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www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 113 No. 2 Two Sections

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022

ANOTHER BARRIER BROKEN...

Meet Jessica Faith, the first Black woman meteorologist in Pittsburgh TV history JESSICA FAITH joined WPXI-TV in June 2020. The Alabama native says she’s enjoying Pittsburgh but did not realize she was making local TV news history in the process.

by Marcia Liggett For New Pittsburgh Courier

Before most people leave home for the day, they typically check the local weather report, enabling them to prepare for the elements and avoid potentially dangerous weather.

For decades, White male meteorologists have dominated the Pittsburgh airwaves, such as the late Joe DeNardo and Bob Kudzma, and Dennis Bowman.

But in June 2020, there was a shake up. Meteorologist Jessica Faith joined WPXI-TV’s “Severe Weather Team,” making her the first known Black woman meteorologist on Pitts-

COURIER EXCLUSIVE burgh TV news. It took 70 years, but finally, it has happened.

“Ever since I was a young girl, I loved storms. I loved hearing the thunder and lightning. I even loved hearing the severe thunderstorm sirens,” Faith recalled in an exclusive interview with the New Pittsburgh Courier. She shared how she and her brother, Josiah, would rush to the TV as kids to watch their local meteorologist, James Spann. Spann is an institution in the weather industry, as he still provides reports in Faith’s home state of Alabama.

“We would say, ‘James Spann’s the man!’ and thought it was so cool,” Faith recalled. “I actually

didn’t think about making it (meteorology) a career until I was a senior in high school. I didn’t see any Black meteorologists or even any women meteorologists so it didn’t occur to me that it was something I could do.”

Faith, who was born in Montgomery and raised in Clanton, Ala., decided to pursue that dream of meteorology.

Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf (who was employed by CNN at the time) spoke at Faith’s high school, and she later talked with him one-onone, where he provided her guidance and direction.

She followed his suggestions, and was on her way to meteorological success.

Faith, the southern belle, graduated from Alabama A&M University with a degree in communication.

She later completed her Broadcast Meteorology degree from Mississippi State University. Faith told the Courier she enjoyed her time at Alabama A&M, a historically Black college. In fact, Faith’s parents, Dwight and Madeline Swindle, also graduated from HBCUs. Faith highly recommends for Black people to attend HBCUs. She said those colleges are the only institutions which have not discriminated against people because of their race, while producing extremely successful African Americans such as Vice President Kamala Harris (Howard), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Morehouse), John Lewis (American Baptist, Fisk) and Oprah Winfrey (Tennessee State).

The hands-on experi-

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ence and training that Faith received from completing multiple internships prepared her for an on-air meteorology career post-college. In December 2016, she landed a posi-

tion as a meteorologist at KLTV-TV (7 News) in Tyler, Tex. Next, she joined the First Alert Weather Team at WAFF-TV (48) in Huntsville, Ala., where she was a former intern.

She was then sought out by the powers at WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, and in June 2020, made the big move to the big city, Pittsburgh.

But before she came to Pittsburgh, she was mar-

ried in what she described as a “pandemic wedding” to Renaldo Pearson, an award-winning social enSEE FAITH A5

Richard Ford retires from Clairton City Council

by Genea L. Webb For New Pittsburgh Courier

Uniting the community of Clairton has been Richard L. Ford’s lifelong mission.

“When I came home from the Air Force, my dad asked me what I was going to do, and I told him I had two job offers—one in Detroit and one in Cleveland—and he said, ‘No, you can’t leave; you’ve got to stay here and take care of Clairton.’ At that time, I had no idea what he meant.”

Ford threw his hat into the city’s political arena in 2005 after serving on several city-based organizations and after noticing how things worked in Clairton.

“It was always so much friction with the people on council and with the school board and City Council, and I just couldn’t see how a city could really work with the two tax-collecting entities at odds with each other and then people on council not getting along,” Ford told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview. “How could they be working for the betterment of the community if everything is an argument?”

After serving 16 years on Clairton’s City Council, Ford retired from the position effective Dec. 31, 2021, the Courier has learned.

Clairton is run on a home rule charter system. There are four

RICHARD FORD (PHOTO BY GENEA L. WEBB) members on council including Mayor Richard Lattanzi who has a majority vote. Clairton, home to some 6,300 residents, has a 40 percent Black population. Ford was responsible for Clairton’s second ward, which has a population of about 1,280. In 1988, the city went into Act 47, a state oversight program

for financially distressed municipalities. In 2015, the “City of Prayer” was able to come out of it.

When a community is in Act 47, the state will give it first choice for grants and other aid. But Clairton was in it for so long, those opportuSEE FORD A8

METRO/SPORTS

A2 JANUARY 12-18, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Bill Neal proclaims a Steelers win over the Chiefs...do you agree?

CHASE CLAYPOOL (PHOTOS COURTESY PITTSBURGH STEELERS)

:10 — There is zero doubt in my mind that you will believe what I am going to remind you of here. But you only need to check with the Eat ‘n Park Counter Crew

chance.” Oh, and who’s the Counter Crew, you want to know? Tim, the President of the crew, Murph, the enforcer, Lisa, the cute one, Larry, Dr. Pi, the qui-

Overtime

Bill Neal and they’ll tell you that I told them that it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. And the good news is it still ain’t over despite all you naysayers, you know who you are, saying all week, “We got no

et one, and yours truly the vice-president of the Counter Crew. :09 — So, in a little bit of order, here’s how we got here - a) Out of the gate after the Buffalo win in week

one we all thought a Super Bowl win right around the corner. - b) But key injuries, COVID and more than our share of comical lack of talent in key positions contributed to the downfall over the next three games. And yes, you all, and I do mean ‘”you” thought the end was near. :08 — Let’s be clear about the particulars - COVID - nothing anybody can do about that except to try and maintain. Injuries - everybody gets them and nobody cares about your aches and pains, even when twothirds of your D-line goes down. But what about the Steelers’ talent positions...a punter who can’t punt the ball 40 yards; a receiver that can’t catch; a linebacker that can’t tackle; an offensive line that can’t block; and a defensive line that can’t stop anybody. C’mon man! :07 — That being said, the Pittsburgh Steelers, under the leadership of head coach Mike Tomlin, the sometimes-steady-butalways game hands of Big Ben “I think I’m done” Roethlisberger and the brute force and iron will of T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward held court and reeled off nine wins to see the flickering light at the end of the tunnel lead to the playoffs. :06 — Let’s take a mo-

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NAJEE HARRIS ment here, shall we? #1 Ben suggests he will retire.

I am not sure he will...and remember, you heard it here first. He may not be a Steeler again but he won’t be retired, either. Think about it. #2 - T.J. Watt, worth every penny, should win Defensive Player of the Year easily. #3 - Cam Heyward, as great, if not greater, than his father on and off the field. What else can one man do? Tackle, bat down balls with great proficiency, sack the opposing QB and run down players 50 yards downfield. Are you serious? :05 — I’ll speak of Najee Harris alone because he deserves it; 1,200 yards rushing with a makeshift O-line...never, ever fumbles...catches the ball out of the backfield with ease... articulate but underspoken and knows when to keep his mouth shut (do you feel me, Eric Ebron?) - and

here’s the “real deal” - he keeps moving forward no matter how many times he gets knocked down. :04 — Of course props go to the Penn State heir apparent to the Heath Miller tight end position, Pat Freiermuth, aka “He who doesn’t drop the ball.” And also to Ray-Ray McCloud, Chase Claypool, Cam Sutton and Terrell Edmunds, and Chris Boswell, “Mr. Clutch.” :03 — Okay, okay, I know you need me to say it because it’s true and the truth will set you free. Yes, the O-line must get better and they will. It takes two years minimum for a line to build continuity and excel. Yes, we need a new offensive coordinator, we’re probably stuck with Matt Canada another year at least. But this I can promise you Pressley Harvin III, Devin Bush and Joe Schobert and a few others will be on the

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HEAD COACH MIKE TOMLIN

same Greyhound bus headed out of town, driven by Eric Ebron. :02 — With all that, you can say what you want about who you want, and I know you will. But here are the facts - The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the playoffs, thanks in part to the Jacksonville Jaguars upsetting the Indy Colts. - Big Ben and his Hall-of-Fame career lives on for at least another week and Mike Tomlin remains one of the NFL’s best kept secrets!!! :01 — Back to the beginning... Yours truly called it and it came to be. Why? Because I believe mmmaaannn! If you don’t believe, take the jersey off. Steelers beat the Browns... Steelers beat the Ravens... Jacksonville beats the Colts... And yes, Little Jimmy, the Steelers will beat Kansas City this Sunday night, Jan. 16.

Take it to the bank. :00 — GAME OVER.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JANUARY 12-18, 2022 A3

METRO

A4 JANUARY 12-18, 2022

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Hon. Cynthia A. Baldwin elected chair of Fulbright Association Board

CYNTHIA A. BALDWIN

The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that the Honorable Cynthia A. Baldwin, retired justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania, was elected and became the chair of the Fulbright Association Board of Directors on Jan. 1.

A veteran jurist and Fulbright Scholar who taught constitutional law, legal philosophy and trial advocacy on the law faculty of the University of Zimbabwe, she is serving on the Fulbright Board for the second time.

During her tenure as chair, the Fulbright Prize, which has been awarded to Nelson Mandela, Colin Powell, Doctors Without Borders and Angela Merkel, among others, will be awarded in 2022 to Bono, lead singer of U2, for his work in AIDS advocacy, global healthcare and poverty.

Baldwin had served as vice chair of the Fulbright Association in Washington, D.C., in 2020. She served as secretary of the Fulbright Association Board from 2017 to 2019.

Established on Feb. 27, 1977, the Fulbright Association is the official U.S. alumni organization of the Fulbright Program, representing 140,000 U.S. alumni, 70 years of Fulbrighters since the program’s inception, and friends of international education.

The Fulbright Associa-

tion, located in D.C., has 8,000 Fulbright members throughout 54 local chapters in the U.S. The Fulbright Association has a wide variety of programming including Advocacy and Fulbright in the Classroom. The Fulbright Program is considered the largest and most prestigious educational exchange program in the world. The mission of the Association is to continue and extend the Fulbright tradition of education, advocacy and service.

Through the 54 local chapters, the Fulbright Association hosts more than 230 regional and national programs each year for visiting Fulbrighters and alumni throughout the U.S. The mission of the Fulbright Association is to advocate for the Fulbright Program and promote international education. The vision is a world where international exchange is widely recognized as a force for peace. Fulbright alumni have occupied key roles in government, academia, and industry. Of the alumni, 86 have received the Pulitzer Prize,75 have been MacArthur Fellows, 60 have received a Nobel Prize, 37 have served as head of state or government, 10 have been elected to U.S. Congress, and one has served as secretary general of the United Nations.

Baldwin was the first African American woman

elected to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and only the third African American and the second African American woman to serve on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. She retired from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2008. After her retirement from the Court, she became a partner with Duane Morris and also served as the first General Counsel for Penn State University.

She has chaired the boards of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities (AGB) and Penn State University as well as serving on the board of Duquesne University.

A Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania, she retired from the corporate board of Koppers, Inc. Among her many awards are the ATHENA Award, the Heinz History Center History Maker Award and the HistoryMakers Award.

Baldwin has also been featured in the following Marquis publications: Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in American Politics, Who’s Who in the East, Who’s Who of American Women, and Who’s Who in Emerging Leaders in America. She’s currently featured on Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievers website. She is also the recipient of several honorary doctorates from prestigious universities.

I challenge you to a ‘Saving Challenge!’

Read about it from Damon Carr on page B1.

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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Jessica Faith, the first Black woman meteorologist in Pittsburgh TV history FAITH FROM A1

gineer, back in Alabama.

Due to restrictions, they only had 10 guests at their wedding, while other guests joined virtually.

Although the field of meteorology is dominated by White men, most sizable markets employ Black meteorologists.

Al Roker comes to mind when it comes to Black male meteorologists known on a national level — he’s the chief meteorologist on NBC’s “Today” show. It took Pittsburgh until the mid ‘90s to get its first fulltime Black weather forecaster — C.S. Keys, who starred on KDKA-TV, al-

morning show. The newest African American onair weather forecaster in Pittsburgh is Brian Hutton Jr., who came to WTAE-TV in April 2021.

That makes each local TV station in Pittsburgh currently with one African American meteorologist; Faith is the only woman.

Faith is not only paving the way for Black female advancement, but for all women, as did June Bacon-Bercey, America’s first female meteorologist, who was African American. In 1968, Bacon-Bercey broke barriers by debuting as an on-air meteorologist in Buffalo. She later became a chief meteorol-

JESSICA FAITH was crowned Chilton County Miss Peach in 2010. though it was for a brief period. He also worked at WPXI. Demetrious Ivory’s tall stature manned the WTAE-TV airwaves from 2005 until 2013, when he left for Chicago, the country’s third-largest TV market. In 2015, Ron Smiley made his mark on KDKA-TV as a meteorologist, where he still stands today on the

ogist, which was practically unheard of for a woman (or a Black woman) at the time.

