11.9.22 NPC

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

Everyone knows just how much Pittsburgh loves the arts.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is the heartbeat of said arts, and theater, so when Kevin McMahon, the CEO of the Trust, an nounced his retirement af ter 20 years at the helm, the city had its eyes affixed on who next would occupy such a coveted seat.

The search is over. Com plete. And the New Pitts burgh Courier has learned it’s a Black woman who rose to the top.

Kendra Whitlock Ingram has been named President and CEO of the Pitts burgh Cultural Trust. Her first day is Feb. 1, 2023. She’s the second female and first person of color to hold the title of President and CEO for the Trust. In gram told the Courier in an interview, Nov. 2, that she identifies as a biracial Black woman.

Ingram is coming from Milwaukee, where she is the President and CEO of the Marcus Perform ing Arts Center. But she’s

not new to Pittsburgh. The Scranton native told the Courier about how impressed she was with Duquesne University’s “pitch” to her about at tending the university while she was in high school.

“Duquesne came to my high school and talked about the school of music there,” Ingram said. “I was planning to teach either elementary or high school music. My mom was an art teacher all of her career, my dad was a social work er, and I had an interest in that kind of service work, and I loved music.”

But coming to the big city also exposed Ingram to the 14-block area that the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust encompasses, com plete with the Benedum Center, Heinz Hall, By ham Theater, and more.

“If I didn’t go to Duquesne and went to a school that was in a more rural area, I don’t know if I’d be in this business now,” Ingram told the Courier. “So it was a real gift and opportuni ty, and fortunate that it all

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

For Ryan Houston, it’s family first.

You’ve seen him come into your living rooms, de tailing the news on WPXITV (Channel 11) for near ly three years. He loves the profession, telling the stories that impact view ers the most, in a firm, confident manner on the anchor desk.

But when his mother told him that she needed him, he knew he had to go.

Back to central Arkan sas, where he was raised.

“My stepfather has colon cancer, and it’s just bet ter for me to be closer to my family in Arkansas,” Houston told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview, Nov. 8. “My mom really needs me

right now. It’s just best for me to head South. I have appreciated my time here in Pittsburgh, meeting all the viewers at Giant Ea gle, or Mt. Ararat (Baptist Church) or Macedonia Church (of Pittsburgh).

I’ve appreciated all of that and hopefully I have made the viewers of Pittsburgh proud.”

Houston’s last day at WPXI is November 28.

“I’m a mama’s boy, the oldest of four, and my mom just really needs me,” Houston continued, “and after seeing so many peo ple die from COVID and so many other horrible things happen that sort of keep people from their families, after all that I’ve seen, it’s just shown me that family is what’s most important. The jobs, they come and go, situations

come and go, but family is forever.”

Ironically, it was Houston himself who was one of the first high-profile individ uals to catch COVID-19. Not even three months into his TV news career in Pittsburgh, Houston found himself battling the invisible COVID bug.

“I couldn’t get out of the bed, my chest started to harden, it was hard to breathe, I couldn’t sleep at night because I was in pain in any way that I laid down in the bed,” Hous ton said on WPXI in late March 2020.

Houston eventually made his way back on the anchor desk and in the field. He proved to be a valuable commodity for WPXI, in a Pittsburgh television market that has a true three-way battle for news supremacy. There was no story that Houston couldn’t tackle.

“We are excited to have someone with his experi

KENDRA

RYAN HOUSTON, RIGHT, WITH COMMON PLEAS JUDGE DWAYNE WOODRUFF.

Black woman

Broadway theatre named after

Black Information Network

Broadway’s first the atre named after a Black woman honors late ac tress and civil rights ac tivist Lena Horne.

On Tuesday (November 1), an official celebra tion commemorated the renaming of the Broad way theatre on West 47th Street in Horne’s honor, per CNN.

The theatre was ini tially built in 1926 and

named the Mansfield Theatre. It was renamed in 1960 after late New York Times drama critic Brook Atkinson.

Horne began her illus trious career as a teen ager at the Cotton Club in Harlem. She went on to become a trailblaz ing entertainer, earning a number of Tony and Grammy awards and starring in several big and small screen proj ects. She died in 2010. The theatre named

in her honor still has the original chandelier hanging inside of it. It seats over 1,000 people and is one of The Ned erlander Organization’s nine Broadway theaters.

The musical “Six” is currently playing at the newly named theatre. Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Infor mation Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.

NOVEMBER 9

1731— Multi-talented scientist and inventor Benjamin Banneker is born in Ellicott Mills, Md. He is generally considered America’s first Black scientist. Banneker constructed the first clock made in America; completed the design and layout of Washington, D.C., after Pierre L’Enfant returned to France; published a farmer’s almanac for 10 years, while also studying as tronomy; and predict ed solar eclipses.

1868— The governor of Arkansas, Powell Clayton, calls out the state militia and de clares martial law in 10 counties in a bid to put down a Ku Klux Klanled insurrection.

1868— The Howard University Medical School—the first de signed to train Black medical personnel— opens in Washington, D.C. There were eight students in the first class.

1901— Fiery pioneer Black journalist Wil liam Monroe Trotter starts the Guardian newspaper in Boston, Mass. Trotter made headlines through out the nation when in November 1914, he confronted President Woodrow Wilson in the White House for failing to do more to stop the lynching of Blacks. For daring to argue with the pres ident, the New York Times denounced Trotter saying he had “superabundant un tactful belligerency.” But W.E.B. DuBois called him “fearless.”

1922— Actress Doro thy Dandridge is born in Cleveland, Ohio. She is generally con sidered one of Hol lywood’s first Black female sex symbols. She appeared oppo site Harry Belafonte in “Carmen Jones” and was the first Black woman nominated for an Oscar. Dandridge died in 1965 at age 43.

NOVEMBER 10

1898—

laws and attitudes drove most Blacks from high elected of fices. After leaving Congress, he founded a Black bank and es tablished an all Black community called Whiteville near pres ent day Trenton, N.J. 1891— Granville T. Woods patents an im provement to the elec tric railway. Woods was one of the most prolific Black engi neers and inventors in U.S. history. His mot to could have been “I didn’t invent the product, but I invent ed something that made it better.” Born in Columbus, Ohio, he invented and pat ented improvements to the electric railway, air brakes, telegraphs, telephones and nu merous other prod ucts.

1957— Charlie Sifford wins the Long Beach Open, becoming the first Black person to win a major profes sional golf tourna ment.

1994— Famed Jazz singer Carmen McRae dies in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was born in New York City on April 8, 1920.

NOVEMBER 11

1831— Anti-slavery rebel Nat Turner is hanged roughly two months after his cap ture for leading the bloodiest slave revolt in U.S. history. The minister and mystic told reporters God had called on him to lead the revolt, which left 55 Whites dead.

NOVEMBER 12

1775— General George Washington, first president and “fa ther of the country” issues an order bar ring free Blacks from serving in the army as the U.S. struggled for independence from England. Washing ton was also a slave owner. The slave own ing aristocracy felt if free Blacks fought for America’s liberation they would demand freedom for their en slaved brothers and sisters. Despite Wash ington’s order, hun dreds of Blacks did fight in the Revolution ary War.

1900— Henry Ossa wa Tanner becomes an internationally ac claimed artist as he takes a silver medal for his art displayed at the Paris Exposition. Near ly 7,000 artists had en tered their works. The Pittsburgh-born Tan ner had numerous ma jor works including his painting called “The Banjo Lesson.”

1922— Sigma Gam ma Rho is founded by seven Black women in Indianapolis, Ind. The sorority grows to be come one of the larg est in the nation.

1977— Ernest “Dutch” Morial is elected the first Black mayor of New Orleans, La.

1994— Track and field great and Olym pics star Wilma Ru dolph dies in Nash ville, Tenn., at the age of 54.

NOVEMBER 13

1839— The Liber ty Party—the nation’s first anti-slavery politi cal party—is formed in Warsaw, N.Y. Among the founders were leg

endary abolitionists Samuel Ringgold Ward and Henry Highland Garnet. At this point in history the two major political parties—the Whigs and the Dem ocrats—were both pro-slavery.

1913— Pioneering Black surgeon Dan iel Hale Williams be comes a member of the American College of Surgeons. Williams is generally credited with being the first American doctor to perform open heart surgery. The histo ry-making event took place in Chicago on July 9, 1893.

1922— Many Black historians have se lected this as the date which marks the begin ning of the Harlem Re naissance—perhaps the greatest period of artistic achievement by African-Ameri cans in U.S. history. From poetry to plays and from paintings to sculptures, Black art reached a pinnacle. In a broader sense, the Harlem Renais sance ran from the early 1920s to the mid 1930s.

1951— Ballerina Janet Collins becomes the first Black woman to dance with the Metro politan Opera Co. in New York City. Prior to that achievement she performed with the world-renowned Black dance troupe directed by the legendary Kath erine Dunham.

1955— Whoopi Gold berg, given name Caryn Johnson, is born in New York City. She graduates from a stand-up comedy rou tine to become a ma jor Hollywood actress and is currently one of the principal hosts of the television talk show “The View.”

1956— The United States Supreme Court upholds a lower court ruling which banned segregation on public buses in Montgom ery, Ala. The decision was forced in major measure by a yearlong Black bus boy cott sparked by the refusal of Rosa Parks to give up her seat to a White man. Lead ership of the boycott also launched the civil rights career of Martin Luther King Jr. and his status as the national Black leader.

1967— Carl Stokes wins the race for mayor in Cleveland, Ohio. In doing so, he becomes the first Black mayor of a major American city. 1985— New York Met Dwight Gooden be comes the youngest pitcher ever to win the Cy Young award.

1915— Booker T. Washington dies in Tuskegee, Ala. Wash ington was easily one of the top five most in fluential Black leaders in African-American history. Some consid ered him too accom modating to Whites, but his influence was still significant. Among the educator’s lasting accomplishments was the founding of Tuske gee Institute. He was only 59 when he died.

George H. White introduces the first anti-lynching leg islation in the U.S. Congress. The North Carolinian was one of the last Blacks in Con gress before Jim Crow

LENA HORNE (GETTY IMAGES)

Kendra Whitlock Ingram named President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

First person of color to hold title in organization’s 38-year history

PRESIDENT FROM A1

worked out.”

Ingram, who earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Duquesne and an MBA from the Uni versity of Nebraska-Oma ha, attended performances at the Benedum and By ham, and was also fascinat ed at how the Trust took an area of Downtown Pitts burgh which didn’t have the greatest reputation some 30 years ago and turned it into a destination spot for the arts.

“One of the things that Pittsburghers don’t always know about the Cultural Trust is that we in the per forming arts industry see the Cultural Trust as one of the great success stories in the arts and culture eco

system,” she said. “The revi talization of Downtown and the diversity of program ming that they’ve brought to Pittsburgh is something we all strive to do.”

Prior to her work at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, Ingram served as Executive Director of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the Uni versity of Denver, and Vice President of Programming and Education at the Oma ha Performing Arts Center.

Ingram also held leadership roles with the Shenandoah Conservatory, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, De troit Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony Orches tra and Tulsa Philharmon ic.

Ingram

on the Board of Governors for The

Milwaukee Biz Times Mi nority Executives List and this year, was an honoree for the Milwaukee Business Journal’s “Women of Influ ence.”

Milwaukee is signifi cantly more diverse than Pittsburgh. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Milwaukee has a nearly 39 percent Black population, nearly 16 percent more than Pittsburgh. And the Hispanic or Latino commu nity represents 19 percent of Milwaukee’s makeup; in Pittsburgh, the number is 3.4 percent.

“It’s a really interesting thing in Milwaukee...our mayor, our county executive and our county board chair woman are all young, Black, under the age of 40 and do ing an amazing job here,” Ingram told the Courier.

“So, really engaging with that community, our elected officials...and really under standing what this commu nity wanted was a big thing (for the Marcus Center).”

When Ingram was named President and CEO of the Marcus Center, she was the first female leader and first woman of color in the posi tion. Ingram said she made sure the Marcus Center “reflected the diversity of the community, and how do we do that? We do that by the person in the CEO role, people on our board, people working in our staff posi tions and most importantly, the artists that we have on our stages.”

Ingram said that during her interview process with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Board, they had very “compelling language about how they want to be an an ti-racist organization and the most inclusive organi zation that they can be, and that was really compelling to me, especially coming from an organization who was really committed to that (in Milwaukee). I was also very direct with the Board in the interview pro cess that these values are also really important to me, not only as a leader, but also personally, and those values would carry over into my leadership of the organiza tion.”

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Board Chair Rich ard Harshman said in a statement that “Kendra’s boundless enthusiasm and breadth of experience man aging a broad range of art forms have made her the number one choice to lead the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at this important time in its history. There are so many exciting Trust projects launching now and on the horizon for which she is uniquely suited. We look forward to welcoming Kendra back to Pittsburgh to help lead the Cultural District as the Trust contin ues to revitalize Downtown and bring audiences back in large numbers to our the aters, galleries, public art installations, and festivals.”

serves

Broadway League as well as the Board of Directors for Arts Midwest, National Arts Strategies, LACNA

Foundation, and Black Arts MKE, according to a release from the Trust. Last year, Ingram was named to the

3-TIME GRAMMY®-WINNING SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR WILL BE PLAYING AT THE BYHAM THEATER, NOV. 22.

Housing Shortages

This month’s health page focuses on housing shortages and the ways research and data can help address this prob lem.

How is housing stability connected to our physical and mental health?

When you look at the framework for social determinants of health — which considers all factors impacting a person’s mental and physical well-being — housing is a big part of the equation. If you’re unsure about where you’re going to live dai ly, how can you be well?

The same is true if you’re living in a home that’s infested with mold, for example, or unfit for human hab itation in some other way, or even crowd ed with other people.

There have been many studies that explore the impact of these types of stressful living con ditions on physical and mental health. These conditions negatively impact your ability to concentrate, think, and fully be who you are.

Personally, I’ve worked with people who are facing hous ing insecurity and have seen this stress first hand. All people need to have consistency in their lives, including a safe and stable place to live at the bare min imum.

What are some ex amples of how the Ur ban League might be able to use the House Cat database?

The Urban League could use HouseCat to examine housing trends and advocate for low/moderate income people who will be im pacted by new develop ments and a reduction in affordable units.

ULPGH could also join coalitions to help folks take advantage of new housing opportu nities, clean up credit, obtain security depos its, and ensure current renters aren’t pushed out.

It’s also important to make sure housing isn’t segregated and that lenders aren’t permit ted to engage in unof ficial redlining or offer predatory loan prod ucts to low/moderate new home buyers.

What are ways com munity members can advocate for stable housing for everyone? Get involved. Let your voice be heard. Engage with people in your community about af fordable housing. Sup port local initiatives, groups, and organiza tions that are leading these conversations by volunteering your time and/or talent or by making donations. Vote — but before you do, make sure you under stand your candidate’s agenda and viewpoint on stable housing.

Carlos T. Carter is President and CEO of Urban League of Great er Pittsburgh

HouseCat helps watchdog groups address housing insecurity — proactively

Pittsburgh – like other cities around the world — is having an affordable housing crisis that can be harmful to people’s health and wellbeing. According to the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corpo ration (PAHRC), the state would need to add more than half-a-million afford able rental homes to meet demand. The crisis falls especially hard on people with low and extremely low incomes (ELI), making them more likely to expe rience housing insecurity, including eviction and the threat of eviction.

Not surprisingly, the housing shortage among low-income clients affects racial or ethnic minorities unequally. In the U.S., out of the four million low-in come families, 30% are His panic, 22% are Black, and 6% identify as nonwhites (SOURCE The Urban In stitute).

Without safe, stable, af fordable housing, residents suffer worse health and health outcomes.

Research in urban Illi nois, for example, found that eviction rates and eviction filing rates match up with five health-related behaviors: Binge drinking, higher rates of smoking, lack of leisure time or phys ical activity, obesity, and less sleep. What’s more, Black households had the highest instances of these health-related behaviors except for binge drinking. (SOURCE: Urban Insti tute)

To tackle this inequity, Pittsburgh’s Affordable Housing Task Force creat ed a plan. In it, they called for a centralized database. The database would con tain all the information the city needed to oversee its low-income housing units, which now number almost 11,000 (SOURCE: Hous ing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh).

