Green-Hawkins advances to Superior Court’s ‘Final Four’

by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer

Amanda Green-Hawkins, former Allegheny County Councilwoman and longtime counsel for the United Steel Workers, was the top vote-getter in last week’s Democratic primary battle for state Superior Court, besting Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Daniel McCaffery by more than 70,000 votes.

Green-Hawkins amassed 475,630 votes, while McCaffery tallied 403,310. Beth Tarasi was third among the Democratic candidates with 373,096 votes.

AMANDA GREEN-HAWKINS

4 judges vying for 2 spots this November Both will face off against the two Republican winners, Chester County Deputy DA Megan McCarthy King and Cumberland County Common Pleas Judge Christylee Peck, for the two vacancies on the 15-seat court in November.

Because the state Supreme Court only agrees to hear certain appeals, usually to resolve a constitutional question, Superior

Court is often the highest appellate court for civil and criminal cases. Judges serve 10-year terms and run for re-election in yes-or-no retention races. Their annual salary is $194,422.

Both Green-Hawkins and McCaffery enjoy a substantial advantage in registered voters, and their primary vote totals exceeded King’s by 100,000 and 30,000 votes, respectively. They also hail from the two largest population centers in the commonwealth, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Of the four finalists, only McCaffery SEE GREEN-HAWKINS A4

PPS wants to move grades 6-8 from Milliones to Arsenal

The Black Girl Magic is Real

Some board members not sold on the idea

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

progress given where they were last year, compared to similar students in the state,” the report read.

According to advocacy group A+ Schools’ latest Report to the Community, Black students at Arsenal

The Pittsburgh Public Schools district wants to turn University Preparatory School at Margaret Milliones (a grades 6-12 school known as U-Prep) into a traditional grade-level high school (9-12), while sending students in grades 6-8 to Arsenal Middle School in Lawrenceville, beginning next school year.

On the surface, it sounds like a plan.

Superintendent KEVIN CARTER SALA UDIN Anthony Hamlet, EdD, knows the data shows Pittsburgh Ar- are performing better in Ensenal is, overall, a better glish/Language/Arts and in performing school academ- Math compared to the district average for Black stuically.

“Relocating grades sixth dents. Thirty-eight percent through eighth will provide of Black students at Arsestudents access to a strong nal achieved Pennsylvania middle school program,” he System of School Achievement proficiency levels in said in a May 14 release.

The nonprofit organiza- English/Language/Arts tion GreatSchools, which (compared to 30 percent of issues ratings on schools Black students in grades throughout the country, 6-8 across the district and gave Pittsburgh Arsenal a 17 percent of Black stuperfect 10 rating for student dents in grades 6-8 at progress in its latest report. U-Prep). And in Math, 30 “Students at this school are SEE PPS A3 making far more academic

Not so fast…

DEVON TALIAFERRO AND OLIVIA BENNETT won their bids for PPS school board and Allegheny County Council, respectively, during the May 21 primary election. Taliaferro and Bennett are North Side residents. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)

Taliaferro, Bennett latest Pittsburgh Black women to win elections

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

Magic is defined as “the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces.”

But in Pittsburgh, Devon Taliaferro and Olivia Bennett aren’t “mysterious or supernatural forces.” They are Black women, born and raised in this area, who sought to make change—in Tali-

aferro’s case, the school system, or in Bennett’s case, the justice system.

There is a popular hashtag/ trending topic circulating across America, labeled #Blackgirlmagic. The concept was formed in 2013 “to celebrate the beauty, power and resilience of Black women.”

You can add Taliaferro and Bennett to Pittsburgh’s growing list of #Blackgirlmagic, after

they won their primary election races on May 21.

Taliaferro, 38, dominated the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board District 2 race, besting three other contenders with 34 percent of the total vote. Bennett, 40, surprised many with a victory over challenger Denise Ranalli Russell for Allegheny County Council District 13. Bennett had 58 percent of the vote, Russell tallied 41 percent.

SEE MAGIC A4

Burgess tops crowded field to retain District 9 seat

by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer

City Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess said he has made a concerted effort in the last few years to be more accessible and responsive to his constituents. Whether or not that was the deciding factor in his May 21 primary election victory is debatable, but it and his record, he said, are what he believes put him over the top.

“I like to think it was my track record,” he told the New Pittsburgh Courier in a May 24 interview. “Reducing gun violence, increasing public safety, starting

REV. RICKY BURGESS

Pittsburgh Courier NEW

To subscribe, call 412-481-8302 ext. 134

It’s a fourth term for the City Councilman new businesses, building new housing and ultimately having better outcomes for the residents. And we made some structural changes in the office to better address everyday needs. We have someone who answers every call and tries to help. I’ve put a greater emphasis on individual concerns.”

Perhaps he has, but the “anybody-but-Burgess” voting block has increased every year he’s run for the seat—it’s just been scattered among multiple chal-

lengers.

In 2007 when he ran against incumbent Twanda Carlisle, he got 50.08 percent of the vote.

Carlisle and six other candidates split the other 49.92 percent. It was his last majority win. He has won by plurality ever since.

In 2011, Rev. Burgess got 49 percent of the vote, with the majority split between two candidates. In 2015, he got 44 percent of the vote, with three candidates splitting the majority.

And last week, Reverend Bur-

J. Pharoah Doss on

gess received 38 percent of the votes cast, with the majority this time split among four challengers—Kierran Young (28 percent), Cherylie Fuller (15 percent), Judith K. Ginyard (13 percent) and Stephen Braxton (3 percent).

“I don’t spend a lot of time on numbers,” he said. “We’re in an anti-incumbent time right now, nationally and locally—look at some of the races this year and last year. I just try to focus on the work.”

Whether he spends time on the numbers or not, Rev. Burgess SEE BURGESS A4

Racism, mental health crisis, and the Indian position Forum B6

A2

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

INTERNATIONAL

Plea deal for Navy SEAL linked to strangulation death of U.S. Army soldier in Mali

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN)—A generous plea deal has been offered to the first of two Navy SEALS and two Marine Raiders charged in the strangulation death of a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier based in Bamako, Mali.

Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar was found dead on June 4, 2017 in housing he shared with other special operations forces in Mali. Evidence of the murder was covered up by the four servicemen who led investigators on a wild goose chase, claiming that the non-drinking Melgar was drunk and had engaged in “frat-like” behavior that had gotten the soldiers uninvited from events at the U.S. Embassy.

Months went by before a leak in the Washington Post revealed some of the gruesome facts of the killing. Angry that Melgar had accused the SEALs of bringing prostitutes to the off-site embassy housing they shared, the four defendants plotted to rough him up.

According to the now-revealed facts of the case, the foursome broke into Melgar’s locked room where he was sleeping to assault him. A beating ensued during which Melgar was restrained while the gang leader locked Melgar in a chokehold.

Within seconds his breathing stopped.

When efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, the servicemen cut open Melgar’s throat, allegedly to establish an airway but, as investigators concluded, to “hide evidence of the injuries inflicted.” His lifeless body was then loaded into one of their cars and brought to a nearby clinic where he was pronounced dead.

At the time of his death Staff Sgt. Melgar was part of a small team in Bamako assigned to support Malian and French counterterrorism units battling al-Qaida factions in the region.

As part of the plea deal, Chief Special Warfare Officer Adam Matthews will

STAFF SGT. LOGAN J. MELGAR, with father. be subjected to a special court-martial rather than a general court martial, which means the maximum is one year in prison, reduction in rank, forfeiture of two-thirds pay for one year, and a bad conduct discharge, according to a press account.

Murder and involuntary manslaughter charges will be dropped if he pleads guilty to hazing, assault consummated by battery, burglary, and conspiracy to obstruct justice charges.

Also facing felony murder and related charges are Gunnery Sgt. Mario Madera-Rodriguez and Staff Sgt. Kevin Maxwell along with Navy SEAL Team Six member Petty Officer Anthony DeDolph.

Melgar was nearing the end of his deployment to Mali at the time of his death.

He reportedly told his wife he had a ‘bad feeling’ about some of his fellow troops.

Melgar was married to Michelle Melgar and was devoted to his two sons, aged 13 and 15 years of age.

Inaugural Grand African Run announced in Washington

by Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Correspondent

The late South African Leader Nelson Mandela famously noted that sport has the power to change the world, inspire, and unite in a way that little else does.

“It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair,” Mandela said during a speech in 2000 in Monaco, France.

“It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination,” he said.

On April 30, a video of Mandela’s speech was played on a large screen inside the African Union Representational Mission to the United States in Washington, D.C., as students from nearby universities, dignitaries and media gathered for the announcement of the inaugural Grand Africa Run, a mass-participation road race organized by the nonprofit Nova Connections under the auspices of the African Union and in partnership with the DC Mayor’s Office on African Affairs, that will take place on July 21 during African Week celebrations in the nation’s capital.

“The more I thought about this idea of the Grand African race I began to see how we can bring the African diaspora and friends of Africa together, to promote our togetherness, to promote that which binds us and to promote all the wonderful accomplishments and the amazing things that are getting ready to come to Africa,” said Her Excellency, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, the Ambassador of the African Union Mission.

“We realize that quite often we only talk about negativity and completely disregard all of the wonderful THE things that NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER PUBLISHING COMPANY

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

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:

New Pittsburgh Courier 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219

are happening in Africa,” the Ambassador said.

The event is comprised of a main 5K race, as well as a 1K run for children 11 years of age and under.

Organizers expect thousands of runners to take part at the scenic course along the Anacostia River walk with the race starting and finishing at the Yards Park in D.C. Officials also expect a number of top African athletes to attend as guests and as participants in the event where registration opened Wednesday, May 1, on the event’s official website, www.africanrun.com.

“This event will probably be one of the highlights of the African Diaspora celebration in July and it’s a reflection of the Africa we all want based on the Agenda 2063’s Aspirations,” H.E. Dr. Chihombori-Quao said, referring to a new initiative that aims to connect the African diaspora in North America through the running of sport and gathering the diaspora to celebrate African culture.

Mamadou Samba, the director of the DC Mayor’s Office on African Affairs, also emphasized the importance of the inaugural Grand African Run and why holding it in July is ideal.

“It shows the positive contribution to the communities in the United States and to Africans on their home continent,” Samba said.

Dr. Gashaw Abez, the event’s director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nova Connections, said the Grand African Run is rooted in the value that the sport of running has for millions across the continent of Africa.

“And, a running event will be an ideal platform to connect the diaspora and tell positive stories of Africa,” Dr. Abez said.

“For this, the event is much more than a race and is organized under the motto of ‘The Africa We Want, Better Together.’”

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

This Week In Black History

Week of May 29-June 4 May 29 1854—Escaped slave and abolitionist Sojourner Truth delivers her famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention in Akron. Truth, born Isabella Baumfree, had been physically and sexually abused by various slave owners and their wives in New York. She sought refuge in religion. She finally escaped after her last slave owner reneged on a promise to free her. She became the leading female abolitionist of the period giving powerful speeches. She traveled widely in her anti-slavery mission telling friends “The spirit calls me and I must go.”

1865—President Andrew Johnson announces his Reconstruction program after the Civil War. However, Johnson was one of the greatest betrayers of Blacks in SOJOURNER TRUTH American history. He went back on many of the promises made to the former slaves by the recently assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Indeed, Johnson’s Reconstruction program was more favorable to the former slave owners and Confederate soldiers than it was to the ex-slaves. Johnson even opposed granting Blacks voting rights.

May 30 1822—What could have been the largest and most elaborate slave rebellion in American history is betrayed by a house slave seeking favors from his White master. The rebellion was organized by Denmark Vesey and involved thousands of Blacks in the Charleston, S.C., area. Vesey was actually a free man who had purchased his freedom. He was doing a thriving business as owner of a carpentry shop. But he had secretly vowed “not to rest until all slaves are free.” The betrayal of the Vesey plot by a house slave resulted in dozens of people, including four Whites, being arrested and many of them were eventually hanged. Vesey was put to death on June 23, 1822.

1903—One of the most outstanding poets in the history of Black America, Countee Cullen, is born in Louisville, Ky., or Baltimore, Md. The exact city of his birth is still debated.

However, he was raised in New York City and rose to fame in the early 1920s and became a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Cullen married, but there were persistent rumors that he was a closet homosexual resulting from his COUNTEE CULLEN troubled childhood including being abandoned by his mother.

He died in 1946 of high blood pressure and what was then called uremic poisoning or acute kidney failure.

May 31 1870—Congress passes the first Enforcement Act providing stiff punishment for both private citizens and public officials who conspired to deprive the recently freed slaves of either their civil rights or their right to vote. The Act was in response to the old plantation aristocracy and the defeated rebel soldiers who were taking control of Southern governments and enacting “Black Codes” aimed at the suppression of Black freedoms and voting rights. The Act was also in response to the growing power of White terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan.