Today, you can find Black female meteorologists in many cities, like Somara Theodore of NBC Washington (D.C.), Janice Huff of NBC New York, Markina Brown in Los Angeles and Betty Davis in Miami. Brown,

JESSICA FAITH

Huff and Davis are labeled “chief meteorologists,” with Brown having the distinction of being the first Black female chief meteorologist in Southern California’s history.

Other Black female meteorologists can be found on NBC’s “Early Today”

show with Janessa Webb (who formerly worked in Cleveland), and Philadelphia meteorologist Brittney Shipp (NBC 10).

On a national level, The Weather Channel, now owned by a Black man, Byron Allen, currently showcases three Black

male on-air meteorologists (Paul Goodloe, Alex Wallace, Tevin Wooten).

You may recall the influential Vivian Brown, who spent 29 years at The Weather Channel (27 years on-air) before departing in 2015.

Of the 14 meteorologists on Weather Nation,

another national weather outlet, Jesse Kelley serves as the only on-air Black meteorologist. And on AccuWeather, there were no on-air Black meteorologists listed on its website.

In summary, finding SEE FAITH A6

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METRO

JANUARY 12-18, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Jessica Faith, the first Black woman meteorologist in Pittsburgh TV history FAITH FROM A5

Black women meteorologists on a national TV level is, well, hard to find.

The first Black president of the National Weather Association and Emmy award-winning national severe weather expert, Alan Sealls of WPMI-TV in Mobile, Ala., noticed how the weather field is evolving.

He estimated based on previous American Meteorological Society (AMS) surveys and word-ofmouth discussions that about 100 of the nearly 2,000 weather presenters across the nation are Black. That number could get up to 150 if you include the smallest TV markets.

“For women of any ethnicity, the latest percentage for those on-air is about 29 percent (of the 2,000),” Sealls suggested to the Courier, “with at least 40 Black female weather presenters. I’d guess it’s closer to 50 or 60, with many young women entering the field, but in small markets.”

Sealls noted that there are TV markets that currently have no Black

BRIAN HUTTON JR. is a meteorologist for WTAE-TV (4).

JESSICA FAITH

RON SMILEY is a meteorologist for KDKA-TV (2). on-air weathercasters.

Specifically about Pitts-

burgh and Faith breaking barriers, Sealls said: “Decades overdue, but congrats, Pittsburgh!

Show the rest of the country how to do diversity.”

Having Faith in Pittsburgh also means there’s a pageant winner in town. Faith was the first Black woman to be crowned “Miss Peach,” in 2010. It’s a huge deal in Chilton County, Alabama, a pageant that’s a lifelong dream for many young women in that part of the country.

“It was my dream to be Miss Peach, but to believe I could win I had to set my own reality instead of going by the world’s negative reality,” Faith told the Mississippi State University student newspaper, The Reflector, in 2014.

“I started by saying that this wasn’t too big for me. Every time I looked in the mirror, I said, ‘I am 2010 Miss Peach.’ I thought about what my

reaction would be when I won. Then I spoke it into existence. I visualized.

But to win was inexplicable.”

Faith later became “Miss Alabama A&M University,” while a student there. She’s also competed in the Miss Mississippi and Miss Alabama pageants.

As Faith’s TV career grew, she learned to be commanding and calm, mastering the ability to accurately convey life-saving information in a confident manner to the public. Faith explained that she works hard to perfect her craft and there is always something new to learn in the field of meteorology, especially with technology.

“Jessica cares deeply about getting her forecasts right. She knows the impact weather has on people’s lives and she wants to help people make the right choices for their days,” said Scott Trabandt, WPXI news director. “She is studious and focused, but quick with a smile or a kind word.”

“Forecasting is almost like a puzzle and it’s a lot of fun,” Faith told the Courier. “You have to take a ‘top-to-bottom’ approach with winter weather forecasting. It is a delicate process to get a snowflake from the top of the atmosphere to the bottom. I have fallen in love with snow and winter weather forecasting.”

She’s in the right city.

Pittsburgh is known for its snowstorms, though the area hasn’t been engulfed in one of those true blizzards so far this winter. A few inches recently in the area was just an appetizer.

Faith told the Courier she serves as an example and proof that anyone, especially Black children and young women, can become, say, a meteorologist, and that dreams do come true. She encourages youth to always continue learning and remember that there’s always room for growth.

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HEALTH

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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Take Charge Of Your Health Today. Be Informed. Be Involved.

CARLOS T. CARTER

Low Back Pain This month’s Take Charge of Your Health page addresses low back pain. Recently, we sat down with the new President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, Carlos T. Carter to discuss this common issue and what readers should and can do to take charge of their health. Q: Have you ever experienced lower back pain now or earlier in life? Carlos: Yes, I have, I’m sure many people have. For me, when I was a student, I experienced lower back pain a lot. It turns out that it was because of the way I was carrying my book bag on one shoulder. Thankfully for me, I never had to go to a doctor to address it because I figured out what the cause was on my own.

Q: That is great that your pain was not debilitating enough to require medical treatment. But the hard truth is that many Black people are more susceptible to lower back pain.

Carlos.

Absolutely, Black people are disproportionately impacted because of the labor jobs that we fill. We are on our feet for a majority of the day and that stress on your body over time matters. Other factors like diet play a part as well. Education and accessibility to good diet help keep people healthy. Daily stretching and a balanced diet can help alleviate lower back pain.

Be honest with yourself.

Are there things that you can do differently?

Take me for example, once I pinpointed that my back pain was being caused by the way I was wearing my backpack, I switched it up.

Q: What might motivate community members to be involved in these clinical trials on back pain?

I believe that giving financial incentives as well as communicating to Black people the importance of these trials and how the research can improve the quality of life for Black people and their families.

They really need to understand how this can improve the quality of their lives.

Q: What advice can you lend others that may be in the same situation?

Carlos: Well of course, I would suggest that if your pain is too much to withstand, seeking medical advice is the best solution but when you do, it’s important that you attend your meeting equipped with the right questions to ask. Make a plan when you see your doctor, bring your notes with you so you know what to ask--ask about treatment options like is medicine necessary? We want readers to take charge of their health and in order to do that they need to be empowered enough to be their own advocates.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Blacks are disproportionately impacted by low back pain In the United States, more than 80% of adults will experience low back pain at some point in their life. Injury, working in a job with lifting or standing for long hours or a job where there is too much sitting - all can cause back pain. Many people go on to experience chronic back pain. They receive various treatments including surgery, therapy, injections and medicines including pain medications like opioids.

Over the last decade, there has been a rise in prescriptions for and addiction to opioid medication. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has encouraged more research into understanding pain and its treatment.

In 2019, Dr. Gwen Sowa of the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC received

funding as a part of NIH’s BACPAC Research Consortium on back pain, part of the HEAL initiative (Helping to End Addiction Longterm). This initiative is advancing research to address the national opioid public health crisis. Opioids are often prescribed for low back pain. These are strong and addictive medications that have been overused (sometimes misused). Opioids are not the right medicine for chronic low back pain.

Instead of these dangerous painkillers, Dr. Sowa and her team focus on how chronic back pain is experienced and tailor treatment to the triggers. Dr. Sowa is both a doctor of rehabilitative medicine and has a PhD in biochemistry. She studies ways to treat peo-

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

DR.SOWA ple based on their individual symptoms and history.

“Precision medicine means finding an approach that is tailored to an individual,” she says. The goal is to reduce unnecessary treatments and find the right combination of treatments early on so that the pain does not become an ongoing problem.

The “Low Back Pain: Biological, Biomechanical, Behavioral Phenotypes Mechanistic Research Center” (LB3P MRC) is trying to make treatment for low back pain better. The study collects lots of information about how you move your body, how you sleep, your energy and mood levels and even markers in blood and saliva that may point toward improved treatment targets. This information helps to put patients into distinct back pain groups.

This way, the center im-

proves personalized treatments while reducing use of opioids.

Most low back pain does not require surgery. Nor are medications like opioids the right treatment. Low back pain is a mixture of symptoms – it’s not due to one single cause. So the health care providers should not take a “a one size fits all approach.” One of the mistakes often made is relying solely on x-rays or even an MRI. Studies confirm that what these images show often are not associated with the source of pain.

Given that there are so many causes for back pain, there are also many different barriers to healing.

These barriers include having access to a healthy lifestyle, diet, smoking, mood and safe neighborhoods in which to walk and exercise.

The types of jobs that many Black/African Americans have in our region are physically demanding, like construction.

Compared to White residents, individuals who are Black also work in lower-paying jobs that require sitting all day such as driving or call centers. So the type of job people have can increase chances of having low back pain. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the many stressors related to

employment and housing have increased depression and reduced physical activity. These factors also make back pain more likely or more severe.

Once diagnosed with back pain, people who are not White also may experience differences in care. Studies show that people who are Black or other non-White ethnic backgrounds are undertreated. This means they do not get referred for management of pain as often as White patients. People may describe their pain differently depending on their cultural and language backgrounds. Health care providers may have biases that affect who gets treatment and who doesn’t.

Dr. Sowa notes that addressing these disparities in treatment is a critical aspect of their research. Back pain is complex and can be related to how people move (biomechanical), how their body responds to injury (biological), and lifestyle factors (behavioral). That is why everyone’s treatment needs to be considered at an individual level, taking all these factors into account.

Dr. Sowa focuses on teamwork. She says, “Lots of different experts are needed to help solve the complex problem of low back pain.”

Chronic Low Back Pain clinical trial After working with research teams across the country to collect information on individuals with chronic low back pain, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC will be a site for a clinical trial. The “Biomarkers for Evaluating Spine Treatments (BEST)” trial will investigate four treat-

ments for chronic low back pain and learn about for whom they are effective based on the unique traits of individuals.

The study will take place over six study visits and last a total of nine months. Interested adults experiencing ongoing low back pain for more than three months

in the last six months will be randomly placed into one of four treatments for the first stage.

In the second stage, individuals who are not doing well with the first treatment will be randomly placed into another of the treatment groups.

The four treatments that are be-

ing investigated are: 1) enhanced standard of care – an online tool, patient education, medication and a walking program; 2) acceptance and commitment therapy – using mindfulness and behavior change strategies; 3) Duloxetine – a depression and pain medication; and 4) physical therapy.

Low Back Pain Research Study The LB3P: Low Back Pain Research Study is part of a 13 site Back Pain research consortium.

The three B’s are for the factors that contribute to back pain - biological, biomechanical and behavioral. Researchers work together to create an integrated model of the contributors to chronic low back pain. This study will help to improve and individualize treatment. Researchers are from the University of Pittsburgh Departments of Physical Therapy, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Psychiatry and Orthopaedic Surgery. The team is currently looking for individuals who are interested in helping with back pain treatment research.

The first study visit will take place at a Pitt lab on Second Avenue and Bates Street near the Hot Metal Bridge. The researchers will collect biological, biomechanical and behavioral information. This includes answering questions and providing biologi-

cal samples. Samples that will be collected are saliva, blood, urine and stool. Individuals will be sent home with wearable sensors that will record their activity for seven days.

After the first study visit, follow up questions will be asked by phone or computer. These include medication use, experience of pain and function or activity.

Some individuals will qualify for another piece of the study that will collect radiographic images of their back during normal movement.

Interested persons must be 18 or older, experiencing ongoing low back pain for more than 3 months in the last 6 months.

Individuals chosen to participate will be compensated for their time.

For more information, please call 412-459-6719 or email lowbackpainstudy@pitt.edu

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RELIGION/METRO

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Praise & Worship ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such one in the spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.”

- Galatians 6:1

91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Sunday Mass 11 AM Rev. Thomas J. Burke- Pastor Rev. C. Matthew HawkinsParochial Vicar

REV. WALKER SAYS: As the Body of Christ, if a brother or sister is overtaken, makes a mistake and sins, we who know who Jesus is restores and puts back in place like a bone out of joint.

We then restore that person with kindness, because it may happen to us.

Rev. David H. TaylorSenior Parochial Vicar. www.sbtmparishpgh.com

East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800

Worship in person or Online on Facebook/YouTube www.ELPC.church Journey Worship..........8:45am Sanctuary Worship.......11:00 a.m.

Taize -Wednesdays.........7:00 p.m.

Richard Ford retires from Clairton City Council Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!

For rate information, call 412-4818302, ext. 128. We want to feature positive youth from our Pittsburgh church community. Please mail their bio and photo to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or email us: religion@newpittsburghcourier. com

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

Send info to:

New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh PA 15219

The Courier is THE VOICE of Black Pittsburgh.

FORD FROM A1

nities dried up and the city had to work its way out. “Since becoming Act 47-free, the city has cultivated many partnerships,” Ford told the Courier.

“Clairton is a good town. It’s a family community and there are generations of families that live here,” said Ford, now 74, who grew up in the former Blair Heights housing projects. “I had a great childhood. We were poor, but we didn’t know we were poor. We used to sled ride on curtain rods down Park Avenue and jump off before we hit the bottom.”