The group wanted a de pendable online site where they could get a snapshot of the city’s subsidized hous ing at that moment. With this source, they would have a better understand ing about and more time to deal with housing prob lems that jeopardize a fun damental human right: a safe, affordable home.

In April 2022, despite a global pandemic (and with little fanfare) the database went live.

Created by the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center at the Univer sity of Pittsburgh’s Center for Social and Urban Re search — in partnership with the Carnegie Mellon CREATE Lab — “House Cat,” as the database is named, is a game changer.

“HouseCat is especially important for low-income and extremely low-income

individuals and families,” explains Bob Gradeck, Pro gram Director of the data center.

“It allows organizations like ACTION Housing, Neighborhood Allies, the Urban League, and others to be proactive versus re active in their goal to safe guard affordable housing in Pittsburgh.”

HouseCat is a tool people can use to protect low-in come and ELI clients from sudden eviction. This in cludes displacement that happens due to contracts that are about to run out, for example, or dangerous conditions in a property

office space.

In these two examples, HouseCat could have al lowed the city’s watchdog groups to monitor building conditions and expiring subsidies, so they could step in to advocate proac tively.

anyone can access, it can be hard to stay on top of all the details. Often the information on each site is hard to find or incomplete or outdated or just difficult for the average person to understand.

In its database, the HouseCat team wanted to centralize all this informa tion.

They also wanted to in clude neighborhood-specif ic items like Census data, sales and property assess ment records, data report ed by mail carriers and court system filings, mort gage records, and more.

The team also decided to

ly searchable by things like ZIP Codes and neighbor hoods.

They wanted filters that would allow users to zero in on things like a subsidized building’s recent inspection scores.

“There’s no point in doing all the work to gather the data in one spot — if it’s too complicated to use,” Bob says.

Most importantly, House Cat creators wanted the data to be current.

“That was especially challenging,” Bob explains.

“The places we pull data from update on their own schedules. It could be

that threatens residents’ safety.

These types of traumatic evictions have happened in the recent past.

At the Bethesda-Home wood complex, federal housing regulators deter mined the apartments were unsafe and would no longer qualify for a federal rent subsidy. Without the subsidy, residents couldn’t afford to live there. They had to scramble to find new subsidized housing. Many of them were elders. Some had physical and mental challenges.

The same displacement happened to Penn Plaza residents. They received eviction notices because their apartments’ subsidies expired. After that hap pened, they were demol ished to make way for up scale retail businesses and

HouseCat was a big re quest.

As mentioned earlier, there are approximately 11,000 publicly supported homes located in the City of Pittsburgh. These “units” are owned by individual investors, groups of inves tors, non-profit organiza tions, and others. Owners are difficult to track down. Even if you figure out who owns what, there’s often no data available on the units themselves.

Information about prop erties is available from government housing agen cies that oversee housing programs, including HUD Multifamily programs, public housing, the low-in come housing tax credit (LIHTC), the USDA for ru ral areas, and HUD.

While these government agencies have databases

add health indicators and neighborhood conditions, which are tied to housing, such as a community’s walkability and lead level percentages.

To identify and get the mountain of informa tion from all the sources into what would become HouseCat, the project team looked at existing afford able housing databases in Washington, D.C. and New York City.

They read the work of pi oneering housing research ers.

They sought input and help from the city’s afford able housing organizations many of which became HouseCat partners.

“If I can emphasize one thing about HouseCat, is that it’s the result of many different people and groups coming together,” Bob notes. “We all had different roles, but our goal was the same: Design a database that will help the city deal more effectively with the affordable housing situa tion.”

As with all data center projects, Bob and his team wanted the information to be easy to understand through short, simple copy and graphics.

They wanted it to be high

monthly, quarterly, annual ly or something more ran dom. The solution was to create HouseCat in a way that allows those updates to flow into our pipeline as they happen.”

In addition to fulfilling the Affordable House Task Force’s initial 2016 request, HouseCat is also designed so that organizations work ing on housing issues can request an account, and learn more about housing in their community, includ ing using it to find a home.

Housing and communi ty developers can access the site, too, and get a bet ter idea of the area where they’re developing and overseeing programs or de signing policies.

“It’s a pretty good tool for a lot of different users,” says Bob. “But it’s espe cially good at providing people with an early warn ing system that impacts housing security. “Has this building’s use restrictions changed? Did this other building get an unsafe in spection rating that’s cause for concern? HouseCat will know.”

Hopefully, HouseCat will also remind everyone who uses it that a “subsidized unit” is someone’s home.

Neighborhood Allies builds pathways to prosperity – for all communities

For more than 35 years, Neighborhood Allies has been dedicat ed to its core mission of creating vibrant Pitts burgh communities, so cially and physically -especially in areas that are under-resourced and under-served.

The organization’s vi sion focuses on provid ing tools of engagement that transform neigh borhoods into thriving

communities that are resilient and equitable.

In the middle of its 3-Year Roadmap plan, Neighborhood Allies is bringing together peo ple, knowledge, and financial resources to implement a bold, am bitious project to end systemic racism that’s the result of historic red-lining practices.

Preservation Working Group

In 2021, Neighborhood Allies began serving as the group that brings together the members of the affordable hous ing Preservation Work ing Group (PWG).

PWG is made up of policymakers, commu nity stakeholders, and nonprofit and for-profit owners and developers who are interested in preserving existing af fordable housing that’s

privately owned – for the long term. The PWG identifies at-risk, existing afford able housing through databases, such as HouseCat, and via its members’ deep knowl edge and experience.

With this information and understanding, PWG members advo cate at the locale, state, and federal levels to in crease affordable hous

ing preservation in our region. They also position properties so they’re at tractive to buyers, work to find reliable buyers, and connect developers to financial and other resources.

Learn more about this organization that works on our behalf. Visit neighborhoodallies.org.

CARLOS T. CARTER

HouseCat is especially important for low-in come and extremely low-income individuals and families. It allows organizations like ACTION Housing, Neighborhood Allies, the Urban League, and others to be proactive versus reactive in their goal to safeguard affordable housing in Pittsburgh.

-Bob Gradeck

THE PENN PLAZA APARTMENT COMPLEX in East Liberty before it was demolished in 2017. The Penn Plaza displacement of more than 200 resi dents has come to symbolize gentrification in Pittsburgh and captured the public’s attention unlike any in recent memory. (Photo by J.L.Martello) (Photo by J.L.Martello)

BOB GRADECK

WAMO’S Fall Fest 2022!

TIA JOHNSON, center, with Robyn and Jordyn. WAMO’s Fall Fest was held, Oct. 30, at Obama Academy.

WAMO 107.3 on-air host Brother Marlon. His Sunday morning gospel show airs from 7-11 a.m.

JAMIKA MACLIN, center, with Josiah and Ja’Myka.

NATHANIEL LOVE, center, with Nathaniel and Ashley.

‘Wakanda Forever’ celebrates a new generation of Black Panther while honoring the old one

by Merecedes J. Williams

For New Pittsburgh Courier

When an actor dies, the character typically dies with them. After an intense battle with colorectal can cer, “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman died just months after Marvel began filming for “Black Panther 2” in 2020. The big gest question walking into a movie theater this weekend is, “How can the film fran chise succeed without the Black Panther?”

But in some brilliant, cre

ative way, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and Di rector Ryan Coogler honor the cinematic fallen solid er and his character, King T’Challa. We needed all 161 minutes of this film to bridge the treacherous jour ney from grief to glory.

“Wakanda Forever” is that ancestral guide for Black families, especially as it re lates to losing a loved one, navigating the steps of grief, and honoring your loved one beyond the grave. Chad wick Boseman’s death tran scend the role. The death of Chadwick Boseman is

bigger than Black Panther and generates a deeper conversation about all the people we have lost over the pandemic (COVID-19 relat ed or not).

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which opens in theaters on November 11, stars Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lu pita Nyong’o, and Winston Duke. Marked in Wakanda a year after King T’Chal la’s death, the nation is still picking up the pieces from their shattered lives and protecting the land from outsiders who want to cap

italize on their precious re source, Vibranium.

Wakanda’s future is com promised when a new na tion, equipped with similar resources, tries to join forc es.

Panther is “The Woman King,” “Power Rangers,” and your second favorite Marvel movie wrapped in a nice present.

The film’s other gift is the fluidity and self-expression of Black women—your ob vious new generation of Black Panthers. Not place holders, temporary fixes, and lurking shadows, but these Black women carry the torch.

A pleasant surprise and cast addition, Michaela Coel really stood out and was a breath of fresh air. She traveled across the pond to play Wakanda warrior, Ane ka. The British actress and screenwriter was fierce, and not only fought in the film but fought for her spot. Coel auditioned for a role in the first Black Panther 10 years ago, didn’t get it, and now graces the big screen.

Her small, but mighty role

celebrates the very essence of this film. Black actors and artists are provided with Hollywood’s biggest platform, a mainstream Marvel movie.

The film’s impact is al most as important as its actual existence. “Wakanda Forever” will ignite healthy conversations and learn ing opportunities for young people around culture re sponsiveness, social justice, diversity and inclusion, representation, and STEM fields.

That’s the biggest take away—Black Panther, even in the untimely demise of Chadwick Boseman, still found a sweet, somber crossroad to pay homage to him and our ancestors, while shaping the future for every Black Panther to come.

Ryan Houston leaving WPXI-TV to help a sick relative in central Arkansas

ence, and passion to help people, join our news room,” WPXI news direc tor Scott Trabandt told the Pittsburgh Post-Ga zette in announcing Hous ton’s arrival to Pittsburgh. Prior to the Steel City, he was in the “Queen City,” Cincinnati, as a force on ABC affiliate WCPO-TV (9). Houston, who graduat ed from the University of Central Arkansas in 2010, began his professional TV news career in Albany, Ga. Then it was off to Augusta, Ga., Jackson, Miss., and Cincinnati.

Houston told the Courier that he may pursue some TV news opportunities closer to home in Arkan sas.

“Regardless of how many markets I’ve been in, peo ple are pretty much the same everywhere you go,” Houston told the Courier.

“They want to live in safe neighborhoods, they want to feel like they are heard, like they are seen, and they want to make a de cent living to leave some thing behind for their family and friends. That’s no different from what I’ve seen in Pittsburgh, a hardworking group of people who just want to live and make the best for themselves and for their family.”

In June, Houston was named to the Courier’s

Fab 40 under 40 list, which spotlights high-achieving African Americans in a plethora of career fields. Houston said the honor “definitely energized me and made me want to do more, it made me want to volunteer more, to do stories that really have a good impact on people’s lives. It really was just the wind beneath my wings to keep me going.”

“Ryan has been a valu able contributor to the WPXI team during his time with us,” Trabandt, the WPXI news director, told the Courier, Nov. 8. “He started just a cou ple months before the pandemic and helped re port on COVID, protests following the murder of George Floyd, criminal justice concerns in Allegh eny County, the search for a new superintendent in PPS (Pittsburgh Pub lic Schools), and count less winter storms and breaking news stories. He has also been heavily in volved in the community, serving as a host, emcee and speaker at numerous events to benefit worthy organizations. While we are sorry to see him leave Pittsburgh, so much in life is about timing and being in the right place to sup port family at the right time, and we’re happy he will have that opportuni ty.”

HOUSTON FROM A1

This installment of Black

:10—We have reached the halfway point of the season for your Pitts burgh Steelers and I thought it appropriate to give them a grade for their efforts so far. Yeah, it’s been quite a letdown from preseason expecta tions and the intrigue of if and/or when QB Ken ny Pickett would assume the mantle of running the offense from Mitch Trubisky, especially in a season where parity has reared its ugly head and really laid waste to the league as a whole. Does anyone really think the Eagles will even reach the Super Bowl this sea son? And about the cor onation of the Buffalo Bills as the best team in the AFC? Did you watch their game Sunday after noon against the now 6-3 N.Y. Jets and then follow up with the K.C. Chiefs’ overtime winner against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night, Nov. 6? Or the Joe Burrow-led Cin cy Bengals thrashing the inept Carolina Panthers? It seems as if almost any one could go to the Super Bowl and win this year. Almost anyone.

:09—Let’s start with the defensive line. What may have been thought of as a strength before T.J. Watt went down with an injury and Stephon Tuitt retired right before training camp has sunk to a weakness. The Steel ers’ D ranks 17th against the run and sacks and pressures have virtually disappeared from their scorecard. Cam Heyward can’t do it alone and his play thus far has shown that to be true. DeMarvin Leal gets an “Incomplete” due to playing time but the likes of Larry Ogun jobi, Chris Wormley and the rest receive a gener ous “D.” :08—The linebacking corps minus T.J. have done some admirable work with Myles Jack seemingly all over the field making tackles and Devin Bush performing at a better level than last year. Alex Highsmith has 6.5 sacks, ranking him tied for 11th place right now but his presence has not been felt much be yond the first few games of the season. I’ll go with a solid “C” for these men so far. Hey, I’m just say ing, could be much worse. :07—The defensive backfield. Hmmm. Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety are asked to do so much it’s truly hard to judge their real value. Minkah makes a lot of tackles for a safe ty and Terrell has had some stellar moments, especially the Tampa Bay game that I’m throwing a “B” up there for them. The cornerbacks and the other safeties? Are any of them capable of catching an interception? Or strip ping a ball from a receiv er or running back? Let’s see what William Jackson III can bring to the table but for now the rest of the secondary gets a “D.” :06—The offense has scored 120 points, dead last in the NFL. They do nothing well and most things poorly. The offen

sive line is penalty-rid dled, poor at run-block ing and Kenny Pickett is constantly having to scramble to avoid a sack. They average 204 yards passing a game, 23rd in the NFL and are 27th in rushing with 94 yards per game, placing them 28th in total offense. The line gets a “D-” with no upside on the horizon.

:05—Let’s group our rushing and receiving corps together to make things easier. First off, it seems that Najee Harris is still injured render ing him inefficient and Jaylen Warren has only 18 carries across the last 5 games for 99 yards, not a huge body of evidence

people calling for Big Ben to retire after last season.

:03—The Penguins are “Terrible” right now with a deserved capital “T.” They’ve lost their last 7 games and look worse than the Pirates or the Steelers. Yeah, hard to imagine the team that has three Stanley Cup ti tles in the last 13 years is the worst team in the city but man, they’re bad. At 35 and in his 18th season I will never say anything bad about Sidney Crosby but 7 straight losses is a tough pill to swallow. I’m the glass half full guy so I say they turn it around quickly and make the playoffs for the 17th straight year. And I am the hockey guru of this town and don’t you forget it.

to judge him by. Another “D” at best. The receivers, now minus Chase Clay pool, are hamstrung by the play-calling and the weakness of the O-Line play. George Pickens is a superstar with at least half of the rest of the league but here he’s an afterthought on most passing plays. C’mon, man, the ability is there, utilize it. Diontae John son has shown flashes of greatness along with flashes of Dwight “Hands of” Stone. And Pat Freier muth has proven he can make the tough catch and gain yards after catch so he’s a keeper. “B” for all things considered.

:04—Finally, we wrap up our scorecard with the QB position. Coming into the Tampa Bay game cold after Kenny Pickett went down with a concussion, Mitch Trubisky looked like the QB the team had been waiting for, complet ing 9 of 12 passes for 144 yards, a nifty 12 yards per pass, with 1 TD and a passer rating that siz zled, 142.4. It looked as if maybe things would move forward, the play calling would be a little more wide open and the offense would begin to gather steam with each subse quent game. Wait, what? Did anyone really think that? With their head and not their heart? First and foremost, Matt Canada is not an offensive coor dinator except in name only. Unimaginative, dull, monotonous play-calling has stymied the players at every turn. The QBs get a combined “C-.” And those sportswriters and sportscasters burying Kenny Pickett or heap ing backhanded praise on him, did you watch Malik Willis from the Titans on Sunday night? It’s not that easy for a rookie QB and he has Derrick Hen ry to hand off to every game. Patrick Mahomes attempted 35 passes his first season. For the en tire season. So get a grip, people. And remember the old adage—Be careful what you wish for, for you will surely get it....when you think about all the

:02—The Houston As tros have won the World Series for the second time in 6 years, this time with out any scandal and I was happy to see Dusty Bak er win his first title as a manager at the young age of 73 and Justin Verland er win his second ring at 39 years old. Here’s to the old school guys.