1921—The infamous and bloody Tulsa (Oklahoma) Riots begin. Whites go on a violent rampage lasting several days.

When the rioting was over, an estimated 21 Whites and 60 Blacks were dead. In addition, as many as 15,000 Blacks were left homeless as hundreds of homes and businesses were burned to the ground. The area bearing the brunt of the destruction was known as the “Black Wall Street” JOHN CONYERS because of its large number of African American owned businesses. As recently as 2007, Detroit Congressman John Conyers was working on legislation designed to give the few remaining Black survivors of the rioting additional time to sue in order to recover some of their loses. The rioting was reportedly sparked by a false claim from a White female elevator operator of being assaulted by a Black man. But White jealousy of Black success in the Tulsa area may have also played a major role.

June 1 1835—The Fifth National Negro Convention convenes in Philadelphia, Pa. The gathering of free Blacks demonstrated how history can sometimes come full circle. One major focus of the convention was to urge Blacks to stop referring to themselves as “Africans,” “Blacks” or “Coloreds” and instead adopt the word “Negro” as the official racial designation. Gradually, the designation became popular even though all Blacks did not LUTHER ‘BOJANGLES’ agree with it. Researcher Richard Benjamin Moore writes that at the time some Blacks felt word “Negro” was “a symptom ROBINSON of the degrading sickness of opportunism and the increasing acceptance of inferior social and political status.”

1864—Solomon George Washington Dill is murdered by angry Whites. Dill was one of those rarities in Southern society—a poor White man who supported an end to slavery and Black demands for social justice. Dill’s “crime” was giving what some Whites considered “an incendiary speech” to a group of South Carolina Blacks.

1973—Detroit’s WGPR becomes the nation’s first Blackowned television station. It was granted a license to operate on this day in 1973 but did not actually go on air until September 1975.

June 2 1863—Abolitionist and “Underground Railroad Conductor” Harriet Tubman leads a force of Union Army guerrilla soldiers into Maryland and frees more than 700 slaves. Tubman was one of the most noteworthy women in the anti-slavery struggle prior to the Civil War and became a leading voice in the call for the federal government to allow Blacks to fight in the war.

1899—African Americans observe a “National Day of Fasting” to protest lynching and other racial attacks against Blacks. The day of protest was called by the National Afro-American Council.

1975—James A. Healy becomes the first Black Roman HARRIET TUBMAN Catholic Bishop in the United States. He was consecrated at the Roman Catholic cathedral in Portland, Maine.

June 3 1904—Dr. Charles R. Drew is born. He grows up to conduct a first of its kind research in blood transfusions and the creation of blood plasma. Drew also established Britain’s first blood bank and in the United States he fought against the segregation of blood based on race. He died on April 1, 1950 as a result of injuries received in an automobile accident while driving in North Carolina.

DR. CHARLES DREW 1906—Entertainer Josephine Baker is born in St. Louis, Mo. At 16, she starred in the hit and controversial musical “Shuffle Along.”

However, she did not achieve fame until she left the United States and moved to Paris, France, where her exotic dancing and singing made her an international sensation. Baker was mixed race of African American and Native American parentage.

She returned to the U.S. several times including in 1963 to speak at the Dr. Martin Luther King-led March on Washington for civil rights.

June 4 1922—Samuel L. Gravely is born. Gravely became the first African American admiral in the United States Navy and the first African American to command a U.S. warship. The Richmond, Va., native died in 2004 at the age of 82.

1972—College professor and activist Angela Davis is acquitted by a jury of charges that she assisted and conspired with the young men involved in a deadly 1970 shootout at the Marin County courthouse in California. The assault on the courthouse was an attempt to free imprisoned Black activist George Jackson.

JOSEPHINE BAKER At least three people were killed during the escape attempt. Davis, a Birmingham, Ala., native who became a member of the Communist Party, spent 16 months in prison but on this day in 1972 she was found not guilty of all charges by an all-White San Jose, Calif., jury.

1973—Arna Bontemps dies at the age of 72 in Nashville, Tenn. Born in Louisiana, Bontemps became one of the key figures in the Black artistic and cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. Bontemps was a prolific writer and poet.

METRO

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

A3

From Selma to Pittsburgh: Mission to South builds Black-Jewish bridges

MEMBERS OF THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PITTSBURGH traveled on a Civil Rights Mission to the South from April 28-30, visiting iconic locations such as the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (Lynching Memorial) in Montgomery, Alabama, and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Pictured above in the left photo are Mark Frank, Rabbi Jeremy Weisblatt, Lindsay Powell, Josiah Gilliam, Josh Sayles and Rabbi Jeremy Markiz. Read the joint op-ed about the trip by Sayles and Gilliam on Page B6.

PPS wants to move grades 6-8 from Milliones to Arsenal PPS FROM A1

percent of Black students at Arsenal achieved PSSA proficiency levels (compared to only 10 percent of Black students in grades 6-8 across the district).

Also according to the A+ Schools report, 71 percent of Black students at Arsenal attained a proficient/advanced Algebra I Keystone Achievement Level by the end of eighth grade. That number is far and away the highest in that category for any 6-8 PPS school.

The district anticipates 99 students will be in grades 6-8 from U-Prep next school year—Arsenal can “easily support” that number of new students into a school that is projected to have 161 students, PPS said.

The school board is expected to vote on the recommendation on June 19.

The district, obviously, is looking for a vote in the affirmative.

Not so fast, say some school board members who spoke with the New Pittsburgh Courier after a PPS board public hearing, May 20.

“I have reservations about moving more kids out of the Hill District into schools not in the Hill District,”

said board member Kevin Carter. “So, we talk about neighborhood schools and community schools, the Hill District has lost most of them, and so I have concerns about what that looks like, taking yet another set of Hill District students and now busing them…into another neighborhood to go to school.”

In February, PPS did announce that U-Prep would become a community school, along with Pittsburgh Arlington K-8 on the South Side and Pittsburgh King K-8 on the North Side. The five original community schools are Arsenal, Pittsburgh Lincoln PreK-5, Pittsburgh Faison K-5, Westinghouse High School and Pittsburgh Langley K-8.

But in a span of a few months, after U-Prep received its “community schools” designation, the district proposed about 100 students to leave the school.

It’s not adding up in Carter’s mind, at least not yet.

“If the transition can happen with some qualified individuals then I could possibly be supportive, but right now until the plan is done, I have some reservations about having another

pathway for Hill District students to go to,” Carter told the Courier exclusively.

Carter acknowledged the upward trend Arsenal’s having academically, and the lower academic numbers U-Prep students have scored as a whole.

So has Sala Udin, another school board member and decades-long proponent of Black student achievement, particularly in Pittsburgh Public Schools.

“The problem is larger than just moving the middle school,” Udin told the Courier. “The problem is the district’s inability to provide a quality education to all of the kids (in grades) 6-12, and moving the kids from the middle school might help them because Arsenal is a good school, but I’m concerned the kids who are going to be left in 9-12 at U-Prep.”

Top district officials and most board members agree that U-Prep hasn’t reached its full potential since opening in 2008.

“The students and families of Pittsburgh Milliones (U-Prep) have long deserved the university preparatory school promised to them many years

ago,” Hamlet also said in the May 14 release. Hamlet envisions the “growth of a college-going culture at U-Prep.”

The district said that with the exception of its Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, the Early College High School at U-Prep is the only PPS program that provides high school students the opportunity to both earn their high school diploma and college credit towards an Associate of Arts Degree, through a partnership with

CCAC, at no cost to students or their family.

A meeting with parents about the proposed changes occurred May 28 at U-Prep, with another meeting with parents scheduled for June 4 at Arsenal.

“I would rather that they all got the same education at U-Prep,” Udin said about the current U-Prep students. “But if I had to choose between them (grades 6-8) being uneducated at U-Prep vs. being educated at Arsenal, I’d rather they go to Arsenal.”

Added Carter: “They (the district) have to make a strong case for why Arsenal would be a better fit for 6-8 students and why no alternative option for keeping those students on the Hill is currently available.

I want to keep students in their neighborhoods as best possible, but it always feels like when there’s a shift that needs to happen for students to have to be bused somewhere else, the Hill District students are always at the top of the list.”

A4

METRO

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

The Black Girl Magic is Real

DEVON TALIAFERRO will become the District 2 representative on the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board.

OLIVIA BENNETT will represent District 13 on Allegheny County Council. (Photos by Rob Taylor Jr.)

Devon Taliaferro, Olivia Bennett latest Pittsburgh Black women to win elections MAGIC FROM A1

In this heavily Democratic area, both Taliaferro and Bennett won’t have any problems winning the November general election.

Thus, you can make their positions on the board and council, respectively, a formality.

“We handle stuff, we make stuff happen,” Bennett told the New Pittsburgh Courier, May 21, about Black women in general. “And I believe that we have the knowledge…we can talk intelligently about policy issues, about things that need to be done. Some of us are coming from a place of poverty, some of us are coming from socio-economic disadvantage, some of us are coming from projects, we have all these different perspectives. It just makes sense that we would be entering public office.”

Added Taliaferro: “Black women are taking over, the Black girl magic is real, and I think it’s important because Black women have so much power and we have a great voice.”

In just the last 18 months, the Pittsburgh area has

watched Marita Garrett become Wilkinsburg’s first Black female mayor, Summer Lee become the first Black female state representative in Western Pennsylvania (outside city limits), Nickole Nesby become the first Black female mayor of Duquesne, and Chardae Jones take the throne as mayor of Braddock.

In the May 21 primary elec-

tion for state Superior Court, Amanda Green-Hawkins garnered the most votes of any candidate—Democrat or Republican—and is in the running to win one of two vacant seats on the court in the November general election.

“I think it’s underrated (the power of Black women),” Taliaferro told the Courier moments after her victory.

“We work hard…we deserve

BURGESS FROM A1

district. And second, investing in more PPS-designated “community schools.” Taliaferro wants to increase the resources that students need to be successful in the home and classroom. But what are those resources?

Taliaferro said that is best answered by the parents.

Thus, she wants to “engage (parents) and meet them where they are,” such as their child’s football game.

As for Bennett, she couldn’t believe what happened to Antwon Rose II. “When we witnessed a young boy getting shot in the back three times, running away from an officer…we can’t blame a young boy,” she told the Courier after her victory. “This officer was out to serve and protect…I don’t think shooting a boy in the back three times is serving or protecting. We have over 100 police departments in Allegheny County. They are

said that doesn’t mean a police department’s policies should change.

“We need to have a clear definition on how we are policed in our communities and that is what that county citizen police review board (is for),” Bennett said.

Bennett is a 1996 graduate of Oakland Catholic High School, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Carlow University. She’s about to attend the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Bennett, a Northview Heights resident, celebrated with family, friends and the Taliaferro contingent at Walter’s BBQ Southern Kitchen in Lawrenceville, after learning of the election results.

The mood was festive, as one would expect. The hugs for Bennett and Taliaferro were aplenty, the outpouring

DEVON TALIAFERRO speaks with a supporter at Walter’s BBQ Southern Kitchen in Lawrenceville after her victory.

Burgess tops crowded field to retain District 9 seat was certainly aware of the “anybody else sentiment,” if for no other reason than his most vocal opponent, Young, was calling him corrupt at candidate forums and on YouTube, and during the grand opening of a splash park in Lincoln-Lemington just days before the election. Young contended the grand opening so close to the election was a stunt by Rev. Burgess and Mayor Bill Peduto.

To that, Rev. Burgess had a brief response.

“I believe there is still pain in my community, and we hope those people re-

to be acknowledged for that hard work. I think it feels good when people can say, ‘I believe in you,’ ‘I think that you can do it,’ and that’s what I’ve experienced.”

Taliaferro grew up in Wilkinsburg, graduated from Wilkinsburg High School in 1999, then attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh. The

ceive the services they need to be healed,” he said.

Moving forward, Rev. Burgess said things are being put in place that will continue to improve outcomes for district residents: the HELP program, which, he said, along with the Homewood Comprehensive Community Plan, will ensure longtime residents are not gentrified out of their homes and community.

“It will require that developers build for the indigenous people first because all plans are subject to the approval of the community and the registered community groups working there,”

he said. “If you put approval of development in the hands of the community, if they can make the decisions, gentrification can’t happen.”

He said redevelopment along Homewood Avenue with new businesses and housing is also coming soon, and he thanks the community for letting him be part of it by keeping him in office.

“It is and always has been a privilege to serve my community,” he said. “I’m humbled and grateful for their confidence, and for the chance to continue to work for them.”

East Allegheny resident currently is a program associate with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh. She runs two mentoring programs—one at Brashear High School, the other at Greenfield Elementary. With her being in the schools, Taliaferro’s decision for running for school board was “solely on the experiences that I’ve had and the conversations that I’ve had with my students. I talk to kids all the time, I hear that they don’t like lunch, I see them get suspended for outrageous reasons. I see the issues and I see the needs that they have and they deserve better,” she said.