Ford graduated from the Clairton school system and attended Steel Valley Tech for electronics. Soon after, he joined the United States Air Force, where he met his wife of over five decades, Georgia. The couple has three surviving children and one son, Richard L. “Juicy” Ford, who passed

away in 2016. The couple has several grandchildren.

Following an honorable discharge in the late 1960s, Ford returned to Clairton and became the first Black person hired in the United States Steel Clairton Works electronics department.

Following completion of an electronic apprenticeship program and earning his Journeyman’s certificate, Ford moved on to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers where he took another electricity apprenticeship and graduated as salutatorian of his class.

During his years on Clairton City Council, Ford has worked with the Clairton City School District to help combat violence. And long before he took office, he represented the city on the Council of Governments Committee beginning in 1976. He also created the Unity Group of Clairton, which consists

of the city, school district, Chamber of Commerce, economic development, and the city’s churches. Established in 2009, the Unity Group of Clairton has initiated Community Day, a 5K Run/2-mile walk and Taste of Clairton.

“That group gives community affairs. Our initial idea was to be more involved in the decision-making of what we would do for the community as a council. We’ve been kind of limited to this, but we are still working,” Ford said.

In 2013, he ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Clairton, while receiving the endorsement of the Clairton Democratic Committee.

In addition to his council endeavors, Ford ran a fish store called “Clairton’s Fish & More,” and owns about 10 properties in the city.

“Whatever he does— good or bad—he does it seriously. He has tenacity. He spent a great deal

GARLAND HENRY MCADOO, JR 6 MARCH 1941 - 25 DECEMBER 2021 Garland Henry McAdoo, Jr died peacefully in Durham, North Carolina on December 25, 2021 surrounded by family and loved ones. He was 80 years old.

Born in the back room of the “Old House” in Greensboro, North Carolina to Garland Henry McAdoo and Josephine (Alston) McAdoo; the first of eight children. He was predeceased by his younger sister, Joanne Black, and is survived by siblings Francine Scott, Martin McAdoo, Larry McAdoo, Harold McAdoo, Faye McAdoo and Gale Stout.

Garland attended the then segregated Dudley High School where he served as student body president and his “running buddies” were the Greensboro Four who led the nonviolent civil rights protests at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. Garland was already enrolled at North Carolina State University, where he was one of the first Black students in their Nuclear Engineering program.

When he arrived at school, he had to teach himself the algebra he needed to do the calculus necessary for engineers. Despite having to “work twice as hard to get half as far”, it was during this time at NC State that he met Bennett College “Belle” Carolyn Walker (deceased), who he later married. During that time he briefly studied law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill until his father convinced him that “all lawyers are crooks”, and he should stay in engineering. After graduating from State he went on to design power plants for nuclear submarines at the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

As nuclear submarine propulsion became progressively less challenging, he decided that he might be of more service to the community with a law degree. He entered the University of Pittsburgh Law School, had a son, Brian Garland McAdoo, separated from his wife and was raising a newborn while finishing his degree. While working at Pittsburgh law firm Tucker Arensberg where he focused on helping Pittsburgh’s Black community by counseling non-profit organizations that worked with education, the arts, healthcare, social services, housing and economic development, he kept busy by serving on the boards of Pittsburgh Mercy Health Systems, Port Authority of Allegheny County, the Allegheny County Bar Association, the Urban League of Pittsburgh (as Chair for three years), the national Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. It was during this time when he met Julianne Young (deceased) who he was married to for 25 years. He finished his professional career as the general counsel for the Housing Authority of Pittsburgh.

One of Garland’s great loves was travel. While a student at NC State he had the opportunity to visit Nikita Khrushchev’s Soviet Union and later to Puerto Rico as in his capacity as Vice President of the Raleigh YMCA chapter. He loved visiting San Francisco, Seattle and New Orleans for meetings with the American Bar Association, and he later expanded to Switzerland and France after teaching himself just enough French to get in trouble. In 2004, he accompanied his son on a trip to Antarctica where he photographed leopard seals, albatrosses, penguins and lots and lots of ice.

A lifelong member of Holmes Grove United Methodist Church, Garland is survived by his son, Brian (Robin), adopted daughter Dawn Young, and grandchildren Zoe and Nina McAdoo and Juliette Young, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to support the academic achievement of students at Greensboro’s Dudley High School. https://www.gofundme.com/manage/garland-mcadoo-memorial-fund-for-dudley-hs

of time learning politics.

He thought it may be his calling and he hit the ground running in politics to make Clairton a better city,” voiced former Clairton School Board member Pauline Long, who has known Ford since the early ‘70s.

“When he tackles something, he goes all in and puts Clairton first. He always has.”

On the non-political side, Ford has served as vice president of the Clairton branch of the NAACP; deacon of Morning Star Baptist Church, chairman of the Clairton Christian Prison Ministry, and vice president of the Board of Directors of the Clairton Public Library.

After 16 years on council, Ford told the Courier it was time for him to step down and let someone else run with the torch. Ford cited his health was declining a bit. “Doctors said it was stress,” Ford said. “I can’t do all those meetings and stay away from home, but I will contin-

ue to fight for Clairton getting a grocery store because we need it. I will also continue the Unity Group, community day and some other things.”

Ford’s daughter, Rikell, has taken up her father’s mantle and now serves as vice president of the school board.

Longtime friend and committee person for Clairton’s fourth ward, Amzi Lightner, is excited to see what the future holds for Ford.

“He is concerned about our people and our community; he wants to see us have a better life in our community,” Lightner told the Courier. “It’s not where you live but how you live. He wants our community to flourish like any other community and he wants people to take pride in the community. He wants the same equality in Clairton for Blacks like any other community.

He has established himself where he can make a difference in this city.

He’s trying to do what’s right.”

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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MLK’s vision of love as a moral imperative still matters

by Joshua F.J. Inwood, Penn State

More than 50 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the United States remains divided by issues of race and racism, economic inequality as well as unequal access to justice.

These issues are stopping the country from developing into the kind of society that Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for during his years as a civil rights activist.

As a result King’s words and work are still relevant. I study the civil rights movement and the field of peace geographies. Peace geographies thinks about how different groups of people approach and work toward building the kind of peaceful society King worked to create.

Americans faced similar crises related to the broader civil rights struggles in the 1960s.

So, what can the past tell us about healing the nation? Specifically, how can we address divisions along race, class and political lines?

Martin Luther King Jr.‘s understanding of the role of love in engaging individuals and communities in conflict is crucial today. For King, love was not sentimental. It demanded that individuals tell their oppressors what they were doing was wrong.

King’s vision King spent his public career working toward ending segregation and fighting racial discrimination. For many people the pinnacle of this work occurred in Washington, D.C., when he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Less well-known and often ignored is his later work on behalf of poor people.

In fact, when King was assassinated in Memphis he was in the midst of building toward a national march on Washington, D.C., that would have brought together tens of thousands of economically disenfranchised people to advocate for policies that would reduce poverty.

This effort – known as the “Poor People’s Campaign” – aimed to dramatically shift national priorities to address the

TAMI CHAPPELL/REUTERS health and welfare of working people.

Scholars such as Derek Alderman, Paul Kingsbury and Owen Dwyer tell how King’s work can be applied in today’s context. They argue that calling attention to the civil rights movement, can “change the way students understand themselves in relation to the larger project of civil rights.” And in understanding the civil rights movement, students and the broader public can see its contemporary significance.

Idea of love King focused on the role of love as key to building healthy communities and the ways in which love can and should be at the center of our social interactions.

King’s final book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” published in the year before his assassination, provides his most expansive vision of an inclusive, diverse and economically equitable U.S. nation. For King, love is a key part of creating communities that work for everyone and not just the few at the expense of the many.

Love was not a mushy or easily dismissed emotion, but was central to the

kind of community he envisioned. King made distinctions between three forms of love which are key to the human experience: “eros,” “philia” and most importantly “agape.”

For King, eros is a form of love that is most closely associated with desire, while philia is often the love that is experienced between very good friends or family. These visions are different from agape.

Agape, which was at the center of the movement he was building, was the moral imperative to engage with one’s oppressor in a way that showed the oppressor the ways their actions dehumanize and detract from society. He said, “In speaking of love we are not referring to some sentimental emotion.

It would be nonsense to urge men to love their oppressors in an affectionate sense[…] When we speak of loving those who oppose us […] we speak of a love which is expressed in the Greek word Agape. Agape means nothing sentimental or basically affectionate; it means understanding, redeeming goodwill for all men, an overflowing love which seeks

nothing in return.”

King further defined agape when he argued at the University of California at Berkeley that the concept of agape “stands at the center of the movement we are to carry on in the Southland.”

It was a love that demanded that one stand up for oneself and tells those who oppress that what they were doing was wrong.

Why this matters now In the face of violence directed at minority communities and of deepening political divisions in the country, King’s words and philosophy are perhaps more critical for us today than at any point in the recent past.

As King noted, all persons exist in an interrelated community and all are dependent on each other. By connecting love to community, King argued there were opportunities to build a more just and economically sustainable society which respected difference. As he said, “Agape is a willingness to go to any length to restore community… Therefore if I respond to hate with a reciprocal hate I do nothing but intensify the cleavages of a broken community.”

King outlined a vision in which we are compelled to work toward making our communities inclusive. They reflect the broad values of equality and democracy.

Through an engagement with one another as its foundation, agape provides opportunities to work toward common goals.

Building a community today At a time when the nation feels so divided, there is a need to bring back King’s vision of agape-fueled community building and begin a difficult conversation about where we are as a nation and where we want to go. It would move us past simply seeing the other side as being wholly motivated by hate.

Engaging in a conversation through agape signals a willingness to restore broken communities and to approach difference with an open mind.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

A10

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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Martin Luther King Jr. had a much more radical message than a dream of racial brotherhood

by Paul Harvey, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Martin Luther King Jr. has come to be revered as a hero who led a nonviolent struggle to reform and redeem the United States. His birthday is celebrated as a national holiday. Tributes are paid to him on his death anniversary each April, and his legacy is honored in multiple ways.

But from my perspective as a historian of religion and civil rights, the true radicalism of his thought remains underappreciated. The “civil saint” portrayed nowadays was, by the end of his life, a social and economic radical, who argued forcefully for the necessity of economic justice in the pursuit of racial equality.

Three particular works from 1957 to 1967 illustrate how King’s political thought evolved from a hopeful reformer to a radical critic.

King’s support for White moderates For much of the 1950s, King believed that White southern ministers could provide moral leadership. He thought the White racists of the South could be countered by the ministers who took a stand for equality. At the time, his concern with economic justice was a secondary theme in his addresses and political advocacy.

Speaking at Vanderbilt University in 1957, he professed his belief that “there is in the white South more open-minded moderates than appears on the surface.” He urged them to lead the region through its necessary transition to equal treatment for Black citizens. He reassured all that the aim of the movement was not to “defeat or humiliate the white man, but to win his friendship and understanding.”

King had hope for this vision.

He had worked with White liberals such as Myles Horton, the leader of a center in Tennessee

ADDRESSING CROWD--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addresses marchers during his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. AP Photo for training labor and civil rights organizers. King had developed friendships and crucial alliances with white supporters in other parts of the country as well. His vision was for the fulfillment of basic American ideals of liberty and equality.

Letter from Birmingham Jail By the early 1960s, at the peak of the civil rights movement, King’s views had evolved significantly. In early 1963, King came to Birmingham to lead a campaign for civil rights in a city known for its history of racial violence.

During the Birmingham campaign, in April 1963, he issued a masterful public letter explaining the motivations behind his crusade. It stands in striking contrast with his hopeful 1957 sermon.

His “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” responded to a newspaper advertisement from eight local clergymen urging King to

allow the city government to enact gradual changes.

In a stark change from his earlier views, King devastatingly targeted white moderates willing to settle for “order” over justice.

In an oppressive environment, the avoidance of conflict might appear to be “order,” but in fact supported the denial of basic citizenship rights, he noted.

“We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive,” King wrote. He argued how oppressors never voluntarily gave up freedom to the oppressed – it always had to be demanded by “extremists for justice.”

He wrote how he was “gravely disappointed with the white moderate … who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom.”

They were, he said, a greater enemy to racial justice than were members of the White supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and other White racist radicals.

Call for economic justice By 1967, King’s philosophy emphasized economic justice as essential

to equality. And he made clear connections between American violence abroad in Vietnam and American social inequality at home.

Exactly one year before his assassination in Memphis, King stood at one of the best-known pulpits in the nation, at Riverside Church in New York. There, he explained how he had come to connect the struggle for civil rights with the fight for economic justice and the early protests against the Vietnam War. He proclaimed: “Now it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. If America’s soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read ‘Vietnam.’

It can never be saved so long as it destroys the hopes of men the world over.”

He angered crucial allies. King and President Lyndon Johnson, for example, had been allies in achieving significant legislative victories in 1964 and 1965. Johnson’s “Great Society” launched a series of initiatives to address issues of poverty at home. But beginning in 1965, after the Johnson administration increased the number of U.S. troops deployed in Vietnam, King’s vision grew radical.