:01—The Lakers are 2-7. The only team worse than the Lakers is the Houston Rockets at 1-9.

LeBron will pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the alltime leading scorer in NBA history sometime this season and there are

those who will tell you in a whisper in a smoky, loud room that he’s the great est player in NBA histo ry. Feel free to pretend

you didn’t hear them. Or know them.

:00—GAME OVER.

YOUNG GHOSTS AND GOBLINS from the Homewood community came out to the third-annual Trunk and Treat sponsored by the Elite Corvette Club of Pittsburgh. The kids went from car to car to get their candy. It was a big hit, a safe event, and the parents were directly involved. A great time for all!

39 years of FLM-Haiti

“The Lord thy God in the midst of you is mighty; He will SAVE, He will REJOICE over you with JOY; HE will REST in His LOVE, He will JOY over you with SINGING.”

REV. WALKER SAYS: Take time to know the Blessing of the LORD OUR GOD upon US. First to Save, Rejoice with Joy, will Rest in His Love and Sing over US.

JOSEPH CIEPLY, of Highmark, greets Russell Bynum of Bynums Marketing, and Deputy Executive Director of FLM Haiti.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER BARRINGTON RATLIFF helped bring the brand to life. FLM Haiti will be celebrating its 40th anniversary next year, in 2023.

REV. MICHAEL STITT gave a powerful inspirational message.

EPISCOPAL BISHOP, the Right Rev. Ketlen A. Solak, is greeted by Bishop Leon Pamphile at the FLM Haiti Banquet. (Bishop Solak is also from Haiti.)

Westinghouse recaptures City League crown

PPS SUPERINTENDENT DR. WAYNE WALTERS HANDS THE CITY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY TO WESTINGHOUSE HEAD COACH DONTA GREEN. (PHOTOS BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)

THERE WAS NOOOO DOUBT ABOUT IT. THE WESTINGHOUSE BULLDOGS RECLAIMED THEIR CITY LEAGUE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BY DEFEATING ALLDERDICE ON OCT. 29.

WESTINGHOUSE’S KEYSHAWN MORSILLO, NAMED PLAYER OF THE GAME.

A’s Vision Helps Teens Drive Toward the Future

Facebook: @Avision5300

(412) 326-8014 asvision.net

Aaron Wade created A’s Vision in March of 2019 after the unexpect ed death of his son Aaron who was affectionately called “A”. Some of Wade’s most memorable bonding experiences with his son were when he was teaching him to drive. This inspired him to create A’s Vision, which teaches teens how to become responsible drivers. To date, Wade has helped over 20 teens obtain their driver’s licenses.

Wade views having a license as a key to endless possibilities.

“It’s going to open up opportunities,” said Wade. “It’s like the beginning of becoming a mature responsible adult…just taking that step and get ting that done is important because it opens job opportunities and just gives you the freedom to be able to do whatever you want.”

He says although A’s Vision has not been in existence long, the commu nity has responded well.

“It’s been real good all the feedback we’ve been getting; so many kids have reached out. When I started, it was just a few kids from some pro grams that were on the Southside where I grew up. Over time the word spread around, and so many kids

have reached out from all over city.”

To help further strengthen A’s Vi sion’s bond with the community and to honor his late son, Wade hosts an annual softball tournament.

“The program started from my son’s birthday. His birthday was May 3, so we started the first one to just cel ebrate his birthday and include the kids who were participating in the program. It was also like an invite for new people that might want to participate or learn about it. We just wanted to do something that would bring the community together,” said Wade. “This is a community day just to fellowship. It’s lots of food, games for the kids, and we play softball.”

This year’s tournament will take place May 7 at McKinley Field on Bausman Street.

As for the future of A’s Vision, Wade is currently working to connect the program with local schools. For more information or to donate, visit their website or Facebook page.

The Advanced Leadership Institute Graduates Black Excellence

500 Grant Street, Suite 4125 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412.926.1600 taliinstitute.org

The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI) educates, develops, connects, and positions Black leaders for profes sional advancement in the Pittsburgh region.

“The mission of TALI is to cultivate black executive leadership to strengthen com panies, institutions, and communities,” said President and CEO Evan Frazier. “Black or African American leadership is important as we think about how critical having diverse leadership is for helping companies, as well as institutions and regions, be able to grow. When you have diverse leadership, it allows you greater ability to understand multiple perspectives, which is critical in being successful.”

After noticing a major disconnect be tween how Black professionals experi enced working in Pittsburgh versus how others did, Frazier created TALI.

“Two of the big things we’re trying to solve…one is this idea that we have pro fessionals who have talent and just get stuck in middle management and with very little opportunity to grow. The sec ond reason that a lot of people leave Pittsburgh is that they’ll come here, and they feel isolated. They just don’t feel a great sense of belonging.”

To help solve this crisis, TALI has two signature programs in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University. The Execu tive Leadership Academy is a six-month

course that prepares established Black leaders for executive advancement. For younger professionals, the Emerging Leaders Program is a six-month lead ership development course for profes sional success. Frazier says these pro grams unite Black professionals within a cohort and extend to lasting relation ships long after they complete the pro gram.

“We started to put in place robust alum ni programming, so once people grad uate from a program, there’s going to be continued support… When I see co hort members and alumni who are ex cited that they are learning, connecting, growing big position for greater roles, to me, that’s exciting. I mean, that’s the reason I get up in the morning.”

Frazier is grateful for the support TALI has received throughout the region. Sponsors and mentorship, such as through leaders at DLC, are what help make TALI successful.

“We were really fortunate to have Kev in Walker, the CEO and President of Duquesne Light, come not only in being a keynote for our kickoff of the Execu tive Leadership Academy this year, but he actually took time to spend nearly an hour directly with our cohort members. Very few people really have the oppor tunity to interact with a black CEO who has navigated the challenges that many do face and have that kind of direct exposure. I’m incredibly grateful,” said Frazier.

Applications for both of TALI’s programs are available on their website.

Hard truths about inflation in Black America and how to face them

by Sherri Kolade For New Pittsburgh Courier

(Michigan Chronicle)—

According to reports, an average Black family has less than one-tenth of the household wealth of their White counterparts.

The racial wealth gap is evident throughout all walks of life, in a contin uous racial economic di vide.

Other factors also show that Black households have saved fewer than seven cents on the dol lar compared to White households, according to data from the Survey of Income and Program Par ticipation (2014). A White household living near the poverty line typically has about $18,000 in wealth, while Black households in similar economic situa tions typically have a me dian wealth near zero.

How does this bode for Black America looking to weather these financial storms?

With a lack of intergen erational wealth to other COVID-related setbacks, the current inflation prob lems can be compounded with other factors that don’t help Black house holds looking to stretch their dollars.

Native Detroiter Omari Hall, a learning experi ence designer at Farm ington Hills-based Green Path Financial Wellness, told the Michigan Chron icle previously that it starts with smart saving (even during a pandemic and inflation woes) while addressing historical in equities, along with debt management and more.    “Centuries of racism and structural inequalities in the U.S. have contribut ed to this wealth gap,” he said, adding that “there is essential work that needs to be done to empower Black families, overcome systemic barriers and gain access to the knowl edge needed to change this trend.”

Why the inflation?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis tics, from May 2021 to May 2022 the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased by 8.6 percent—the largest 12-month hike since De cember 1981 or 40 years ago.

NBC News reported that financial experts note that inflation is caused by three main factors: quick ly rising labor costs, high energy prices and interest rates.

“Each one pushes the cost of everyday consumer goods higher, and it will take a complex set of forc es to return to pre-pan demic normal,” according to the article, which adds that with many leaving their jobs, many from low er-wage fields, the increas ing cost of labor is a nota ble result, Jayson Lusk, a professor and the head of agricultural economics at Purdue University, said in the article.

“Sanctions on Russia and other actions contrib uted to falling oil produc tion in Russia and cre ated significant market uncertainties about the

potential for further oil supply disruptions,” the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) said in the article, adding that this was taking place with “already low oil invento ries and higher demand” in the background.

“Actual price outcomes will depend on the degree

are low- and fixed-income earners, according to the article.

The Washington Post noted

Richard Curtin, director of the University of Mich igan’s Consumer Senti ment surveys, said in the article that his data shows that the “pain” of inflation has tapped every area of the U.S. economy.

“You have to eat, you have to drive to work and take the kids to school, and you have to live some where. These aren’t dis cretionary areas,” Curtin said in the article, and consumers are searching for other areas to decrease or remove their expenses.

“It’s painful,” he said in the article.

ple run into is not having the financial backing and resources that his coun terparts have. “And most plumbers, they all start off as working class,” he said, adding that when he took over the business he had to rebuild and start anew. COVID-19 hasn’t helped his finances either. But he’s pushing ahead. “We are struggling right now. I know that I won’t struggle forever.”    Hall said that long-term and short-term financial freedom comes from re ducing debt as a start.   Some ways to manage your debt include:

to which existing sanc tions imposed on Russia, any potential future sanc tions and independent corporate actions affect Russia’s oil production or the sale of Russia’s oil in the global market,” the EIA noted in the article.

Even though everyone in the nation is being affect ed by inflation costs, those most overwhelmed by it

“The risk of a self-ful filling recession—and one that can happen as soon as early next year—is higher than before. Even though household and business balance sheets are strong, worries about the future could cause consumers to pull back, which in turn would lead businesses to hire and invest less,” ac cording to the article.

Detroit resident and business owner Kenya Jones of Rubin’s Plumb ing & Heating Co., Inc., told the Michigan Chron icle previously that being financially prudent while running his decades-old company (that he received 13 years ago) is more im portant now than ever.

“When I started this company, I didn’t have a nest egg of $100,000,” he said. “I lost $14,000 at a time when I couldn’t af ford it.”

Jones said that as a Black business owner, the biggest issue Black peo

• Know how much you owe. Write down the total amount of all your debts, monthly payments, inter est rates and due dates.

• Pay bills on time. Schedule your bill pay ments following when you get paid. Pay as much above your minimums as you can.

• Take a hard look at your spending. Track your expenses to ensure you spend less than you earn. Limit credit card use

Rising interest rates = Falling prices and reduction in workforce

One thing for certain, prices on every thing are high—too high! This was be fore the economy was hit with a blind sided punch by COVID-19. Prices on consumer goods and services are so high in fact that very few people are able to imagine purchasing big-ticket items in cash. Can you imagine pay ing for a house, car, or child’s college in cash before COVID or now? Probably not! Prices on these items are so high, that people take out loans to purchase them. The monthly payments for hous ing, transportation, and student loans are so high that people can’t imagine paying for medium ticket items such as furniture, appliances, vacations with cash. So they finance them too. Monthly payments on furniture, appliances, and vacations coupled with monthly pay ments on housing, transportation, and student loans are so high that people can’t imagine purchasing small ticket items like computers, cell phones, and clothes with cash. So they finance those too. The vicious cycle continues.

Credit fuels are our economy. We have an economy that’s heavily dependent on credit and loans. This is why people are so prideful about their credit scores. This doesn’t only apply to people. It applies to businesses too. Office space, office equipment, office supplies, adver tising, salaries, and employee benefits are so high for both big and small com panies that they take out loans to pay for operating costs and to stay afloat —particularly during lean economic times.

So when the Federal Reserve starts manipulating interest rates in an effort to influence monetary policy, everyone feels it—both people and companies.

The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of the United States of America. Their primary role is

to foster economic growth while main taining stable prices. The main tool the Federal Reserve uses to foster econom ic growth and maintain stable prices is raising or reducing the Federal Funds rate. This is the interest rate banks charge other banks to borrow money. When they lower the interest rate, they increase the money supply which in creases demand for goods and services. When they raise the interest rate, they reduce the money supply which reduces demand for goods and services.

The Prime rate is the rate Banks charge their most creditworthy busi ness customers. The Prime rate is also a baseline rate on many loan products charged to everyday people. The Prime rate and many rates move up and down lockstep with the Federal Reserve Rates.

We’re in the midst of the highest inflation this country has seen in nearly 40-years. The inflation rate peaked at 9.1 percent in June 2022. The inflation rate is currently at 8.2 percent. This means that prices that were already too high are even higher. Over the past 30-years, the inflation rate has averaged 2.6 per cent per year. The Federal Reserve be lieves that a healthy inflation rate is 2 percent. As a result, they set the target inflation rate at 2 percent. When the inflation rate exceeds 3 percent, it can create inflated assets or asset bubbles. That’s when prices on an asset increase faster than its actual value. We hear it expressed in terms like housing bub bles. In order to get the inflation rate back down to normal levels, the Federal Reserve have been raising the interest

rate.

When COVID struck, the Federal Re serve reduced the Federal Reserve rate in an effort to increase the money sup ply and stimulate the economy to close to zero at 0.65 percent. For the 6th time this year the Federal Reserve has in creased the Federal Fund rate. The Fed eral Fund rate is currently at 4 percent. Federal Chair Jerome Powell stated that the rate will continue to increase in an effort to bring inflation down. As a result, financing has gotten more expensive. According to an article post ed in Bankrate.com interest rates on various consumer loan products has increased drasti cally:

• 30-year fixed mortgage rates: From 3.04 percent to 7.12 percent

• Home Equity Line Of Credit: From 4.24 percent to 7.30 percent

• Home Equity Loans: From 5.33 percent to 7.38 percent

• Credit Cards: From 16.16 percent to 18.73 percent

• 5-year car loans: From 4.18 percent to 5.63 percent

You’re probably wondering, how might these higher interest rates impact you? The obvious answer is you’ll pay higher interest rates if you’re actively borrow ing money. But what is the Federal Re serve motive with raising the interest rates?

Falling Prices: Prices are crazy high on all consumer goods and products. In flationary prices reduce discretionary income. We feel it at the gas pump. We feel it at the grocery store. We feel when

we have too much money left at the end of our money. We see it on the sticker price for a new car. We see it on the list ing price for a new home. I think we’d all agree, prices need to come down. When rates are higher, people are more reluctant to borrow and spend money. This creates less demand for consumer goods and services. Less demand cre ates lower prices.

Falling prices is what the Federal Reserve is looking for to neutralize in flation. Hopefully we will experience a “soft landing” where we’ll see inflated prices come down but not experience an insane amount of people losing their jobs.

Reduction in workforce: Higher interest rates makes companies more reluctant to borrow money to expand business and hire new employees. With the money supply being restricted due to higher interest rates, it equates to less sales and lower profit margins. The largest expense for companies are em ployee salaries. In order to combat high er interest rates and lower profit mar gins, first companies will employ hiring freezes. If things still look bleak, they will employ a reduction in workforceJob layoffs.

What do you do when prices are high, interest rates are high, and job security may be threatened?

Purchasing items at inflated prices us ing high interest rate loans and credit cards in an environment where the Fed eral Reserve is aiming to increase un employment to combat inflation sounds foolish if you ask me. Don’t do that!

Continue to work hard, only buy what is necessary, and stash cash for a rainy day. Brace yourself, it could be a bumpy ride especially if it’s not a soft landing.

(Damon Carr, Money Coach be reached @ 412216-1013 or visit his website @ www.damon moneycoach.com)

that Standard & Poor’s, a leading company index provider and data source of independent credit ratings, noted that there is a possibility of a recession.

Even though everyone in the nation is being affected by inflation costs, those most overwhelmed by it are low- and fixed-income earners.

Inflation truths

INFLATION FROM B1

and reduce discretion

ary spending like eating out, cable/streaming, subscriptions and mem berships until you lower debt levels.

• Build an emergency fund so that you don’t go into debt to cover an emergency expense.

• Choose a debt pay off strategy that works for your situation. Con sider the Snowball method (paying off the smallest debts first) or the Avalanche method (paying more on debt with the highest inter est rate). Or consider a Debt Management Plan which helps you pay off unsecured debt in 3 to 5 years.