Taliaferro has two main priorities as a soon-tobe board member—first, “making sure our kids are staying in the classroom, that we’re really working towards the solutions that need to happen in order for us to eliminate suspensions…and invest more into the restorative justice practices that exist in the

OLIVIA BENNETT says her first priority on county council is the implementation of a county-wide citizen police review board. not all working on the same standards and protocols. We need to fix that.”

Rose, 17, was shot to death by former East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld in June 2018, and was found not guilty of criminal homicide by a jury in March.

Bennett’s primary focus as a future member of county council is the implementation of a county-wide citizen police review board.

“Just because you cross over into another municipality, which can happen just by crossing the street in some places,” Bennett

of support was abundant.

Absent from the celebration were David Copperfield and David Blaine, two of America’s most famous magicians.

No problem. Taliaferro and Bennett brought their own magic—#Blackgirlmagic.

“We’re tired of people speaking for us that don’t look like us, that don’t live our experiences, but want to continue making policy that is harming us,” Bennett told the Courier. “I think that people around the county are fed up with this, and you see that today.”

Amanda Green-Hawkins advances to Superior Court’s ‘Final Four’ GREEN-HAWKINS FROM A1

earned the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s “highly recommended” evaluation.

King and Peck were “recommended.” Green-Hawkins was “not recommended at this time.”

Green-Hawkins, who has worked as an attorney for the USW since moving to Pittsburgh in 2002, has an extensive and successful record as a labor and civil rights attorney, arguing and winning cases from California to St. Croix.

Originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, she is an alumnus of Duke University and Northeastern University School of Law. She served as the District 13 representative on county council from 2008 to 2014. She is a member of the state’s electoral college and a Democratic Party superdelegate.

In 2013 she successfully negotiated a settlement between the Rivers Casino and members of the Ruff Ryders, a Black motorcy-

cle club, that had a contracted party at the casino shut down for apparently discriminatory reasons.

The casino instituted new training and protocols as a result.

Green-Hawkins also serves on the boards of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, the Pittsburgh Zoo, and Pittsburgh United. She is also an advisory committee member to New Voices Pittsburgh and is a former New Pittsburgh Courier Fab 40 under 40 honoree.

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

TAJ-AYA BARNES

Taj-Aya Barnes recognized by IUP Department of Criminology The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that TajAya Barnes, an Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate, was selected by the IUP Department of Criminology for the 2019 Gregory W. Spinelli Memorial Award.

Barnes earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology with a minor in psychology from IUP one semester early, in December 2018.

Barnes, daughter of Er-

ika Kurzawa and Chris Kurzawa, is a 2015 graduate of Upper St. Clair High School. She was a dean’s list student, Promising Scholar and Dean’s Merit Scholarship recipient. She is a member of Mu Sigma Upsilon Sorority Inc., the NAACP and was a Welcome Weekend Leader and Peer Advisor.

The Spinelli award is presented annually to a graduating senior in the crimi-

nology department who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement.

The award was established at IUP in memory of the late Gregory W. Spinelli, a 1970 graduate of IUP. Spinelli was killed in 1973 while working as a Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent.

The IUP criminology department has been presenting the Spinelli scholarship since 1974.

‘Freeda Peoples’—filled with love, humor, drama, and spirituality Play ends New Horizon Theater’s 27th season

by Genea L. Webb For New Pittsburgh Courier

Paige Moody is starring in her first New Horizon Theater Inc. production, “Freeda Peoples.”

To say she’s excited is an understatement. The Clairton resident said she drew on her own church background to play the secretive and sassy Freeda Peoples.

“Preparing for her role was a little different than anything I had ever done before,” explained Moody.

“It’s a little hard to place Freeda because you don’t really know who she is and what she’s doing there. You know she is there for a purpose but nobody is sure for what just yet.

It was a little different approaching that because there’s a mystery aspect that you have to portray but she is also very direct in the way that she does things. Nobody really knows what her intensions are but she knows them. It’s very interesting playing someone who is so mysterious but also so direct.”

Set in Harlem, “Freeda Peoples” tells the story of a failing church and deals with the relationships between the new pastor, deacons, trustees and the facade each puts on. It was written by Joyce Sylvester and is being directed by Eileen J. Morris. The production will run from May 31 to June 16 at the Carnegie Library, Homewood branch.

Tickets can be purchased by calling New Horizon Theater Inc. at 412-4310773; sending an email to newhorizontheater@yahoo.com or visiting brownpapertickets.com. Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 for students and seniors (65 +). Group rates

are available for groups of 10 or more.

“New Horizon has full-production plays.

Sometimes it’s comedy and sometimes it’s drama,” explained theater chairperson Joyce Meggerson-Moore. “We do a wonderful job in the community as a theater company with the mission of bringing live theater and live performances to the stage. People will walk away feeling good after seeing this show.”

In addition to judgment, ‘Freeda Peoples’ also tackles other current-day issues like LGBTQ issues, sexual harassment and acceptance.”

“You are supposed to walk into a church and feel welcome. It’s the house of the Lord. The Bible says come as you are and that’s one of the things that we portray in the play,” Moody said.

“They want you to come to church, they don’t care who you are—or at least they shouldn’t—because that’s not what matters.

What matters is that you should love your neighbor as you love yourself but oftentimes in the play and in real life you don’t feel like that when you go into a church. That’s disheartening but the play is showing that church people are not perfect; they are human just like everybody else.”

Those themes and identifying with the characters are reasons why Morris thought “Freeda Peoples” would resonate with Pittsburgh audiences.

“The play has a spiritual groundedness to it. This church family is going through a new pastor and trying to figure out what they are going to do, where does he fit in, but amongst this there are other stories that come up that the deacons and other elders

in the church are dealing with. That’s the human part of it. There is no ‘safe zone’ so to speak, there’s always something that happens within life and when life comes into play you have other issues that come up.”

“This story is hugely important because it is filled with love and humor and seriousness and a spiritual element. What the playwright, Joyce Sylvester, has done, she has layered this play with issues that are relevant today and unfortunately, these stories and the dynamic of the play is still relevant today.”

Maurice Redwood drew on his real-life position as an officer in his Hill District church to play the character of Deacon Lewis in “Freeda Peoples.”

“Once I read the script, it felt like I was supposed to do it. I was drawn to the character because I was already familiar with the role and I think it’s a story that is important and needs to be told,” he said.

Morris, Redwood and Moody all hope that everyone can walk away from the play feeling blessed by the work presented on the New Horizon Theater Inc. stage.

“There are a lot of ups and downs in terms of emotions and in terms of subjects,” Redwood said.

“Everyone who comes to see it will be able to identify with at least one aspect of the show.

On one hand you have these folks who go to the church and get consumed by it and there are those who are in the church, but aren’t really in love with the Lord and don’t know God. So people coming to see (the production) will be able to identify with at least one character.”

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

A5

LIFESTYLES New Pittsburgh Courier

A6

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

Debbie Norrell

Lifestyles Report

Going going gone Just last week it was reported that another retail store is going to go out of business. This time it’s Dress Barn. I would bet that not a lot of you shop at Dress Barn and I guess that is the main reason they are closing their doors.

Many years ago I used to do an annual show for the Martin Luther King Reading Center and there were many times we used clothes from Dress Barn for the fashion show.

They were friendly and I built a great relationship with the store managers.

The shows were always a hit and the audience members could not believe the clothes were from Dress Barn. After the show there would be special discounts to the people that attended the show. We had a lot of fun.

I bought things from that store that I really enjoyed wearing. They also carried plus sizes and if you thought about going to the store I’m sure you would not be disappointed.

I actually never saw too many ads for Dress Barn after I no longer did the MLK fashion show—the store was out of sight, out of mind. Sometimes I would stop at the one in Miracle Mile but I really enjoyed shopping at the Northway Mall store before it closed. The retailer has been open for nearly 50 years and is joining a long list of stores that have closed. We have seen Kmart, Sears and Toys ‘R’ Us put up their “going out of business” signs.

You know that I love a good sale but right now I’m in clothing overload and plan on doing a big purge this summer. So I’m not sure that I will run into Dress Barn for the big markdowns. However I did make my way to Pat Catan’s, they are closing as well. Pat Catan’s is closing all 36 of its craft and floral stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan; although as many as 12 could reopen as Michaels locations. The company that owns Michaels purchased Pat Catan’s in 2016. Some of the stores may reopen at Michaels.

Some of you may not have shopped in Pat Catan’s, either. If you like to do crafts or any type of event planning you have probably stopped in one of these stores. I went to the Murrysville store and found a lot of bargains. If you are planning a reception or any type of party in the near future I highly recommend making your way to a Pat Catan’s store and picking up some bargains. They even have markdowns on the fabric that they have left.

If you entertain or just like a bargain, check out these stores before they close. A lot of the merchandise can be held on to until you need it but it is worth it to get it at 50 to 70 percent off. I’m sure online shopping and duplication of merchandise is putting these stores out of business. Get the bargains before they are gone.

(Email Debbie at debbienorrell@aol.com.)

SUPPORTERS—Harriette Meriwether, Emmai Alaquiva and Janet Sarbaugh

LOVELY LADIES—Melonie Nance, Janis Burley Wilson and Susan Biada

Take Center Stage

by Debbie Norrell

joined Janis Burley Wilson, AWAACC President & Lifestyles Editor CEO, Chair Michael Polite, With a red carpet en- and Take Center Stage Artrance and beautiful décor, tistic Co-Chairs, Constanza the August Wilson African Romero Wilson, Ruben SanAmerican Cultural Center tiago-Hudson and Phylicia Gala “Take Center Stage” Rashad. Nancy D. Washwas a night to remember. ington served as Gala LegOn April 26, hundreds acy Co-Chair, while UPMC and UPMC Health Plan were proud to serve as signature sponsors for the gala. James E. Taylor, Ph.D., Chief D i v e r s i t y, Inclusion and Talent Management TAKING CENTER STAGE—James E. Taylor, Janis Burley Wilson, Constanza Romero Wilson and Paul Officer, was Ellis co-emcee of this historic night.

Burley Wilson said, “the night was a celebration of the past commitment to building the incredible performing arts center that we know as the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.” Guests were greeted as they approached the center by the New Breed Brass Band and then on to the red carpet for an official picture. Music and art poured out of every corner.

After an exciting cocktail hour and a seated gala dinner guests enjoyed a Center Stage tribute performance. The performance opened with a signature film my BENEFACTOR SPONSORS—Lionel Mock and Emmy Award-winning film director EmJada Grandy Mock mai Alaquia. Then the crowd was “wowed” THE CHAIR AND THE DESIGNER—Michael Polite and Allison G. Williams by the outstanding dance moves of Kyle Abraham and the blues of Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The Encore Party following the show was “fire” and featured DJ Nate Da Phat Barber, Roger Humphries Sr., Brianna Richardson and Kassia Ensemble.

Spotted: Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, Sandra Shannon–founder of the August Wilson Society, Allison G. Williams, AWAACC architect and designer, Paul Ellis, nephew of August Wilson and Constanza Romero Wilson, she was married to ENJOYING A GREAT EVENING—Jon Kevin Gossett and Sandra August Wilson until his un- HOST COMMITTEE MEMBERS—Eugene and Marisa Williams (Photos by Debbie Norrell) Shannon timely death in 2005.

HOST COMMITTEE MEMBERS—Bruce Thompson, Veronica Thompson, Darrell Smalley and Denise Smalley

BRONZE SPONSORS—University of Pittsburgh University Library System

SUPPORTERS—Shirley Golden, Inez Miles and Margaret Burley

RELIGION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Allen Place Community Services

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

A7

Praise & Worship ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH Crawford & Centre Ave. Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Mass Sunday 10:00 A.M. www.stbtmchurch.org

East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800 116 S. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206

www.cathedralofhope.com Worship on Sunday: Journey Worship........8:45 a.m.

Sanctuary Worship........11 a.m.

Taize Prayer Service (Wed.) 7 p.m.

Curious about Quakerism?

You Are Welcome at our Meetings for Worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m.

Pittsburgh Friends Meeting 4836 Ellsworth Avenue http://www.quaker.org/legacy/pghpamm

ALLEN PLACE COMMUNITY SERVICES recently held its 10-year Anniversary Gala. Since 1985, Allen Place has been active in church health programs, and is deeply committed to its mission for North Side senior residents and families. Allen Place is located at 227 Bonvue St., North Side. (Photos by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)

10-year Anniversary Gala

Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!

For rate information, call 412481-8302, ext.

128.

JERRY ALLEN

BOB ALLEN of KDKA-TV

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEXT CHURCH EVENT! We want to place your event in our Church Circuit weekly calendar!