King continued with a searching analysis of what linked poverty and violence both at home and abroad. While he had spoken out before about the effects of colonialism, he now made the connection unmistakably clear.

He said: “I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor in America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and death and corruption in Vietnam.”

King concluded with the famous words on “the fierce urgency of now,” by which he emphasized the immediacy of the connection between economic injustice and racial inequality.

The radical King King’s “I Have a Dream,” speech at the March on Washington in August 1963 serves as the touchstone for the annual King holiday. But King’s dream ultimately evolved into a call for a fundamental redistribution of economic power and resources. It’s why he was in Memphis, supporting a strike by garbage workers, when he was assassinated in April 1968.

He remained, to the end, the prophet of nonviolent resistance.

But these three key moments in King’s life show his evolution over a decade.

This remembering matters more than ever today. Many states are either passing or considering measures that would make it harder for many Americans to exercise their fundamental right to vote. It would roll back the huge gains in rates of political participation by racial minorities made possible by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. At the same time, there is a persistent wealth gap between Blacks and Whites.

Only sustained government attention can address these issues – the point King was stressing later in his life.

King’s philosophy stood not just for “opportunity,” but for positive measures toward economic equality and political power. Ignoring this understanding betrays the “dream” that is ritually invoked each year.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

FAMOUS LETTER--A handwritten copy of ‘Letter From a Birmingham Jail.’ AP Photo/Richard Drew, file

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Langston Hughes’ hidden influence on MLK

by Jason Miller, North Carolina State University

For years, Martin Luther King Jr. and poet Langston Hughes maintained a friendship, exchanging letters and favors and even traveling to Nigeria together in 1960.

In 1956, King recited Hughes’ poem “Mother to Son” from the pulpit to honor his wife Coretta, who was celebrating her first Mother’s Day. That same year, Hughes wrote a poem about Dr. King and the bus boycott titled “Brotherly Love.” At the time, Hughes was much more famous than King, who was honored to have become a subject for the poet.

But during the most turbulent years of the civil rights movement, Dr. King never publicly uttered the poet’s name. Nor did the reverend overtly invoke the poet’s words.

You would think that King would be eager to do so; Hughes was one of the Harlem Renaissance’s leading poets, a master with words whose verses inspired millions of readers across the globe.

However, Hughes was also suspected of being a communist sympathizer. In March of 1953, he was even called to testify before Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare.

Meanwhile, King’s opponents were starting to make similar charges of communism against him and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference, accusing the group of being a communist front. The red-baiting ended up serving as some of the most effective attacks against King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

It forced King to distance his organization

from men with similar reputations – Bayard Rustin, Jack O’Dell and even his closest adviser, Stanley Levison.

It also meant he needed to sever any overt ties to Hughes.

But my research has found traces of Hughes’ poetry in King’s speeches and sermons. While King might not have been able to invoke Hughes’ name, he was nonetheless able to ensure that Hughes’ words would be broadcast to millions of Americans.

Beating back the red-baiters In the 1930s, Hughes earned a subversive reputation by writing several radical poems. In them, he criticized capitalism, called for worker’s to rise up in revolution and claimed racism was virtually absent in communist countries such as the U.S.S.R. By 1940, he had attracted the attention of the FBI. Agents would sneak into his readings, and J. Edgar Hoover derided Hughes’ poem “Goodbye Christ” in circulars he sent out in 1947.

Red-baiting also fractured black political and social organizations. For example, Bayard Rustin was forced to resign from the SCLC after African-American Congressman Adam Clayton Powell threatened to expose Rustin’s homosexuality and his past association with the Communist Party USA. As the leading figure in the civil rights movement, King had to toe a delicate line. Because he needed to retain popular support – as well as be able to work with the Kennedy and Johnson administrations – there could be no question about where he stood on the issue of com-

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.‘S DREAM – which alternated between shattered and hopeful – can be traced back to Hughes’ poetry. AP Photo

LANGSTON HUGHES

munism.

So King needed to be shrewd about invoking Hughes’ poetry. Nonetheless, I’ve identified traces of no fewer than seven of Langston Hughes’ poems in King’s speeches and sermons.

In 1959, the play “A Raisin in the Sun” premiered to rave reviews and huge audiences. Its title was inspired by Hughes’ poem “Harlem.”

“What happens to a dream deferred?” Hughes writes. “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? … Or does it explode?”

Just three weeks after the premiere of “A Raisin in the Sun,” King delivered one of his most personal sermons, giving it a title – “Shattered Dreams” – that echoed Hughes’ imagery.

“Is there any one of us,” King booms in the sermon, “who has not faced the agony of blasted hopes and shattered dreams?”

He’d more directly evoke Hughes in a later speech, in which he would say, “I am personally the victim of deferred dreams.”

Hughes’ words would also become a rallying cry during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

During the grind of the year-long boycott, King spurred activists on by pulling from “Mother to Son.” “Life for none of us has been a crystal stair,” King proclaimed at the Holt Street Baptist Church, “but we must keep moving.” (“Well, son, I’ll tell you / Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair,” Hughes wrote. “But all the time / I’se been a-climbin’ on.”)

Did Hughes inspire the dream?

King’s best-known speech is “I Have a Dream,” which he delivered during the 1963

March on Washington.

Nine months before the famous march, King gave the earliest known delivery of the “I Have a Dream” speech in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

(We can also now finally hear this connection after the reel-to-reel tape of King’s First Dream was recently discovered.)

But the roots of “I Have a Dream” go back even further. On Aug. 11, 1956, King delivered a speech titled “The Birth of a New Age.” Many King scholars consider this address – which talked about King’s vision for a new world – the thematic precursor to his “I Have a Dream” speech.

In this speech, I recognized what others had missed: King had subtly ended his speech by rewriting Langston Hughes’ “I Dream a World.”

A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the earth And every man is free.

It is impossible not to notice the parallels in what would become “I Have a Dream”: I have a dream that one day … little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.

King spoke truth to power, and part of that strategy involved riffing or sampling Hughes’ words. By channeling Hughes’ voice, he was able to elevate the subversive words of a poet that the powerful thought they had silenced.

Jason Miller, Professor of English, North Carolina State University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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ACCORDING TO FORMER U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Ron Kirk, small businesses drive the U.S. economy.

Your ancestors didn’t have a problem with it!

By Cheryl Smith (NNPA NEWSWIRE)—Now some people are not going to like what they are about to read! Dallas, Texas’ historic Friendship-West Baptist Church, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III, called for 100 Days of Buying Black as members focus on the 100th Commemoration of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Beginning September 23, 2021, through December 31, 2021. In the call, Friendship-West is “committed to economic justice in supporting Black-owned businesses, advocating for just lending practices, and working towards comprehensive sustainable community development.”

On the FWBC Facebook page, it reads: “Our goal is to continue the legacy of Black Wall Street by circulating our dollars within the Black community to strengthen our economic base.” Join the

movement! https:// www.facebook.com/ groups/ 100daysofbuyingblack Now what does this mean for America and Black companies internationally?

Well, that depends on YOU, US, EVERYONE, including, ME! When you consider that there are more than two million Black-owned businesses in America,

COMMENTARY alone, according to the most recent Census data, and you consider the dollars spent to boost the economy; everyone benefits from the support.

New York and Washington, D.C. have the greatest number of Black-owned businesses in the country and the highest percentage of Black-owned business-

es, respectively. I know men and women who are working tirelessly to build their businesses and support their communities. They are following a tradition that is steeped in Ujamaa or Cooperative Economics. According to former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, small businesses drive the U.S. economy. Many of these entrepreneurs are providing quality services and goods, making them deserving of support.

Which brings me to my truth.

If we just focus on America, there was a time when most of the business that was transacted, all the educating that was taking place, all the birthing of babies, and all the saving of souls was Black on Black. Folks didn’t have a problem. Everyone knew their places and they stayed in them! Black people didn’t have a problem supporting their own. Not only were they able to get quality services and goods. No

one had to be told to spend their money with Black people and for many Black businesses then and now their only patrons look like them.

What I’d like to see is everyone shopping where they want to with a realization that ice is the same temperature EVERYWHERE! We also know that good and bad employees are EVERYWHERE. So, I’m inviting EVERYONE to join Friendship-West Baptist Church and Buy Black for the next 100 days. I’m not telling you to compromise your values or standards.

Come on people, you can find quality services and goods with Black businesses.

This can be proven by looking back in history because when services and goods from Blacks were FREE, utilizing our goods and services wasn’t a problem or an issue.

(Cheryl Smith is Publisher, Texas Metro News/ Garland Journal/ I Messenger)

What rising prices & inflation means for Black Americans (Black Information Network)—From gas to groceries, American households are seeing rising prices as the US economy attempts to recover from last year’s pandemic lockdown. In the last months, American consumers have seen a 13-year high in prices with little indication when

BIN EXCLUSIVE things might get better. Before the start of the pandemic, studies showed that Black Americans were financially vulnerable and still recovering from the 2008 financial crisis. Pair that with higher unemployment rates and

increased risk of experiencing homelessness, and the economic toll on our communities is dire. So what does higher inflation rates mean for individual Black American households? The Black Information Network spoke with financial advisor Jordan Awoye to learn more of the economic situation at hand.

What is Inflation?

To better understand the impact of the economy, we thought it best to break down some of the terms we keep hearing. “Rising inflation is when the purchasing value of your dollar declines. Or in other words, goods such as groceries increase and services [go] up,” Awoye told BIN. “So, for example, goods such as groceries increase and SEE INLFLATION B2

I challenge you to a ‘Saving Challenge!’

In March 2021, I received an inbox message from Lisa. She informed me that she was inspired to start an Envelope Saving Challenge after watching a TikTok video. She included a copy of the video. She stated that she started this Challenge in February 2021. By March 4, 2021, the day she sent me the message, she informed me that she had saved $400. My response was, “Cool! Whatever works.”

Her response was, “a little side savings.”

We both responded with laughing emojis.

I tabled it as something to review later but I never got around to it.

Saving money is the cornerstone of sound money management. Saving money is how you create financial stability, financial security, and financial independence. Sadly, Americans grossly under save money. We live in a culture and an economy that thrives on spending money. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning until the time we close our eyes to go to sleep, we’re inundated with marketing messages via TV, Radio, Print, Social Media, and Podcast with one goal in mind—to extract money out of our pockets into theirs.

At first when Lisa told me she’d save $400 doing this challenge, I thought, How cute! But when she messaged me on New Year’s Day with a stack of cash totaling $4,610 from this same challenge she got my attention!

Lisa sent me a message saying “Happy New Years! I’m counting the money I saved last year from the challenge. I’m doing this challenge again this year.” She

included a picture of a pile of money that stacked up to be at least 3-feet high. I literally stared at the picture of the money for about 2-minutes before reading the rest of her message. She goes on to say, “I saved a total of $4,610”. I thought to myself what a nice thing to wake up to on New Year’s Day. This is something I can encourage my readers and I to partake in. I picked up the phone and called her immediately. Below is a portion of the conversation.

Damon: What inspired you to start the Challenge?

Lisa: A friend of mine whom I work with saw the video. She showed it to me.

I said let’s do it. We did it together. I was able to save $4,610. She was able to save $4,666. The difference in how much we saved is because she rounded up some of her weekly savings. Had we started the challenge in January as opposed to February, we would have both saved approximately $5.000 each.

Damon: What were some challenges you had doing the challenge? How did you overcome them?

Lisa: The challenges came in when we would pull two envelopes with large amounts. We decided that it would be easier to break the envelopes up into two groups: 1-50 and 51-100. We’d pull one envelope from each group so that the total amount we must save for the week

wasn’t too overbearing.

Damon: What helped you stay the course?

Lisa: We stayed on track by motivating each other. We work together. We’re also good friends. We talked about it weekly to ensure we both were stuffing envelopes with cash.

Damon: How do you plan on spending the money?

Lisa: My friend and I who did the challenge with me will go to Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday. I don’t plan on spending too much money. I like having this pile of cash.

Damon: What are some key lessons you learned doing the challenge?

Lisa: We both were elated and happy that we stayed the course and saved money. It wasn’t as hard as we thought it would be. It was easier to squirrel away a few dollars here and there using this process as opposed to trying to save large lump sums. It taught us discipline. It’s good to do it with a partner or group. Doing so will help you stay motivated and keep you accountable.

Envelope Saving Challenge Explained: • Set A Saving Goal: Put that money on a mission. Establish a reason for why

you’re saying this money. Having a goal will create purpose, passion, discipline and consistency to stay the course.

• Purchase 100 Envelopes: Write numbers on each envelope starting with number 1 to 100 • Create 2 separate piles: Place envelopes from 1-50 in one pile. Place envelopes from 51-100 in a second pile. The reason we’re creating two separate piles is to ensure the challenge remains practical and doable. You’ll pick one envelope from each pile thus confirming your weekly total never surpasses $150 in each week.