• Set SMART goals. You may want to save $5,000 for a down pay ment on a home, pay off $5,000 of credit card debt this year or save 10 percent of your income. Determine how much additional income (or re duced spending) you will need to attain that goal.

• Start (or revisit) your budget as a family. Think of a budget as a fi nancial roadmap. Write down your monthly in come (what’s coming in) and all your expenses (what’s going out). Sup plement your income with “gig” work or a side hustle. Actively moni toring your budget helps you know where you’re going financially, keeps you honest and reduces stress.

• Know your credit score. Check your cred it report regularly. Im prove credit with ontime payments, keep credit card balances low (below 30 percent of your credit limit), main tain a good mix of credit and not have too many

inquiries.

• Pay yourself first. Automatically direct funds from your pay check to savings. Set it and forget it.

“Some economists fear that if lawmakers don’t act soon to combat infla tion, Black families may be forced to go without necessities as the threat of another recession looms,” William Darity Jr., professor of public policy, African Ameri can studies and econom ics at Duke University told CNN according to Black Information Net work. “It’s going to be extremely devastating [for Black families].” He added, “People will have to make very, very hard decisions about wheth er or not to purchase medicines or buy food or forgo payment of their utilities. It will have harsh effects on people’s well-being.”

Dimitrius Hutcherson, executive vice president, chief administrative offi cer and chief technology officer at Black-owned First Independence Bank in Detroit, told the Michigan Chronicle that inflation is a real finan cial stumbling block but it’s not the end all be all.

“The Black communi ty is keenly aware that spending on necessities such as groceries and gasoline has increased; however, because of that, they are diligent in trying to identify places where necessities can be purchased for less whether it be shopping at the discount stores or bulk stores. Spending less and saving more is the overall goal right now for so many people,” said Hutcherson.

The reason why Black millennials burn out in Corporate America

by Andre Ellington For New Pittsburgh Courier

“To be young again” is a quote that many Baby boomers and Genera tion X members use to laminate their younger years. While some things have changed over the years, some things re main stagnant, with substantial resistance to change. Let us use cor porate America for ex ample.

To be successful before 1976, the requirements include:

• 40-hour workweek

• Company car

• Decent house

• Pension and retire ment fund

Elders may have the current technology need ed to communicate, but their mentality is out dated like a plastic-cov ered couch.

What can initially start as a dream job for many millennials end up being a nightmare due to un realistic demands, pres sure and downright non sense. Many millennials graduate college, intern, and end up working at a corporation that looks at them as a badge number rather than a human be ing. The corporate envi ronment chokes the life out of many millennials, which begs the question of, “Why do Black mil lennials burn out in Cor porate America?”

Historically, this coun try was built off the servitude of black and brown individuals. Ev ery time we started an independent movement (ie, Black Wall Street) it was destroyed by members of other races.

What we built with our own hands has always been torn down by some one else. This means the mentality of saying “forget” a corporate job started way before we even arrived on Earth. Every generation has a specific way they operate within society. For mil lennials, their pride and personal security don’t lie in making sure they stay at a company for 20 years. This over-commit ment to one job is the catalyst for burnout. I’ve worked a multitude of jobs over the years, and most of them didn’t push me in any area of my life. Every time I chal lenged an opinion, I was ostracized. When I had a suggestion, it was looked over. There were times

when my work hours suffered as a result of my outspoken nature.

The older generation won’t ever understand why millennials quit lucrative jobs, but it’s a reason behind every de parture.

The true reason why Black millennials burn out is due to an un yielding effort to undo the workplace fabric of our forefathers. Recent ly, Inc.com revealed that the three areas millen nials will change in the workplace is:

• An increase in work place technology

• Collaboration be tween counterparts

• Flexibility

You can’t work proper ly if your sick days are short, you’re overworked

and there’s no evidence of a work-life balance. This is also the reason why entrepreneurship is increasing in the millen nial generation.

There are a lot of things you can say about millennials, but we’re changing the core of modern society. Ev ery corporate gig isn’t a horrible experience and knowledge from elders will never fall on deaf ears. But we must begin to question why other fellow millennials are burning out of corporate America like beautiful fireworks on the 4th of July. For now, let’s make sure we do our part in continuing to help them break the glass ceiling in the constrains of Corpo rate America.

On Fri. Oct. 28, a man broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s California home and severely beat her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer.

David DePape, 42, confronted a sleeping Pelosi in the couple’s San Francisco bedroom early Fri day morning, according to a federal affidavit filed in court.

The 82-year-old underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, and his doctors expect a full recovery.

The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi told police he wanted to hold the speaker hostage and “break her kneecaps,” authorities said Monday.

Federal prosecutors have filed two charges against DePape. He is charged with influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by threatening or injuring a family member. He also faces one count of attempted kidnapping of a United States official on account of the perfor mance of official duties.

The attack on Paul Pelosi should not be dis missed as simply the act of deranged man. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been demon ized for years by Republican lawmakers and con servative media.

The attack should not be separated from the in crease in political violence. The attack on Pelosi was an unsettling reminder of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol, when rioters trying to overturn Joe Biden’s election defeat of Donald Trump stormed the halls yelling “Where’s Nan cy?” DePape was also carrying zip ties into the Pelosi home, according to news reports of the incident.

San Francisco’s district attorney, Brooke Jen kins, is right to quickly reject conspiracy theories about the attack, confirming the assailant was targeting the Democratic leader when he broke into the couple’s home.

“At the time that the suspect had entered the Pelosi home that he was in fact, looking for Ms. Pelosi,” Jenkins told reporters.

“The other thing is we want to make it clear that there were only two people in the home at the time that the police arrived, Mr. Pelosi and the suspect, there was no third person present,” she said.

“We have nothing to suggest that these two men knew each other prior to this incident.”

San Francisco’s police chief has also said the attack was targeted.

Still the attack is being mocked and dismissed in conservative, far-right social media, even among some Republicans leaders and those at the highest levels of social power. Elon Musk over the weekend tweeted, then deleted, a fringe website’s far-flung conspiracy theories to his mil lions of followers, as his purchase of Twitter has raised concerns that the social media platform would no longer seek to limit misinformation and hate speech.

Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., was among those making light of the attack on Paul Pelosi, tweeting out a joke about a Halloween costume of the incident.

In the dangerous political climate, a week be fore the midterm elections, tensions are high with record security threats against lawmakers and other officials.

The incident sparked new security concerns for lawmakers and other elected officials before the midterms.

There have been nearly 10,000 threats against members of Congress in the last year. U.S. Cap itol Police have advised lawmakers to take pre cautions. Chief Tom Manger, who leads the U.S. Capitol Police, has said the threat from lone-wolf attackers has been growing and the most signif icant threat the force is facing is the historically high number of threats against lawmakers, thou sands more than just a few years before.

Elected officials and those in powers who threaten or suggest the use of violence to set tle political differences should be strongly con demned and held accountable.

(Reprinted from The

Philadelphia Tribune.)

Founded 1910

Doss Editor & Publisher

A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher

Johnson Sales Director Rob Taylor Jr. Managing Editor John. H. Sengstacke Editor & Publisher Emeritus

Is Brown next?

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—“It is the policy of the Government of the United States to…promote the full realization of equal employment opportunity through a continuing affirmative program in each executive department and agency.”—President Richard M. Nixon, Executive Order 11478 (August 8, 1969)

Resulting from the concerted efforts of Civil Rights activists, this Exec utive order was issued to remedy the systemic, pervasive, and tradi tional discrimination—Institutional Discrimination—that had governed and shaped Federal Government employment practices for decades.

From that time forward, Federal employment practices were to be con ducted without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.   With the exception of HBCUs, advanced education was singularly available to Whites, while fewer opportunities existed for non-whites.  Soon after the executive order and assessing the similarities of past discriminatory policies and practices within their ranks, colleges and universities began to acknowledge the need to adjust admission policies to reverse and eliminate practices of institutional discrimination.

At the urging of civil rights activists, increased numbers of Black students were admitted.   These increased numbers of admissions were logically justified as remedial, but were also recognized as an enhancement to the academic environment.  The resulting intellectual, cultural, and social di versity realized by these “affirmative” admissions created a learning and demographic environment that more closely reflected the general society and provided improved opportunities

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

Commentary

for positive interpersonal interac tions.  Although not immediate or without challenges, these bi-lateral goals of eliminating discrimination practices and expanding intellectual diversity were set in motion.   Since being placed into practice, these “affir mative” admission policies have faced legal challenges alleging “reverse discrimination.”

Resulting court decisions in high profile cases involving highly ranked institutions have directed modifications to admission policies, but current challenges face a more reactionary social mindset and a more dogmatic Supreme Court.   At this writing, the Supreme Court of the United States is entertaining challenges to the admission policies of Harvard University and the Universi ty of North Carolina.  In this immedi ate case, Asian American students al lege that “race-conscious” admissions have prevented the admission of more qualified Asian American applicants.

According to The Washington Post, “Conservative Supreme Court justices on Monday seemed open to ending decades of precedent allowing race-conscious admission decisions at colleges and universities, expressing doubt that the institutions would ever concede an “endpoint” in their use of race to build diverse student bodies.”   TWP adds, Plaintiff’s “attorney, Cameron Norris, repre

senting Students for Fair Admissions, emphasized what he called the harms of racial classifications.  “They stig matize their intended beneficiaries. They increase racial consciousness, which delays the day in which we can move to true racial neutrality. And they cause resentment by treating people differently based on something they can’t change,” he said.”   I find Norris’ argument disingenuous, at best.  While arguing against “racial classifications,” he argues for a group that accepts their own “racial classifi cation” as the basis of alleged dis crimination.  It is also disingenuous to believe that, even absent consider ation of past experiences, the color of a person’s does not matter, or that, as a class, they would feel stigmatized by actions designed to address past injustice to that class.

One can only ask if  “racial neutrali ty” can ever be achieved or, more prac tically, if we must be about the work of correcting emerging or remaining vestiges of discrimination where we find them.   I’m left to wonder if, for this iteration of the Supreme Court, fifty years is an arbitrary expiration date for SCOTUS decisions that correct long-standing social ills.

Like Lee C. Bollinger, President of Columbia University, I agree that if Columbia (and other colleges/univer sities) is not allowed to consider race, the presence of Black, Hispanic, and Native American students on the Ivy League campus could be diminished.

“I would expect it to have a significant impact,” Bollinger said.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams, President of The Dick Gregory Society, United Nations Peace Ambassador.  (drefayewilliams.com; thedick gregorysociety.org)

Race neutrality is anti-Blackness

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—During this Supreme Court session, the justices will tackle affirmative action in two cases brought by “Students for Fair Admissions,” opposing affirmative action policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. According to its website, this group represents “20,000 students, parents, and others who believe that racial classifications and preferences to college admissions are unfair, unnec essary, and unconstitutional”. Where were these people when African Americans were explicitly excluded from college admissions? Where were they when Black folks had to sue to be admitted?

Consider the George V. McLaurin. Oklahoma State Regents case, where McLaurin, an African American man, was denied admission to a graduate program at Oklahoma University sole ly because of his race. In 1950, it was illegal in Oklahoma to attend, teach at, or operate an educational institution that admitted both White and Black students. Taxpayers, including Black citizens, funded this university. This was affirmative action for White folks, but no “Students for Fair Admissions” challenged the racist policy.

Anti-Blackness was acceptable his torically, and it is alive and well today. The bizarre concept of race neutrality in a racist society is nothing more than historical denial. Anti-Blackness is wo ven into the fabric of our nation, and affirmative action, minority set-asides, and other race-conscious remedies are merely the antidote to historical structural racism. These “Students for Fair Admission” have embraced the absolute unfairness of how national public policy is tilted against Black people.

Enslavement was not race-neutral.

Jim Crow laws were not race-neu tral. Fair Housing redlining was not race-neutral. But these Students for Fair Admissions want race neutrality. They need the education in American history they missed since they did not study how so-called race neutrality has harmed Black people.

Once admitted to Oklahoma Univer sity, George McLaurin was segregated in the library, classrooms, and cafete ria. The lower court ruled that his “in convenience” was minor. The Supreme Court found for McLaurin, but only after a multi-year battle. Meanwhile, Oklahoma University found his class room presence so onerous that he was forced to listen to lectures in a closet that was separate from the classroom space for other students.

McLaurin was not the only student who attempted admission to Oklaho ma State University, nor the only one who challenged them in court. Ada Lois Sopuel Fisher applied to OU’s law school but was denied entry because of her race. Thanks to the NAACP and the McLaurin agitation, she was ad mitted in 1949 and graduated in 1951. She was appointed to the OU Board of Regents in 1992.

In Oklahoma and many other states, justice delayed has been justice denied. Like many other plaintiffs, McLaurin was over 60 when he pursued his case. He held a master’s degree and was a professor at HBCU Langston Univer sity for over 30 years. But the Su preme Court case seemed to take its

toll on him. There is no record that he graduated, although his wife, Peninah, earned a master’s in Home Economics from OU in 1954. George McLaurin died in 1968.

Do these Students for Fair Admis sions know this? Do they care that George McLaurin, and so many others, experienced no fairness? Does it mat ter to them that the antidote to this unfairness is affirmative action? Or do privileged Whites and White-adjacent people (like the Asian Americans who embrace anti-Blackness and White privilege) simmer in their faux superi ority to attack Black people?

Affirmative action opened doors that had, for so long, been shut in the face of Black students. These “Students for Fair Admissions” want to close the doors again. Associate Justice Clar ence Thomas has his fingerprints all over this. Two of his former law clerks are the attorneys for Students for Fair Admissions. Thomas is a study of racial contradictions, but the best analysis comes from Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall, who said that whether a snake is Black or White, it is still a snake. Thomas would describe himself as a constitutional strict con structionist. I’d call him an example of how Black folk can embrace an ti-Blackness and deny history in their effort to appease and embrace White predatory capitalists.

The Students for Fair Admissions and their Thomas-connected allies deny history, but they are not alone in their anti-Black attacks. Let’s not fall for their rhetoric of “race neutrality.” Denying race history and racial op pression is nothing more than virulent anti-Blackness.

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

Flowers and Teddy Bears

Billie Holiday, one of our country’s most renown singers, recorded the controversial song “Strange Fruit” in 1939 when she was just twen ty-five years old. The haunting first two verses of the tune are:

Southern trees bear a strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swingin’ in the South ern breeze

Strange fruit hangin’ from the poplar trees

Pastoral scenes of the gallant South

The bulgin’ eyes and the twisted mouth

Scent of magnolias sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burnin’ flesh

As a young Black woman daring to publicize the repugnant reality of brutally blow torching, mutilat ing, and hanging Black men and women, Billie Holiday was savagely attacked by White supremacists. Attempts were made to forbid her from singing “Strange Fruit” in pub lic performances. Police interrupted.

FBI surveilled. Senators threat ened. However, the bravery of Billie Holiday helped to communicate the commonality of death dealing mobs. It took decades, but public lynch ing has now morphed into mass incarceration, intentional economic exclusion, and Donald Trump. Today, in 2022, there is abundant public evidence of murder no less evident than the lynchings of prior decades. I see it every day as I drive through African American neigh borhoods. Although far less graphic than “strange fruit,” many tele phone poles, vacant lots, and side walks are adorned with teddy bears and flowers, indicating a Black life ended violently at that spot. Most often, death is the result of Blacks killing Blacks. Sadly, children are

killing children.

Flowers and teddy bears, symbols of life, youth, and joy, are now mark ers of tragedy. Neighborhood streets have become killing fields where bullets pound into bodies without knowing target from bystander. Like “strange fruit,” there are forces that seek to cloud our vision as flowers and teddy bears provide stark wit ness to the inhumane devastation of Black-on-Black murder.

There is no easy remedy to the trauma within our communities. Flowers and teddy bears are the “strange fruit” of our time. Whether the killers are White supremacists or Black kids in a drive-by, the final ity of death imposes an irreversible loss on Black communities.

Billie Holiday is our example. We must loudly and publicly raise our voices and take action to erase the sordid legacy of “strange fruit” whose seeds sprout in the fertile soil of poverty and oppression. As members of the African American community, we owe it to ourselves to assure flowers and teddy bears are symbols of love, respect, and family.