Send info to:

PAMELA BULLIE

MINISTER ELAINE JENKINS

DR. DAVID ANDERSON

New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh PA 15219 Or Email us! religion@ newpittsburgh courier.com

REV. GLEN LOPER

JACQUELINE SIMON

DR. CHRISTOPHER ALLEN

The Courier is THE VOICE of Black Pittsburgh.

A8

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

BUSINESS New Pittsburgh Courier

Julianne Malveaux on…

Distortions of Black History Opinion B3

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

Classifieds

Find what you need from jobs to cars to housing B4-B5

B

‘Pie-in-the-sky dream’

Black billionaire adopts Morehouse’s 135th graduating class

by Charlene Crowell For New Pittsburgh Courier

REALITY CHECK—Unfortunately for most African Americans, even the most sophisticated planning tools lead to the same result: retirement has fast become a pie-in-the-sky dream.

Despite dreams of prosperity, many African Americans not financially ready to retire

by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—The nation’s leading public interest group providing seniors and others with information that empowers them to choose how they live, AARP, regularly publishes a retirement calculator that individuals and families can use to provide a personalized snapshot of what their financial future might look like.

One simply has to answer a few questions about household status, salary and retirement savings (such as an IRA or 401(k)), include information about supplemental retirement income (such as a pension or Social Security), and consider how long they intend to work to generate information that will inform their expected lifestyle as a retiree.

The tool is designed to help potential retirees determine the amount of money they’ll need to retire “when—and how—they want.”

Unfortunately for most African Americans, even the most sophisticated planning tools lead to the same result: retirement has fast become a pie-in-the-sky dream.

“As a whole, Americans are bad savers. But, I believe it’s worse for African American communities because they don’t have access to the right educational opportunities,” said Cory Chapman, the Managing Partner and CEO of EFC Wealth Management.

“Being raised by a single mom with three kids, I understand the struggle of just trying to pay the bills and get food on the table.

Growing up, saving money was an afterthought and never discussed,” Chapman said.

A report published earlier this month demonstrated how African Americans, Latinos and other minorities will have a more difficult time calling it quits than White Americans.

The report, published on the financial website The Motley Fool,

revealed that the troubling disparity in retirement readiness between White Americans and minorities can be explained largely by income and wealth disparities that persist throughout our lives.

“Caucasians didn’t lose as much wealth during the Great Recession and have recovered more of it, so White households now hold close to six times the wealth of African American or Hispanic households,” the report’s authors said.

Median earnings for White households recovered from the recession by 2016, but earning levels for both Black and Hispanic households remained below 2007 levels.

Caucasians now earn close to twice as much as minority households do, according to The Motley Fool.

“The African American community is skeptical when it comes to saving,” Chapman said.

SEE DREAMS B2

The annual season of college commencements have a unique way of bringing together multiple generations of families in celebration. For the 135th graduating class of Atlanta’s Morehouse College, commencement marked another event that was as unexpected as it was generous.

Robert F. Smith, the event’s speaker who is also Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, announced he would pay the entire class’ student loan debts. This unprecedented gift, expected to run as high as $40 million, now enables the newest Morehouse men to begin careers free from the burdens of debt that accompany the start of many careers. Smith’s generosity also directly affects the lives of multiple family generations who contributed to the sharing costs of these college educations.

In a related interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Yasmin Farahi, policy counsel for the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) reacted to the impact of Smith’s gift “on the lives of these graduates and their families will be incredible,” she said. “But it’s also worth recognizing the impact it has on the lives of their family members who have co-signed on these loans or would otherwise be supporting these graduates as they worked to get out from under their student debt. Student loan debt is an intergenerational problem.”

New research from the AARP Public Policy Institute provides insights on how increasingly older borrowers are taking on debt to help younger family members.

And when it comes to Black families, grandparents, aunts, and uncles are all helping their kin at higher rates than other ethnicities or races. This help can include not only direct borrowing, but also cosigning their student family member’s loans. Should a student borrower default on cosigned loan(s) with family members, the cosigner’s financial stability is jeopardized.

“People ages 50 and older owe 20 percent, or $289.5 billion, of that total, up from $47.3 billion in 2004,” states the report. “The overall increase reflects a sharp rise in both the number of families borrowing and the amounts they borrow…For many families, the amount they owe increases over time because they are not paying enough to cover interest and pay down principal.”

Defaults result in lost tax refunds, garnished wages, and decreased benefits from both Social Security retirement and disability benefits—very real risks for the estimated 8.4 million student loan borrowers ages 50 and over.

The ways in which family members’ share the cost of college enrollment is also changing.

Although the AARP report found that 30 percent of oldSEE BILLIONAIRE B2

Equitrans Midstream COO talks opportunities

by Christian Morrow

reka Midstream in Ohio and Hornet Midstream in West Virginia. We are also Executive VP and COO partnering on the MounDiana Charletta says her tain Valley Pipeline in West firm Equitrans Midstream Virginia, the Southgate is a “1-year-old company Pipeline from Virginia to with a 135-year history” North Carolina and three in the oil and natural gas other pipelines specifically business. That is because, for powerplants.”

In energy industry paras she explained to the AfCourier Staff Writer

OPENING DOORS—Equitrans Executive VP and COO Diana Charletta talks opening business opportunities at the May 23 African American Chamber of Commerce Powerbreakfast. (Photos by J.L. Martello) rican American Chamber of Commerce PowerBreakfast audience, May 23, it was spun off from EQT last year and is now a publicly traded, stand-alone company. But it’s more than that.

“Today it is the third-largest gas gathering company in the country,” she said.

“In April we acquired Eu-

lance, midstream companies gather, store and transmit natural gas and by-products like ethane from the upstream producers, drillers, and frackers like EQT to downstream residential and commercial suppliers like Peoples and Columbia Gas. “We move the energy that

keeps America moving,” she said.

But, Charletta said, Equitrans is increasingly storing and transporting something else—water, both clean and recycled— for use in fracking operations. Some of its pipeline projects are strictly for water transport. And with a footprint above both the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, the company is positioned to be the premier midstream provider in the Appalachian basin.

And with its acquisitions and expansion, Charletta said the company plans to expand something else.

“We are looking to increase our supplier and contractor base,” she said.

“So, in the coming months, we will be setting up a workshop with the Chamber on doing business with Equitrans.”

Chamber President and CEO Doris Carson Williams said, if an introductory meeting she had with Charletta’s boss, Equitrans CEO Thomas Karam is any indication, she expects big things.

“We just had a chat and within 20 minutes he’s joined the Chamber as a Presidential Roundtable member,” said Williams.

Following her presentation, Charletta told the New Pittsburgh Courier that there are more oppor-

tunities for small and minority-owned companies to do business with Equitrans than one might think.

“We have thousands of miles of pipeline, hundreds of compressor stations, and we have to build roads, so there’s a lot of infrastructure, and while we’re trying to eliminate tankers even-

tually, we still have a huge fleet of vehicles,” she said.

“Even though we have inhouse engineers and attorneys, we contract out some of that work too, and there’s insurance. A lot of what we do is through contractors, so there are opportunities.”

After thanking Charletta, Williams welcomed new

members and reminded the audience of several upcoming events including a “Grow with Google” workshop, June 18; a cybersecurity workshop, June 20, and the next PowerBreakfast meeting with speaker Christina Cassotis, CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, June 14.

NEW PARTNERS—Chamber Board Vice Chair Lou Alexander and President and CEO Doris Carson Williams pose with Diana Charletta of Equitrans, a new President’s Roundtable member.

B2

BUSINESS

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

Black billionaire adopts Morehouse’s 135th graduating class BILLIONAIRE FROM B1

er Black consumers cosigned private student loans for family members, far more—45 percent borrowed on their credit cards. This level of credit card debt exceeds that incurred by Whites (31 percent), or Latinx (39 percent).

Further, a disproportionate jump in borrowing from retirement savings accounts are also negatively impacting older Black consumers.

While only 6 percent of comparable Whites used these funds, Black utilization was triple that of Whites at 18 percent. Older Latinx tapping into retirement savings were more than double that of Whites at 13 percent.

When the financial impacts of the nation’s racial wealth gap are added to these disparities, it’s little wonder that Black America suffers from acute financial stress. As this column recently reported, Black wealth averages only a dime for every dollar of wealth held by Whites.

Clearly, public policy reforms can and should address this national financial crisis. AARP’s proposed remedies include: •Increased public investment in higher education; •Encouraging the use of uniform financial aid award letters so they are more easily compared; •Ending offsets of Social Security benefits and other federal payments affecting older consumers; and •Allowing federal Parent PLUS borrowers to enroll directly in income-driven repayment plans.

While these reforms should be heartily supported by the federal government that sets budget priorities, the likelihood of interminable lawmaker debates or neglect still looms large.

This past February, a CRL letter to several U.S. Senators alerted them to the disproportionate impacts of the student loan crisis on consumers of color, as well as a list of remedies to abate the crisis.

“Students of color still face barriers in accessing higher education, still hold disproportionate financial burdens, and still struggle to overcome bad information from servicers,” wrote CRL. “Student loan debt is a real crisis for many people of color, and it exacerbates the racial wealth gap…The time has come for large, systemic change and not tinkering around the edges of the Higher Education Act.” “Unless bold, new actions are taken,” warned CRL in its letter, “a generation will be trapped in debt undertaken to advance their lives.

Among CRL’s recommendations were to: •Increase Pell grants and move that funding into the Education Department’s mandatory budget; •Increase and expand aid for Minority Serving Institutions via Title III and Title V; •Encourage borrowers to make student debt payments based on 8 percent of discretionary income, and then discharge any remaining balance after 10-15 years; •Guarantee that all loan forgiveness be tax-free; and •Protect borrowers from aggressive collections and benefit garnishment.

While these and other federal aid reforms are debated on Capitol Hill, there remains yet another sphere of influence that could extend the kind of goodwill borne from Mr. Smith’s adoption of Morehouse’s Class of 2019: increased Black philanthropy.

If other highly successful Black businessmen and women, professional athletes, recording artists and others followed Smith’s example, HBCU’s like North Carolina’s Bennett College might not have needed a national emergency financial rescue. With a new infusion of financial resources, more students on college campuses could breathe a financial sigh of relief, knowing that people who look like them provided help beyond their own family’s resources.

Without a doubt, the nation needs more need-based scholarships and grants—especially at HBCUs. If that were to happen, a stronger sense of community could emerge with a renewed sense of pride.

As Mr. Smith said in his May 19 commencement address, “We have nourished the soil with our blood.

We ‘ve sown the land with our sweat.

We’ve protected this country with our bodies, contributed to the physical, cultural and intellectual fabric of this country with our minds and our talents.”

Here’s hoping that more who have been financially blessed, will choose to pass a portion of assistance to those wanting to earn their way into the nation’s middle class.

(Charlene Crowell is the Center for Responsible Lending’s Deputy Communications Director. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)

Personal finance trends that should worry all Americans NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—April is National Financial Literacy Month, which means it’s the perfect time for Americans to review their money situation and brush up on their financial education. Developing better money management skills makes it more likely that individuals will reach their financial goals. Unfortunately, nearly two-thirds of Americans ( 63 percent ) can’t pass a basic financial literacy test.

To help Americans improve their financial lives, members of the American Institute of CPAs’ (AICPA) National CPA Financial Literacy Commission share the following tips.

For members of the media, the AICPA has experts ready to assist with stories on the below areas and any other personal financial topic.

Credit card debt rising Stat: As of December 2018, total U.S. consumer credit card debt is $870 billion, the highest total ever, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Tip: Use Credit Cards Cautiously Quote: “Credit cards allow people to make large purchases without carrying large amounts of cash, track spending and even earn rewards. However, when you find you’re unable to pay your balance off in full each month, you’re paying interest charges. And if you’re unable to make the minimum payment, it can result in fees, higher interest rates and a negative impact on your credit score. If you’re having trouble managing your credit card debt, tools like a credit card payoff calculator can help you map out a plan to pay down your balances and get a fresh start so your credit cards can start working for you.”

—Neal Stern, CPA member of the AICPA National CPA Financial Literacy Commission Retirement Saving Goals in Limbo Stat: Less than half of non-retired Americans (46 percent) are confident they’ll reach their financial goals by retirement, according to an AICPA survey.

Tip: It’s never too early to start saving Quote: “A 401(k) can be one of your best tools for building a secure retirement. They provide two key advantages. First, the amount you put into your 401(k) account lowers the taxable portion of your salary in the current year. This means all contributions to your 401(k) grow tax free—you’ll only pay tax when the money is withdrawn.

Second, many employers provide matching 401(k) contributions. If your employer does this, try to at least contribute the amount that gets you the maximum match; otherwise you’re walking away from ‘free money.’