• Shuffle the Envelopes: Shuffle the pile of envelopes from 1-50. Place them in a folder. Place a divider in the folder to separate pile 1-50 from pile 51-100. Shuffle the pile from 51-100. Place them in a folder.

• Pull a number: Once per week pull a number from each pile. The number on the envelope represents the amount you must save for the week. So, if you pull envelope 12 from one pile and envelope 51 from the other pile, you’ll have to insert a total of $63 for that week into the envelopes—placing the corresponding amount is $12 in one envelope and $51 in the other envelope.

• Payday = Stuff the envelopes with Cash: All of us are on different pay schedules. It could be weekly, biweekly, bimonthly, or monthly. Depending on what day you get paid, you could have a total SEE SAVING CHALLENGE B2

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Aunt Kelly’s Cookies providing the fresh, I challenge you to a old-school flavor to delighted customers ‘Saving Challenge!’

SAVING CHALLENGE FROM B1

by Stacy M. Brown

Four envelopes to stuff if paid biweekly. Four to six envelopes to stuff if paid bimonthly. Eight envelopes to stuff if paid monthly. No worries. It will balance out. The more frequent your paychecks, the smaller your paycheck. Conversely, the less frequent your paychecks, the larger your paycheck.

• This will be a 50-week challenge. Our end date for stuffing Envelopes will be mid-December.

However, we will not open and calculate our hard earned, hard saved money until Jan 1, 2022 • Total savings will be about $5,000 once the dust settles.

• Place Folder of Envelopes in a safe secure location—preferably inside of a waterproof, fireproof safe.

• We did it! 50-weeks from now, we’d be saying We did it. That goal we established in step one. Go out and enjoy the benefits and pleasures of that goal!

• Married couples—Your choice: You can merge forces and take on one challenge together—or you can both do a separate challenge. If you both do it, you’d be looking at approximately $10,000 come next January

For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—Many people fondly remember, adore, and revere the old-school packaged cookies that were cravings before and after the lunch bell rang.

The taste of chocolate chip or even butter crunch cookies was something most couldn’t resist.

And while some still long for the authentic taste that’s so hard to find, Kelly Simmons has baked up the perfect recipe.

After owning a beauty salon for 13 years and then working as an educator in Jessup, Maryland, Simmons founded and opened Aunt Kelly’s Cookies, a bakery where customers brag that “you can taste the homemade goodness in every bite.”

“I only use the freshest, highest quality ingredients, and we bake on site every day to ensure that the cookies taste as fresh as they look,” Simmons remarked on the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Live Morning Breaking News Program, “Let It Be Known.”

Located at 857 N. Howard Street in Baltimore, Aunt Kelly’s Cookies has earned acclaim for its butter crunch, chocolate chip, and butter pecan cookies.

One of the more popular is the butter crunch and chocolate chip combination.

“That’s my favorite,” Simmons exclaimed. “I thought, ‘why hasn’t anyone put those two together?’ I wondered why they were never married.”

The combination proved so popular, Simmons included it in her “Cookie of the Month” selections.

That wasn’t the only flavor customers—both in Baltimore and those ordering online—craved.

“I did another one called butter pecan, and I brought it out as a Cookie of the

AUNT KELLY’S COOKIES have already been voted a 5-star bakery in over 100 local reviews. She has expanded upon her famous butter crunch cookies and offers a variety of options.

Month,” Simmons recalled.

“When I took it away, my customers hounded me for almost eight months to bring them back.”

Simmons’ journey into the bakery business began in the 1980s as a young girl living in Baltimore, she said.

“I was in grade school, and like many of my peers, I would make sure I had change for buying butter crunch cookies. As the years passed, I searched for but could never find that same butter crunch taste I remembered,” she explained.

“That is until I started baking my own cookies in 1999. I had finally discovered the key ingredients that make this memorable cookie. I couldn’t wait to share my discovery with my family, and now I want to share that experience with everyone.”

While working as an educator, she noted that she’d sometimes bake cookies for her students, and they fell in love with the taste.

“I have had people from Pennsylvania, Maryland,

Virginia tasting the cookies,” Simmons stated.

“Where I am, the cookies follow me, and I share them with everyone. People say they remind me of the cookies they used to get in elementary school.”

So, what’s the secret?

“First of all, I hate tasting chemicals,” Simmons reflected.

“I’m trying to taste the same cookies that we tasted going back to my grandmother’s days. So, I stick to the basics like my grandmother showed me, and that’s why I make the cookies fresh every day. We mix and bake onsite each day so that our customers are getting the freshest and purest cookies.”

Simmons opened Aunt Kelly’s Cookies in 2018, and she said she “mixes every batch with love” using locally sourced ingredients, including Domino Sugar.

Cookies are made daily from scratch to ensure they taste as fresh as they look. “We bake our last daily batch two hours before closing,” Simmons continued.

“Because of this, our customers say they taste like their grandmother’s kitchen and bring back feelings of nostalgia and happiness.”

Simmons has quickly established herself as a successful Black woman-owned business in the Baltimore area, and she said she could not wait to make Aunt Kelly’s Cookies a household name.

Aunt Kelly’s Cookies have already been voted a 5-star bakery in over 100 local reviews. She has expanded upon her famous butter crunch cookies and offers a variety of options.

While folks can order online, she still hopes to expand to other areas.

“I’d love to open up in D.C.,” Simmons said. “I sold some cookies there before, and people loved it. So, it’s my goal to open Aunt Kelly’s Cookies in D.C.” To learn more about Aunt Kelly’s Cookies or to place an order, visit https://www. auntkellyscookies.com/.

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

What rising prices & inflation means for Black Americans INFLATION FROM B1

as a result you’re able to buy less groceries/food for your family with the same amount of money.” Inflation typically occurs when production costs go up, especially during a surge in demand. Last month, the US saw a 5.4 percent jump in prices—the highest increase since August 2008. Some economists predict that the increased prices are going to be around for a while.

What’s Going to Happen to Our Wallets?

With increased prices on goods, Awoye warns our wallets are more than likely going to feel the impact, if they haven’t already. “People will see that reflected in how far their money goes as opposed to before,” he said, illustrating the point that a $50 tank of gas might have given a driver 17-18 gallons before inflation rose, but that same $50 might only give you 12-13 gallons now. In general, with inflation on the rise, purchasing power decreases, so your money may not stretch as far as it might have before.

What can Black households do to Combat the Impact of Rising Prices?

“People should look for small ways to save money and cut corners as much as they can with coupons or maybe shutting off irrelevant services,” Awoye suggested.

“Take a look at cash flow—how much money do you have coming in and going out?” “Next, start to better manage miscellaneous spending and your budget,” he added, suggesting that half of any money leftover should go towards saving or investing. “Continue to repeat this process,” he said, suggesting Investopedia as a financial resource individuals can tap into to learn more about investing, budgeting, and more.

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

B3

What doth 2022 bring?

Guest Commentary Pennsylvania Senate hopefuls must answer questions on 2020 election In the May 17 primary, Pennsylvania’s voters will pick their party’s nominee for an open U.S. Senate seat.

The May primary and the general election in November for U.S. Senate in the Keystone State will be watched across the nation because Pennsylvania is a battleground state, meaning both Democrats and Republicans can win statewide offices here.

What happens in Pennsylvania has the potential to swing control of our sharply divided Congress.

This is why candidates who attempt to claim the office currently occupied by two-term Sen. Pat Toomey, who has decided not to seek re-election, should be clear on where they stand on the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 attack.

While Toomey strongly defended Pennsylvania’s vote in the 2020 presidential election, GOP Senate candidates wouldn’t say whether they backed the results, according to an article this week in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“The Inquirer contacted the five most prominent Republicans declared as Senate candidates or likely to run, asking if they believe President Joe Biden won the 2020 election and if they would have certified Pennsylvania’s election results, as nearly all senators did.

“Only one candidate responded in any way. Jeff Bartos, a Montgomery County real estate developer, acknowledged Biden’s victory, as he has multiple times in the past.

“But neither Bartos nor any other candidate commented on whether they would have voted to certify Pennsylvania’s election results—a position taken

by Toomey and 91 other senators in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot.”

A year after the Jan. 6 attack, many GOP lawmakers have attempted to minimize the attempts to undermine the 2020 election and the horror of the armed attack on the U.S. Capitol.

This is unacceptable. In upcoming editorial board meetings, in debates and while campaigning for votes, candidates must make their positions clear on where they stand on the 2020 election and the violent response to the election by some Trump supporters.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

Founded 1910

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

Rob Taylor Jr.

Ashley Johnson

Office Manager

Managing Editor

Sales Director

John. H. Sengstacke

Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—I have always believed that “A GOOD LIFE” requires planning and reflection, without which we have no way to measure the impact we make on life and vice-versa. As objectionable as I find fortune teller-type predictions, an imperative of our contemporary society is a willingness to engage in personal reflection and the serious contemplation of our futures. In my opinion, there is no better time to do so than at the beginning of the new year.

Far too many in our community fail to look to the future seriously. My greatest disappointment is in those who have so very much to lose and who demonstrate so little concern about the futures they must face. I have spoken and written before about those who live life by default and move aimlessly from one crisis to another. Instead of asking why something is being done and what it means to their existence, they merely acknowledge that something happened. Instead of claiming control of their circumstance, they resign themselves to having no control nor wanting any control over their circumstance. Like the “house Negroes,” in words and deeds, they teach future generations the lesson of hopelessness.

The events of 2021 and the four years prior foretell a future that is threatening to the security of all Americans, especially African Americans and other people of color. Today, I received an article published

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

Commentary in The Daily Beast entitled, “The Weak Better Buckle Up.” A summary of the article stated, “A Daily Beast analysis of social media posts seems to paint McLeod as an author dedicated to alt-right philosophies— including violence.” In addition to killing five people and shooting a police officer before being killed himself, the article’s subject was dedicated to alt-right philosophies, including masculine supremacy, contrarian COVID-19 beliefs, and targeted violence against the “weak.” I can only wonder who he considered weak.

Last month, at a rally I referenced in a previous article, an attendee openly stated that it was time to start killing “these people.” I can’t say with absolute certainty, but the context of his statement made me feel as though I could have been a target. I found it more than interesting that the speaker AND his audience were cavalier about killing others whose ideas differ from their own.

We are only days away from the anniversary of the January 6th Cap-

itol attack. The terrorist goal was to subvert the will of millions of American voters and violently amend the Constitution for the benefit of a fascist president. Their chants and actions gave notice that they were mortal enemies of those with opposing ideas. Just as in Charlottesville, the whiteness of the terrorists and their rhetoric gave support to the analysis that their ultimate agenda was to recreate a nation of White power and White control despite the will of the majority.

There are some who will accuse me of painting all Whites with a broad, race-based brush of condemnation. In fact, all Americans face a growing threat from the mostly White, home-grown terrorists who will not accept a country that is structured on merit-based achievement and equity of opportunity. They refuse to accept that power will be shared and that they hold no monopoly on intellectual brilliance or even ordinary common sense. They are more than willing to govern through intimidation and violence—targeting those who oppose their will.

I am not seeking my turn in front of the crystal ball. Instead, I am sounding a call to action to prevent our social devolution into a return to the hellish nightmare of legislated racism and discrimination.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.)

Congress must act to protect the right to vote (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Jan. 6, 2022 marks one year since the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, incited by a president voted out of office by the vast majority of the American people.

What is now clear is that Donald Trump and his zealous aides and complicit right-wing legislators were deadly serious about overturning the results of that vote and keeping Trump in office. They failed but have since launched a systematic campaign in states across the country to make it possible to succeed the next time.

Trump’s bumbling gang of the incompetent, the craven, the corrupt and the certifiable are often difficult to take seriously. That is a mistake.

Over the past year, Republican officials have taken up the cause and moved steadily to rig the rules in their favor. The overwhelming majority of Republicans now believe Trump’s Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, despite it being rejected by the courts, by Trump’s own attorney general, by professional Republican election officials and even by the partisan audits that Republicans have wasted millions on. Craven Republican legislators repeat the Big Lie, too fearful of Trump’s wrath to tell the truth.

That Big Lie has been used to justify a systematic attempt to rig the rules against the majority. Republican state legislators have introduced hundreds of bills to make it more difficult to vote, particularly for minorities and the young. In states like Wisconsin and North Carolina and Texas, partisan gerrymandering draws districts designed to enable the minority party to win a majority of the seats in the state legislatures and congressional districts. The Big Lie has been used

Jesse Jackson Sr.

Commentary to terrorize election officials and to replace professionals with partisans committed to a certain outcome, not a fair election count.

Even worse, in states like Georgia, Republicans in state legislatures have given themselves the power to reject election results if they don’t like the outcome. This legislative offensive is bolstered by the threat and presence of violence. Election officials who tell the truth have their lives and families threatened. A staggering one third of Republicans say that violence may be necessary to achieve their political ends. This assault on democracy is fueled by a racial backlash against the growing electoral power of people of color.

This isn’t the first time that democracy has been assaulted.