Rod

Stephan

Allison Palm Office Manager

Ashley

Pelosi attack underscores inflammatory rhetoric and the rise of political violence

Ron Porter

Commentary

Julianne Malveaux

Commentary

The top four issues for Black voters this midterm...?

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—We should never take for granted the power of a person’s spo ken words. At times, they may appear idle and harmless, but those words’ subtle and indi rect messages can ultimately prove deadly. A clever person, when they speak, understands the hearts and minds of his listeners. A clever and insensitive person will take that under standing and use it for malice and ill will. If I mention the name George Wallace, many peo ple may immediately think of the comedian. Others would remember the former governor of Alabama, who Martin Luther King Jr. once called the “most dangerous racist in America.” Gov. Wallace was dangerous because of his spoken words. While many remember him as a segregationist, most people never knew that the NAACP once endorsed Wallace.

Last week Terrance Woodbury, CEO of HIT Strategies, a millennial and minori ty-owned public opinion research firm, admitted President Biden’s approval rat ing amongst Black voters dropped from 86 percent to 78 percent, and 72 percent of Black voters stated that their lives have not improved since Biden took office.

Woodbury suggested that the Demo cratic Party has to demonstrate to Black voters that progress has already been made on their top issues. That’s the only way to get the high Black voter turnout that is desperately needed to defeat the Republicans in the midterm election.

J. Pharoah Doss Check It Out

environmental injustice.

Since Economic Justice is the core of “social justice”, it’s important to specify that “justice” means “to remedy unequal outcomes” produced by “the system”.

unaware of the progress made on their top issues, leading to cynicism, apathy, and lack of morale to vote.

Armed with HIT Strategies’ data, the Democratic Party launched an ad cam paign to build the morale of their Black voting base by promoting their progress report on the four top issues for Black voters. This ad campaign also encour aged Black voters to vote straight down the democratic ticket, so the party can continue making progress.

In 1958, during his first run for governor of Alabama, Wallace was a moderate Democrat who rejected the idea of making race an issue while declining a formal endorsement from the Ku Klux Klan. By welcoming Klan sup port, his opponent overwhelmingly defeated Wallace in the Democratic gubernatorial pri mary. But Wallace was a shrewd politician who adjusted well and developed a deep in sight into the mindset of the Southern White working class. He understood the reasons behind their hate, their anger, and their dis enchantment. He understood their distrust of the federal government while encouraging the need to stand up against it. Driven by po litical ambition and the thirst for power, he redefined himself as a segregationist with a strong, authoritative persona. Four years later, he ran again for governor, this time as a vocal champion for segregation and states’ rights. He won by a landslide. In his inauguration ad dress, written by leaders of the Ku Klux Klan, Wallace followed the cultural influence of his base supporters by vowing “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” In four years, George Wallace transformed from a moderate gubernatorial candidate support ed by the NAACP into an “angry man’s can didate” who played upon the fears, grievances, and hatred of White Southerners.

HIT Strategies conducted a poll to make a progress report. The “top four” issues polled were Racial Justice, Climate Justice, Economic Justice, and Criminal Justice Reform.

As far as the first three, it is important to remember that when an issue ends in “justice”, that means it’s a subcategory of “social justice”, but “social justice” is a pro gressive priority not necessarily a priority for the average Black voter.

On Racial Justice, 88 percent of those polled believe progress was made in this area because the Biden Administration declared White supremacy a national threat and Congress passed an an ti-lynching bill.

The average person doesn’t combine the terms “climate” and “justice”, but according to HIT Strategies, 80 percent of the Black voters polled believe “sig nificant progress” was made in cleaning up existing hazardous waste, holding corporations accountable for waste, and ensuring full compensation for victims of

This time, only 13 percent of the Black voters polled stated there was “significant progress”. However, 62 percent believed there was “some progress” because the Biden Administration raised the mini mum wage for federal civilian employees, canceled $50,000 of student loan debt for each borrower, and extended supple mental unemployment benefits for six months.

The fourth issue was Criminal Justice Reform.

80 percent of the Black voters polled believe “some progress” was made due to Biden’s executive orders that created a national database to track officers with misconduct claims against them, limited the use of no-knock warrants by federal officers, and banned federal officers from using chokeholds.

HIT Strategies stated that their poll proved that the Biden Administration made progress on the “top issues” for Black voters, but Black voters are broadly

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but for a desperate measure to succeed, the Democratic Party can’t be this disconnected from the average Black voter.

Racial Justice, Climate Justice, Econom ic Justice, and Criminal Justice Reform are not the top issues for the average Black voter. The subcategories of social justice and criminal justice reform are issues progressives insist Black voters should prioritize as a “marginalized” community, but the average Black voter doesn’t have “marginalized” concerns for this midterm election. He or she is deeply concerned along with every other Amer ican about the growing cost of living and how a substandard American economy will be revitalized.

If Black voters lacked morale about vot ing in the midterms, it’s not because they were unaware of the progress the Biden Administration made on “marginalized issues”, it’s because they are fully aware they voted straight down the Democratic ticket in 2020 and didn’t want to make the same mistake in 2022.

David W. Marshall Commentary

It comes down to gaining and maintaining political power. Through his words, Wallace created an “enemy” to be targeted to gain pow er. Wallace knew from the beginning that it was a matter of time before segregation would eventually end. He also knew which buttons to press with the public to play upon people’s emotions to his advantage deliberately. With his pro-segregation rhetoric, use of racial and social code words, and catering to White work ing-class prejudices, he knowingly misled his supporters because it was the quickest way to power. Through his words, Wallace perpetuat ed a deep-seated hatred toward the “enemy,” which resulted in violence.

He created an environment that inspired people to put violent action behind their per sonal feelings of resentment and rage. Many of his speeches were rallying cries which in directly motivated acts of domestic terror, ha rassment, and even murder. Later in the same year of his infamous “segregation now” speech, Wallace, in a newspaper interview, said he be lieved Alabama needed a “few first-class funer als” to stop racial integration. One week later, four young girls were killed, and over 20 others were injured in a bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in downtown Birmingham. Martin Luther King Jr. later informed Wallace that “the blood of four little children….is on your hands. Your irresponsible and misguided actions have created in Birmingham and Ala bama the atmosphere that has induced contin ued violence and now murder.” Wallace knew what he was doing while taking advantage of his voter’s vulnerabilities, ignorance, and lack of knowledge of public issues and facts. He was a master of the “us against them” strategy. He constantly painted a picture where those who were pro-segregation were the victims being abused by the “enemy,” which consisted of the federal government, along with those who morally sought to end segregation.

Fast forward to the year 2022. When we hear the details surrounding the violent assault on the life of Paul Pelosi, how can we not forget that his wife, Nancy, has been vilified as a political “enemy” for years? As the face of pro gressive policies, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been the target of an avalanche of Repub lican campaign ads leading up to the midterm elections. According to AdImpact, which tracks television and digital ad spending, Republi cans have spent nearly $40 million on ads that mention Nancy Pelosi by name since the La bor Day holiday.

How can we not acknowledge the consistent patterns from the past to the present? The at tack on Pelosi comes during a recent rise in the number of threats aimed at federal officials and perceived enemies of former President Donald Trump. It should not be taken likely when House Minority Leader Kevin McCar thy joked that if he becomes the next speaker of the House, it will be hard not to hit Pelosi with the speaker’s gavel. Where McCarthy would use the speaker’s gavel, Paul Pelosi’s accused attacker used an actual hammer. Idle words can be deadly. Fortunately, no harm came to the House Speaker. And thankfully, Paul Pelosi, who underwent surgery to repair a skull fracture, is expected to make a full re covery.

(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America. He can be reached at www.davidwmarshall)

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—One of the great joys of my life is teaching. I’m fortunate to teach classes on social justice at the Uni versity of Pennsylvania, one of the most respected schools in the country. Penn has a longstanding commitment to affirma tive action, and I have seen first-hand how diversity in the classroom benefits all my students. There’s just no question that diversity is a core piece of a vibrant academic community and a critical part of the learning experience—for all of us. Bringing together students with different lived experiences forces students to think critically about their assumptions, which is an essential goal of a university education.

That’s why I, like so many of us, am deeply concerned about two affirmative action cases argued at the Supreme Court just a few days ago. Opponents of affirma tive action have been trying to destroy it for years. And now it looks like they just might get their chance.

Two universities, Harvard and the University of North Carolina (UNC), are defending their admissions programs against opponents who want them de clared unconstitutional. (The university where I teach, Penn, and the organization I lead, People For the American Way, have both joined briefs supporting the univer sities’ positions.) Considering race as one of many factors in admissions has been upheld by the Supreme Court for decades. The Court has said repeatedly that diver sity in higher education is a “compelling interest.”

But today’s Supreme Court is different. It’s dominated by far-right justices who have made it clear they don’t share this view. Chief Justice John Roberts’s famous quote, “The way to stop discrimination on

Ben Jealous Commentary

the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race,” sums it up: conserva tives believe affirmative action is at best unnecessary and at worst just another type of discrimination. Some conservatives would like to retire affirmative action because they claim it’s accomplished ev erything it set out to do. But it hasn’t. Not even close.

In Texas and Michigan, applications and enrollments of Black and Latino students plunged after state politicians banned the consideration of race in admission to their public universities. That’s a huge red flag. Nationally, there’s a big gap between the percentage of White and Black students who earn a bachelor’s degree. And that perpetuates all kinds of harm and ineq uities in income, health, family wealth, and more. We still have a long way to go in building a fair society in which all our children can thrive.

And here’s an important point that often gets lost. All students—no matter their race or color or creed—benefit from affir mative action. Having diverse classmates promotes a stimulating exchange of ideas and viewpoints. It prepares all students for living and working in our increasingly diverse society. The Supreme Court as a whole used to understand that. Today, I worry that only a minority of the justices do.

One of those justices is Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Court and a person of profound insight and wisdom. Her questions in oral argu ments got to the heart of the matter. Imag ine two qualified students applying to UNC, Justice Jackson suggested: a White North Carolinian student whose family members had attended the school for generations, and a Black North Carolinian whose family had historically been shut out. The White applicant might make the case that attending UNC is deeply mean ingful to her because it is a family tradi tion. The Black applicant might make the case that it is deeply meaningful because her family was so long denied.

Jackson’s question made it clear what would happen if the Court adopts the Far Right’s position: the White student’s ap peal to family history would be allowed to help their chance of acceptance, while the Black student’s would not. It would further institutionalize discrimination and the harm it has caused generations of Black Americans.

I am so grateful for Justice Jackson’s voice on the Court. I also know that the six right-wing justices expressed skepticism of affirmative action at oral arguments. Many reporters are already writing its obituary. I hope for the sake of our edu cation system and our next generation, that they will be wrong. The “compelling interest” that led the Court to uphold af firmative action in the past still exists—in fact, it may be stronger than ever.

(Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.)

$44 billion is certainly enough to control a conversation especially in America where everything is for sale.

When the wealthiest person in the world (as reported by both the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and Forbes’s real-time billionaires) Elon Musk closed his acqui sition deal of the popular social media platform, Twitter, last week, he announced plans to delist the company’s stock and take it private and in the process, remov ing it from the hands of public sharehold ers.

Why would he do this? Well, according to the New York Times report, it provides Musk with several advantages. First, as a privately held firm he is not required to make public disclosures about the compa ny’s performance on a quarterly basis–in other words, we will just have to take his word for it. Another benefit is that Musk will not be subjected to regulatory over sight to the extent he would were Twitter to remain publicly owned.

Perhaps the biggest advantage however is that it gives Musk tighter control over the rules that govern Twitter’s content as well as its priorities, in addition to its finances without having to worry about what his investing public might think about his decisions. For example some might be against the biggest consider ation hanging in the air–whether or not former President Donald Trump should once again have free reign to spew his nonsense on the platform and expand the

spread of fake news and other disinforma tion. With shareholders out of the picture Musk will not need to trouble himself with their disapproval.

Admittedly, social media is a dynamic force in people’s lives today as evidenced by the near 4.65 billion social media users worldwide.  And reports indicate that 84 percent of Americans use at least one social media platform.  One would think with all the hype about the Musk take over of Twitter, that it is the most popular social media platform around. In reality however it ranks a distant 10th in the number of monthly active users (mau’s) worldwide with 217 million mau’s com pared to Facebooks’s 2.9 billion mau’s and YouTube’s 2.2 billion mau’s, even Tik Tok, Snapchat and Pinterest have more users than Twitter.

Even though it is not the most popular it still has enough subscribers to influence conversations across the country. Just as it is easy to see Musk’s desire to use his money to control the conversation in America there is little doubt regarding who Musk is, a thinly veiled racist with

right leaning tendencies. The question is, do we as individuals and business users of Twitter have the courage to switch our social media traffic away from his social media platform–a platform that has al ready ratcheted up racism and is fanning the flames of antisemitism, spewing ha tred and mind bending rhetoric that will further split the people of this nation.

One way to fight back against such use is to delete our Twitter accounts. It is easy to do. Simply go to twitter.com and log into your account. Then go to your account settings, scroll down to deactivate my account and then hit the delete button at the bottom of the screen. If you change your mind (and I hope you don’t) you have up to 30 days to reactivate your account.

We can continue to enjoy Twitter while we complain about the racist, anti-semi atic, ongoing disinformation that will find more and more space to live on the plat form or we can stop fueling it by unsub scribing to platforms that work against our greater good as a people, a community and a nation. Sometimes it is not the big things that make a difference in creating the kind of change we want but as the Taoist would remind us, it’s the 10,000 little things than matter.

Deleting our Twitter accounts is one small way to help stop the insanity that has certainly set this nation on a danger ous course.

Of course this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.

“The Spook Who Sat by the Door” was writ ten by Sam Greenlee. It is the fictional story of Dan Freeman, the first Black CIA officer, and of the CIA’s history of train ing persons and political groups who later used their specialized training in gathering intelligence, political subversion, and guerrilla warfare against the CIA. (Wikipedia)

“The Spook Who Sat by the Door” may have been a work of fiction, but the old saying, “art imitates life” can be appropriate ly applied to the column that I am presenting here. There are “factional” (half fiction and half fact) and lukewarm efforts being made to employ more Black head coaches and Black quarterbacks by the NFL.

However, the noun “spook” should be rede fined as “spooks” because there is more than one apparition causing fear and anger in the world of professional football. The first spook in the

Bad

The Pittsburgh Steel ers come out of their bye week at 2-6, and there have been questions on why they are where they are right now, but trust me, they did not to this point overnight. The questionable hires of the offensive coaching staff, the culture of the team becoming cancerous over the years, and Ben Roeth lisberger retiring after last season. I saw them crashing in burning going back about five years, and the biggest reason they are not a good team right now is bad drafting deci sions.

The Steelers drafted one impact player over the past six years and that is T.J. Watt back in 2017, and that is the biggest is sue they have because the team lacks depth. I will break down each draft class from 2016-2021.

2016 Draft: Artie Burns, Sean Davis, Javon Har grave, Jerald Hawkins, Travis Feeney, Demar cus Ayers, and Tyler

haunted house of sports is the Black quarterback and the second unwanted lively after-death guest is the Black head coach.

The first full-time Black quarterback that start ed in the NFL was Fritz Pollard back in 1923, basically a century ago.

Today, 100 years later in some circles, vehement and venomous resistance remains against the pros pect of a man of color stepping under center.

Another skeleton that begins its death rattle at the crack of dusk in the wine cellar is the dried bones of the Black head coach. I am not here to polish the tombstones of the late “Jefferson Street” Joe Gilliam, Willie Throw er, Marlin Briscoe, or any of the other Black QBs that have moved on to join their ancestors. They may not be here physical ly but trust me, you better run over to Nana’s house, mosey on up to the attic and grab the dusty Ouija Board and brush off the cobwebs because Joe Gil

liam and Marlin Briscoe are restless because boy, do they have a few sto ries for you. That is why they continue to be, “the spooks that are still sit ting by the door.”