Even a small contribution each paycheck can turn into a lot down the road. The AICPA’s 401(k) savings calculator can show you what starting today can do to support your retirement planning.”

—Michael Eisenberg, CPA/PFS member of the AICPA National CPA Financial Literacy Commission.

Car loan delinquencies increasing Stat: A record 7 million Americans are 3 months behind on their car payments, even more than during the wake of the financial crisis, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Tip: Plan Ahead & Read the Fine Print Quote: “When buying a car, it is important to remember that, regardless of any attachment you may have to a brand or model, you are incurring a significant financial obligation that you will have to pay back over time. Before agreeing to any financing arrangement, read the fine print to make sure you understand exactly what you are getting into and make sure it fits into your overall budget. Lastly, if there are viable public transportation options in your local area, it might make sense to explore those as you evaluate your transportation or automobile needs.”

—Dr. Sean Stein Smith, CPA member of the AICPA National CPA Financial Literacy Commission Fewer Americans following a budget post-recession Stat: The percent of Americans who follow a monthly budget has declined since the recession (39 percent in 2018, compared to 58 percent in 2015), according to an AICPA survey.

Further, one in four Americans admit they do not pay all their bills on time and nearly one in ten now have debts in collection, according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

Tip: Do a Financial Checkup Quote: “Knowing how much you have coming in compared to how much you’ve committed spend on things like rent, car payment, insurance and other bills is key to better understanding how much you actually have to spend on things like groceries, fun, and other financial goals like paying off debt faster. Making sure you keep enough set aside to at least pay the bills each month, then finding a way to keep the rest of your spending within what’s left over will help you avoid going into debt.

Americans who need help managing a monthly budget can use the AICPA’s budget analysis calculator to run a report that will show them where their money is going and identify areas for improvement.”

—Kelley Long, CPA/PFS member of AICP Consumer financial education advocates Americans Lacking Emergency Preparedness Stat: If faced with an unexpected expense of $400, four in 10 adults would either not be able to cover it or would cover it by selling something or borrowing money, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Tip: Have A Backup Plan Quote: “What’s on your emergency preparedness checklist? If you’re like most people, it includes water, batteries, a firstaid kit and an emergency contact list. What about the money you’ll need to deal with the situation? Disasters often strike quickly and without warning. Plan ahead, by setting up a separate account to build a ‘rainy day’ fund. Set a reasonable goal and start small, setting aside a manageable portion of each paycheck. Watch the fund grow, and when you reach your initial goal, you can decide whether a larger amount would give you more peace of mind. Most importantly, make a mental note of what the money can be used for (storm damage, illness, unemployment, etc.), and don’t dip into the fund for any other reason.”

—Margaret Poster, CPA member of the AICPA National CPA Financial Literacy Commission As student loan payments pile up, Americans cutting back Stat: Total U.S. student loan debt is $1.57 trillion. Eight in 10 U.S. adults with student loans (81 percent) make financial or personal sacrifices to meet their monthly payment, according to an AICPA survey.

Tip: Do Your Homework Quote: “When it comes to taking out a student loan, don’t take out more than you can reasonably expect to earn in your first year in the field of your major. Make sure you first exhaust every available source of ‘free’ money before getting any type of student loan. Meet with a financial advisor at school to discuss available scholarships and also look for scholarships online. Finally, make sure you are aware of the difference in pay-off options between Federal and private student loans.”

—Tracie Miller-Nobles, CPA member of the AICPA National CPA Financial Literacy Commission (The AICPA’s 360 Degrees of Financial Literacy Program is a nation-wide, volunteer grass-roots effort to help Americans develop a better understanding of money management and take control of their financial lives.)

Despite dreams of prosperity, many not financially ready to retire DREAMS FROM B1

“Growing up, we were taught by our grandparents that we couldn’t trust banks and we were better off burying money in the backyard,” he said.

Understanding how money works is actually getting worse with each new generation— Black children aren’t learning basic life skills in school, Chapman continued.

“We need to be teaching children about planning strategies to generate wealth. Retired African American clients that come into my office are still just trying to make ends meet,” Chapman said.

“They don’t feel like they can save money when they are trying to put their kids through college and help them buy a home or car. They are forgetting about themselves and their own retirement,” he said.

The most recent MassMutual State of the American Family Study found that there are differences in retirement planning among different cultural groups.

African Americans fall short on executing life-changing measures such as accumulating wealth, being better prepared for retirement and building up savings.

According to the American Family Study, 84 percent of African Americans believe the American Dream means financial security; 78 percent in not living paycheck-to-paycheck; and 77 percent in owning a home.

However, based on the study, many African Americans don’t have tangible assets needed

to make those goals happen now.

The study revealed a disconnect between African Americans’ financial situations and their hope toward the future.

Some key findings from the survey: •Outside of retirement accounts, only 37 percent of African Americans own wealth-building products such as stocks and mutual funds.

•Only 35 percent believe they are doing a good job of preparing for retirement.

•33 percent have less than one month of funds saved for a crisis and less than 25 percent have amassed more than six months’ of emergency savings.

•58 percent are actively involved in educating their children on finances versus 48 percent of Caucasians. Forty-percent rely on family members for information “The study shows African Americans want to improve their financial situations and are hopeful about the future,” Evan Taylor, African American market director for MassMutual, told Black Enterprise Magazine.

“At the same time, it sheds light on the financial struggles and inequities that the African American community continues to battle,” Taylor said.

“Those contradictions indicate a need for greater financial education and discipline for the whole family to achieve economic success.

In fact, the biggest financial regret expressed by respondents was that they wished they had started saving and investing sooner,” he said.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

BUSINESS CALENDAR Workshop

MAY 30—The Chatham University Women’s Business Center will present What is My Business Worth, 6 to 8 p.m. at Enterprise Bank, 4091 Mt. Royal Blvd., Allison Park, 15101. The workshop will focus on the complexities of business valuations and acquisitions. The workshop is free, but registration is required. Call Anne Flynn Schlicht at 412-365-1448 for more information.

Entrepreneurs Conference

JUNE 6—The Duquesne University Small Business Development Center will host its 21st Annual Entrepreneurs Growth and Networking Conference, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Duquesne Union, 4th floor, 700 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15282. The event features dozens of workshops, a Business Building Tradeshow, and leaders in technology, marketing, management and more. Cost is $139 and includes breakfast and lunch. Early registrants can save $50. For more information call 412-396-1633.

Food Business Workshop

JUNE 10—The Chatham University Women’s Business Center will host a workshop on the legal considerations and food safety requirements for all types of food operations, from festivals and food trucks to caterers and restaurants.

From 5:30 to 8 p.m., Chatham Eastside campus, 6585 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh 15206. Representatives from the Allegheny County Health Department will also discuss permitting and compliance requirements. The workshop is free, but registration is required. Call Anne Flynn Schlicht at 412-365-1448 for more information.

PowerBreakfast

JUNE 14—The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western PA will host its PowerBreakfast meeting, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Rivers Club in Oxford Center, Pittsburgh 15222. The speaker will be Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis, who will discuss planned expansions, new flights and carriers, and what opportunities they offer for small and Blackowned businesses. Cost: $20 for members, $30 for non-members.

Workshop

JUNE 20—The Duquesne University Small Business Development Center presents First Step: Business Start-up Essentials, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. 108 Rockwell Hall, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh 15282. The workshop covers several topics, including: Business structure and formation; Fictitious name registration; insurance; employee relations; financing options; taxation requirements and more. Cost: $25. For more information call 412-3961633.

Cyber Security Workshop

JUNE 20—The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western PA will host a Cyber Security Workshop, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Koppers Building, lower level, conference center room 4, 436 Seventh Ave., Pittsburgh, 15219. Highmark VP and Chief Information Security Officer Omar Khawaja will make a presentation on the latest in protecting against cyberattacks.

Workshop

JUNE 26—The Duquesne University Small Business Development Center presents QuickBooks Online, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 108 Rockwell Hall, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh 15282.

The session, led by Alicia Davis of Dennis Piper & Associates will cover: product overview; setting up files; navigating; recording transactions; generating reports, and more.

Cost: $35. For more information call 412-396-1633.

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019 B3

Prevent long hot summer of violence in America

Commentary

Good deed goes through ‘Black enough’ blender

by John N. Mitchell In the span of a few minutes, a little over a week ago, philanthropist Robert F. Smith orchestrated the kind of move that spreads

a balm over the wounds that accumulate as a result of the day-today indignities that go hand-in-hand with being Black in America.

The billionaire tech mogul’s promise to pay off the tuition loans—in the neighborhood of $40 million—of all the young men in Morehouse College’s Class of 2019. His generosity elicited a collective “thank you, Jesus” from African Americans fatigued by the never-ending stories about gun violence, racism, poverty, failing schools, wealth gaps and any other societal maladies that seem to attach themselves to Black folks more readily than any other group of Americans.

Sadly, I also knew that there would shortly emerge—from within the Black community—the imbecilic discussion over the authenticity of Smith’s Blackness: Is he Black enough?

Former President Barack Obama knows all about this. For this stupidity—which in polling my non-Black friends doesn’t occur among any other ethnic groups—found its way to the mainstream repeatedly during his two-terms in the White House.

Those looking to attach this ignorance to Smith have done so by assailing him for marrying former Playboy Model Hope Dworaczyk, who is White, in 2015. To some, this makes Smith, if there is a such a thing, “un-woke.”

What I’ve also noticed more often than not in this discussion is the failure to mention his first wife, Jamaican-born Suzanne McFayden. The two were married for 22 years and had three children during that time.

To be clear—and if you are unaware—there is no litmus test for who is and who isn’t Black enough. Smith has told the story about being stopped for “driving while Black” to and from the airport in his hometown of Austin, Texas, on multiple occasions. And trust me, the officers who have stopped him never once gave any consideration to the color of his wife as criteria for pulling Smith over.

A fairer barometer of what passes for authentic Blackness would be to place Smith side by side with music mogul Dr. Dre, the iconic founder of rap group N.W.A. in the 1980s.

For no other reason than the cultural impact of his musical career, Black people will never question Dr. Dre’s Blackness, which sets the bar much lower for him than it does for the Obamas and Smiths of the world.

In 2013, Dr. Dre, worth hundreds of millions, and music producer Jimmy Iovine donated $70 million to the University of Southern California to fund a four-year program that blends liberal arts, graphic and product design, business and technology.

USC didn’t really need his chump change, especially when its endowment stood at $5.5 billion in 2018. A coffer that, by the way, is larger than the endowments of all historically Black colleges and universities combined.

Far be it for me to suggest to any billionaire how best to do his or her philanthropy, but one can’t help but wonder what a similar gift might do for cash-starved, on-the-brink of extinction Cheyney University, the nation’s oldest HBCU? And I’ll just venture a guess that the percentage of students taking loans to attend Cheyney is probably much higher than those at USC. Imagine how many loans Dr. Dre could have wiped out at Cheyney or any of a number of struggling HBCUs with such a prodigious contribution?

A 2018 report on Black male athletes and racial inequalities showed that just 2.2 percent of USC undergrads were African American men.

That compares with the 56 percent of its football and basketball programs, which generate revenues in the millions annually. One wonders how aware Dr. Dre may have been of this long-standing inequality before he gifted USC with his millions?

The irony should be lost on no one. On the one hand, the rapper, who made millions selling his music to Black people, never considered them when it was time to give something back. On the other hand, the Black businessman, vilified by some African Americans for marrying a White woman, gave back to the Black men of Morehouse in unapologetic fashion.

Whatever Ahmad Smith chooses, gone are the shackles of loans that weigh disproportionately upon young Black students, who on average owe $7,400 more than than their White peers upon graduation.

I’m optimistic that Ahmad Smith is part of generation that doesn’t view being Black in the same way that more myopic generations that have preceded him do.

“Mr. Smith is what I aspire to become — A Black man who cares about the future of his people,” Smith told me last week. “That’s authentic Blackness.”

That it is. (jmitchell@phillytrib.com 215-893-5732) (Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

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)

(NNPA)—Across the nation and throughout the world, millions of people are still morning the tragic and senseless killing of our Brother Nipsy Hustle. We are again reminded of the terrible sickness of violence in communities across the United States.

We should not wait for another one of our hero’s to be killed before we stand up to take action to prevent this plague of violence from continuing. Nipsy was a great example of what can happen when a young man from our community puts his head down and transcends the traps that are laid by the enemies of our youth in America.

Let me be clear: All those who have the capacity and opportunity to do their part to end the senseless spiral of violence but do nothing by their omission are aligned with the forces that are against our communities’ safety, resilience and progress.

Complacency with violence directly contributes to its devastating continuance.

There are, however, very successful programs in nearly every hot pocket in our inner cities that are alarmingly underfunded. Those effective antiviolence programs are in constant need of volunteers. I have personally witnessed and worked closely with so many extremely productive and amazing programs that in fact prevent violence.