After the Civil War freed the slaves, the 15th Amendment was passed to prohibit discrimination in the right to vote. When coalitions of Black and White people emerged to threaten the privilege and power of the plantation South, the reaction was fierce. Armed bands—the Ku Klux Klan and others—terrorized Black people and their allies. Laws were passed and enforced to make it virtually impossible for Black people to register and vote.

When Union troops were removed from the South, a form of apartheid called segregation became the law of

the land. It took another 100 years before the civil rights movement succeeded with Lyndon Johnson’s leadership to end segregation and pass the Voting Rights Act to limit the suppression of the vote. Now, as Congress reconvenes this January, it must act to protect the right to vote—to protect the democracy— against the seditious reaction that now threatens it.

Bipartisan support is desirable but unlikely, with few Republican legislators willing to stand up against the Big Lie or to protect our democracy. Democrats must act— and act immediately against this threat. That will require ruling that protection of the right to vote is too important to allow it to be sabotaged by a minority wielding the filibuster. Democrats should unite to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which revives the Voting Rights Act. It should pass the Freedom to Vote Act—endorsed by the conservative Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin—that would end partisan gerrymandering, create automatic voter registration, guarantee 15 days of early voting, make Election Day a holiday so working people will find it easier to get to the polls, limit dark money in politics and facilitate voting by mail.

At least in federal elections, the two bills would go a long way to making certain that elections are free and fair. No one should be deluded. A minority party—grounded in the White South—is intent on taking and keeping power, despite the will of the majority—even if democracy itself is destroyed in the process.

This is no time for petty politics. It is time for Congress to act to defend free elections and the right to vote before it is too late

My best wishes for 2022 Most of these are the same wishes that I advocated in a wish’s column for the year 1993. They are as relevant today as they were then.

• That we realize that contrary to popular belief, we are not a weak people. In fact, we have many strengths that can be the foundation for a powerful and productive group.

We need to concentrate on identifying and building on these strengths.

• That we reject those who attempt to convince us that supporting self-help and strong family values is somehow to become politically conservative as defined by those who don’t I have our best interests at heart. Such positions, along with self-respect, self-determination and self-defense have always had strong appeal to most Black folks because they make sense to any group of people trying to promote and protect their vital interests. These values seem to have been momentarily forgotten in the rush for integration.

• That Black students on all levels will totally reject anyone, young or old, Black or White, who tells them

A. Peter Bailey

Commentary that striving for academic excellence is the same as trying to be White.

Such a person or persons are as much an enemy of our people as the most ardent member of the Klu Klux Klan.

• That we as a people will use our collective resources more effectively as an instrument for advancing our economic, cultural and political opportunities.

• That we as adult Black folks will use our talent and other resources to build or open well-supervised community centers for our teenagers where they will have opportunities for learning and fun in a safe

setting.

• That we will more effectively support those committed teachers and administrators that are working hard to educate our children. I also wish that more Brothers can be persuaded to become teachers.

• That we as a people will understand that our too often apathy and refusal to deal with a reality check contributes heavily to the problems that confront us in too many of our neighborhoods.

• That Black folks who do destructive things in our communities understand that they are actively aiding those White supremacists that would like for all of us to disappear.

• That we as people will do much more to educate our children about our history and our culture in this country and throughout the world.

• That we understand that a Pan-Africanist movement is the most effective way for our people throughout the world to promote and protect our interests.

B4

FORUM

JANUARY 12-18, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

A house divided against itself cannot stand (BlackPressUSA)—I listened intently this morning as our 46th President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the nation from Statuary Hall observing the first anniversary of last year’s insurrection. I found myself reflecting upon the attack on Pearl Harbor that thrusted us into a world war against a tyrannical foreign power.

Eighty years later, tyranny is threatening America again, this time from a domestic attack.

A President and his enablers created a narrative and fomented a “Big Lie” that is continuing.

He incited a violent mob to attack our seat of government and disrupt the certification of the results of a free and fair election which he lost by over 7 million votes.

President Franklin Roosevelt referred to the December 7, 1941 Pearl Harbor attack as, “a day that will live in infamy.” World War II lasted almost 4 years. January 6, 2021 launched a disgraceful and ignoble domestic conflict, and it remains to be seen how long it will last.

Rep. James Clyburn

Commentary Over the past year, we have witnessed loyalists of the 45th President work to unravel the threads that hold the fabric of our representative democracy together. His followers, fueled by a constant diet of disinformation, have harassed and intimidated election officials across the country, causing many to resign their positions out of fear for themselves and their families.

Republican officials, fearful of being primaried by “45’s” loyalists, embrace his “Big Lie” and enact legislation they feel will appease him. States with Republican governors and legislatures are passing laws and redistricting plans constructed to guarantee the election of more likeminded loyalists and shift government control away from anyone who doesn’t adhere to his tyrannical whims. According to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice, 19 states have enacted 34 election laws that restrict or suppress the vote. Some to make it easier for local officials to nullify election results they don’t like.

The right to vote is the most fundamental thread of our democratic fabric. Without it, our democracy unravels. Currently, 50 Republicans in the United States Senate, aided and abetted by two Democrats, are blocking votes on two critical voting rights bills, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act basically updates the formula which, since the enactment of the 1965 Voters Rights Act, triggers a process of pre-clearance by the Justice Department or a federal court if a jurisdiction seeks to make any changes in its voting laws. In 2013, that pre-clearance formula was declared outdated by the United States Supreme Court and Congress was invited to update the formula.

The House responded by holding over a dozen hearings by two separate committees and passed subsequent legislation which was sent to the Senate. Unfortunately, all Senate Republicans, except Senator Lisa Murkowski, are standing in the way of its passage. Two Democrats have been giving comfort to the Republicans on this issue and one of them, Senator Joe Manchin, has proposed the Freedom to Vote Act, seeking to attract bipartisan support for many provisions of the House-passed For the People Act. The legislation includes provisions protecting election security, reforming campaign finance, ensuring fair redistricting, and preventing voter nullification. Despite Senator Manchin’s mollification attempts, not a single Republican voted to allow the Freedom to Vote Act to come to the floor for a vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has vowed to bring both bills up for another vote by January 17th, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. His efforts, however, seem destined to fail without a change to the Senate’s filibuster rules that require 60 votes to cut off debate.

While bipartisanship is welcomed, and may be preferable, history informs us that the 15th Amendment giving Blacks the right to vote, passed on a party line vote. And who would argue that the 15th Amendment should not have been adopted because it did not have bipartisan support?

I am not a fan of the filibuster. But, if holding on to that tradition is important to most of the Senate, I maintain that exceptions on Constitutional issues like voting should apply. An exception is employed for fiscal issues to ensure the full faith and credit of the United States are not jeopardized by a filibuster. The process is called “reconciliation,” a term I believe is more aptly applied to the Constitution than the budget.

On the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt spoke these words, “No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win.” He continued, “I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.” America was victorious. Our democracy and our friends and allies were saved from tyranny.

Today’s challenge is no less perilous. To dismiss the seriousness of this moment is to condone the insidiousness of the “Big Lie.” Our best protection is to ensure the fundamentals of our democracy hold. As our 16th President extolled during another challenging time, “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”

(Congressman James E. Clyburn, House Majority Whip (D-SC))

Oxford School shooter and ‘urban terrorists’ Last November, a mass shooting occurred at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan. Fifteen-year-old Ethan Crumbley shot and killed four students and injured seven others. Crumbley was charged as an adult with four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and twelve counts of possession of a firearm while committing a felony. Crumbley faces life in prison on these charges, but the prosecutor also charged Crumbley with terrorism.

Terrorism is conducted for political reasons —right?

Michigan’s legal definition of terrorism goes beyond the political and includes acts that intimidate or coerce a civilian population.

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald stated terrorism is not a usual charge, but the four killed and the seven injured were not the only victims. “The children who ran, screaming, hiding under their desk …

Are victims, too, and so are their families and so is the community. The charge of terrorism reflects that.”

Some legal experts wondered if the terrorism charge was necessary. While other experts hinted that the terrorism charge was political. It was added because there is a “blue-state” fear that W hite domestic terrorism had been on the rise and “the charge of terrorism reflects that.”

Matthew Schneider, a former federal prosecutor, explained the rarity of the charge “doesn’t mean that it’s being used improperly.” Schneider likened this situation to

J. Pharoah Doss

Check It Out the 1970 federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which was written to dismantle the mafia but has broadened out to help prosecute street gangs.

Once RICO was applied to street gangs, the law ran into problems. In 2012, the Michigan Journal of Race and Law published a study called Systemic Racial Bias and RICO’s Application to Criminal Street and Prison Gangs. Based on the title, no one had to read the study to know its findings.

In 2015, gang members on a retaliation mission shot forty-seven times into a crowded park in Detroit. One person was killed and eleven were injured. Detroit’s Police Chief James Craig, a Black man, called the gang members “urban terrorists”. Craig told the Black residents the police cannot end “urban terrorism” alone and insisted on their cooperation.

Instead of cooperation, the Black police chief got backlash from the president of the Detroit National Action Network. (The civil rights group founded by Al Sharpton) The president of Detroit’s NAN said, “Young people who are causing the violence in our community are not urban terrorists. They

are products of bad urban policy. They are products of bad education policy. They are products of the fact that you are dealing with a city with high poverty numbers, so to relate these young people as terrorists is wrong.”

The president of Detroit’s NAN meant morally wrong, but Michigan prosecutors wouldn’t be legally wrong to charge the gang members with terrorism. Besides, those Black people in the park that ran, screamed, and looked for somewhere to hide were victims too, and so was the community that didn’t cooperate with the police out of fear of gang retaliation. The question is, why does the charge of terrorism fit the school shooter, but it has never seemed to fit drive-by shooters or perpetrators of gang retaliatory-style mass shootings?

The answer is political.

If Black gang members were charged with terrorism, the statute will run into the same problem as the RICO Act. Since there are ten times more gang shootings than school shootings, a study will inevitably conclude that charges of terrorism are disproportionally applied to Black males, making Michigan’s terrorism law systemically racist and biased.

To prevent Michigan’s minority population from being victimized by another form of systemic racism, prosecutors decided Black gang members, who are products of bad urban policy, shouldn’t be charged with terrorism.

Therefore, children that run, scream, and hide in school from a mass shooter are victims, but children who run, scream, and hide from gang shootings are not.

Our broken democracy on Jan. 6, 2022 (TriceEdneyWire.com)—A year ago, on January 6, 2021, a mob of crazed insurrectionists descended on the United States Capitol.

Armed, angry and bent on destruction, their goal was to overturn a legitimate election. The world watched in horror as members of Congress cowered under their seats in their chambers or crowded into “safe” rooms. The country touted itself as a bastion of democracy exhibited behavior consistent with countries we disparagingly describe as “banana republics.”

There were no bananas on the Capitol last January 6, but there sure were lots of nuts, determined to overturn the results of a legitimate election.

Perceptions of the insurrection have shifted since it happened, with many of the very Republicans that feared for their lives now defending lawless marauders as simply exercising their “free speech” rights. It’s a partisan thing, with most Democrats saying insurrection and most Republicans claiming free speech. When your free speech shatters windows, breaks down doors, and chases Capitol employees in a place we all once considered sacred, that’s not free speech, it’s tomfoolery. For the past several months, you’ve had pundits wringing their hands and whining that democracy might be destroyed. For some Americans, it was always broken.

We invaded countries because some of their citizens did not have voting rights while denying our very own citizens the same thing.

From the end of enslavement in 1865 until the passage of the Voting Rights Act a century later, Black Americans have been denied the right to vote. Even after the Voting Rights Act passed, Southern states passed laws to make voting difficult for the formerly disenfranchised. And they are still trying to make it difficult with dozens of states limiting voting rights and gerrymandering districts to violate

Julianne Malveaux

News Analysis the principle of one person, one vote.

The brokenness in our democracy has its roots in the founders of our nation’s original sins of the appropriation of Indian land and enslavement. The flaws in our founding included the ways enslaved people were counted as fractions and how small states with tiny populations had the same Senatorial representation as much larger states. These accommodations were rooted in ensuring that the minority had “equal” rights as the majority. One person, one vote? Not in the United States Senate.

Those folks caterwauling about a broken democracy ought to have been hollering and changing laws when Black voters were sidelined. They ought to have been looking at gerrymandering long before now. People like to blame the forty-fifth President for the broken state of our democracy, but the odious power-hungry former leader stood on a stage that others built for him. Predatory capitalists of both parties weakened unions, lowered taxes on the wealthy, turned prisons into the kind of profit centers that they were post-Reconstruction. Decent legislators often sold their principles for reelection, and some, in either party, are now pawns of corporate interests.

It is easy to point the finger at the DINOs (Democrats in Name Only) like Krysten Sine-

ma (D-AZ) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), but they aren’t the only senators who are reluctant to stand up to their corporate masters. And why aren’t more Senators more vocal about voting rights. Voting rights legislation should have been among the first things passed during this senate session, not one that people have to twist arms to pass.