They were never truly allowed to enter a fair, competitive, and honor able workplace to com pete for a chance to show the world that they could be the best at their position. The deck was not stacked against them be cause they were not dealt one card from that deck. Why didn’t they receive any cards? Well, wait just a minute; they were invisible, remem ber? How can you deal cards to empty chairs and unfilled spaces? Their play on the field most of the time is not really ac cepted because remem ber, Black quarterbacks are mere shadows on the

gridiron.

At least mediums and ghost-chasers will try to contact the spirit world of quarterbacks, but many of them won’t even at tempt to contact the spir its of Black coaches, alive or deceased. The work is far too menial, for the minimum success that it could possibly yield.

Jim Trot ter tweeted this gem on Janu ary 7, 2020: “For the late arriv ing crowd: The lack of Black coaches in the NFL is not a league, it’s an ownership issue. Owners are master con tortionists when coming up with the reasons why we aren’t ‘qualified’ or ‘ready.’ 32 teams: 1 Black GM, 3 Black coaches.” Do political groups with in the NFL hierarchy and society use their special ized Eurocentric training to gather personal intelli

gence on athletes of color just to create and dilute their value and that of those prospective Black coaches in order to justify withholding those covet ed positions from them?

When the Pittsburgh Steelers hired a youth ful Mike Tomlin as their head coach more than 15 years ago, that appeared to be a blessing for the job possibilities of minori ty coaches following him, but realistically speak ing, it represented noth ing more than a curse because it permitted the NFL ownership to open “Pandora’s” floodgates regarding the unmitigat ed hiring of many young inexperienced White coaches without guilt or concern regarding their experience, or the lack thereof.

Sean McVay was hired in 2017 as head coach of the L.A. Rams at just 30 years of age. Zac Taylor, who is currently 38, was hired by the Bengals in 2019. Kevin O’Connell was hired in February

2022 by the Vikings, he is 36, Kevin Stefanski was hired by the Browns in January of 2020. It has been theorized that all of these “youthful” hir ings are occurring to keep many of these coaches in place for decades to come and also to give them valuable experience across the board to be seamlessly interchanged for other White coaches when those coaches fail to make the grade, al most guaranteeing that a vacant position won’t be open for an extend ed period of time. This is just the tip of a conti nent-sized NFL cultural iceberg that, for the time being, appears to be al most immovable. Until the ownership of the NFL becomes inclusive, any ef fort to diversify will nev er happen because those charged with changing the culture of ownership are the very ones that time after time, as they have for more than a cen tury behind closed doors, voted against it.

lack of development, poor

reasons for Steelers’ struggles

No impact players among this group at all.

None of them are on the roster, and the only one who made a Pro Bowl was Hargrave last season for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Grade: D-

2017 Draft: Watt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Camer on Sutton, James Con ner, Joshua Dobbs, Brian Allen, Colin Holba, and Keion Adams.

Watt was a great pick, Conner and JuJu con tributed while they were here, and Sutton has been a solid, not spectac ular player, so this draft was not so bad but with only two players left in this draft class that is not ideal.

Grade: C

2018 Draft: Terrell Ed munds, James Wash ington, Mason Rudolph, Chucks Okarafor, Marcus Allen, Jalen Samuels, and Joshua Frazier.

Grade: C-

2019 Draft: Devin Bush, Dionte Johnson, Justin Layne, Benny Snell, Zach Gentry, Sutton Smith, Isiah Buggs, Ulysees Gil bert, and Derwin Gray.

Traded two picks for Bush and he has dis appointed me. John son is a good, talented player. The rest of the crew are just guys.

Grade: D

2020 Draft: Chase Clay pool, Alex Highsmith, An thony McFarland, Kevin Dotson, Antione Brooks Jr., and Carlos Davis.

Claypool has already been traded to the Chi cago Bears and the only player left in this draft

class I would keep in the future is Highsmith.

Grade: B for getting a second-round draft pick for Claypool.

2021 Draft: Najee Har ris, Pat Freiermuth, Ken drick Green, Dan Moore, Buddy John son, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Quincy Roche, Tre Norwood, and Press ley Harvin.

Harris looks to have regressed after his rookie season. Freiermuth is al ready having concussion issues and Green has been inactive for every game this season, as does Loudermilk. They could have drafted Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Center Creed Humphrey in the second round.

Grade: So far D.

Another reason for their struggles besides the lack

of talent is coaching and development on the of fense. The “Canada Dry” offense has held this team back this season.

Running 82 jet sweeps, and not throwing the ball more than 10 yards down the field is unfathomable in 2022, as well as not having an RPO package in an offense that fields a mobile rookie quarter back. I don’t even blame Canada for this mess of an offense anymore. I put this on the feet of head coach Michael Pettaway Tomlin for allowing this continually go on and hir ing a coordinator who is a below-average college co ordinator. In his 11 years as a college offensive co ordinator at the FBS lev el, his offense averaged 61st in offensive produc tion. The Steelers need an offensive mind who has a stronger offensive mind than Tomlin so he can stop meddling and be the CEO of the football team.

Furthermore, he needs to hire position coaches that know how to develop these young players on

One more reason for the Steelers’ struggles is the lack of leadership among the players. I was in the locker room after all three home games, two of them losses and I heard players throwing offensive coordinators under the bus, players questioning each other’s effort on and off the field. It is a shame your rook ie quarterback, Kenny Pickett, has to call play ers out for their practice habits. It is a shame that Arthur Maulet, a jour neyman backup corner back, openly questioned the team’s passion for the game in the locker room after a game against the Buffalo Bills. Sure, when T.J. Watt comes back it will help in the leader ship department, but this is a ship without a true captain. So, it is time for Tomlin to put on his best coaching job in his career in the final nine games, starting Sunday, Nov. 13 against New Orleans.

Matakevich.

the offensive side of the ball.

Estate of DAVID EDWARD CIMAROLLI, Deceased of Bridgeville, County of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, No.02-22-06193 , Justine Cimarolli, Administrator, 632 Bank Street Bridgeville, PA 15017 or to Robin L. Rarie, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017

Estate of EUGENE CLAIR COLEMAN Deceased, of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No. 02-22-06820, Rosanne C. Rodgers, Executor, 305 Rosewood Drive, McDonald, PA 15057 or to EMILY H. HAMMEL, Atty BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017

Estate of DILLON, WILLIAM DANIEL AKA DILLION, W. DANIEL Deceased, of Ross Township, No. 06795 of 2022, Sean D. Dillion, 2732 Meadowcrest CT. Wexford, PA 15090, Admin., or to Michael J. Saldamarco, ESQ. STE. 100, 908 Perry HWY. Pittsburgh, PA 15229

Estate of JACK H. DRENNING Deceased, Estate No. 02-22-06611 Late of the City of Pittsburgh, County of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Brian Jack Lowery, Executor c/o 3939 West Ridge Road, Suite B-27, Erie, PA 16506, Attorney: James L. Morgan, Esquire, 3939 West Ridge Road, Suite B-27, Erie, PA 16506

Estate of CATHERINE I. HETZER, Deceased of Moon Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No. 02-22-06642, Raymond R. Hetzer, Jr., Executor, 119 McClafferty Lane, Moon Township, PA 15108 or to TODD A. FULLER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphan’s Court Division, Estate of LINDA KASPEROWSKI, deceased, Case No. 6707 of 2022: Notice is hereby given that on October 14, 2022 the Will of Linda Kasperowski was admitted to probate and Brielle Reed was appointed Executrix thereof. The last address of the said Linda Kasperowski was 221 13th Street, Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, 15215. Attorney Peter B. Lewis, 928 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, (412) 586-6153.

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphan’s Court Division, Estate of MARLENE KOEHLER deceased, Case No. 6709 of 2022: Notice is hereby given that on October 14, 2022 a Petition was filed by Brielle Reed to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Marlene Koehler in the real estate located at 221 13th Street, Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, 15215, and determine that fee simple title is vested in Brielle Reed.Attorney Peter B. Lewis, 928 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, (412) 586-6153.

Estate of RUTH ANN STEFANIAK, Deceased of Mt. Lebanon Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No. 02-22-06639, Deborah L. Nicklaus, Executor, 6730 22nd Avenue N, Suite G, St. Petersburg, FL 33710 or to TODD A. FULLER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, PA, Orphans Court Division, Estate of JANET L WILLIAMS, deceased. Case No. 02-22-6479. Notice is hereby given that on October 6, 2022, a Petition was filed by Gordon Williams to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Janet L Williams, deceased in the real estate located at 2701 Brackenridge St, Pittsburgh (5’th Ward), PA, 15219 (County Tax Parcel No. 10-44-00194) and to determine that fee simple title be in Gordon Williams. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 30 days of the date of this Notice, Gordon Williams will seek an Order adjudging that Decedent’s title is in him.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings

HACP BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

NOVEMBER MEETING

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s Board of Commissioners will hold a Special Meeting on November 17, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. Due to the COVID-19 protective guidelines set forth by federal, state, and local government, the meeting will be held remotely, with public access to be provided online. The HACP will provide a direct link to a livestream of the meeting, and instruction on how to make a public comment. Details will be made available on http://www.hacp.org, in advance of the meeting.

PUBLIC NOTICE

ALLEGHENY COUNTY

SANITARY AUTHORITY

The Green Committee of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority will hold a special meeting for general purposes on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. prevailing time in the Trefz Board Room at its offices located at 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15233. Official action on the Committee’s recommendations will take place at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors at a later date. The public may view the meeting via livestream by visiting www.alcosan.org.

PUBLIC NOTICE ALLEGHENY COUNTY

SANITARY AUTHORITY

The Advisory Committee of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority will hold a special meeting for general purposes on Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. prevailing time in the Trefz Board Room at its offices located at 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15233. The public may view the meeting via livestream by visiting www.alcosan.org. Public comment may be submitted by contacting Jeanne Clark at 412-734-6222 or Jeanne.clark@alcosan.org, by noon on the meeting date.

PUBLIC NOTICE ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY

The Professional Services Committee of theAllegheny County SanitaryAuthority will hold a special meeting for gen eral purposes on Monday, No vember 14, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. prevailing time, in the Trefz Board Room at its offices located at 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15233. Official action on the Committee’s recommendations will take place at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors at a later date. The public may view the meeting via livestream by visiting www.alcosan.org.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH PUBLIC NOTICE OF PROPOSED FY 2023 HOUSING CHOICE

VOUCHER PROGRAM UTILITY ALLOWANCES AND PAYMENT STANDARDS

Pursuant to the regulations 24 CFR 982.517 and 24 CFR 982.503 the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) has completed its annual review and update of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Utility Allowance Schedules and Payment Standard Charts. The proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 HCV Utility Allowance Schedules and Payment Standard Charts are available for review and comment from Sunday, October 30, 2022 to Tuesday, November 29, 2022 on the HACP website: www.hacp.org.

Written comments on the FY 2023

HCV Utility Allowance Schedules and Payment Standard Charts must be addressed to “Attention: FY 2023 HCV Utility Allowance Schedules and Payment Standard Charts” at the HACP Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Department, 200 Ross Street, 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, and must be received by the close of business (5:00 pm) on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.

Public hearings to receive public comments on the proposed FY 2023 HCV Utility Allowance Schedules and Payment Standard Charts will be held on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. via Zoom. The Zoom meeting information can be accessed at www.hacp.org.

For questions regarding the proposed FY 2023 HCV Utility Allowance Schedules and Payment Standard Charts, please contact Marsha Grayson at 412-456-5000 extension 3105.

Persons with disabilities requiring assistance or alternative formats, or wishing to submit comments in alternative formats can contact the Disability Compliance Office at 412-456-5282, extension 4; TTY 412-456-5282.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH PUBLIC NOTICE OF REVISED HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN

In accordance with federal law and regulation, the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) is revising its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Plan. The proposed revisions to the HCV Administrative Plan are available for review and comment from Sunday, October 30, 2022 to Tuesday, November 29, 2022 on the HACP website: www.hacp.org. To review the HCV Administrative Plan in its current form, please visit https://hacp.org/about/public -information/.

Written comments on the proposed revisions must be addressed to “Attention: HACP HCV Administrative Plan” at the HACP Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Department, 200 Ross Street, 6th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, and must be received by the close of business (5:00 pm) on Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Public hearings to receive public comments on the proposed revisions to the HCV Administrative Plan will be held on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. via Zoom. The Zoom meeting information can be accessed at www.hacp.org.

For questions regarding the HCV Administrative Plan proposed revisions, please contact Marsha Grayson at 412-456-5000 extension 3105.

Persons with disabilities requiring assistance or alternative formats, or wishing to submit comments in alternative formats can contact the Disability Compliance Office at 412-456-5282, extension 4; TTY 412-456-5282.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Public Notice

PUBLIC NOTICE PROJECT: LAND SLIDE REMEDIATION/CONSTRUCTION SERVICES AT MMVTA’S NORTH CHARLEROI, WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA PARK & RIDE LOT

Separate, sealed bids for the services listed above will be received at Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. (CEC) 700 Cherrington Parkway, Moon Township, PA 15108. Bids will also be received electronically by emailing Thomas A. Buck, P.E. at tbuck@cecinc.com and copying Douglas Clark, P.E. at dclark@cecinc.com . Bids will be received until 5:00 PM on December 8,2022, at which time, bids will be opened and reviewed.

The work of this project includes, but is not limited to, the furnishing of all labor, materials, and equipment to perform rock cut slope remediation at the North Charleroi Park and Ride Lot as described in Section 01100 and specified in the Contract Documents.

Bid Documents will be available electronically and for public inspection on or after November 8, 2022. Bidders may obtain Electric Bid Documents at no cost by contacting Thomas A. Buck, P.E. at tbuck@cecinc.com and copying Douglas Clark, P.E. at dclark@cecinc.com to become a registered bidder. The documents may be viewed at the following Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority (MMVTA) office address: Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority, 1300 McKean Avenue, Charleroi, Pennsylvania 15022.

This Project is subject to a financial assistance contract between the MMVTA and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bureau of Public Transportation (PennDOT).

The MMVTA implements positive affirmative action procedures to ensure that all Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and other Diverse Businesses (DB) have maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed in whole or in part, with State funds provided for in this Project. In this regard, Bidders shall take all necessary and reasonable steps to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to compete for and perform contracts. Bidders shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin or sex in the award and performance of PennDOT-assisted contracts. It is a condition of this Contract that Bidders shall follow the DBE required procedures as set forth in the Bid Documents.

Procedural questions regarding bidding and all other questions relating to the Bid Documents must be submitted by mail, e-mail, or fax no later than 5:00 PM, November 28, 2022 to: Thomas A. Buck, P.E. at tbuck@cecinc.com and Douglas Clark, P.E. at dclark@cecinc.com In addition, the Bidder’s attention is directed to the schedule of activities below for preparation of its Bid.

Bidders must attend the pre-bid meeting to be eligible for bid submission.

November 21, 2022, 1:00 PM

Pre-Bid Conference (Pre-Bid Site Tour immediately following the Pre-Bid Conference) - Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority Board Room, 1300 McKean Avenue, Charleroi, PA 15022 December 8, 2022, 3:00 PM Bids Due / Bid Opening immediately following The MMVTA Board of Directors reserves the right to reject any or all Bids.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Public Notice

CORRECTIVE NOTICE TO NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS

November 9, 2022

City of Pittsburgh – Office of Management and Budget 414 Grant Street Room 501 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-255-2211

This notice shall serve to correct information provided on October 26, 2022 for the combined Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact and Notice of Intent to Request Release of Funds.

The prior notice stated “All comments received by Friday, November 11, 2022 will be considered by the City of Pittsburgh prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds.” In order to comply with HUD policy, the sentence should read, “All comments received by Monday, November 14, 2022 will be considered by the City of Pittsburgh prior to authorizing submission of a request for release of funds.”

The prior notice also stated, “On or about Tuesday, November 15, 2022, the City of Pittsburgh will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the release of Federal funds under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 as amended to undertake a project known as the Jasmine Nyree Elevator Project” In order to comply with HUD policy, the sentence should read, “On or about Wednesday, November 16, 2022, the City of Pittsburgh will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the release of Federal funds under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 as amended to undertake a project known as the Jasmine Nyree Elevator Project”

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR CONCRETE SUPPORT AUTHORITY WIDE

IFB#300-24-22-REBID

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s):

Concrete Support Authority Wide

IFB#300-24-22-REBID

The documents will be available no later than November 7, 2022 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 10:00 AM on November 29, 2022. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 10:00 AM on November 29, 2022 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org.

