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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 111 No. 42
Two Sections
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
OCTOBER 14-20, 2020
VOTING TAKES CENTER STAGE
Satellite Voting Center comes to Homewood Centers coming soon to Hill District, North Side by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Just because it’s called a “mail-in” ballot doesn’t mean you have to actually “mail it in.” For the first time, Allegheny County has opened satellite voting centers in various sites across the county, allowing prospective voters to request, receive, fill out and submit a mail-in ballot in one stop. The first satellite voting centers opened Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11, but the satellite voting center that opened inside Pittsburgh city limits (aside from the County Elections Division headquarters on Forbes Avenue, Downtown) was at the CCAC Homewood Branch. Turned out, a block party of sorts accompanied the new venture by the county in Homewood. As hundreds of people walked into the CCAC Homewood Branch surrounded by the live DJ, fresh food and other vendors, they walked out of CCAC with their “I Voted” stickers proudly displayed on their shirts. Allegheny County’s elections officials were accepting the mailin ballots at CCAC Homewood from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 10, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 11.
Amie Downs, spokesperson for Allegheny County, told the New Pittsburgh Courier that roughly 1,950 mail-in ballots were submitted at CCAC Homewood on Oct. 10. Another 1,000 mail-in ballots were submitted there on Oct. 11, as the Pittsburgh Steelers held off the Philadelphia Eagles; the football game was shown on a big screen during the block party on DENEEN WARD AND HER DAUGHTER, MARINA WATERS, submitted their mail-in ballots at the satellite voting center inside the CCAC Homewood Branch, Oct. 10. Satellite voting centers move from week to week, and will be in the Hill District, Oct. 17-18, and on the North Oct. 11. The next satellite voting Side, Oct. 24-25. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.) center inside city limits will be held, Oct. 17-18, in the Hill District, at the former Shop & Save Building, 1850 Centre Ave, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 17, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 18. Another block party will also be held there during the afternoon hours. Allegheny County hasn’t forgotten about the North Side. On Oct. 24-25, the satellite voting center inside city limits moves to the CCAC Allegheny Campus, 808 Ridge Ave. The makeshift voting center will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 24, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 25. The satellite voting centers are another way the county is ensuring voters that their mail-in ballot
‘Her deep understanding and caring for Black women, in general, was real.’ Deborah Pittrell-Parker
SEE VOTING CENTERS A6
INSIDE
ALICE PITTRELL died on Sept. 30 at age 87.
Alice Pittrell dies at age 87 by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier
Voters Guide 2020 General Election Special Section
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
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At approximately five feet tall, weighing a little more than 125 pounds for most of her life, Alice Pittrell, small but mighty, left an indelible footprint on the Pittsburgh region. In her 87 years of living, she traveled down enough pathways to fill a couple lifetimes. She was many things, including a strong advocate for bettering the health of African American women. With a history of heart disease in her family, she had a heart attack at age 51, and later
suffered three more heart attacks. But the heart attacks were no match for Pittrell, who will forever be known as the valiant fighter for Black women to receive the health education necessary to save their lives. Pittrell died on Sept. 30 from kidney failure. She was the wife of an accomplished jazz pianist who traveled with him to New York City to pursue his musical career. She was the mother of two talented children: Linda Imani Starkey-Barrett, with whom she co-founded the Legacy Arts Project, an
African dance program; and Charles “Poogie” Bell, the noted jazz drummer who traveled for years with singer Roberta Flack, among others, and who’s also the creative energy behind Pittsburgh’s jazz group, the “Funky Fly Project.” Paving the creative path for her children, Pittrell had her own radio jazz show on WYEP-FM (91.3), called “Sable Vibes.” Pittrell was a photographer with works at the International Library of Photography. She was a poet who started “Group 1,” an African American
artist collective that arranged pop-up galleries in various city neighborhoods in the ‘60s. But to those who really knew Pittrell, they knew her passion was deeply rooted in all matters concerning the health and well-being of her fellow African Americans. Pittrell, who graduated from Schenley High School in 1951, started out as a Licensed Practical Nurse. “Hands-on patient care” was not her destiny, she later felt. Subsequently, she transferred her skills SEE PITTRELL A5