Russell Simmons

Commentary Effective programs like Erica Ford’s “Life Camp” in Queens, New York or Captain Dennis Muhammed’s “Peace Keepers” efforts in over 20 cities are in need of additional funding and support from city, state and federal agencies. Of course, in addition, the private sector and local community support systems must also be summoned to help out. Now is the time to act to prevent future violence.

These two programs are shining examples of how much better and effective local interventions are than the police who in many cases are disconnected, not trusted, brutal and too often fatal. But despite the results of current research studies on what works, city budgets in too many states are now being turned over to ineffective police containment strategies because of the undue influence of police unions and other conservative political forces.

Violence cannot be contained. It has

to be prevented by trusted and effective community-based programs.

Are we prepared to sit back this summer and watch more than 50 of our kids get shot and killed every weekend in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Detroit, Miami, or in St. Louis? Because if we don’t act urgently now, that’s what is gonna happen!

Where is the national debate or priority about our children’s safety from violence? It appears that the hip-hop community is the only authentic and caring voice that is speaking out effectively and consistently on this important issue and “Taking back responsibility.”

Most religious and political figures won’t bring it up publicly or earnestly unless we do it first. I will do my part. Will you?

No matter how big or small your impact might be, everyone’s input and support is needed now. Even if you only will just write to your member of the U.S. Congress to urge more funding for community antiviolence programs, that will also be helpful.

The clock is ticking. The summer is coming. Are you prepared to lose a love one or a friend to violence in our communities? Or are you going to join me and others to help make a lasting difference? Thank you for your response. With great love, all things are possible.

Paying it forward (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Among the worst behavior of the man in the White House that one could ever imagine, there is still so much good in the world. Leading up to another Memorial Day, when we thank military men and women, remember to thank Dr. Robert F. Smith who set an awesome example of how those who’re so blessed can help others who’ve not been.

Sunday, May 19 was already a special day because it was the birthday of Malcolm X. Then came the Morehouse graduation and the wonderful announcement of the graduation speaker who talked about his blessings and announced that he’d be donating enough funds to wipe out the student loan debt of Morehouse’s nearly 400 members of the 2019 graduating class!

Once he made the statement, there were a lot of questions such as “Did I understand correctly what he just said?” Suddenly the students stood in unity realizing they really weren’t going to be saddled with the heavy student debt they’d incurred while getting an education. It’s possible many of them didn’t know that graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities have higher debt after graduating than students at other schools.

With a price tag of $50,000.00 per year at Morehouse, these students were about to be included in that number. With Dr. Smith’s an-

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

Commentary nouncement, lives were suddenly changed. It was such a blessing to see young men making commitments to pay it forward. Especially gratifying was the announcement of a couple of young graduates who’d already made a commitment to give back at least $100,000.00 to Morehouse by the time they are 32 years old. Now they were looking at doing it sooner because they would no longer be saddled with massive student debt.

Imagine how many thoughts went through the minds of these young men about how they could pay it forward! May they never forget how blessed they are, but also may they never forget there’s still a student debt crisis. Those who’ve been blessed as they have should add to their lists ways they can rise to the challenge of helping others. I pray that others who’ve been blessed as Dr. Smith has, will join him in making similar pledges to young women and other young men throughout the nation who struggle daily to get

an education.

I remember the day I gave my first donation to my alma mater, Grambling University. It didn’t even come close to what Dr. Smith did, but I did my best with what I had. His doing so much at one time should not discourage each HBCU graduate to do a little bit on a regular basis. Predominantly and historically Black colleges and universities have never been given their fair share when compared with other colleges and universities, but we should be that bridge over troubled waters until HBCU’s are treated with fairness.

Dr. Smith, who received an honorary doctorate from Morehouse, has made a big leap for humankind.

We may never be able to match the gift of Dr. Smith that is more than about the money he gave. It’s about that spirit of lifting as we climb that many of us learned in grade school.

Let us get back to that and our communities will be better for our effort.

Keep in mind that he just founded his business in 2000 and look what he’s done! He’s donated to other worthy causes. Twenty years from now, try to be proud when you look back and count the difference you’ve made in the lives of others. We don’t have to match Dr. Smith. Let’s just give all we can give and serve all the great causes we can serve. That’s still paying it forward.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is national president of the National Congress of Black Women.)

School vouchers are a failed experiment (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“How bad are school vouchers for students?

Far worse than most people imagine.

Indeed, the use of school vouchers— which provide families with public dollars to spend on private schools— is equivalent to missing out on more than one-third of a year of classroom learning.”—Center for American Progress study, “The Highly Negative Impacts of Vouchers” School privatization has been a dismal failure, leaving students stranded in low-performing schools while transferring millions of taxpayer dollars into private, for-profit institutions.

The latest proof that private school vouchers don’t work for students emerged from an investigation in Louisiana conducted by several news outlets. “The Cost of Choice” revealed that the state’s $40 milliona-year voucher program has pulled thousands of students out of public schools into failing private schools that receive almost no oversight.

A full two-thirds of all students in the voucher system attended schools rated “D” or “F” under the state’s assessment system.

There are 86 private schools that have accepted voucher students but most don’t have enough students enrolled to be assigned a grade. But of the 37 that do, not a single school scored “A” or “B” and only three received a “C.” The investigation found that students have left “C-rated” public schools to attend “D-” and “F-rated” private schools.

The Louisiana investigation is hardly the first to demonstrate the failure of voucher programs. When the Trump Administration unveiled a budget that sought to divert public funds from bipartisan education programs into privatization efforts, Senator Patty Murray, Ranking Member

education. Most voucher programs fail ensure that private schools receiving taxpayer dollars be held to these civil rights standards.

“Under privatization programs, schools receive an ever-growing share of taxpayer funding but are free to choose the students they want, the rules they follow, and the practices they believe in, ignoring accountability and transparency of the Health, Education, Labor & for public dollars.,” Murray and her Pensions Committee, compiled a staff wrote in the 2017 memo. “In devastating memo detailing the dam- addition, voucher programs across aging impact of school privatization the country have shown evidence of programs across the country. fraud, such as embezzlement of funds Private schools that siphon taxand submitting applications and payer dollars from public schools receiving funding for nonexistent are able to skirt the accountabilistudents. This occurs while simultaty and reporting requirements to neously depleting needed resources which public schools are subject. for public schools and shortchanging In many cases, there’s simply no students.” way for parents to compare student It’s clear that we, as a nation—and performance in private schools with as communities invested in propublic school, or to make sure that viding all children with a quality the private school meets even the education that prepares them for most basic standards required of college, work and life—must turn public schools. away from the failed voucher experiFurthermore, the cost of attending ment and toward strengthening and private schools, including those that improving our public schools. As the accept vouchers, usually exceeds the National Urban League made clear amount of the voucher, putting the in its recent analysis of state plans voucher program out of reach for to comply with the Every Student low-income families. In many cases, Succeeds Act, we believe students, voucher programs merely publicly parents and community stakeholders subsidize tuition for students who should adopt a vision of education already were attending the private reform and innovation that expands schools—often violating the principle and deepens opportunity, upends of separation of church and state, inequity, accelerates progress and since many of the schools are relidelivers more fully on the promise of giously affiliated. education.

Of particular concern to the Urban Learn more about how the NaLeague Movement is the way in tional Urban League’s Equity and which voucher programs undermine Excellence Project is supporting civil rights protection. In response to local, state and national advocacy, the nation’s long history of discrimengagement and education reform ination in schools, Congress passed efforts, and join the conversation civil rights laws to give every child in by following @NatUrbanLeague on the United States access to a quality social media.

Marc H. Morial

To Be Equal

CLASSIFIED New Pittsburgh Courier

B4

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Help Wanted

Public Notice

HELP WANTED

WPXI IS HIRING Investigative Producer (Job No. 195638)

TITLE: Assistant Dean of Students REPORTS TO: Dean of Students SALARY RANGE: $35,000 - $40,000 JOB FUNCTION: The Assistant Dean of Students will work collaboratively with the Dean of Students, School Social Worker, and Student Success Advisor as a member of the Student Support Services Team. The role will support the Dean of Student in maintaining and upholding safe, positive, and joyful school culture in which students are held accountable and are recognized for excellent behavior.

MORE INFORMATION: Please send a resume and letter of interest to jobs@urbanacademypgh. org to receive a complete job description.

SENIOR ADJUSTER

Port Authority is seeking a Senior Adjuster to perform investigation and settlement of assigned claims and other assignments as assigned.

Essential Functions: •Investigate each claim through prompt and courteous contact with appropriate parties such as claimants, witnesses, medical providers and technical experts to determine extent of liability and damages.

•Obtain all investigative reports, i.e.

Police, CIB, Medical Records etc. needed for successful disposition of each claim.

•Maintain effective diary system for appropriate claim management.

•Document claim file activities in Riskmaster.

Job requirements include: •High School Diploma or GED. •BS/BA degree in Criminal Justice, Business Management or related field. Directly related experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.

•Minimum of two (2) years general liability and property damage claims experience.

•Customer service oriented with the ability to handle emotionally charged situations.

•Professional and effective communication skills.

•Excellent organizational and planning abilities.

•Valid PA driver’s license.

•Demonstrated ability in the use of Windows.

Preferred attributes: •Demonstrated ability in the use of Microsoft Word and Access.

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Deborah Slocum Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 DSlocum@portauthority.org EOE

SENIOR STRATEGY ANALYST

UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside seeks A Senior Strategy Analyst to work in Pittsburgh (Allegheny County), PA. Work as part of a projects team responsible for analyzing strategy and planning across UPMC’s divisions. Provide research, reporting and analysis to a portfolio of projects. Focus on environmental and market assessments, new business development, and clinical utilization patterns. Create decision support tools for analytical models, market assessments/profiles, industry trends/competitiveness, clinical capacity, patient data analysis, etc. Develop new reporting capabilities, reporting automation, and analytical tools. Apply Cognos, SQL programming, and advanced excel capabilities (e.g., program macros) to build data sets and ensure accuracy and consistency in reporting viable measures. Understand and apply knowledge of data sources and tools utilized throughout UPMC (e.g., financial and quality data systems). Identify, develop and integrate new sources of data into existing databases. Help determine the most efficient, effective, and valid analytical methodologies to answer underlying strategy questions and address clients’ needs.

Develop validation and testing protocols to ensure accuracy and quality of final deliverables. Synthesize findings and implications of data and analysis work into reports for clients’ use. Demonstrate broad knowledge of the healthcare industry, including international healthcare trends and dynamics, and identify market dynamics affecting UPMC’s operations and services.

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Business, Public Health, Information Sciences, or related field, plus skills (gained through experience, education, or training) in electronic medical records organization; clinical operations/hospital administration; patient/family satisfaction analysis; and 3 of the following technical applications: Excel, Visual Basic, Access, SQL and/or Cognos.

Apply by following these steps; visit http://careers.upmc.com and enter 190000HL in the “Search Keyword/Job ID” field and click Go. EOE/Disability/Veteran

WPXI is seeking a full-time Investigative Producer with great writing, news judgment and creativity to help drive the best local newscasts in Pittsburgh. Requirements Include: Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting journalism or related field preferred and 2 -3 years of newscast producing experience. Qualified candidates should apply online: jobs.coxmediagroup.com (Job No. 195638). No phone calls please. WPXI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of Geneva Wallace, deceased, Case No. 3046 of 2019: Notice is hereby given that on April 8, 2019, a Petition was filed by Dorothy Hill, Petitioner, to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Geneva Wallace, deceased, in the real estate located at 6521 Shetland Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, and determine that fee simple title is in Dorothy Wallace, Petitioner.

If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 30 days, Dorothy Hill will seek an Order adjudging that Geneva Wallace’s title is in Dorothy Hill.

NOTICE OF CONDEMNATION

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania In Re: The Condemnation by the County of Allegheny of a Certain Parcel of Land, in the Borough of Dravosburg, Allegheny County, of Herbert Palkovitz, Cheryl Lynn Hepfer and Wayne Allen Palkovitz, required to stabilize the slope supporting Elizabeth Street southeast of Scott Drive.

GD 19-3438 (“Condemnee”), Herbert Palkovitz, Cheryl Lynn Hepfer and Wayne Allen Palkovitz tax parcel identification number 384-C30, 4,164 square feet of Required Right-of-way and 3,692 square feet of Temporary Construction Easement, Plans - Miscellaneous Volume 176, Page 75, estimated just compensation: $550.00.

TO: Herbert Palkovitz, Cheryl Lynn Hepfer and Wayne Allen Palkovitz, their heirs, personal representatives, successors or assigns: Take notice that Declaration of Taking was filed March 11, 2019 at the above referenced general docket number.

Name and Address of Condemnor: Allegheny County, (“County”) 101 Courthouse, 436 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Authorizing Statute(s): Article IV, Sec. 2 and Sec. 6 of the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter, Article VII, Sections 701.02 and 703.07 of the Allegheny County Administrative Code and the Act of 1953 July 28, P.L. 723, Art. XXVI, Section 5601, et seq.

Authorizing Ordinance: Ordinance No. 07-19-OR, enacted February 19, 2019. The Ordinance may be examined at the Offices of Condemnor, noted above.

Condemnation Description: The purpose of this condemnation is to acquire property for the purpose to stabilize slope supporting Elizabeth Street southeast of Scott Drive in Dravosburg Borough.

Statement of the Condemnation: Condemnee’s property identified on the Viewers’ Plan marked as Exhibit “B” to the respective Declaration of Taking, filed at the above referenced general docket number, has been condemned as of March 11, 2019. The title acquired by the County is a fee interest, including all interests of every record owner thereof or any party claiming an interest therein, in the area labeled “Required Right-of-Way” and an easement interest, including all interests of every record owner thereof or any party claiming an interest therein, in the area labeled “Temporary Construction Easement” area on Exhibit “B”. Plans showing the property condemned may be inspected in Condemnor’s offices noted above and are also lodged of record in the Allegheny County Department of Real Estate, at the above referenced Plans - Miscellaneous volume and page number.

Just compensation for the condemnation is secured by the County’s power of taxation, which is deemed pledged as security of the payment of damages as, shall be determined by law.

Challenging the Condemnation: If Condemnee wishes to challenge the power or the right of County to appropriate the condemned property, the sufficiency of the security, the procedures followed by County or the Declaration of Taking, the Condemnee must file preliminary objections within 30 days after the date of publication of this Notice.

Howard M. Louik, Attorney for Condemnor

SONNY BOY 0 5 1

3 6 4

9 8 2

ANNOUNCEMENTS

LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Public Notice

Legal Notices

Bids/Proposals

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH KELLY HAMILTON HOMES (Addison Terrace Phase 4) Two (2) and Three (3) Bedroom Waiting Lists Opening

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) will be accepting pre-applications for the Kelly Hamilton Homes two (2) and three (3) bedroom waiting lists only. The pre-applications will be accepted online ONLY at www.hacp.org from: Monday, June 3, 2019, 8:00 a.m., through Sunday, June 16, 2019, 11:59 p.m.

Not all households will be eligible for a two (2) or three (3) bedroom unit, as the age, gender and relationships of household members affect the number of bedrooms for which a household is eligible. Eligibility restrictions of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program apply. Pre-applications can only be submitted online from any computer, laptop or smartphone with internet access. Applicants can apply any time during the time period listed above. All pre-applications successfully submitted that qualify for a two (2) or three (3) bedroom unit will be taken. Placement on the waiting lists will be determined by a random lottery system. Since ALL pre-applications that qualify for a two (2) or three (3) bedroom unit will be taken and placed on the waiting lists by a random lottery system, it does not make a difference if you are the first or last person to submit a pre-application. No pre-applications will be accepted before 8:00 a.m., Monday, June 3, 2019, or after 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 16, 2019.

Printed pre-applications will not be available at any of the HACP properties or offices.

Note: There is no fee to apply.

DO NOT pay anyone and/or any website to apply for you.

If you do not have a computer or internet access, it is available at all Allegheny County public libraries and the HACP will provide limited computer/internet access at the following locations on the dates stated above: Monday, June 3, 2019 through Sunday, June 16, 2019.

•HACP Occupancy Office, 100 Ross St., 4th Floor, 15219 (Monday-Friday, 9-4) •Bedford Hope Center, 2305 Bedford Ave., 15219 (Monday-Friday, 8-12 and 2-4) •Development and Opportunities Center, 1205 Liverpool St., 15233 (Monday-Friday, 11-4) Additional information is available by visiting our website at www.hacp.org For those that are deaf or hard of hearing, you can also contact HACP at TDD: 412-201-5384.

This event is for Project-Based Vouchers (PBV) for Kelly Hamilton Homes ONLY and is completely separate from the HACP Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) and Low Income Public Housing Programs.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT N0. 1713

Estate of DONALD LEE SPRATT, Deceased of 93 Locust Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15202.

Estate No. 02-19-02866 Ms. Kara Hoff, 1100 Kings Lane, Moon Township, PA 15108, Testatrix, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Offices of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108.

Estate of NILE FRANKLIN BARTON a/k/a NILE F. BARTON, Deceased of Jefferson Hills, Allegheny County Pennsylvania No. 02-19-02916. Carole D. Barton, Executor, 2612 Ridge Road, Finleyville, PA 15332 or to TODD A. FULLER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC, 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017

LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE MID MON VALLEY TRANSIT AUTHORITY (MMVTA), CHARLEROI, PA DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (DBE) FY 2020, 2021 AND 2022 GOAL

The MMVTA is proposing a 3% DBE goal for FFY 2020, 2021 and 2022 for DBE participation in contracting opportunities funded by the Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) pursuant to Federal Regulations 49 CFR, Part 26. The proposed goal its rationale are available for review during normal business hours, for 30 calendar days following the date of notice by contacting Nancy Basile, DBE Liaison Officer MMVTA, 1300 McKean Ave, Charleroi, PA 15022, 724-489-0880 or dbasile@ mmvta.com. Written comments on the goals will be accepted for 45 calendar days after publication of this notice. Firms interested in contracting opportunities are encouraged to contact the MMVTA above or by using the Vendor Registration Form at www.MMVTA.com under the Doing Business with US link.

Comments may also be directed to the Federal Transit Administration, Region III, Attn: Civil Rights Officer, 1760 Market Street, Suite 500, Philadlephia, PA 19103-4124. The MMVTA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex in the administration of their DBE program or the requirements of Title 49 CFR Part 26.

LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

PROPEL SCHOOLS CONCRETE REPLACEMENT

Propel Schools is now accepting bids for Concrete Replacement work at our Propel East location.

Please visit www.propelschools. org and click on ‘Contact Us’ then ‘Contracting Opportunities’ for bid documents.

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS

The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority is soliciting Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1713 - FURNISH AND DELIVER FRP STORAGE TANKS FOR SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE. Proposals will be received until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Thursday, June 20, 2019 at the office of the Authority.

ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Proposals or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to the successful bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority or women’s businesses to the fullest extent possible.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, to waive any informality in any Proposal and to accept any Proposal should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so. Bid Security in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the total bid price is required.

A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at the offices of the Authority at 10:00 A.M. May 30, 2019.

Bidders are encouraged to attend.

Documents pertaining to the submission of Bids are available at the office of the Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233.

Any questions regarding this contract document should be directed to Jeffrey S. Mazza, P.E., Mechanical Engineer in.writing at jeffrey. mazza@alcosan.or g ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHIORITY Kimberly Kennedy, P.E. Director, Engineering & Construction

ADVERTISEMENT

Sealed bid proposals are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 (412.237.3020) on the following items: Bid Proposal No. 1046 – Infoblox Maintenance Renewal Bid Proposal No. 1047 – Shuttle Bus Services – North Campus Due date: 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 The CCAC Purchasing Department publishes all bids and RFPs via the CCAC website at https://www.ccac. edu/Bid-RFP_Opportunities.aspx It will be each vendor’s responsibility to monitor the bid activity within the given website (“Bid and RFP Opportunities”) and ensure compliance with all applicable bid documents inclusive of any issued addenda.

Failure to incorporate any applicable addenda in the final submittal may result in the rejection of your bid.

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

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

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129

SONNY BOY

SPORTS

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019

B5

The 2019 City League Track & Field titles belong to Allderdice

ONCE AGAIN, Allderdice reigns supreme in Track & Field in the City League. Both the boys and girls teams finished first at the meet, held May 9 and 11 at Oliver. (Photos by Courier photographer Will McBride)

TYONNA WALKER OF BRASHEAR won the 800 meters with a time of 2:46.86.

THE OBAMA GIRLS RELAY TEAM finished first with a time of 54.32.

MONTEZ NEWSOME OF WESTINGHOUSE won both the 200 and 400 meters with times of 24.20 and 54.02.

RAVEN HASTON OF OBAMA won both the 100 and 200 meters with times of 12.47 and 26.17.

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org).

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on June 26, 2019 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527), for the following: Electronic Proposal Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org) B190319AR A VA YA Support Advantage B190423A Elevator & Escalator Maintenance B190529A Contactless Smart Fare Media ConnectCards B190532A Elevator & Escalator Spare Parts B190533A Air Channels - LRV No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held on each of the above items at 10:00AM June 12, 2019 at Port Authority’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, PA). 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.

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129

Sealed bids will be received in the Bellefield Avenue Lobby, Administration Building, 341 South Bellefield Avenue until 11:00 A.M. prevailing time June 11, 2019 and will be opened at the same hour for the purchase of the following equipment and supplies: Custodial Small Equipment Custodial Paper Products Custodial Chemicals/Soaps Window Cleaning General Information regarding bids may be obtained at the Office of the Purchasing Agent, Service Center, 1305 Muriel Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. The bid documents are available on the School District’s Purchasing web site at: www.pgh schools.org Click on Our Community; Bid Opportunities; Purchasing - under Quick Links.

The Board of Public Education reserves the right to reject any and all bids, or select a single item from any bid.

We are an equal rights and opportunity school district

ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE

The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority is soliciting Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1712 - FURNISH AND DELIVER CHEMICALS AND TECHNICAL SERVICE FOR TREATMENT OF BOILER WATER, STEAM AND CONDENSATE. Bid-Proposals will be received until 11:30 A.M., Prevailing Time, Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at the office of the Authority.

ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Proposals or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to the successful bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority or women’s businesses to the fullest extent possible.

A non-mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting will be held at the Authority’s Plant, at the Engineering Conference Room, on Thursday, June 06, 2019 at 10:00 A.M. Prospective Bidders are encouraged to attend the PreBid Meeting.

Contract Documents may be examined and obtained at the office of the Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Bid Security shall be furnished by providing with the Bid a Certified Check or Bid Bond in the amount of $5,000.00. The successful Bidder shall be required to furnish a Performance Bond in the amount of 100% of the Bid Price.

Any questions regarding the Contract Documents should be directed to Ben Heilman, Contract Supervisor, at ben j amin.heilman@. alcosan.or g or by phone to (412) 734-6204, or fax to (412) 734-8715.

The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Bids, to waive any informality in any Bid and to accept any Bid should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY Benjamin J. Heilman Contract Supervisor

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS!

ALLDERDICE SENIOR GIANNA GRIFFIN won the 400 meters with a time of 1:02.49. Griffin is a former New Pittsburgh Courier intern.

LEGAL ADVERTISING

B6

FORUM

MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2019 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Distortions of Black history (TriceEdneyWire.com)—According to some historians, Afrodescendents first entered these united states in 1619 off the coast of Virginia. If we believe that narrative, Afrodescendents have been in this country for 400 years. If the people who were kidnapped and brought here had to tell the story, would they tell the same one? Would they say that we came before Columbus? That some of us might have been here even longer? There were captured Africans that came from the mother continent in 1619, but also, thanks to the transatlantic slave trade, Africans here who had come from Bermuda, Jamaica, and other places.

Why is this relevant? Because there is this misguided group of Afrodescendants, who are throwing shade at those who are not “American descendants of slaves” ADOS. Their shade is an odd version of the “am I Black enough for you” game that some folks ran against President Barack Obama, and are now running against Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Corey Booker. What is Black enough, when we, Afrodescendant people, all have enslavement in our background? Let’s make it plain. Europeans went to the African continents, kidnapped people (sometimes with African acquiescence), brought them to the Western Hemisphere and sold us. Goods and people flowed between England (or New England, the Americas, and Africa), including sugar, tobacco, manufactured products, guns, and humans. Understand that everyone in the triangle was affected and that enslaved people were freely traded between the United States and other parts of the Americas!

I am not sure what kinds of warped

Julianne Malveaux

Commentary brains dreamed up the realities of enslavement and the ways that a minority in the South was able to control a majority. The laws that managed enslavement included laws that prevented literacy, ownership, and much else. The laws often detailed the terms of punishment if restrictive conditions were breached. A North Carolina law said, “teaching slaves to read and write, tends to excite dissatisfaction in their minds, and to produce insurrection and rebellion.” Disobeying this law was punishable by 39lashes or imprisonment for a free Black person, or a fine of two hundred dollars then, or about $5000 now. People violated the laws, of course, but the warped sensibility that prohibited the dissemination of knowledge is the basis for many sick stereotypes, such as “if you want to hide something from a Black person, put it in a book.”

Fast-forward 400 years, or even two.

Why are teachers in Louden County, Virginia, forcing fifth and sixth-grade students to simulate enslavement with an obstacle course they called “The Underground Railroad?” Why were many of these students Afrodescendents?

Why are the leaders of the school silent about the discipline that was ordered on the rogue teachers who took it upon their ignorant selves to construct such an exercise? Why has David Stewart, the principal of the Madison Trust School in Louden County, sent out a vapid apology for a “culturally insensitive” exercise, and not a more strongly worded condemnation of the racism implicit in this nonsense.

We have been here at least 400 years, and still, some folks aren’t clear about the ways enslavement has shaped our nation. In Virginia, where both the governor and the Attorney General (two of the top three elected officials in the state) have admitted to masquerading in Blackface, albeit thirty-odd years ago, teachers don’t see anything wrong with subjecting Black students to a reenactment of enslavement. Oh, they said they were teaching “teamwork.”

Really.

We have been here at least 400 years, and our nation is not yet clear about its flawed foundations. There would be no house at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., which should not be called the White House, but the House that Enslaved People Built, were it not for the labor of kidnapped people and their descendants.

There would be no banking system if enslaved people were not used as collateral for European devilment. There would be no insurance industry were it not for the enslaved. But our collective ignorance allows us, all of us, African Americans, European Americans, and others, to live in denial, pretending that there is fairness in a racist, patriarchal, predatory, capitalist society.

We have been here at least 400 years, but we still aren’t clear about the nonsense and exploitation that affects and infuses our very foundation. Our entire nation needs to go back to school to learn some history. But there is a special place in hell for teachers in Louden County, Virginia who think that enslavement is some kind of game!

(Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist.)

Racism, mental health crisis, and the Indian position Historians know the compared to Jim Crow but 1896 Supreme Court’s J. Pharoah Doss the social scientists of this Plessy v. Ferguson deera believe it produces the cision legalized segresame psychological damgation in the United age as segregation.

States, and 58 years In 2014 the Journal of later the 1954 Brown Counseling & Developv. Board of Education ment did a study which decision declared segconcluded racism affected regation unconstitumental health in direct tional. Psychologists and indirect ways. “It can know the Brown deciinflict psychological trausion was influenced by psychological evidence ma, create unfavorable socioeconomic conthat revealed, “Racial segregation…made ditions that increase the risk of psychiatric Black children in Black schools feel inferi- disorders by as much as threefold, and lead or (undermining) their motivation to learn.” to negative feelings of self-worth and wellbe(White children were also damaged through ing.” segregation because it fostered a false sense In 2016 the Journal of Traumatic Stress of superiority.) published a study that said Black residents Historians also know the Brown decision of Ferguson, who participated in the study, launched the efforts that became known as had significantly higher rates of post-trauthe “modern civil rights movement” which matic stress disorders and depression than transformed American race relations for White residents in the months after the Mithe better, and psychologists are fully aware chael Brown police shooting. that the “Great Society” programs of the late In a 2017 article called: “Racism and the In1960s were attempts to repair the harm done visible Struggle of Mental Health in the Black by past discrimination.

Community,” the president of the Association But students of history and psychology of Black Psychologists said, “Racism and our might not know there was a lone voice of dis- response to it kills us more than anything.” sent immediately following the Brown deciThe key phrase in that quote was: And our sion. response to it kills.

Zora Neale Hurston, anthropologist and Recently, Milwaukee County declared racnovelist, disliked the Brown ruling because ism a public health crisis. The executive dithe NAACP argued racial segregation creat- rector of the county believes the declaration ed feelings of inferiority among Blacks which is a necessary step in addressing decades of stigmatized Black culture and insinuated race-based inequality, and the county needs that all-Black institutions were second-rate. to engage every citizen in racial justice work.

In 1955 Hurston said, “The whole matter The data cited to prove a crisis showed “rourevolves around self-respect…the American tine day-to-day discrimination —receiving Indian has never been spoken of as a minori- poor service at a restaurant or shop…manty…because there is no whine in the Indian… aging a relationship with a biased boss or it is inconceivable of the Indian to seek forc- dealing with regular microaggressions at ible association with anyone. His well-known work can, over time, lead to more rapid depride and self-respect would save him from velopment of heart disease. that. I take the Indian position.”

To be specific, this public health crisis is Now, let’s jump 64 years later to 2019, stating that microaggressions can kill, but where a word like “microaggression” is used what’s killing me is no one, as of yet, took the to describe the height of racism minorities Indian position.

(J. Pharoah Doss is a contributor to the New Pittsstruggle to overcome in the 21st century.

This form of racism is insignificant when burgh Courier.)

Check It Out

From Selma to Pittsburgh: Mission to South builds Black-Jewish bridges

by Josh Sayles and Josiah Gilliam

As we made our way through the exhibit, the monuments—each a heavy rusted metal rectBryan Stevenson, a noted lawyer and so- angle slightly larger than the size of a percial justice advocate, spoke in Pittsburgh re- son—were raised higher and higher off of the cently about his work in the criminal justice ground, emulating the process of a lynching system, the National Memorial for Peace and from start to finish. It was a quietly haunting Justice and his Equal Justice Initiative. With and somber experience as we moved through his striking success in the civil rights field, the space. The history and the pain were paloften against long odds, his call to action was pable, and the memorial had an eerily similar remarkably simple: Get proximate. The term feel to internationally renowned Holocaust speaks to the idea of being close, of stepping exhibitions. Their likeness served as a stark beyond comfort levels to foster new relation- reminder of the common purpose of justice ships, to familiarize oneself with history and and progress. to get involved in the present day to forge Where do we go from here? We will be worksolutions. ing with our friends and colleagues—RabOn a warm and bi Jeremy Markiz, sunny afternoon Lindsay Powell and several weeks ago, Rabbi Jeremy Weisa Pittsburgh deleblatt—who joined us gation of five Afrion our journey to the can American and South to build ties Jewish leaders between the African gazed across the American and JewAlabama River ish communities in from the town of Greater Pittsburgh.

Selma. Before us The outreach we constood the Edmund duct, the programPettus Bridge still ming we create, and JOSH SAYLES, JOSIAH GILLIAM named after a the relationships we man who was a Confederate General, United foster will be cross-generational and ongoStates Senator and leader in the Alabama Ku ing. We will highlight work that is making Klux Klan. The bridge drew national atten- a difference and best practices from which tion in March 1965 when it served as the site we can learn. We will intentionally pursue of Bloody Sunday, where state troopers bru- coalition building across demographics, cultally attacked a group of 600 peaceful protes- tures, and localities recognizing that none tors attempting to march from Selma to Mon- of us is smarter than all of us and that we gtomery. We were there to walk across the can be more successful through our collective bridge together, retracing the first few steps impact. With the recent shootings of Antwon of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rep. John Rose II, at the Tree of Life synagogue buildLewis, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and ing and in Christchurch, New Zealand, and hundreds of others who, on their third attempt the bombings in Sri Lanka, there is a sense in two weeks, were able to safely make the 54- of increased urgency as well as an emerging mile trek to Alabama’s capital that ultimately sense of opportunity for real relationships led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. that extend beyond a show of solidarity.

Fifty years later, Rep. Lewis would once again Our local history here in Pittsburgh is filled march across that same bridge, this time with with examples of leaders and communities President Barack Obama. working together. We stand both as allies in the This was only one of our proximate moments work and also as engaged neighbors. We are during our Civil Rights Mission to the South encouraged to see so much activism and solifrom April 28-30, during which we traveled darity that is led and joined by younger gentogether through Atlanta, Montgomery, Sel- erations. We will be all the more successful if ma and Birmingham to learn together about we can bridge divides and work toward a comslavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and the mon purpose. We believe this means pursuing direct correlation between the centuries-long equity in every sense of the word, with a speoppression of people of color in the United cial focus on marginalized communities who States and the disproportionately large rep- bear the brunt of so much of what we seek to resentation of minority communities within change and improve. This means leading with the criminal justice system. The mission was empathy and making room for other voices. sponsored by the Jewish Council for Public Af- This means pairing on the ground community fairs, a national organization, and coordinated organizing with legislation at the local, state

by Etgar 36, a Jewish nonprofit that runs ed- and federal level. This means seeking opportuucational tours. Leaders from 13 cities around nities to support each other, to hold space for the United States joined the mission. Locally, each other to learn from one another. the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Following in the footsteps of Rev. Dr. Martin provided a grant for five African American Luther King Jr., Rabbi Abraham Joshua Hesand Jewish leaders to participate with the in- chel and Rep. John Lewis across the Edmund tention of using our experience to strengthen Pettus Bridge was a powerful window into solidarity and mutual understanding between history. But it was also a stark reminder that our communities upon our return. the reverend, the rabbi and the Congressman Perhaps the most powerful part of our forged their relationship more than 50 years three-day visit was Stevenson’s National ago. As we strive to make Pittsburgh a more Memorial for Peace and Justice, known in- equitable place for all, we want our commuformally as the Lynching Memorial. Opened nities to be marching side-by-side in present last spring in Montgomery, it honors the day. The burden will be lighter if we commit lives of the thousands of Black people who to this work and we carry it together.

(Josiah Gilliam is the My Brother’s Keeper Coorwere lynched in the United States between the years of 1877-1950 by listing on monu- dinator for the City of Pittsburgh. Josh Sayles is the ments their names, the date of their death, Director of Community Relations for the Jewish Fedand the county in which they were murdered. eration of Greater Pittsburgh.)

What’s good, Black America?

by Vernon A. Williams Every day, there is another horrible, discouraging news story directly or indirectly impacting African Americans. Usually brutal. Usually confrontational, harsh, dismissive and heartless; enough to make the average person worried about the future.

As I lamented the most recent every day social and political atrocities —which will be replaced with new tales of woe before this column goes to press—something surprising and powerful came over me; the revelation, Curtis Mayfield sang, “We’re A Winner.”

If I was the late comedian Robin Harris, the thought would have been, “We don’t die—we multiply.” If I was Maya Angelou, it would have been, “And still we rise.” If I was Isaiah 54:17, the thought would’ve been, “No weapon formed against us shall prosper.”

If at that moment I had been Martin Luther King Jr. that thought could best be summed: “Truth crushed to earth will rise again. We shall overcome because James Russell Lowell is right—truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne. Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown, stands God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.”

Then despite all the shooting and police beatings and hate-filled politics and daily dirt of discrimination, and the teaching of even the children of oppressors to despise God’s children, and all of the ugliness that we endure on a regular basis as a people, we are irrepressible because we are in the will of the Creator.

If you need evidence, look no further than African American billionaire Robert F. Smith, who, speaking to 400 graduating seniors at Morehouse College in Atlanta that his family’s gift to theirs’ was paying off a total of $40 million in student loans to let them start their careers free of massive debt.

Queen Latifah announced plans to return to her New Jersey home to build a $14 million housing complex in her old neighborhood. Billionaire Oprah Winfrey donated a half million dollars to a Newark school for an after-school program three nights a week for a safe student gathering place, complete with commercial-size washers and dryers for their use.

And in case you need more convincing that Black America is continuing to thrive, consider these amazing success stories of young people around the country: Rawlin Lee Tate Jr., an 18-yearold graduating senior at Woodlawn School in Georgia, is the first African American male valedictorian with a 4.7 GPA. Not only has he never received lower than an “A” in any class, he has never had a single test score of less than 98. He has earned $1.2 million in scholarships.

Simone Askew this year became the first African American woman selected First Captain at the United States West Point Military Academy.

The Fairfax, VA woman is the first to hold the position, also known as the academy’s highest leadership role.

The 20-year-old founded the Black Student Union.

Alexis Peterson and Taykeetria Rogers this year became the first Black female Valedictorian and Salutatorian at Junction City High School in Arkansas. Peterson, the valedictorian, plans to attend Northwestern State University and Rogers, the salutatorian, Louisiana Tech.

18-year-old Brittany Reaves walked across the stage as a magna cum laude graduate of Fayetteville State University–earning her bachelor’s degree in History. She completed the equivalent of four academic years in one year, completing the rest of her required credits at Cumberland International Early College High School in South Carolina.

Indianapolis Warren Central High School Senior Brandon Warren was named one of America’s Top 10 Youth Volunteers of 2018 in a Washington D.C. ceremony hosted by Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. He was selected from more than 29,000 nominees for organizing WeLiveIndy to protest youth violence after his closest friend was shot and killed.

These are just a few examples.

There are too many to mention. The binding message of each is, though the oppressor tries relentlessly to hold us down, harness our dreams, subdue our enthusiasm and force us into inferior thinking, too many young people are rejecting the notion and insist on living their best lives.

The struggle will continue. But occasionally, we need to look at the shining stars in the galaxy of Black America. Sometimes we need to declare the victory even as we wage one battle after another. Sometimes we just need to accent the positive and just shout out loud that nothing will deter us from our destiny. Absolutely nothing.

(Vernon A. Williams is a 40-year veteran journalist based in Indianapolis, Ind. Send comments or questions to: vernonawilliams@ yahoo.com.)