Questions or inquiries should be directed to:

Mr. James Harris Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Legal Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2915

A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on November 17, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below:

Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/ j/81329508869?pwd=aUROVFly RWxmb3ZTYzdBQ0FtcGJTdz09 Meeting ID: 813 2950 8869 Passcode: 595347 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs documentation.

received by the Westmoreland County Housing Authority, until December 7, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. (eastern standard time). Bids shall be deposited at the Administrative Office of the Westmoreland County Housing Authority, 167 South Greengate Road, Greensburg PA 15601. Bids received will then be opened publicly at WCHA –Warehouse Facility located at 154 South Greengate Road . Pre Bid Meeting (Non-Mandatory Attendance) will occur at WCHA –Scottdale Manor - 20 Pearl Street, Scottdale PA. 15683 on November 18th at 10:00 A.M. (eastern standard time).

Electronic Bid Documents are available for downloading at www.wchaonline.com. Bidders are required to register online at the www.wchaonline.com to view bid documents. Plan holders proposing to bid shall also register their intent to submit a bid with Westmoreland County Housing Authority via email to lindam@wchaonline.com and eriks@wchaonline.com in accordance with the bid requirements.

Westmoreland County Housing Authority, Michael L. Washowich, Executive Director

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director

Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR ROOFING SERVICES

AUTHORITY WIDE

IFB#300-23-22-REBID

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s):

Roofing Services

Authority Wide Rebid

IFB#300-23-22-REBID

The documents will be available no later than November 7, 2022 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 AM on November 29, 2022 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on November 29, 2022 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Parties or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org.

Questions or inquiries should be directed to:

Mr. James Harris

Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2915

A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on November 17, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below:

Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 894 8356 0082 Passcode: 486983 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs documentation.

HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes.

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL

DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

Sealed bids will be received in the Bellefield Avenue Lobby, Administration Building, 341 South Bellefield Avenue until 11:00 A.M. prevailing time November 22, 2022 and will be opened at the same hour in the administration building cafeteria:

RIDING TRACTOR

General Information regarding bids may be obtained at the Purchasing Office, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, RM 349 Pittsburgh, PA 15213. The bid documents are available on the School District’s Purchasing web site at: www.pghschools.org

Click on Our Community; Bid

Opportunities; Purchasing - under Quick Links.

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

We are an equal rights and opportunity school district

TECHNICIAN IV

The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Neurology in Pittsburgh, PA, seeks a Technician IV to study the role of UCHL1 in axonal injury and recovery after cerebral ischemia and traumatic brain injury. Will be involved in determining the molecular effects of mutations in UCHL1 upon protein ubiquitination and gray and white matter injury using a variety of techniques such as immunoblotting, histology and immunocytochemistry. Will also assist in the production of recombinant proteins constructed from UHCL1 and manuscript writing. Apply at https://join.pitt.edu, #22008763

. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity. EOE, including disability/vets.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bids are hereby solicited for the

Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 on the following:

Bid 1108 – Adobe Software

Subscription Renewal

Bid 1109 – Furnish and Install 5-Ton Rooftop HVAC Unit for Classroom Training

Bid 1110 – Furnish and Install Signage for Chalfont Hall/Center for Faculty Innovation

Due date: 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Wednesday November 23, 2022

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

Proposals may require Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds, and Surety as dictated by the specifications.

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

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

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

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

PROCUREMENT CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

INTERN ($16 PER HOUR)

Pittsburgh Regional Transit is seeking an Intern to learn and gain practical experience on the job by supporting the procurement team in the delivery of services efficiently and effectively. Under the direction of the Assistant Director, intern will assist the Managers in supporting all project procurement staff activities involving construction, parts/materials, or professional services agreements.

Related activities include evaluating invoices, assisting with contractual information, and in the review and implementation of regulations and resolution of related claims.

Essential Functions:

• Scanning of various procurement documents and filing of various documents including quotations, minutes and contracts.

• Assist with pre-audit review of procurement files. Assist Contract Specialist in creating and maintaining professional service, parts/materials and construction procurement files.

• Provide assistance to Contract Specialist related to RFP and competitive bid preparation, solicitation/ award process, contract monitoring and closeout for construction and professional services agreements.

Assists in preparation and processing of all work orders Utilizes PeopleSoft to perform appropriate essential functions related to procurement agreements, including verification of appropriate funding availability.

• Receive, time stamp, and coordinate the routing of Pending Change Orders, Change Orders, Pay Estimates and invoices to provide time-sensitive processing of associated payments and information to Contract Specialist.

Job requirements include:

• High School Diploma or GED.

• A college degree or be enrolled full time at a 4-year accredited university/college in one of the following degree programs: Supply Chain Management, Finance, Public Administration, Operations Management, Business Management, or other related fields.

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8/4.0 (no rounding)

• Experience with database programs and spreadsheet applications and demonstrated ability in the use of Microsoft software, and the internet.

• Professional and effective communication skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong organizational and people skills, multi-tasking capabilities, and detail oriented.

• Ability to complete assigned tasks with minimal supervision.

Preferred attributes:

• Experience in or exposure to contract administration. An emphasis in Procurement or Supply Chain is desired.

• Demonstrated ability in the use of Microsoft Office Programs and Oracle’s PeopleSoft or similar system.

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to:

Missy Ramsey Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527

MRamsey@RidePRT.org

EOE

THE PREVENTABLE STUDY

The University of Pittsburgh is studying if taking a statin might help to prevent dementia, disability, & heart disease. Who may qualify:

• Age 75 or older.

• NOT taking a statin.

• No history of heart disease or dementia. Compensation provided. All study visits can be completed from your home. If interested, call 412-841-1415 or email PATHCDRN@pitt.edu.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Help Wanted

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org

Applications must be received by 4:00 PM November 10, 2022

NORTHGATE SCHOOL DISTRICT

PART-TIME POSITIONS

Northgate School District is seeking part-time teacher assistants at $17.18 an hour. If interested send letter of interest and resume to Mrs. Christina Garczewski, Northgate Administrative Center 591 Union Ave., Pgh., PA 15202 or email at christina.garczewski@northgatesd.net

Northgate School District is also seeking a part-time crossing guard at $11.00 an hour. Hours 7:15 to 8:15 a.m. and 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. If interested send letter of interest and resume to Dr. Caroline Johns, Northgate Administrative Center, 591 Union Ave., Pgh., PA 15202

SONNY BOY

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh

Heyward House brings ‘Craig’s Closet’ to 10 local schools

by Melissa Rayworth, Kidsburgh

Steelers team captain Cameron Heyward has never forgotten stories about his father’s experi ences when he arrived at Pitt to play football.

Craig “Ironhead” Hey ward was one of six sib lings growing up in a single-parent household. Money was tight, and he owned just one suit to meet the formal wear re

Many young people in our community face the same plight as my father, and I want them to know that they are seen, heard, and through this program, we are here to support them as they push forward in their future goals.

quirement for Pitt Pan thers on game days. Cam knew how that made his dad feel. So through a partnership between the Heyward House founda tion and Sport Clips, he helped developed a pro gram called Craig’s Clos et to provide high school boys access to new and gently used dress clothes at no cost.

The goal of Craig’s Closet is to help students feel prepared and con fident at interviews, in ternships, banquets and special occasions, and en courage these young men to walk proudly into any situation.

“Many young people in our community face the same plight as my father, and I want them to know that they are seen, heard, and through this pro gram, we are here to sup

port them as they push forward in their future goals,” Heyward said in a Sept. 27 announcement about the program. “Yes terday would have been my father’s 56th birth day. He was a man that took great joy and pride in his family and his community. I am proud to continue his legacy of giving back and helping move our community for ward.”

At the first location, now open at Pittsburgh Obama 6-12, young men can “shop” for items in cluding dress shirts, suits, clothes, and ties right at their own school. And students at nine more Pittsburgh Pub lic School buildings will have the same opportu nity. Additional Craig’s Closet outposts will be opening at Pittsburgh Allderdice, Brashear, CAPA, Carrick, Million es, Perry, Sci-Tech, Stu dent Achievement Cen ter and Westinghouse by 2023.

“Thanks to the Hey ward House and Sport Clips, ‘what to wear’ will not be a barrier for our high school boys seek ing to pursue their goals and interests,” said Pitts burgh Public Schools su perintendent Dr. Wayne Walters. “We are truly thankful for this gift that honors the legacy of Cam’s father by giving students the confidence they need to walk into the spaces where they belong.”

Community members interested in volunteer ing or donating to Craig’s Closet can reach out to Nicole Williams at nwill iams@theheywardhouse. org. Monetary and inkind donations of new and gently used items are being accepted.

(Melissa Rayworth is the executive editor of Kidsburgh.)

A STUDENT tries on a suit as the first Craig’s Closet opens. Photo courtesy of PPS.

CAM HEYWARD AND SUPERINTENDENT WAYNE WALTERS cut the ribbon to open the first Craig’s Closet, located at Pittsburgh Obama 6-12. Photo courtesy of PPS.

-Cam Heyward

Why schools’ going back to ‘normal’ won’t work for students of color

by Adriana Villavicencio, University of California, Irvine

National test results re leased in September 2022 show unprecedented loss es in math and reading scores since the pandem ic disrupted schooling for millions of children.

In response, educational leaders and policymakers across the country are eager to reverse these trends and catch these students back up to where they would have been.

But this renewed con cern seems to overlook a crucial fact: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools were failing to adequately serve chil dren of color. As a scholar of racial equity in K-12 ed ucation, I see an opportu nity to go beyond getting students caught up. Rath er than focus only on try ing to close pandemic-re lated gaps, schools could seek to more substantially improve the quality of ed ucation they offer, partic ularly for students of col or, if they want to achieve equitable and sustainable results.

Studying schools

For more than a decade, I’ve been conducting re search on how schools can successfully serve Black and Latino students. Most of this work has focused on New York City, but what I have learned is critical for any school.

In one long-term study of a citywide initiative targeted at improving out comes for Black and Lati no boys, my colleagues and I collected data across more than 100 schools and through interviews with over 500 school leaders, teachers and students.

Based on this work, I’d like to highlight four crit ical conditions to improve the success and well-be ing of students of color.

1. Classrooms that re flect the students they

serve

Research shows stu dents do better overall when their teachers and the books students read reflect their race, ethnic ity and cultures. Yet sta tistics show that seldom happens.

Children’s books depict nonhuman characters, like dogs and bears, al most three times as often as they depict characters who are Black, four times as often than Asian char acters, five times as often than Hispanic characters, and nearly 30 times as of ten than Indigenous char acters.

Moreover, while the teacher workforce re

mains nearly 80 percent White, research shows that students who had teachers of the same race had better chances of graduating from high school and enrolling in college.

2. Connection, not con trol

Students of color are more than twice as likely to be arrested at school as their White counter parts. And Black children who behave in the same ways as White children are twice as likely to be suspended for the same actions.

Many schools have es tablished restorative jus tice programs, which em

phasize repairing harm versus doling out punish ment. These efforts can help shift teachers’ roles from controlling student behavior to forming con nections with young peo ple.

These connections can also be built outside for mal classroom environ ments. Activities such as peer mentoring groups and student-led clubs are good opportunities for cul tivating student-faculty connections. In those en vironments, students are more likely to feel com fortable being themselves and expressing their feel ings about both learning and other issues relevant

to their lives.

in college when they have taken four years of math and science. Yet Black and Latino students are less likely to be exposed to more advanced math and science courses, such as calculus and physics.

4. Teacher preparation and support

Teachers need strong preparation to serve an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse stu dent population. But many teacher education programs are not pre paring teachers to meet the needs of the students they teach, particularly in schools that primarily serve students of color.

Teachers are required to have ongoing training to keep their subject-mat ter knowledge up to date. Similarly, school districts could provide ongoing support for teachers to present broader depic tions of history and soci ety as part of developing culturally relevant class rooms, which draw on stu dents’ backgrounds, iden tities and experiences.

3.

Equitable access to ac ademic challenge

Teachers expect less of their Black and Latino students than they do of White and Asian class mates. Black and Latino students are also under represented in gifted and talented programs and less likely to be placed in such advanced course work as eighth-grade al gebra or Advanced Place ment courses in high school.

When students have less access to rigorous learn ing opportunities, it can limit their progress in oth er areas as well. Students are more likely to enroll

The current political cli mate has become hostile to educators who broach topics of race and racism. Teachers may call on prin cipals and other education leaders to shield them from backlash against ex posing students to histori cal or current examples of racial injustice.

As schools seek to ad dress pandemic-relat ed gaps, there is now a unique opportunity to reimagine public educa tion. For many students of color, business as usual wasn’t enough. Let’s learn from where we’ve been and aim for better than a return to normal.

(Adriana Villavicencio, Assistant Professor of Ed ucation, University of Cal ifornia, Irvine)

(This article is repub lished from The Con versation under a Cre ative Commons license.)

STUDENTS OF COLOR have long needed more from schools than is typically provided. THEPALMER/E+ via Getty Images

City High – An Innovative High School with a Proven Formula

20 years ago, the found ers and a team of forward thinking Pittsburgh ed ucators researched cut ting-edge schools across the country to find the perfect mix of best practices with one goal: to graduate stu dents prepared for the real world—tech-savvy, collegeand career-ready.

The result was ground breaking—a public high school strategically located in Downtown Pittsburgh, offering free* laptops and year-round classes, with a focus on college and career readiness.

This tuition-free high school offers a personalized approach to learning with a low student/teacher ratio and a team of teachers who stay or “loop” with the same students all 4 years, build ing strong relationships and getting to know students as individual learners.

Using an integrated aca demic approach, City High follows an interdisciplinary

project-based curriculum. This includes Cultural Lit eracy, Interactive Math, Science, and Information Literacy/Research classes that provide a collaborative, well-rounded and rigorous

educational foundation for all students. City High of fers electives in all subject areas, and provides honors opportunities in full-inclu sion classrooms. Students are also able to partake in

for-credit college classes.

All City High students receive a laptop for their use at school and at home, an essential tool for re search, academic work, and communication. The 4-year

Technology curriculum in cludes software training in Microsoft Office and the Adobe Suite, plus program ming electives like robotics and cybersecurity. Inno vations like the Financial

Literacy curriculum help students learn to budget their finances, manage and invest their money… even become entrepreneurs.

Every student completes an internship in their area of interest, so they leave City High prepared with work experience and re al-world connections. Ca reer mapping and a self-di rected senior model (similar to a college experience) are also part of their formula for student success.

Today, this unique educa tional model continues to prove itself with countless student successes and an enviable 94 percent aver age graduation rate that’s consistent across all demo graphic groups.

The cost of each student’s public education and laptop is paid for by taxpayer dol lars. Laptops are theirs to keep upon graduation. City High is an Equal Rights and Opportunity Public School.

MATH PROFICIENCY SCORES fell during the pandemic. fstop123 via Getty Images

MADE FOR THE JOURNEY

At Geneva College, we’re on a journey of discovery with you—because you were created for a purpose. Together, we’re seeking God’s design in all things. Integrating faith and life. Exploring, growing, and discerning all that we are created to be and do.

You were made for this. A Geneva College ac ademic experience is grounded in a rigorous liberal arts core that teaches you to think con structively and creatively through broad intellectual discovery. Students gain expertise in their field, and experience outside the classroom. You’ll be chal lenged to imagine how the world around you could be different and your part in making that difference.

We offer 195+ undergrad uate majors and programs, in-demand graduate pro grams, and online degree programs for working adults. Whatever program you choose, you’ll learn with a purpose. Faith is integrated in every pro gram and every course as we explore God’s design in academics and voca tion. Wherever God leads in your life’s work, you’ll be ready to live faithfully. Fruitfully. Courageously.

Our campus offers small, personal classroom set tings with an average stu dent-teacher ratio of 11:1, which allows our profes sors to uniquely invest in each student. 91 percent of students are working or in graduate school within 6 months of graduation.