The Republicans who maintain a shred of decency (Tim Scott (SC) and Susan Collins (ME) are examples) know right from wrong, but they don’t mind being wrong. They are more about power than principle. They don’t seem to care that our democracy is broken, as long as their party can hold sway. They averted their eyes from the insurrection, implicitly approving of it. They’ve made the destruction of our nation’s Capitol a partisan issue when it needs to be a moral one.

I admire those members of Congress who are truth-seekers and truth-tellers, like Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson and Maryland’s Jamie Raskin. Republican Liz Cheyney has possibly ended her political career by telling the truth about the former President’s role on January 6. Some of the passionate members of the Congressional Black Caucus like Maxine Waters and Sheila Jackson Lee don’t tolerate Republican chicanery. Some of the newer members, like Alexandra Ocasio Cortez and Cori Bush, challenge those inside and outside their party.

Let’s be clear, though. Our democracy has always been broken. It’s been flawed from its foundation. Can it be repaired? Possibly, but not in this climate. Not unless Democrats decide to grow backbones and learn how to fight.

Not likely.

(Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA. Juliannemalveaux.com.)

One year later, the January 6 insurrection still rages on (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“Our democracy was inches from ruin. Our system of government was stretched to the breaking point.

Members and staff were terrorized. Police officers fought hand to hand for hours. People lost their lives … Either you’re on the side of helping us figure out why, or you’re trying to stop us from getting those answers. You can parade out whatever argument you want, but really, that’s all there is to it. In real life, there aren’t a lot of bright-line moments. This is one of them.”—U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol A year ago today, Americans watched in horror and revulsion as a savage mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, intent upon overturning a fair and free election through violence or even murder, if necessary.

The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has interviewed more than 300 witnesses and reviewed tens of thousands of documents. The Department of Justice has charged more than 700 defendants with alleged crimes ranging from entering restricted Capitol grounds to conspiracy against the United States.

Yet the attack on American democracy continues, unabated.

The ongoing assault relies less on brute violence—though the threat is ever-present— and more on subversion. But the motivation, the fuel, and the ultimate goal remain as

Marc H. Morial

To Be Equal stark and repugnant as they were revealed to be on that dark day one year ago.

The motivation is furious resentment of the historic Black and Brown voter turnout that contributed to the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The fuel is the “Big Lie”— the ugly myth that the election was “stolen.”

And the goal is not only to disenfranchise Black and Brown Americans with repressive voting laws, not only to dilute their influence with manipulative racial gerrymandering, but to ignore the results of elections entirely.

In the aftermath of the 2020 election, enemies of pressured election officials to “find” more votes for the losing candidate, to throw out votes for the winning candidate, and to publicize baseless claims of voter fraud. They filed lawsuit after lawsuit seeking to invalidate votes in counties with large Black and Brown populations.

And when those election officials resisted their pressure and judges dismissed their false claims, they launched a campaign to

replace those officials and judges.

“For more than a year now, with tacit and explicit support from their party’s national leaders, state Republican operatives have been building an apparatus of election theft,” journalist Barton Gellman wrote in The Atlantic. “Elected officials in Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and other states have studied Donald Trump’s crusade to overturn the 2020 election. They have noted the points of failure and have taken concrete steps to avoid failure next time. Some of them have rewritten statutes to seize partisan control of decisions about which ballots to count and which to discard, which results to certify and which to reject. They are driving out or stripping power from election officials who refused to go along with the plot last November, aiming to replace them with exponents of the Big Lie. They are fine-tuning a legal argument that purports to allow state legislators to override the choice of the voters.”

The work of the Justice Department and the January 6 Committee is vital to uncovering the origins of the deadly insurrection and to holding the perpetrators accountable. But the most dangerous conspirators weren’t the ones strutting the halls of Congress in horned fur hats and superhero costumes. They’re the ones quietly dismantling democracy in state capitols across the country. And they must be held to account too.

New Pittsburgh Courier

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Help Wanted

Meetings

BOROUGH OF WILKINSBURG JOB POSTING/CLASSIFIED ADS CHILDREN’S LIBRARY MANAGER LIBRARY DEPARTMENT The Borough of Wilkinsburg is currently accepting applications for the position of Children’s Library Manager. This is a varied management position, tasked with performing programming, outreach, collection development, and circulation activities in support of library services with a focus on youth ages 0-18. A co mp let e job des c ri p ti o n a n d requirements for the position can be found at www.wilkinsburgpa.gov.

Send application to the Administrative Office, Wilkinsburg Borough, 605 Ross Avenue, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221. Wilkinsburg is an equal opportunity employer. Deadline for applications is January 27, 2022.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY Notice of Annual Meeting Notice is hereby given that the 2022 annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Allegheny County Housing Authority will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 21, 2022. The meeting will be preceded with a meeting of the Finance and Audit Committee at 9:15 a.m., followed by the Board’s review of the agenda and other general matters at 9:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend these meetings. Directly following the Authority’s annual meeting, a joint annual meeting of the following Authority sub-entities will be conducted: Affordable Housing Holdings, Inc; Allegheny Composite Housing Development Corporation; Allegheny Housing Development Corporation; Allegheny Housing Partnership, Inc.; Fox Hill Management, Inc.; Glenshaw Gardens, Inc.; Leetsdale Housing Development Corporation; MRT Center, Inc.; Ohio Valley Housing GP Corp.; Swissvale Housing Development Corporation; Three Rivers Communities, Inc.; Three Rivers GP Corp.; Waterfront Housing GP Corp.; and West Pine Affordable Housing, Inc. Notice of Regular Meetings Notice is hereby given of the regular monthly meetings of the Board of Directors of the Allegheny County Housing Authority for the remainder of calendar year 2022: February 18, 2022 March 18, 2022 April 14, 2022 May 20, 2022 June 17, 2022 July 15, 2022 September 16, 2022 October 21, 2022 November 18, 2022 December 16, 2022 The regular meetings will be preceded with a meeting of the Finance & Audi Committee at 9:15 a.m., followed by the Board’s review of the agenda and other general matters at 9:30 a.m. The public is invited to attend these meetings.

Meeting Procedures due to COVID-19 Due to the dramatic rise in COVID-19 infections, the regularly scheduled and advertised Board and committee meetings of the Allegheny County Housing Authority will be modified to take place virtually on the dates and times as scheduled.

The public is encouraged to participate in these meetings in the following way:

BOROUGH OF WILKINSBURG JOB POSTING/CLASSIFIED ADS FINANCE CLERK III FINANCE DEPARTMENT The Borough of Wilkinsburg is currently accepting applications for the position of Finance Clerk III Applicants must be Wilkinsburg residents. This is a varied accounting and clerical position with primary responsibility for accounts payable and payroll processing. A complete job description and requirements for the position can be found at www.wilkinsburgpa.gov.

Send application to the Administrative Office, Wilkinsburg Borough, 605 Ross Avenue, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221. Wilkinsburg is an equal opportunity employer. Deadline for applications is January 14, 2021.

TRANSIT SECURITY OFFICER Port Authority is seeking a Transit Security Officer to provide assistance in the internal and external security of the Port Authority, its facilities and its equipment, including assisting in special investigations.

Essential Functions: •Monitors/verifies the identification of all persons entering Port Authority property, ensuring that such persons are employees of Port Authority, or are otherwise on Port Authority business.

•Performs checks for the presence of unauthorized persons on Port Authority property on foot and in company vehicle and handles such situations in accordance with policies and procedures.

•Monitors gasoline pumps and other Port Authority property on foot and in company vehicle in order to prevent tampering and vandalism.

Job requirements include: •High School diploma or GED. •Ability and willingness to work various shifts and weekends.

•Valid PA driver’s license.

•Effective and professional communication skills.

Preferred attributes: •Act 120 certification.

•Act 235 certification.

•Minimum of one (1) year experience within security/police field.

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Danielle Jacobson Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 DJacobson@portauthority.org EOE SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a MAINTENANCE MANAGER: Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Deadline 4:00 PM, January 21, 2022 EOE LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

1.Comments or requests on Board agenda items must be submitted via email at dbreitenstein@achsng.com no later than 2 days before a scheduled meeting.

2.The meetings will be held via ZOOM and the public is encouraged to attend and join the meetings. Meeting log-in information will be available on the Authority’s website at https://www.achsng.com. The virtual access will be open five minutes before the start of a meeting.

Meetings will be to conduct essential business only and may proceed in a modified manner with attendees participating remotely through electronic means. The Agenda for Board meetings will be posted on the Authority’s website 24 hours before a scheduled meeting. All virtual meetings will be recorded and posted to the Authority’s website for one month following the meeting. The ACHA will continue to post meeting Minutes on its website at http://w w w . a c h s n g . c o m / A B O U T / PUBLIC DOCUMENTS LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Countywide Support for Violence Prevention. Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, March 4, 2022.

For more details and submission information, visit: w w w . a l l e g h e n y c o u n t y. u s / Human-Services/Resources/ Doing-Business/Solicitations-(RFP/ RFQ/RFI).aspx.

Erin Dalton Director

Estate of GRACE M. SEEMAN, Deceased of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, Estate No.: 02-21-05713 of 2021, Candace Milligan, Executrix or to Travis J. Dunn, Atty, 6 Clairton Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15236

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of MARIE M. STUBBS, deceased, Case No. 022108959: Notice is hereby given that on December 10, 2021, a Petition was filed by Cierra Stitt to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Marie M. Stubbs, deceased, in the real estate located at 1421 Marlboro Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 and to determine that fee simple title is in Cierra Stitt. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed prior to February 9, 2022, Cierra Stitt will seek an Order adjudging that she is vested the title of Marie M. Stubbs.

Estate of BEATRICE E. COLEMAN, Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA, Estate No.: 07294 of 2021, David A. Coleman, Sr. Executor, C/o A. Jean Cason-Wynter, Esq., 504 Arthur Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL The Allegheny County Department o f H u m a n S e r vices r ecently issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Community Violence Reduction Plans from High-Priority Areas. Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, May 6, 2022.

For more details and submission information, visit: w w w . a l l e g h e n y c o u n t y. u s / Human-Services/Resources/ Doing-Business/Solicitations-(RFP/ RFQ/RFI).aspx.

Erin Dalton Director

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LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER DESIGN BUILD ROOF CABLE SYSTEM REPAIRS The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County will receive proposals for Design Build Roof Cable System Repairs as identified below. The agreement between owner and contractor for this work will be with the Sports & Exhibition Authority. The Request for Proposals may be obtained after the date identified below from Mr. Thomas P. Ryser Jr., PE E-mail: tryser@pgh-sea.com, Telephone: (412) 393-0200.

Project:

David L. Lawrence Convention Center Design Build Roof Cable System Repairs

RFP Available:

January 5, 2022

Date/Location for Proposals: 4:00 PM, Thursday, February 3, 2022 Sports & Exhibition Authority

171 10th Street, 2nd Floor

Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Attn: Thomas P. Ryser, Jr., PE

THE BOROUGH OF BRENTWOOD LEGAL NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) RFP 2022-01 CUSTODIAL SERVICES FOR BOROUGH FACILITIES BRENTWOOD BOROUGH, PENNSYLVANIA The Borough of Brentwood, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, is seeking proposals from qualified firms (Contractor) to provide custodial services at various Borough facilities.

Service locations include the Borough Building/Police Station, Borough Library, and Department of Public Works Building. The Borough intends to select a Contractor who is registered and licenses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to provide for a clean and sanitary environmental for Borough employees and members of the public. The Contractor will be required to have qualified staff with demonstrated experience in janitorial work. Proposals will be reviewed and ranked on company experience, staff qualifications, communication, references, cost proposal , and other rel evant information. Once negotiated, the Borough will award a Service Contract for a term of three (3) years.

To obtain the RFP Documents relating to submitting a RFP including specific requirements, the organization of the RFP, and evaluation criteria please refer to PennBid (https://pennbid.procureware.com).

Interested parties must complete a no cost registration process to utilize this service. Paper copies of these documents will not be made available.

All submittals must be submitted electronically at pennbid.procureware.com by 2:00 PM EST on February 18, 2022, and the same will be publicly opened and read immediately thereafter.

The Borough reserves the right to reject any or all submittals, or any part thereof, for any reason, and also reserves the right to waive any informality therein.

Questions regarding this project shall only be accepted electronically via the ‘Clarifications’ section on pennbid.procureware.com.

The B or ough of B r entwood reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219

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Deadline/Closing/ Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication

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

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SPORTS

JANUARY 12-18, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Western Pa. is on the map!

The American Youth Football National Championships were held in Kissimmee, Fla., in early December 2021, and Pittsburgh

showed out!

Two national titles were brought back to the ‘Burgh — in the age 8 and under, and the age 10 and

under category for the Conference All Star Division. It was all thanks to an All-Star team of kids from Western Pennsylvania.

The 12 and under division saw the All-Star team come in third place. (Photos by Dreamshots Media)

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Courier’s Women of Excellence ‘Class of 2021’ honored at gala

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

On Dec. 16, 2021, nine days before Christmas, 50 African American women, plus a media legend for a legacy honoree, received a well-deserved early Christmas present—a plaque officially dubbing them a New Pittsburgh Courier “Woman of Excellence,” part of the “Class of 2021.”