At Geneva, we strive to compete at the high est level while providing student-athletes a great athletic experience in our 19 NCAA Division III in tercollegiate athletic pro grams.

Soon you could be a stu dent at Geneva, learning, growing, and worshipping with us. Learn more at Ge neva.edu/MadeForThis 3200 College Avenue, Beaver Falls, PA 15010 | admissions@geneva.edu | 724.847.6505

WALKING TO CLASS

Carlow University – Building the Workforce of Tomorrow

Committed to building innovative pathways that prepare our students for successful careers, Car low continues to innovate, providing a personalized learning experience, aca demic and career counsel ing, and supportive health and wellness services that meet students where they are.

Bold in its commitment to being the most inclu sive institution in meet ing 21st century student needs, Carlow is intent on building a just and mer ciful world that values each person. The Carlow student profile is diverse: 52 percent are first gen eration, 27 percent are students of color, and 44 percent of undergradu ates are PELL-eligible. The goal is to help each student become the person they want to be—always with an eye for building the workforce of the future and graduates who want

to—and do—make a dif ference in their communi ties and beyond.

At Carlow, students not only build their technical skills and competencies, but also grow in their “soft skills” such as critical thinking, effective com munication, problem-solv ing, and adaptability—all highly sought-after work force traits. Additionally, Carlow programs empha size experiential learning, so students have opportu nities to immediately ap ply what they are learning and graduate career ready.

In fact, 87 percent of grad uates complete at least one Professional Work Experi ence (PWE), and 98 per cent of Carlow undergrad uate alumni are enrolled in an advanced degree pro gram or employed within six months of graduation.

For example, the signif icant demand for speech language pathologists, physician assistants and

occupational and physical therapists was the impe tus for Carlow to make a significant investment in these new graduate health

sciences programs. Each of the Carlow graduate health science programs intertwines with one an other during courses and

simulations, providing stu dents with an experiential learning journey most like on-the-job training. Watch the video at https://youtu.

be/eXXYXaLSa7c to hear more about this from our Speech Language Patholo gy faculty and students.

HEALTHCARE TEAM

Why charter schools are not as ‘public’ as they claim to be

by Kevin Welner, University of Colorado Boulder

Proponents of charter schools insist that they are public schools “open to all students.” But the truth is more nuanced.

As an education policy re searcher—and as author of a new book about char ter schools I wrote with fellow researcher Wag ma Mommandi—I have discovered that charter schools are not as acces sible to the public as they are often made out to be.

This finding is partic ularly relevant in light of the fact that charter school enrollment report edly grew at a rapid rate during the pandemic. Specifically, according to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, enrollment increased 7 percent from 2019-20 to 2020-21. The organiza tion says that is the big gest enrollment jump in a half-decade.

In our book, we identify and describe 13 different approaches that charters use to bring certain types of students in and push other kinds of students out.

Here are four examples from our book.

1. Targeted marketing and advertising

By using specific types of language in their pro motional materials and by targeting those mate rials to specific audienc es, charter schools often send a message that they are looking for a certain type of student. This is a way for charter schools to reach or appeal to a cer tain audience but not oth ers, which in turn shapes who ends up applying to a given school.

For instance, Mueller Charter Leadership Acad emy in San Diego told prospective families that “All eligible students are welcome to apply. Howev er, it should be noted that because this is a highly advanced, demanding program, it may not be

appropriate for everyone.”

Targeted advertising can also carry a message. LISA Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 2016 sent out targeted recruit ment mailers to area neighborhoods—skipping over the three zip codes for the heavily Black and Latino parts of town.

“They’re sending a mes sage they don’t want the kids on the east side of town,” Max Brantley, editor of the Arkansas Times, remarked after his newspaper exposed the practice. The school later apologized and explained that its plan was to subse quently reach out to those populations through digi tal advertising.

2. Conditional appli cations

Charter schools some times require multiple essays or a minimum GPA as a condition for initial or continuing enrollment.

Roseland Accelerated Middle School in Santa Rosa, California, for in stance, required appli cants to submit five short essays plus an autobiogra

phy using “well construct ed and varied structure.”

Minimum GPA require ments can be imposed at the application stage or once admitted. At Lushor Charter School in New Orleans, parents and stu dents are asked to sign a contract that requires students to maintain a 2.0 GPA in core subject areas for continued enrollment.

3. Parents required to

‘volunteer’

Some charter schools re quire parents to volunteer a certain amount of time at the school, or pay mon ey in lieu of volunteering.

Pembroke Pines Charter High School in Florida, for example, required each family to complete 30 such “volunteer hours” per year, but allowed 20 of those hours to be “pur chased”—US$100 total to buy out the first 10 hours and $200 more for the next 10 hours. These re quirements place an ad ditional burden, in terms of time and money, on families that are already struggling economically. ‘No excuses’ charter

schools are known for harsh discipline.

4. Aggressive use of discipline.

At so-called “no excus es” charters that “sweat the small stuff”, students have—at least historically —been subjected to harsh discipline for minor in fractions, such as chewing gum or failing to constant ly keep their eyes on the teacher during class.

Some of these schools repeatedly suspend stu dents and call parents to leave work to pick up a suspended child. The most high-profile example is Success Academy char ter school in Fort Greene, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, where school leaders created a “Got to Go” list of 16 stu dents who were then sub jected to harassing disci pline. In one case, a school official threatened to call 911 on a 6-year-old be cause the child was hav ing a “bad day.” Nine of the 16 students did in fact withdraw from the school.

Functioning like private schools

Cumulatively, these and the other approaches we detail in our book—titled “School’s Choice”—make charter schools more like private schools than the public schools they claim to be.

These practices influence which students are admit ted to charter schools and then stay in those schools.

Charter school choice therefore affects schools’ demographics, including the degree to which they are segregated.

These practices also can play a decisive role for comparisons of academic outcomes between char ters and traditional pub lic schools run by a school district. Overall, research consistently shows little if any difference in the average test-score out comes for the two types of schools. But the com parisons may not be fair and accurate. If charter schools can improve their test scores by screening out students they don’t think will do well, it can give them an unfair ad vantage in comparisons

with public schools that accept all students.

In the final two chap ters of our book, “School’s Choice,” Mommandi and I point to a future with charter schools that don’t screen or push out students who are lower achieving or more ex pensive to educate. First, we hold up examples of charter schools that have resisted the incentives to limit access by, for exam ple, working to support their communities’ most marginalized students. We then offer a design for a healthier charter school system that doesn’t put these exemplary schools at a disadvantage when it comes to accountability and funding systems.

Even in a post-pandemic world, charter school en rollment may continue to grow. But until the public has more access, charters will not be truly public.

(This article is repub lished from The Conver sation under a Creative Commons license.)

FG TRADE/E+ via Getty Images

Inclusion, equity and justice central tenets to Falk education

by Samantha Schmitt, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Coordinator

Falk Laboratory School

Since its founding in 1931, Falk Laboratory School has provided an education grounded in community and diversity. Known for its philanthropy, the Falk fam ily prized inclusion, equity, and justice, all of which are central tenets of the K-8 school they founded on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus.

Today, those values are in grained in a Falk education from Kindergarten through eighth grade. As Falk’s eq uity, inclusion, and justice coordinator, I work with teachers to develop lesson plans on themes celebrating equity and inclusion. These lessons begin broadly, with a recognition of visible and invisible identity and inter sectionality: from the colors of our skin, the languages we speak, and the religions we practice to our gender

identities and the structures of our families. In Middle School, our Social Justice course makes deep inquiries into the themes of identity, diversity, justice, and action.

At every grade level, Falk students work frequently with others, learning to val ue the strengths that each individual brings to a task. Falk families are encour aged to share customs and celebrations with the entire community so that our chil dren appreciate the variety and commonalities among us. And through initiatives like the EquiReads book cart, which is dedicated to storytelling recognizing all lived histories and experi ences, I highlight works that celebrate the differences that make our community lively and vibrant.

Taken together, these ex periences give students an understanding of the rich ness that diversity adds to a community, a perspective they will take with them as they continue on their learn ing journeys.

GETTY IMAGES

City residents who support neighborhood schools are often divided by race and purpose

by Hava Rachel Gordon, University of Denver

When community activ ists protest issues related to local schools, they do so through movements that are largely segregat ed by race and class. This is what I found through my research on commu nity activism and school reform in Denver over a span of five years.

Both Black and White community activists had an interest in keeping local schools from being closed. They also wanted better quality schools and more of a voice in what happens at those schools. But they seldom joined each other in their efforts because their battles for neighborhood schools

were rooted in different experiences of gentrifica tion.

Gentrification is when more-affluent residents move into low-income neighborhoods, changing the character and make up of those neighborhoods and forcing low-income residents to move else where due to rising rents.

Gentrification often in volves turning around, reforming, closing and replacing neighborhood schools.

Black community activ ists viewed gentrification as an elite-driven process of exclusion and displace ment, while White com munity activists viewed gentrification as an inev itable and even beneficial process. Why it matters

Community movements can help bring about ed ucational reforms. These reforms include improve ments like more college prep courses, school-based community centers and food programs.

These movements don’t always succeed. I found in my research that different experiences of gentrifica tion produce segregated movements to preserve neighborhood schools. This split ultimately keeps activism fragment ed and prevents it from turning into a stronger, larger, more unified mul tiracial movement.

Although White, mid dle-class activists told me they valued diversity, none of them saw gentri fication as problematic. They also felt their pres

ence was beneficial to the neighborhood. They want ed schools to which their children could walk and with which they felt con nected.

They also felt entitled to have more say in how neighborhood schools op erate. This in turn alien ated Black and Latino activists.

Black, low-income activ ists, on the other hand, saw school closures as a part of gentrification. For them, fighting against school closures was simply one piece of a larger fight against being displaced by gentrification.

These divergent views on gentrification as ben eficial or destructive en sures that White, mid dle-class activists and Black, low-income activ

ists will be unable to join forces. Consequently, they are unlikely to use each other’s strengths to fight for their common cause —which, in this case, is to sustain and provide resources to local neigh borhood schools instead of closing them in favor of charter schools or moving them out of the neighbor hood.

What still isn’t known

It remains to be seen how segregated school reform movements, produced through different expe riences of gentrification, can work through their deep divides and unite for their shared interests.

White, middle-class activ ists in particular would need to better recognize their own participation in gentrification and af

firm the grievances of the low-income Black and Latino activists who could be in their coalition.

Research suggests that money and political will are already stacked against the prospect of high-quality, public neigh borhood schools in every community. If segregat ed school reform move ments could find common ground, they might be better positioned to fight against these forces.

(Hava Rachel Gordon, Associate Professor of So ciology, University of Den ver)

(This article is repub lished from The Conver sation under a Creative Commons license.)

LOCAL SCHOOL SUPPORT is fragmented by race and class. digitalskillet / Getty Images

Why Pittsburgh Public Schools is an Excellent Choice for Your Child

A message from Superintendent

Dr. Wayne N. Walters

In today’s educational en vironment, parents have many choices. Private, char ter and cyber schools try to compete with our pub lic schools, but they do not have the variety of academ ic offerings and options as Pittsburgh Public.

Through our magnet offer ings, for example, students receive special instruction that develops their talents and interests in specific areas. At PPS, 22 magnet schools and programs fo cus on subjects related to STEAM and STEM educa tion, creative and perform ing arts, world languages, science and technology, pre-engineering, and more.

In addition, our Career

and Technical Education (CTE) programs allow stu dents to acquire 21st cen tury job skills that transfer to essential jobs in our soci ety. Beginning in the 10th grade, students can enroll in one of 16 programs that range from healthcare and first responder training to culinary skills and child care, to information technol ogy, internet management and entertainment tech nology to in-demand skills in the trades, such as con struction, heating and cool ing and automotive repair.

In many programs, stu dents earn industry certi fications or college credits through a dual enrollment agreement with Allegheny

County Community Col lege. Furthermore, a new partnership between PPS and the City of Pittsburgh provides work-based learn ing opportunities and paid employment to CTE stu dents.

The goal of Pittsburgh Public Schools is to gradu ate students who are ready for whatever comes next in college, career and life. The magnet and CTE programs are great examples of how we support student prepa ration leads to graduate success.

To find out more, visit www.pghschools.org/mag net or www.pghschools.org/ CTE.

The power of school choice

Choosing the right school for your child is an im portant decision for your family. The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School wel comes students from all

backgrounds. More than a quarter of the school’s nearly 11,000 pupils are minorities, and they’ve found a better educational experience at PA Cyber.

PA Cyber is proud to offer students in grades K-12 an alternative to tra ditional education. Fam ilies look beyond their local school district for a wide range of reasons, and sometimes it’s neces sary to try a new school experience. PA Cyber’s virtual doors are open to any school-age child in Pennsylvania and does not charge families for tu

ition. Teachers and staff provide personalized as sistance, while students to have flexibility in ex ploring extracurriculars and personal interests.

Students can choose from hundreds of in-person and virtual field trips.

The school maintains a network of ten offices statewide that serve as hubs for enrollment, on boarding, and enrichment activities. Two offices are in the Pittsburgh area— one in the South Side and another in Warrendale. Each student receives a laptop, printer, and text

books to support the edu cational process.

Every student should have access to a school that challenges and sup ports them. Tanisha Sin gleton and Rahim Thomp son from Philadelphia chose PA Cyber for their children. “It is important for my daughters to at tend a school that is inclu sive of the Black culture throughout the school year,” says Tanisha. To learn more about PA Cyber, visit pacyber.org.

THIRD GRADER TREY KEMP learns about tree species during PA Cyber’s Trees of PA summer club.

KLERE KADO AND VERITEADY THOMPSON round out their online education at PA Cyber with cheer, gymnastics, and Girl Scouts. They also wrote a book with their mother called It’s Time to Comb Your Hair

THE PENNSYLVANIA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOL is headquartered in Midland, Pa. The school has six buildings in the Beaver County borough. (Photo by Ryan Loew/PublicSource)

‘Pathways to prosperity’ early collaboration between city, PPS

by Lajja Mistry, PublicSource

Mayor Ed Gainey and Pitts burgh Public Schools leaders announced a new partnership for workforce development that could be an early collaboration between the city and the school district since the superinten dent and the mayor took office this year.

The “Prepare to Prosper” workforce development part nership is a joint effort between the Office of the Mayor and the Career and Technical Education [CTE] division of Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Other partners include Argo AI, a software company develop ing autonomous vehicle technol ogy and Partner4Work, a work force development organization.

In July, Gainey offered his ad ministration’s support to the school district when Wayne Walters was appointed the new superintendent.

“This relationship, right here,

is extremely important,” Gainey said to Walters Friday. “There is no I, there is only we. And as we grow, the city grows. And as the city grows, you grow because we open up opportunities. So I want to thank you for your part nership.”

This relationship, right here, is extremely important.

A 2020 study by the Pew Re search Center found that the unemployment rate among youth aged 16-24 was 25.3%, significantly higher than for workers 25 and over.

Angela Mike, executive direc tor of Career and Technical Ed ucation, said that the partner ship will help students develop workforce skills, prepare them for higher education and move them forward into careers that can provide family-sustaining wages.

In the CTE program, career counselors initiate recruitment in ninth grade and administer interest surveys to help stu dents to decide whether to go

into the three-year program. The partnership will allow the students in the program to shadow local companies and eventually move to paid intern ships within city departments and with industry partners

including Argo AI. Currently, there are 40 to 50 companies that will provide these opportu nities to students as part of the partnership, said Mike.

CTE works with various com panies in the health sector

including UPMC, Allegheny Health Network and Presby terian Senior Care who train and hire students. They are also working with PartnerUp to pro vide career development and soft skills to students. Apart from businesses and industries, they are also collaborating with trade unions to train students.

The city and the CTE have also partnered with Partner4Work, which will provide strategic al liances, funding and resources.

“Our job is to connect job seek ers with employers,” said Part ner4Work CEO, Robert Cherry.

The program is funded with donations for equipment, trans portation or technology to help students in the program.

“We as leaders have an obliga tion and a responsibility to you. We need to create as many path ways to prosperity as possible,” said Gainey. “Whatever level of higher learning you want to get to, we need to provide a path way to get there.”