These women go home each day after a hard day of work, and sitting on their mantel is their plaque, reminding them constantly that they are appreciated for all they do to make Pittsburgh a better place, particularly for African Americans.

The Courier’s ceremony, this time, was held at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel in Station Square, where nearly 500 people congregated to witness the big show.

African American women from all walks of professional life were honored during the event, which was hosted by Pittsburgh media celebrity Chris Moore of KDKA Radio, PCNC-TV and WQED-TV. Denise Sinkler was one of the honorees, a McKeesport Area High School alum who is chairman emeritus of the Clark Atlanta University Alumni Mentor Program.

“This night was phenomenal, it was magical,” Sinkler told the Courier. “It is just so awesome to be an African American woman in Pittsburgh and recognized for your talents. All the women that got an award, we’re all talented, we’re all motivators in the community, and to be recognized for that empowers you. It empowers you to continue to pay it forward and it makes you proud to be from Pittsburgh.”

But growing up in the area, Sinkler admitted she

felt “left out” as a Black woman in Pittsburgh. She didn’t see 50 Black women being honored at one time in Pittsburgh, as the Courier’s event now showcases.

She began feeling included when she went on a HBCU college tour in high school and came across Clark Atlanta University. “I think that Pitt, Duquesne, Carnegie Mellon University, those are excellent educational universities, but there was no university that empowered me like an HBCU, Clark Atlanta University, a Black college where we’re celebrated every day for who we are,” Sinkler said.

Thus, with social media giving the “Women of Excellence” honorees and their families a chance to upload photos of the night’s event online, more people across the region were able to experience the occasion.

Sinkler said it will show people in the region that African American women play an integral role in the success and composition of the Pittsburgh ecosystem.

Prior to the big moment when the women received their awards on stage, Courier Editor and Publisher Rod Doss remarked to the crowd that the event always seeks to “uncover the undiscovered.”

Doss added: “We continue to be pleased with the extensive list of submissions that serve as a testament to the outstanding array of luminous and gifted personalities throughout our area.”

Reverend A. Marie Walker, servant pastor of St. John Baptist Church in Wilmerding, gave the opening prayer for the event, followed by Courier Sales Director Ashley Johnson, who thanked the numerous sponsors for the event: Duquesne Light (presenting sponsor); UPMC and Highmark (award

sponsors) New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Joi Edmonds Realtor, and All Purpose Cleaning Services Inc. (benefactor sponsors); and Beacon Communities, LLC., Center for Urban Biblical Ministry, Carlow University, Vision Enterprises Jason Project, and National Council of Negro Women (patron sponsors).

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, who at the time was mayor-elect, was also in attendance, which had the crowd buzzing. Mayor Gainey is now the first Black mayor in Pittsburgh’s history.

He first recognized his “Woman of Excellence,” his wife, Michelle. “I recognize without her being by my side, I couldn’t be here,” Mayor Gainey said.

To the women in attendance, Mayor Gainey said: “You are the backbone of our community. Without you, the Black community would not stand; that’s the truth. You’ve held it down for so long, for so many generations, it’s because of you I get a chance to stand here. From a single mom of a teenager to a state representative, I couldn’t do it without the movement of Black women. I am so grateful for what you contribute to the lives of our young people. You are the reason why we are here today.”

Real Times Media President and CEO Hiram Jackson also took the stage, telling the crowd he had the best job in the world.

“I wake up every day with the sole mission of telling amazing stories about Black people...We search the country and we tell amazing stories about our culture.”

Real Times Media is the parent company of the New Pittsburgh Courier. Real Times Media also owns the Michigan Chronicle, Chica-

go Defender, Atlanta Daily World, and Who’s Who in Black.

“If we don’t tell our story, who will?” Jackson said.

“These 50 women that are being honored tonight, have you seen this class?

Amazing...These are CEOs. These are community leaders. They are worthy of our praise.”

The crowd was spirited as each woman’s name was called: names like Muffy Mendoza, executive director of Brown Mamas, Erica McDill, an educator at Westinghouse High School, Chandi Chapman, reporter at WTAE-TV, and Olivia Bennett, member of Allegheny County Council. Let’s not forget about Tinisha Hunt, chief program officer for the Macedonia FACE Center, and legacy honoree Lynne Hayes-Freeland, 45 years in Pittsburgh television and radio.

Hunt called the event “exciting,” “humbling,” and “rewarding, because a lot of times you do work and sometimes you are not recognized for the things that you do, publicly,” she told the Courier.

Hunt, who has spent the past six years providing services to families and children in Pittsburgh through Macedonia FACE, and who also serves as a youth volunteer at Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh, in the Hill District, added she hopes young people see all the hoopla online about the “Women of Excellence” event. She wants young people to know that there’s a formula to being successful: “Hard things are possible,” she said, “and even when you’re going through difficult times, keep getting up every day, put one foot in front of the other. You’re going to have some wins and some valleys you go through, but it’s worth continuing to move forward.”

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

LYNNE HAYES-FREELAND LEGACY HONOREE TALK SHOW HOST, KDKA-TV AND RADIO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

EDUCATION

EDUCATION

Counselor Penn Hills Senior High School

Principal and Chief Academic Officer Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship

DR. AMY ALEXANDER

DR. TAMARA ALLEN-THOMAS

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

JANUARY 12-18, 2022 5

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

PUBLIC SERVICE

ARTS

CORPORATE

Sr. Vice President of Community Affairs Highmark Health

OLIVIA BENNETT

CHRISTINE BETHEA

Councilmember, Allegheny County

President, Women of Visions, Inc. Creative Strategist, ULeadx

COMMUNITY SERVICE

CORPORATE

CORPORATE

Executive Director Marquis Jaylen Brown Foundation

Director of Market Segment Finance Highmark, Inc.

Vice President, Enablement and Automation Solutions Highmark Health

DANNIELLE N. BROWN

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

DR. ELIZABETH A. CARTER

KENYA BOSWELL

LESLIE CARTER

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

MEDIA

CORPORATE

JANUARY 12-18, 2022 7

COMMUNTIY SERVICE

CHANDI CHAPMAN

DR. LISA COFFEY

Reporter, WTAE-TV

Director of Administration All Purpose Cleaning Service, Inc.

PHOTOGRAPHY

REAL ESTATE

PRODUCT MANAGER

Owner Dayna Delgado Photography

Realtor Berkshire Hathaway Home Services The Preferred Realty

Sr. Product Manager, MongoDB Adjunct Professor, University of Pittsburgh

DAYNA DELGADO

JOI EDMONDS

DR. CHARLENE HILL-COLEMAN Vice President and Executive Director United We Stand

TONYA EDMONDS

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

DIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT

DIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT

Director, Womens Imaging Chair, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital

Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Community Engagement Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

LAJUANA FULLER

PUBLIC SERVICE

DR. TERRIE GRIFFIN

President League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania

CORINNE J. GIBSON

DIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT

PAMELA GOLDEN

Executive Director Pittsburgh Child Guidance Foundation

COUNSELING

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Professional Counselor for Mt. Ararat Counseling Center Mt. Ararat Baptist Church

Chief Program Officer Macedonia FACE Center

DR. LORA HUBBARD

TINISHA HUNT

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

MINISTRY

MEDIA

Executive Director Center for Urban Biblical Ministry

Assistant Director and Programming Director Pittsburgh Community Television

REV. HELEN M. JACKSON

GLADYS JELKS

CHARIYA MOORE CELEBRATING HER GRANDMA, Dr. Charlene Hill Coleman

COMMUNITY SERVICE

ELAINE B. JENKINS

Program Director of Senior Care Coordination Bethany Community Ministries

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

SOCIAL SERVICE

LAW ENFORCEMENT

SOCIAL SERVICE

Director of Adoption & Foster Care Services TRAC Services for Families

Detective Pittsburgh Bureau of Police

Retired, Clairton City School District Minister, Morning Star Baptist Church

JA-NEEN JONES

DOROTHEA LEFTWICH

DEBORAH MARSHALL

EDUCATION

SOCIAL SERVICE

EDUCATION

Director, The Power of One Program Assistant Professor Carlow University

Co-Founder New Voices for Reproductive Justice

Educator, Westinghouse High School Pittsburgh Public Schools

DR. TAMMI MCMILLAN MARSHALL

LOIS ‘TONI’ MCCLENDON

ERICA MCDILL

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

IT SERVICES

BILITA MCINTOSH

Client Analyst, IT Department Community College of Allegheny County

COMMUNITY SERVICE

PUBLIC SERVICE

Executive Director Brown Mamas

Deputy Director of Community Affairs, Department of Public Safety City of Pittsburgh

MUFFY MENDOZA

SHATARA MURPHY

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

PUBLIC SERVICE

MINISTRY

MINISTRY

Councilwoman, Borough of Homestead Owner and Proprietor Mary’s Little Lambs, LLC

Associate Minister Jerusalem Baptist Church

Co-Pastor Kingdom Come Ministries

MARY NESBY

REV. CARRIE PUGH

SHARON L. ROBINSON

COMMUNITY SERVICE

COMMUNITY SERVICE

ALUMNI SERVICE

Owner MiMi’s Kinder Connection

Government and Community Relations Manager goodblend

Chairman Emeritus Clark Atlanta University Alumni Mentor Program

SHEMARIA SCHARMANN

JERVONNE SINGLETARY

DENISE SINKLER

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

MINISTRY

EDUCATION

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Executive Director, South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace Founder and Director, Minority Emergency Preparedness Task Force

Director of Early Learning, Child Development and Education Programs YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh

Founder & Executive Director Ukombozi

REV. EILEEN O. SMITH

CHERYL SMITH

CAROL SPEAKS-HADDOCK

COMMUNITY SERVICE

COMMUNITY SERVICE

ENTREPRENEUR

Director, Provider Experience and voice analytics Highmark Inc.

Founder, Sankofa Childbirth Education and Lactation Services Founder, Journeylighter Coaching

Owner & Designer Kiya Tomlin Fashions

JAMILA SYKES

NGOZI D. TIBBS

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

KIYA TOMLIN

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

PUBLIC SERVICE

PUBLIC SERVICE

COMMUNITY SERVICE

National Editor National Alliance of Postal and Federal Employees

Property Management Professional Beacon Communities, LLC

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JERIMAINE WARD

ERNESTINE WATTS-TAYLOR

COMMUNITY SERVICE

EDUCATION

EDUCATION

Director of Operations & Innovation Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship

Associate Professor, Social Work Department of Health and Human Services Professions California University of Pennsylvania

Procurement Manager of Professional Services Contract Administration Port Authority of Allegheny County

TERAYA WHITE

Academic & Career Advisor, Master of Statistical Practice Program Carnegie Mellon University

TERRI WILLIAMS

JANICE WHITE

DR. BONNIE YOUNG

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

UPMC SPONORSHIP TABLE

REVS HELEN JACKSON AND ANDREW JACKSON

HIGHMARK SPONSORSHIP TABLE

DUQUESNE LIGHT SPONSORSHIP TABLE

CAROL SPEAKS AND LAJUANA FULLER

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

DR. CHARLENE HILL-COLEMAN, LOIS TONI MCCLENDON, AND MARY NESBY

BEACON SPONSORSHIP TABLE

ERNESTINE WATTS-TAYLOR IN RED SITTING MIDDLE SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

NCNW SPONSORSHIP TABLE

EDMONDS SPONSORSHIP TABLE

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

JANUARY 12-18, 2022

CUBM SPONORSHIP TABLE

BILITA MCINTOSH WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

JASON PRAYOR SPONSORSHIP TABLE

CARLOW SPONSORSHIP TABLE

DOREATHEA LEFTWICH, TINISHA HUNT, AND TERAYA WHITE

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

ALL PURPOSE CLEANING SERVICE INC. SPONSORSHIP TABLE.

WOMEN OF DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JANICE WHITE AND CHERRYL SMITH

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

JANUARY 12-18, 2022 21

WOMEN OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INC. COURIER SALES DIRECTOR ASHLEY JOHNSON

REPRESENTATIVES FROM VISION ENTERPRISES JASON PROJECT, an event sponsor, along Dr. Charlene Hill-Coleman and guests.

COURIER EDITOR AND PUBLISHER ROD DOSS

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

CELEBRITY HOST CHRIS MOORE

DUQUESNE LIGHT COMPANY GUEST SPEAKER TRACI JACKSON

MAYOR ED GAINEY

REAL TIMES MEDIA PRESIDENT AND CEO HIRAM E. JACKSON

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

JANUARY 12-18, 2022 23

ALLEGHENY COUNTY COUNCILMAN DEWITT WALTON

LEGACY HONOREE LYNNE HAYES-FREELAND

THIRD FROM LEFT IS HONOREE LISA COFFEY WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

LAJUANA FULLER, DR. TAMMI MCMILLAN MARSHALL WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY

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JANUARY 12-18, 2022 WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER