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Penn Hills’ Aaron Donald finally gets his Super Bowl ring!

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8 Blacks elected as mayors in Allegheny County

ED GAINEY PITTSBURGH MAYOR

JOELISA L. MCDONALD RANKIN MAYOR

DONTAE COMANS WILKINSBURG MAYOR

BETTY COPELAND BRIDGEVILLE MAYOR

JOHN BURWELL HOMESTEAD MAYOR

VAL PENNINGTON BELLEVUE MAYOR

DELIA LENNON WINSTEAD BRADDOCK MAYOR

CLETUS LEE NORTH BRADDOCK MAYOR

It’s a statement made unto itself. Allegheny County is home to just a 14 percent African American population among its 1.2 million residents, but there are eight Black mayors overseeing cities and boroughs in the county. Most notable is Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, the first Black mayor of the Steel City, who is settling into his new role. But when you look from Bellevue to the north, and Bridgeville to the south, you find the presence of African American mayors leading the way. Take a look outside Allegheny County, and you’ll find even more Black mayors in Beaver County and Lawrence County. Over the next four weeks, the New Pittsburgh Courier will spotlight some of these mayors, who seem poised and at the ready to make a profound impact on their communities. This week, we shine the spotlight on Homestead’s first Black mayor, John Burwell. Read the story from our own Karen Harris Brooks on Page A6.

New Castle native Chandi Chapman named weekend evening anchor at WTAE-TV Was Courier ‘Woman of Excellence’ in 2021

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

CHANDI CHAPMAN

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It’s not uncommon for an intern to make a good first impression at their place of employment.

But former WTAE-TV (4) news director Bob Longo had to meet and greet Chandi Chapman, at the time a senior in college just looking for a snack in the WTAE lunchroom.

“He said to me, ‘Are you the intern that just wrote a package on the first day?’”

Chapman recalled to the New Pittsburgh Courier.

In a bit of a shy manner, Chapman answered in the affirmative.

“He was like, ‘Wow! OK,” she remembered.

Chapman, then a senior at the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg, spent her first day as a WTAE intern heading out to report on a story, which includes getting “sound on tape,” video, writing a script, speaking it into a microphone, and then editing it all together into a “package” that can be aired on TV. Interns usually don’t do all that on the first day.

But Chapman described herself to the Courier as “assertive,” “ambitious” and a person who “gets the job done.”

Today, Chapman is the solo weekend evening anchor for WTAE, a position that was announced in late January in congruence with other anchor roles at the station.

In the local TV news field, one has to have a certain level of tenacity and “stick with it” to move up in the ranks. For Chapman, that was no different. Upon graduation from New Castle High School and Pitt-Greensburg, Chap-

COURIER IN DEPTH man worked as a desk assistant for WTAE, doing everything from running the assignment desk to producing newscasts.

Wanting to be on the air,

she left WTAE for nearby WYTV-TV in Youngstown, where she got her first taste of being in front of the camera as a reporter.

Chapman then headed to WTOV-TV in Steubenville, where she got her first chance to be an anchor, along with reporting in the field. Myrtle Beach, S.C., was the next stop for Chapman, where she received numerous promotions and became the weekday anchor for WMBF-TV’s station’s 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. newscasts. Chapman then dominated mornings at WTVM-TV in Columbus, Ga., before heading back to Pennsylvania to work at independent station WFMZ-TV, which penetrated the Philadelphia TV market.

In 2017, current WTAE news director Jim Parsons SEE CHAPMAN A7

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Desegregating blood: A civil rights struggle to remember

by Thomas A Guglielmo Associate Professor of American Studies, George Washington University

In December 1941, a few days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II, a Detroit mother named Sylvia Tucker visited her local Red Cross donor center to give blood.

Having heard the “soul-stirring” appeals for blood donors on her radio, she was determined to do her part. But when she arrived at the center, the supervisor turned her away.

“Orders from the National Offices,” he explained, “barred Negro blood donors at this time.”

“Shocked” and “grieved,” Tucker left in tears, later penning a letter of protest about the whole ordeal to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Today, this discriminatory blood program and African Americans’ determined opposition to it are long forgotten, despite the fact that a few scholars, including Spencie Love, Susan E. Lederer, Sarah E. Chinn, and myself, have explored the topic.

Analysis of the world, from experts This history is worth remembering. It provides an antidote to facile, feel-good stories about the “Good War,” stories that scholars such as Michael C.C. Adams and Kenneth D. Rose have long refuted but that live on in museum exhibits, blockbuster films, best-selling books and war memorials.

The story of how blood got desegregated also reminds Americans that, as novelist Ralph Ellison wrote nearly a half-century ago, “The Black American … puts pressure upon the nation to live up to its ideals.”

Historian Robin D.G. Kelley puts it more broadly: “The marginal and excluded have done the most to make democracy work in America.”

In an age of resurgent racism, Ellison’s and Kelley’s

SICILY, 1943: Whose blood was this U.S. soldier getting? NARA

CHARLES DREW (1904-1950) Howard University. Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.

words are especially important and timely.

‘A tremendous thing’ The Red Cross Blood Donor Program began in early 1941—and went on to collect blood from millions of Americans that the military shipped to soldiers fighting overseas.

“If I could reach all America,” asserted General Dwight D. Eisenhower at the end of the war, “there is one thing I would like to do—thank them for blood plasma and whole blood.

It has been a tremendous thing.”

Tremendous indeed: The blood program saved many lives. But it also initially excluded African American donors like Sylvia Tucker.

When it did accept them, in January 1942, it did so on a segregated basis.

Never mind that scientists saw no relationship between race and blood and that one of the world’s leading authorities on blood banking at the time, and the director of the Red Cross’s pilot blood program, was an African American scientist named Dr. Charles Drew. Never mind that Nazi Germany had its own Aryan-only blood policy or that America’s principal rhetorical war aims concerned democracy and freedom.

To what extent military commanders segregated blood in the field was, during the war and afterwards, a matter of some debate. Officially, at least, the distinction between bloods remained in place for years.

It was not until 1950 that the Red Cross stopped requiring the segregation of so-called Negro blood. And it was not until the late 1960s and early 1970s that Southern states such as Arkansas and Louisiana overturned similar requirements.

A forgotten civil rights struggle In one internal memorandum, the Red Cross called its donor program democratic, since “the point of view of the majority … ”— which its leaders assumed demanded blood segregation—“must be taken into account in a democracy.”

But many Blacks and their allies had a very different idea about democracy, one that required all citizens be treated equally and without regard to race. They fought tirelessly throughout the war years to make that idea a reality, not simply in the military, in the workplace and in Hollywood films but also in the blood program.

These many battles constituted a nascent, surging, and, today, too-often-overlooked civil rights struggle that helped pave the way for the more famous movement of the postwar years.

Nearly all the major civil rights organizations of the day, including the Na-

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tional Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the March on Washington Movement and even the upstart Committee (later, Congress) of Racial Equality, made changing blood policy a top priority. One statement from a group of the nation’s most prominent Black leaders put it this way: “In justice to what we know to be the practically unanimous sentiment among Negroes in America, we affirm the need for alteration of the segregated blood plasma policy.”

Black newspapers, enormously popular and important at time, also protested blood segregation and exclusion, regularly featuring front-page stories, boldface headlines and blistering editorials on the subject.

In January 1942, for example, the African American weekly the Cleveland Call and Post published an “editorial in rhyme”: “The cross of Red, that burned so bright In fire, storm and flood Is now the crooked Nazi sign That spurns a Negro blood!”

Wide-ranging activists Activism on this issue extended well beyond these traditional places.

Labor unions, Christian and Jewish groups, local interracial committees, scientific organizations and the New Jersey State Legislature all spoke out against blood segregation.

The Communist Party of Cuyahoga County in Ohio held a rally of 3,500 people, condemning blood policy as “Barbarian Hitlerism.”

An interracial group of precocious junior high schoolers at Harlem’s Public School 43 tested (with the help of their science teachers) the blood of a Black student and of a White student. Finding no difference, they wrote an article in the school paper, made and distributed hundreds of posters, and held a public meeting—all in opposition to the Red Cross policy.

The most widespread form of protest, however, came from thousands of ordinary African Americans who refused to donate blood and money to the Red Cross.

While roughly 10 percent of the U.S. population at the time, Blacks made up less than 1 percent of all blood donors.

African Americans contributed generously to the Treasury Department’s Defense Bonds: It is not a lack of patriotism that explains their halfhearted response to blood drives. The reason was a determined opposition to race-based exclusion and segregation.

Expressing these feelings best was a high school student from Cleveland named Geraldyne Ghess. Her poem appeared in the local Black newspaper: Had I wealth, I’d burn it all; Not one cent for the Red Cross call.

Our money is good … our blood is bad.

But, still that shouldn’t make us mad.

Are they afraid they’ll all turn Black?

Is that why our blood they lack?

Their skins are white as snow … it’s well.

Their souls are tarnished, black as hell.

In the end, this wide-ranging activism may have failed to democratize the blood program fully—at least during the war.

But African Americans did—in the end—force the Red Cross to include them as donors.

Full-fledged integration, which took a few more years, owed everything to their work.

(Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a story originally published Feb. 12, 2015.)

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

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African American students well-represented in Junior Achievement’s inaugural ‘18 Under Eighteen’

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

The mission of the worldwide organization Junior Achievement is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

The organization’s local chapter, Junior Achievement of Western Pa., has caused quite a

have gone through so many changes over the past two years thanks to the COVID pandemic.

They’ve missed in-person school sessions, graduations, proms, even caught COVID in some cases, but still, many youths have persevered.

“We wanted to create this community of like-minded kids and

CYNTHIA TORRENCE buzz around town lately, thanks to its first-ever “18 Under Eighteen” awards ceremony which takes place, Feb. 22, at the National Aviary, on the North Side.

Billboards throughout the region have been showcasing 18 students in high school or below who have achieved their fair share of accomplish-

also showcase this treasure of talent, of resources that we have,” Matamoros said, adding that there will be a second edition of JA’s “18 Under Eighteen” in 2023.

“We wanted to be that organization that showcases more off-the-field (achievements), because that’s where the majority of people will spend their

ISIAH DAVIS ments already.

Patrice Matamoros, the local chapter’s president, told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview, Feb. 11, that young people

time in life...really let people know that there’s talent here, and also connect that talent to opportunity in the region.”

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Matamoros said it’s imperative that Pittsburgh-area students find career opportunities after college in the region, rather than going away to college and finding opportunities elsewhere.

“Junior Achievement’s all about creating a pipeline to next-generation workforce, as well as career pathways,” she said.

Of the 18 students being honored, seven are African American. They include: Makayla Alaquiva, 10, an avid learner of sign language who used her passion to inspire and amplify the voices of those who are deaf or with disabilities during the social unrest of 2020.

She is also a leader of

were policies at her school which were racially-biased. She then offered her vision for change in the school’s curriculum, including teacher training; Ryleigh Mackenzie Tardy, 13, who started a business, Kenz N’ Co., a line of school supplies which showcases positive images and phrases of African Americans. She also founded Girls With Goals, a mentoring club in her school that helps younger girls navigate the school experience; Cynthia Torrence, 17, founder of her own tropical beverage company, NIU by TALLS, LLC. She’s also an AmeriCorps Service Volunteer mentoring underserved preschool students; and Naomi Zenmon, 17, al-

JASMINE DEBRUCE

her school’s “No Place For Hate” committee and assists the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank by filming cooking sessions and commercials for lo-

ready an inductee into the National Honors Society for Dance Arts. One of her choreographed pieces that spoke to the heightened racial and

MAKAYLA ALAQUIVA cal TV stations; Isiah Davis, 18, who created the clothing brand 1WayOut with his brother. Davis said his message is that people don’t have to stay where they are, they can work hard and find a way out to somewhere else they want to be; Jasmine DeBruce, 17, who introduced the first Black Student Union to Shady Side Academy’s middle school, and is the current president of her high school’s Black Student Union; Morgan McCray, 15, who, as an eighth-grader, felt there

social injustices since the George Floyd death earned her national recognition.

Other awardees include: Zachary Betz; Griffin Hurt; Elizabeth Kott; Anne Lindsay; Isabella Murano; Rocco Otto; Susannah Poese; James Swift; Braden Thomas; Yoshna Venkataraman; and Isabella Walsh.

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RYLEIGH MACKENZIE TARDY

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Homestead—A place where ‘everybody knew your name’ JOHN BURWELL BECOMES FIRST BLACK MAYOR OF HOMESTEAD

by Karen Harris Brooks For New Pittsburgh Courier

“Everybody knew your name,” stated John Burwell, newly elected mayor of the Steel Valley town of Homestead.

That memory reflects a vivid remembrance of growing up in a small, close-knit community where everyone knew everyone. “It was big and small, and everybody knew what was going on,” he continued.

While some things have changed over the years, Burwell is on a mission to restore pride and transparency within the municipality. Sworn in on Monday, Jan. 3, the new leader is a catalyst for change, and it is a mission he takes very seriously.

Born and raised in the small hometown, Burwell is a man who loves challenges. A witness to the competitive nature of his late mother, Wanda, who became the first Black woman elected to the Homestead Borough Council, he developed an enthusiasm for the complex business of the administrative government.

Burwell’s desire for change fueled the spark that encouraged him to enter the political arena, challenging former mayor, Betty Esper, who held the position for decades.

“There was a need for

change. We needed new blood…a freshness. Community, defined, means common. We need to find out what we have in common by going into the streets,” Burwell told the New Pittsburgh Courier.

“To build self-esteem, we need to know what is affecting our residents, our property values, and our school system. We need to know what is going on in our community to understand the population and work to make life better.”

Making history in his own right, Burwell, upon becoming the first African American mayor of the historical steel capital, is already moving to make changes. Transparent, honest, and outspoken, his calm demeanor outlines a determined spirit of renewal as he takes on the leadership role.

Candid and self-assured, Burwell is confident that “trust will be restored throughout the community.” High on his docket is making “policy an integral part of the police department, providing a safe place for residents and ensuring them they have a voice that is being heard. That same transparency and trust,” he adamantly said, “will touch every department that serves this community.”

His vision includes “highlighting the good things about the town by letting people know how

HOMESTEAD MAYOR JOHN BURWELL WITH WIFE, ANGIE (PHOTO BY DAYNA DELGADO) centralized we are within the city of Pittsburgh.”

While reflecting on the rich history of the borough’s charm, character and uniqueness, Burwell has his heart set on renovations and renewal to bring Homestead

back to an active business district. Through technology, renewal and new business ventures, his foresight brings inspiration to the locality.

His focus on abandoned homes and blighted properties throughout

Homestead will elevate the pride of lifelong residents and incoming newcomers seeking a place to call home.

Burwell’s desire to inspire progressive innovation is on the move as he reaches out to established businesses and incoming enterprises that are beginning to make gains in the commercial district. He has already instilled a roundtable meeting with the owners of local establishments, where new ideas, support and encouragement are exchanged. His vision includes the initiation of a Junior Council, training young leaders of today to become the leaders of tomorrow, thereby ensuring continuous future growth. His strategy extends to The Waterfront shopping mall, where he desires to create regular contact and encourage joint interaction with the communities that have supported the center since 1999.

Burwell is no novice to community involvement.

For 13 years, he worked as a child development specialist for UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh—Braddock Family Care Connection.

He’s currently the community program specialist for Family Care Connection, working with communities such as Braddock, Rankin, the Hilltop, Lawrenceville, Penn Hills and Turtle Creek.

Serving as an associate minister at the Second Baptist Church of Homestead, Burwell, the talented musician, is also the church’s Minister of Music. His love for the arts extends to the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry of Pittsburgh.

For the past 16 years, Burwell has worked as the Instructor of Sacred and Gospel Music at the Geneva College affiliate.

Idle time is not in the vocabulary of Burwell, who has also served as the music director of Pittsburgh’s Chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America (G.M.W.A.) for the past 20 years. True to himself, he possesses a vast knowledge of African American history that he willingly shares.

Burwell, who is married to Angie and is father to Tyler, Terrell and Travis, has an open-door policy, allowing a clear pathway of communication. With the energy he owns, he is ready to face the challenges, his commitment will reach the masses, and his dedication will bring about the restoration of pride within the community he loves…a place where everybody knows his name.

RELIGION/METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

- Deuteronomy 29:29 REV. WALKER SAYS: There are some secret things that belong to God alone. We have more than enough for us to learn and share with our families and others. Especially the Salvation message of our Lord

mentioned to Chapman that a reporter position was open at the station.

Chapman said it was the right time to return to her hometown region, as she was pregnant with her son at the time. In October 2017, Chapman officially joined the WTAE family for the second time, and it didn’t take long for her to rack up some Mid-Atlantic Regional Emmy Awards. In 2018, Chapman and WTAE producer Mary Davies claimed the Team Coverage Award for “Search for a Killer,” and won the Weather— News Single Story or Series Award for “February Tornado” with former re-

the station was looking for the right 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. weekend anchor. Viewers mentioned how Chapman was a “calming voice” on the anchor desk, and that they feel like she’s talking to them. Chapman said Parsons mentioned she has a “unique anchor style that is sincere.”

“I’m just so happy that people pick up on that, that I’m not fake,” Chapman added.

As WTAE’s weekend evening anchor, Chapman will be the face of the station following some notable ABC programming in the near future, including the Academy Awards (Sunday night, March 27) and the NBA Finals.

And she’s doing this as the only Black woman on local news in that time slot. WPXI-TV (11) features Ryan Houston as its weekend evening anchor, and for KDKA-TV (2), it’s station staple John Shumway.

Chapman told the Courier she is proud to be a person that other young people, especially Black girls, can look up to, in her hometown region. She used to be that young girl, looking up to Black women television figures like Lynne Hayes-Freeland (KDKA), Patrice King Brown (KDKA) and Darieth Chisolm (WPXI).

Chapman also felt blessed to be honored as a Courier “Woman of Ex-

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New Castle native Chandi Chapman named weekend evening anchor at WTAE-TV porter David Kaplan and chief meteorologist Mike Harvey.

Chapman has been seen

by Pittsburgh-area viewers covering stories in a reporter role for the past four years, but anchoring is something that brings her even more joy.

With anchoring, “I know that I can tell a variety of stories and I’m talking directly to you,” she told the Courier in an exclusive interview. “I love reporting, but I’m reporting one story on that day; on the anchor desk, you just get a wide variety and I can show my personality.”

Chapman had been a fill-in anchor over the past few years, but she jumped at the opportunity when

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and Savior Jesus Christ.

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cellence” in December 2021, where 50 Black women were honored for their achievements in the Pittsburgh area. It’s the largest celebration of Pittsburgh-area Black women of its kind.

“My cheeks are still hurting from smiling,” Chapman said. “To be in the same room with the other women...that was amazing because I love the news, but that’s the reason I love the news, because I can give information to people, to the community. To be honored for something that impacts the community directly, that was very special for me.”

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

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How did Aaron Donald not win the MVP? He’s superhuman! :10—The answer to the question became abundantly clear this past Sunday night at Super Bowl LVI as Aaron Donald put on a show that can only be described as superhuman.

You think that’s overstated, do ya? Well, you tell me what you call a man who moved a mountain of a man that had 6 inches and 75-plus pounds on him like he was lawn furniture. And if that wasn’t enough, show me the film where someone else grabbed a grown man with one arm while sandwiched between two other grown men, while falling down, and just hold in place so couldn’t pick up one more yard. One yard...

C’mon man, who does that?

That’s right, two people, Superman and Aaron Donald. And that’s not counting the rest of his amazing performance. Eight quarterback hurries, two sacks

and overall shock-and-awe in the backfield while being double- and triple-teamed! :09—All that being said, and you knew that was coming, the MVP of the Super Bowl should have been Aaron Donald and not Cooper Kupp. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all about Cooper. He’s legit and is the reboot of the great Lance Alworth but come on people, what we saw was a great defensive game won by the better defensive team led by the best player in the stadium. Period. End of discussion. :08—Stay with me a little longer. You city folks know I’m not letting you out the back door without hearing this... Penn Hills, baby!!!

You know how we do! (Sorry, my bad, let me show a little humility.) :07—Last word. With that dominant showing it puts Aaron Donald in a

select group of legendary defensive superstars. #1 Joe Greene #2 - Lawrence Taylor #3 - Reggie White

No. 1. You got the cars... ride them into the stadium and ‘jack ‘em up!’ No. 2. Sing the hits mannnn...

Overtime

Bill Neal #4 - Mel Blount #5 - Deion Sanders. You can do your own list but this one is the absolute right one. HooRah! :06—I know I fit into a certain demographic but I know I am not the only one. The halftime show didn’t deliver. I give it a “C” at best. And here’s why.

the classics. People want the hits. No. 3. Will the real Slim Shady please stand up, please stand up? (now you feel me?) No. 4. I swear I am not a hater but Mary J., you can’t wear that outfit no more. Two years ago maybe but not now. (I am sorry, please don’t hit me) No. 5. Prince singing “Pur-

ple Rain” in the rain... now that’s a halftime show...

Best ever!... I am just saying. :05—OK, about Matthew Stafford going into the football Hall of Fame tomorrow morning? Slow your roll. Do these names ring a bell...Nick Foles (Philly Eagles), Jim McMahon (Chicago Bears), Mark Rypien (Washington Commanders), and Trent Dilfer (Baltimore Ravens), all won the Super Bowl. The only way they’re getting in the Hall of Fame is if they buy a ticket. :04—Yeah, I saw Jennifer, aka J-Lo, in the stands with Ben. Hey, I am so over it. She’s gone... Good! I am sick of her back and forth...

And the attitude? Please!

As far as I am concerned, what we had together never happened. (I am sorry, I guess it hurts more than I thought.)

:03—All in all Cincinnati showed up and represented well. But they are the Bungles after all. One question.

Why did they stop running the ball? It was working for them. Joe “Cool” Burrow, you came, you saw, you did your thing. I suspect you’ll be back but I’d check with Dan Marino about that.

Tyler Boyd, you went from Clairton to the Super Bowl.

Congratulations young man, you represented the Mon Valley well. :02—Hats off to Mickey Guyton, she delivered big time with the national anthem. Black Country & Western superstar didn’t miss a note. No, it wasn’t Whitney but who is? By the way, you people (that’s right I said you people) keep forgetting about Marvin Gaye’s performance!! :01—Worst commercials ever. I am just saying. :00—GAME OVER.

The smokescreen of racism Super Bowl LVI was just played and it was a great game. Thank God that there were no Black head coaches to profile, because that almost always assures that the commentary from the game’s announcers for the most part would be positive.

The underlying storyline for the game was the racially insensitive practices regarding the miniscule numbers regarding the employment or should I say the non-employment of Black coaches, being chosen to fill vacant head coaching positions of the NFL. Was it a mere coincidence that the NFL chose this particular Super Bowl to feature the hiphop genre of music?

Was the choice of performers prompted by the fact that many of the successful hip-hop performers and their fan base are from urban and inner-city environments? One could also theorize that at this juncture in history the public relations fiasco regarding failed attempts at creating racial equity has dogged the NFL because of the decision of ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick to take a “knee” when the National Anthem was played or sung before the game rather than to continue

to sit on the sidelines and witness the unjustified murders and incarceration of people of color.

The acid and race-based attacks on the patriotism of Kaepernick’s efforts were relentless and continue to be led to this day by the former president of the United States, Donald J. Trumpf (the authentic spelling of his name, not Trump) and his disciples.

Does anyone consider these observations false?

If so would you care to explain to me and to the world how a president of these United States insisted that the NFL terminate any player that refused to stand for the playing of the national anthem while simultaneously sanctioning and inciting villains and domestic terrorists to pillage, burn and desecrate the sacred ground of the United States Capitol while refusing to give an executive order to cease and desist their acts of violence instigated by him in a failed attempt to overturn a legal election to retain power?

No Black, White or Brown NFL player that took a knee before an NFL game was part of “Team Trump” on Jan. 6, 2021.

These thugs didn’t take a knee...these “trained and

domesticated terrorists” were led by “agent orange” to take the United States Capitol and in the process void the United States Constitution.

To most of the Black demographic, the entertainment presented during the intermission of this year’s Super Bowl was all that and a bag of “poker chips” but if you peel back the layers, you may

If you take a poll of how many White Americans over the age of 55 like or listen to hip-hop, out of 1,000 respondents I can almost guarantee it will be less than 50 that will offer a positive review. Presenting almost any form of modern urban entertainment reinforces the notion as to why Blacks should not ascend to positions of power in the NFL. Many

Inside Conditions

Aubrey Bruce discover the performance may have been just a covert distraction to kick off a new greasy, slick and back alley public relations campaign initiated by the NFL. The powers-that-be may again be in the process of reconfiguring and refining their past and present policies to disenfranchise the efforts of people of color to evolve and advance in their rigid and Eurocentric systemically racist system.

people criticize the effectiveness of the “Rooney Rule.” Let’s not forget if not for the “Rooney Rule,” there would be no rule at all.

That powers-that-be will always attempt to rewrite history. They will almost always try to sculpture the “clay” of truth into a statuette of lies and harden those lies by casting the perverted object into the fiery furnace of deceit: making sure that the final

product is hardened and totally unrecognizable from the original piece.

For example, let’s take a look back at the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott spearheaded by Ms. Rosa Parks. The protest began on Dec. 5, 1955 and concluded on December 20, 1956. For decades this important event was regarded as the first historically important and so-called relevant African American demonstration against racial segregation. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was far from the first African American citizens to refuse to bow under American apartheid.

On July 6, 1944, eleven years before the Montgomery Bus Boycott and protest initiated by Rosa Parks, and three years before his major league baseball debut, Major League Baseball great and pioneer Jackie Robinson refused to move to the back of a military bus he was riding in, when directed to do so by the White driver. Robinson later wrote: “The Army recently issued orders that there is to be no more racial segregation on any Army post. This is an Army bus operating on an Army post.”

Robinson was later court marshaled and acquitted.

Jackie Robinson would have never had the support that Ms. Parks received regarding his quest for social equality in his workplace. Why? Well with the wound of World War II still fresh and open, no group of African Americans would be permitted to get close to any United States Army base regarding any form of protest, passive or not.

We must also never forget the murder of Emmett Louis Till. Till died for violating the ear space of a White woman with a mere whistle. Professor Clenora Hudson-Weems said many years ago: “Emmett Till’s murder was the authentic beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.”

There are many Black scholars, including yours truly, that are in concert with dogma created by Professor Hudson-Weems.

However, many Black athletes that are married or in a relationship with a White person may oftentimes be viewed as a badge of honor.

So, whether situations occur in the present or the future, people of color must not allow the prospect of money to create a tolerance regarding the deeds of inhumanity and injustice endured by any race, age or gender.

Uncover the history in your attic Black History Month virtual workshop unveils oral histories August Wilson House’s Your Story Matters project presents “Uncovering the History in Your Attic,” Thursday, Feb. 24. The virtual event is from 6-8 pm.

The Black History Month program will feature two components. The first is an unveiling of a collection of oral histories done of residents, teachers, activists, artists, and others who have ties to the Hill District. The histories and multimedia projects were done in collaboration with local writers and photographers, and with University of Pittsburgh students who are part of the Digital Narrative and Interactive Design class taught by Dr. Jessica FitzPatrick.

Your Story Matters is an initiative that is part of August Wilson House’s community outreach. It

is designed to inspire and educate Hill residents, and others, to use oral histories as a tool for documenting family ancestry and history. The collection of oral histories will become a part of August Wilson House’s archives and be used by researchers, families, or others interested in knowing the history of the Hill and its people.

Ervin Dyer, an August Wilson House board member who coordinates Your Story Matters, said that oral histories help to “unsilence” the broad social, economic, political, and family dynamics that were – and remain – a part of Hill District life and history.

“Unfortunately, too often African American stories are devalued. We hope this workshop will show participants the value of

working to preserve their families’ history.”

The students’ multimedia projects are also designed to give families a sense of how creative and vibrant the oral histories and storytelling can be.

The second component

will feature a workshop on preserving and telling histories through family artifacts. It will be led

by Monica Haynes, an award-winning writer and amateur genealogist, who has been researching her family history for more

than 20 years.

Her workshop, “What’s In The Box?” will explore how family trinkets and other material treasures can help participants uncover family stories.

“Every find doesn’t have to be something worthy of

‘The Antique Road Show,’” she said, “but seemingly insignificant items can help tell the story of a family or ancestor.”

She believes every family should know the stories behind how they came to be.

The program is done in partnership with Pitt’s Hill District Community Engagement Center.

August Wilson House is a community arts center that will live in the restored Hill District home where the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, August Wilson, was born and lived the first part of his life. The center is scheduled to open in 2022.

To register for the free virtual workshop event on Feb. 24, email Dyer at edyer@pitt.edu.

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How did Pittsburgh’s oldest Black church form?

What was its role in the Underground Railroad and fighting slavery?

REV. DALE SNYDER, current pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Hill District, and other local clergy lead worship together at a service on June 19, 2021. The service took place in a parking lot where the church once stood before it was demolished in the 1950s. Bethel is the oldest Black church in Pittsburgh, founded in 1808. (Photo by Quinn Glabicki/PublicSource)

WORSHIPPERS raise their hands in the air during an outdoor worship service where Bethel AME Church used to be located. In the 1950s, Bethel’s building in the Lower Hill District was torn down as “blight,” and the church was forced to relocate. On June 19, 2021, they returned to their church’s former home for a worship service that featured voices from Bethel, neighboring congregations and the Penguins. (Photo by Quinn Glabicki/PublicSource)

by Chris Hedlin PublicSource

In 1808, the story goes, people of African descent established the first Black Protestant congregation in Pittsburgh—what would later become the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in the Hill District.

The exact year of origin is hard to know, said Jamaal Craig, a community activist and civil rights historian. When it comes to early Black American history, written records often lag behind the actual “things in motion.”

Who were these early Black Protestants, and how did they establish the Bethel AME Church?

The answers to those questions have everything to do with slave laws and pursuits of freedom.

In 1808, slavery was still legal in Pennsylvania to an extent. The Gradual Abolition Act of 1780 declared that any enslaved person born before March 1, 1780, would stay enslaved for life. Anyone born after 1780 would serve a 28year period of indentured servitude and then be freed. The last enslaved people in Pennsylvania weren’t freed until 1847.

Pennsylvania’s laws were still more progressive than many neighboring states. This was thanks in large part to Pennsylvania’s large number of Quakers, who were steadfastly against slavery.

Virginia and Maryland to the south were slaveholding states. Although Ohio entered the Union as free territory, it had “Black codes” that prohibited many people of African descent from settling there. (For example, hopeful residents had to pay a $500 bond upon their arrival.)

For this reason, between about 1800 and the Civil War, Pennsylvania—and Pittsburgh in particular, because of its westward location —became a refuge for self-liberating peo-

nities, guided by their own understandings of the Bible.

Although literacy rates in these communities could be low, particularly among formerly enslaved people coming from the South, many members knew portions of the Bible by heart and were sophisticated, devoted interpreters of Scripture. To form their own congregations was a means of asserting their freedom and autonomy in an oppressive society.

This was the character of Pittsburgh’s first Black faith community. When it began, it wasn’t affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal [AME] Church or any denomination. It was called simply the “colored church,” Black said, and it met out of people’s homes.

There were likely about a dozen members.

Meeting out of homes was a necessity, Craig said. After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which allowed enslavers to hunt freedom seekers anywhere in the United States, people of African descent in Pittsburgh couldn’t trust that they were safe.

“Why would they have structures?” he said.

A Black congregation meeting in a designated

“The African Methodist Episcopal Church by its very birth was revolutionary,” said Samuel W. Black, director of the African American Program at the Heinz History Center. In its early days, Bethel AME was involved in anti-slavery movements and the Underground Railroad. It has continued to protest racism and work for justice since. “ ple, freedom seekers and Black children of white enslavers, particularly from Virginia, said Samuel W. Black, director of the African American Program at the Heinz History Center.

By 1808, Pittsburgh’s Black population would have included many of these migrants.

As to their Protestant faiths, there “wasn’t a great deal of personal choice” in that, Black said.

Some Africans arrived in the United States already practicing versions of Christianity, Craig said. Those who weren’t Christian were generally forbidden from practicing their home religions, which included Islam and African faiths like Sufism and Akan.

Whether by force or because it was the only option they saw, many converted to Protestant Christianity. People who were enslaved often followed the faith of their enslavers, Black said. People who were freed often followed the dominant faith of wherever they lived.

In Pittsburgh, that meant people of African descent were often Methodist or Presbyterian. Those who migrated from Virginia were sometimes Episcopalian. The early records of Pittsburgh’s Methodist society show that it included both White and Black members, said David Grinnell, archivist for the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Yet there were some Black Protestants who did not affiliate with any of the predominantly White denominations they saw around them. They created their own faith commu-

church building would make them “targets.”

The congregation’s official affiliation with the AME Church began about 10 years later.

The AME Church started in Philadelphia.

At the time, Philadelphia was the second largest city in the United States and hada large Black population and anti-slavery society.

Many leaders of the anti-slavery society, including AME founders Richard Allen and Absalom Jones, were Methodists. After facing discrimination in the local Methodist Episcopal church—being pulled off their knees while praying, being segregated in the balcony— they decided to form their own congregation.

They created Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia in 1794.

News of the event spread fast. Other churches, including Pittsburgh’s independent “colored church,” began to identify with the tradition.

When the AME Church became an official denomination in 1816, these formerly unaffiliated congregations were ready to sign on. In 1818, Pittsburgh’s first Black church became Bethel AME, named after “Mother Bethel” in Philadelphia.

(If it feels like there are a lot of Bethel AME’s in the region, that’s for good reason, Black explained. Most AME churches established in the Northeast at the time shared the name.)

A lot of anti-slavery advocates were members of the AME Church, and a lot of AME church members were leaders in the region’s anti-slavery networks. It was impossible to separate their growth or activism from one

HISTORIC PHOTO of Bethel AME Church, a large, Romanesque-style cathedral, amid demolition. A crane hovers over the building, and a few construction workers stand in front. “Demolition of Bethel AME Church, Wylie Avenue and Elm Street, Lower Hill District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1957.” (Photo by Charles ‘Teenie’ Harris/Carnegie Museum of Art/Getty Images) another. (Interestingly, many were also members of the Prince Hall Freemasons, Black added.)

“The African Methodist Episcopal Church by its very birth was revolutionary and was anti-slavery,” Black said.

In Pittsburgh, that meant Bethel AME was a stop on the Underground Railroad. It meant Bethel was the site of Pittsburgh’s first school for Black students, founded in 1831. A hundred some years later, it meant Bethel was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, holding community forums on police brutality and

protesting the razing of the Hill District, including their own church building, to build the Civic Arena. The social and the spiritual always went hand in hand.

“They were determined to put God first,” Black said. “Everything else was a manifestation of God’s word.”

(Chris Hedlin is PublicSource’s faith and religion reporter. She can be reached at chris@ publicsource.org or on Twitter @ChristineHedlin.)

This story was fact-checked by Abigail Nemec-Merwede.

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Cicely was young, Black and enslaved – her death during an epidemic in 1714 has lessons that resonate in today’s pandemic

by Nicole S. Maskiell University of South Carolina

What I believe to be the oldest surviving gravestone for a Black person in the Americas memorializes an enslaved teenager named Cicely.

Cicely’s body is interred across from Harvard’s Johnston Gate in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She died in 1714 during a measles epidemic brought to the college by a student after the summer recess of 1713. Another tombstone in the same burial ground remembers Jane, an enslaved woman who died in 1741 during an outbreak of diphtheria, or “throat distemper.”

When diseases struck in the Colonial era, many city residents fled to the safety of the country. Poor and enslaved people, like Jane and Cicely – the essential frontline workers of the time – stayed behind.

Why were Cicely and Jane memorialized when so many other enslaved people were not? The archival record doesn’t provide a clear answer, but the question of who should be remembered with monuments and commemorations is timely.

Throughout the United States, as COVID-19 affects frontline workers and communities of color far more than other demographic groups, and protesters agitate for racial justice, American society is wrestling with its racial memory and judging which monuments and memorials deserve a place.

Against this backdrop, I believe it’s important to look back at how a few marginalized and oppressed people who served on the front lines of prior epidemics have been treated and remembered. After all, those whom society chooses to memorialize reflect what accomplishments – honorable or horrific – society values.

Unsung sacrifices The lives, labor and sacrifices of women and girls of color have been overlooked for centuries. Of the 3.5 million books in Widener Library – the centerpiece of Harvard’s vast library system – I found that not one was devoted to Cicely or Jane, and few focus on women like them.

For early-American historians of Northern slavery like me, such fragmentary and untold stories are both intriguing and challenging. But this particular story was also personal, because when I first stumbled on Cicely’s tombstone, I was also a Black teen.

I was a sophomore studying history at

EARLY DEATH — A grave marker for an enslaved woman named Jane uses the archaic ‘1740/1’ Julian calendar notation to denote her death in early 1741. Nicole Maskiell, CC BY-ND Harvard when I came upon the headstone while wandering in the Colonial-era graveyard adjacent to campus. It had a carving of a death’s head on top and winding vines down the sides. It was both ordinary and extraordinary – it looked like other tombstones in the graveyard, but this one memo-

Jane’s lives.

Jane’s enslaver kept a diary that provided some details about her life, but I found little written about Cicely beyond her adult baptismal record, dated just two months before her death.

Racial unrest and disease

Cicely’s and Jane’s lives mattered outside of the value they provided to their enslavers. In a time of disease and racial unrest that echoes the experiences of generations past, the lives of oppressed people like Cicely and Jane are worthy of remembrance. rialized a young Black girl.

I wondered about Cicely. She most likely did domestic work in and around Harvard, as her enslaver was a Cambridge minister and a tutor at the college. But what else did she do during her short life, and why did her enslavers memorialize her with a tombstone? These questions and the mystery of her life inspired me to become a historian.

Over the years, I have been passionate about piecing together fragments of her and

Cicely lived and died during a time of racial unrest and disease. A slave revolt in 1712 in New York City led to several brutal executions and deportations. News of the revolt spread throughout the Colonies, stoking concerns of a wider uprising. Colonists armed themselves in fear.

Slavery existed in every Colony, including the North. At the time of the revolt, the Northern Colonies – from Nova Scotia down to Delaware – were home to around 9,000

enslaved people, representing a third of the enslaved population of the British mainland colonies. New York City had 5,841 residents, of which 975 were held as slaves.

Boston had roughly 400 enslaved people.

Racial unrest was quickly followed by contagion. A measles outbreak the next year followed the same path up the coast as news of the revolt had traveled.

The epidemic started in Newport, Rhode Island, in the summer of 1713 and hit Cambridge, Massachusetts, that September.

It broke out at Harvard before spreading to Boston. More than 400 Bostonians died – about 18% of them people of color – at a time when Black people were only 4% of the total population.

Racial discord and disease continued throughout the Colonial period. Between Cicely and Jane’s deaths in 1714 and 1741, a smallpox crisis gripped Boston, inflaming racial tensions. An enslaved person named Onesimus helped introduce an early form of inoculation called “variolation.” This technique was practiced on both white and Black Bostonians, to the consternation of many. On its heels, a five-year diphtheria outbreak ravaged New England, killing 5,000 people, including Jane.

History repeats Much like today, Colonists received mixed messages during disease outbreaks, with some leaders touting the value of inoculations while others stood fast against them.

As Jane toiled in the shadow of Harvard in 1740, the male landowners of Cambridge held a contentious election that saw very high voter turnout amid a diphtheria epidemic.

History can show us how diseases disproportionately harm vulnerable and marginalized populations; how discord and strife lead to racial antipathy; and how epidemics are managed and mismanaged.

Cicely’s and Jane’s lives mattered outside of the value they provided to their enslavers. In a time of disease and racial unrest that echoes the experiences of generations past, the lives of oppressed people like Cicely and Jane are worthy of remembrance.

Nicole S. Maskiell, Assistant Professor of History Peter and Bonnie McCausland Fellow of History, University of South Carolina This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.ry was factchecked by Abigail Nemec-Merwede.

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Pittsburgh has the lowest percentage of Black-owned businesses

by Kurt Adams For New Pittsburgh Courier

(Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It may not have been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any of our network partners.)

According to a new LendingTree study for Black History Month Fayetteville, N.C., has the highest percentage of Blackowned businesses in the U.S.,. Other metros in the South—including Washington, D.C.—join Fayetteville at the top of the list.

To reach this conclusion, analysts first found the 50 U.S. metros with the most Black-owned businesses. Then, they compared those figures to the total number of businesses within each metro to get the percentage of Black-owned businesses.

Researchers also looked at industries to see where Black-owned small business-

es are most prominent. Here’s what we learned.

Key findings • Just 2.4 percent of U.S. businesses have Black owners, even though Black people represent 12.8 percent of the U.S. population. Meanwhile, 86.5 percent of

which has the seventh-highest Black population among the 50 metros examined —are Black-owned. Washington, D.C. (7.7 percent), Richmond, Va., and Atlanta (both 6.7 percent) follow.

• Pittsburgh has the lowest percentage of Black-owned businesses. Just 1.0 per-

Pittsburgh has the lowest percentage of Black-owned businesses. Just 1.0 percent of businesses in Pittsburgh—which has a bottom-10 Black population—are Black-owned.

U.S. businesses have White owners, despite White people accounting for a lower percentage—72.0 percent—of the U.S. population.

• Fayetteville, N.C., has the highest percentage of Black-owned businesses. 11.2 percent of businesses in Fayetteville—

cent of businesses in Pittsburgh—which has a bottom-10 Black population—are Black-owned. San Diego (1.1 percent) and Providence, R.I., and Seattle (both 1.2 percent) follow.

•Black-owned businesses are more heavily concentrated in the health care

and social assistance and transportation and warehousing industries. 36 percent of Black-owned businesses are in one of these two industries, with health care and social assistance making up the vast majority at 29.5 percent. Overall, 14.7 percent of businesses—regardless of race— are in one of those two industries.

• Black-owned businesses are significantly more likely to be woman-owned than the national average. 35.4 percent of Black-owned businesses are woman-owned, compared with 20.9 percent overall woman-owned businesses.

The U.S. Census Bureau defines business ownership as having more than 50 percent of the stock or equity in the business.

Underrepresentation of Blackowned businesses Although Black people account for 12.8 percent of the total U.S. population, only SEE BLACK-OWNED B2

Tax Season 2022: What you need to know (Black Information Network)—Tax season is upon us and given the economic recovery the country is in, it’s important now more than ever to be in the know.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will begin accepting and processing federal income tax returns on Monday (January 24)—two weeks earlier than previous years. And while theoretically the earlier you get your returns in, the earlier you get your refund, experts suggest making accuracy a priority, especially with a new wave of changes and government benefit programs.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind while gathering your paperwork and getting your taxes completed.

Child Tax Credit According to USA Today, anyone who received the child tax credit should file a Schedule 8812 to claim any additional credit they could be entitled to.

For many households, they should be looking to receiving additional money for the child tax credit, because the ad-

vance tax credit was made to be just just half of what they’re owed.

Between July and December of last year, those who qualified received the advance child tax credit amounting to between $1,500 to $1,8000 per child, depending on the child’s age. So, you could be looking at receiving an additional $1,500 to $1,800 per child once you file a 2021 federal tax return.

Be extra careful when filing out how much money you received in 2021 on

the Schedule 8812, USA Today noted, or else your refund could be delayed.

Also, keep an eye out on a form from the IRS, Letter 6419, which will be needed to account for the money you received last year and what you’re owed on your return.

A married couple filing a joint return will be receiving not one but two Letter 6419 this year, according to April Walker, lead manager for tax practice and ethics of the American Institute of CPAs, told the

outlet. Both of those letters will need to be taken into account and put on the Schedule 8812.

Walker suggested looking at bank accounts and comparing to what the Letter shows you received last year. If something’s off, it could be an error on the IRS’ part. Don’t just put in your number, Walker said. “If you put a different amount on there, it’s going to flag the return,” Walker added.

Anticipating Challenges and Headaches

Families who received the advanced child tax credit should take their time filing out taxes and, if possible, prepare paperwork to take to a professional.

The IRS put up this website to provide more clarity into the new forms needed this year: “Understanding your Letter 6419” You can also check out this 21-page fact sheet from the IRS on the child tax credit by clicking HERE. Unemployment Benefits Unlike last year, there’s

no special tax break on unemployment benefits up to $10,200. In 2021, that tax break only applied for individuals whose modified adjusted gross income was less than $150,000 in 2020 and those who got unemployment benefits last year.

This year, unemployment benefits will be taxable on the 2021 federal income tax return. If you didn’t have taxes withheld from the unemployment benefits, be on the lookout for a higher tax bill than you might have expected.

Important Dates and Resources The federal income tax deadline is April 18, 2022.

If you live in Maine or Massachusetts, the deadline is April 19 because of the observed Patriots Day holiday.

If your gross income is less than $73,000, you may qualify for free online tax software through the IRS’s Free File program.

Local tax professionals and organizations may also be providing free services. Check your local libraries for information.

How much of my income should I allocate to rent/mortgage, cars, emergency and retirement savings?

What percentages of my net pay should I spend on: housing, motor vehicles, emergency savings, and retirement savings per month? ~ Michika Damon says: I like the fact that you referenced the percentage of “Net Pay”. A lot of Banks and Financial Advisors make all of their recommendations and approvals off of gross pay —income you make before taxes and other payroll deductions. When it comes to budgeting, you can only spend, save, and invest according to what’s in your paycheck or your net pay.

Net pay is money received in your paycheck after Uncle Sam pimped you for a portion of your hard earned money. Then you have Health Insurance taking enough out of your paycheck to make you sick among other deductions.

To your question, what percentage of your net income should you spend on housing, cars, emergency and retirement savings? I wrote on this subject years ago. The article is titled “Budget Sculpting”. I encourage you to google Budget Sculpting by Damon Carr.

In the Budget Sculpting article I share precise budget percentage targets for all spending categories. I’m going to take a slightly different approach here. Here, I’m going to focus on the big bills. The bills that take up the bulk of our money. I’m going to put some guardrails in place that will help us avoid making boneheaded decisions when it comes to our money. Making the wrong decisions on these spending categories can cause major financial setbacks.

Housing: Payment on rent or mortgage should never exceed more than 30 percent of Net Pay. In this case, particularly if you’re paying rent, less is more. Less than 30 per-

cent of your take home pay going to housing equals more money in your pocket to spend on other goals and responsibilities. When it comes to purchasing a home, the purchase price should not exceed 3x your annual income. You want to consider 15-year fixed rate mortgages—never take on a term greater than 20-years. 30-year terms are the most commonly held mortgage hense the meaning of the origin of the word mortgage “Death Pledge.”

Cars: Payment on all automobiles should never exceed more than 15 percent of Net Pay. Total value of all cars owned should never exceed 50 percent of annual salary. Never take on a car payment with payment terms longer than 3-years.

Do not purchase a car by way of car leases.

Car leases = Forever Payments. If you’re not wise when it comes to purchasing cars, SUV’s, trucks, boats, or any other vehicle with a motor, you’ll learn the hard way that automobiles can drive you broke.

College: You can send a kid to college but you can’t make him or her think. It’s time to put your thinking on Joe College. The cost of higher education seems to get higher and higher every year.

But starting salaries after you graduate from college remains stagnant. You can’t control the cost of college but you can control how much debt you go into in your effort to obtain your degree. Debt free degree is the optimal way to go by way of scholarships, grants, work study programs, employer tuition reimbursement programs, etc. At all cost, you want to avoid or minimize student loan debt. I’m reminded of a meme that pic-

tured this 100-old man celebrating because he’s accomplished a milestone in his life. He wasn’t celebrating his 100th birthday. He was celebrating making his last student loan payment. If you must take out student loans, do not allow the total amount of student loan debt accumulated during your college days to exceed your anticipated first year’s salary after graduation. How do you know that number? Do some research—aspiring Mr. or Ms. College Student before you sign the loan.

Credit Cards: As my mother used to tell me, “don’t play with plastic! Plastic can smother you!” You’d think most people think that paying double digit interest rates is hazardous to your wealth. Apparently not.

Americans have a love affair with credit cards.

Everyone you meet will say, I pay my balance off in full every month.

Vision me side-eyeing as you read my next words. Sure you do! Let’s assume you do pay your balance off in full every month. Here’s a rhetorical question, why carry a balance every month that needs to be paid? In an effort to encourage you not to get buried in credit card debt, here are some guardrails. Stay away from department store credit cards.

The interest rate on those cards are in the mid-20 percent range. Never carry more than two credit cards with a $2,000 credit each. Never allow the credit card balance to be more than 30 percent of the limit. Therefore, you’ll never have a balance higher than $600 on either card at any given time.

Emergency Fund: Ideally a fully funded emergency fund should be 3-6 months

worth of living expenses. If you’re self employed, single, elderly, or a family with one source of income, you can consider 7-12 months of living expenses in an emergency fund. Anywhere from 3-12 months of expenses stashed away in a savings account earmarked for emergencies sounds good in theory. People are so strapped paying rent, car notes, student loans and credit card bills, there’s no wiggle room in the budget to save for emergencies—hence the guardrails detailed above. As a result, I recommend you first create some wiggle room in your budget by reducing expenses and/or increasing your income. Then create a starter emergency fund of $1,000. From here, you use the wiggle in your budget to accelerate paying down your debt. Once the debt and the corresponding debt payments are out of the way, it’s more practical to save a fully funded emergency fund.

Retirement Savings: When it comes to saving and investing money, use gross income to calculate how much to save. It facilitates saving more money. Ideally you want to save 15 percent of gross income. When you’re trying to pay off debt, saving 15 percent isn’t practical. You do want to get the retirement savings going and growing. If money is tight, start with saving anywhere from 1-3 percent of your income towards retirement. If your company matches your contribution, that’s an extra amount on top of what you’re saving. Each year as you get a pay raise, increase your contribution by 1 percent. Over time, with consistency and focused purpose, you’ll see your debt payments go away and your retirement contribution go to 15 percent and more.

(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached We 412216-1013 or visit his website at www.damonmoneycoach.com)

BUSINESS

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Pittsburgh has the lowest percentage of Black-owned businesses BLACK-OWNED FROM B1

2.4 percent of businesses are Black-owned. This shows that Black-owned businesses are underrepresented relative to their share of the U.S. population.

Going further, a 2021 analysis from the Brookings Institution estimates that roughly 96 percent of Black-owned businesses are sole proprietorships— unincorporated businesses with a single owner. It can be hard for sole proprietors to raise capital, and that’s especially true for Black business owners.

A New York University study published in October 2021 found that during the pandemic, racial disparities impacted the type of lenders from which Black-owned business owners could borrow Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Black business owners, according to the study, were far more likely to get funds from online lenders than small banks because of automated systems without racial biases.

In contrast to Blackowned businesses, 86.5 percent of all businesses are White-owned, despite White people making up only 72.0 percent of the U.S. population.

Look to the South for highest percentages of Black-owned businesses Nine of the top 10 metros with the highest percentage of Black-owned businesses are in the South.

In each of the nine metros, at least 25 percent of the metro’s population is Black.

Metros with the highest percentage of Black-owned businesses Fayetteville, N.C., has the highest percentage of Black-owned businesses among the 50 metros examined at 11.2 percent. Within the metro, Black people make up 33 percent of the population—seventh-highest among the 50 metros.

The metro’s percentage of Black-owned businesses is closest to parity with the

percentage of Black Americans in the U.S. at 12.8 percent.

Washington, D.C., ranks second, with 7.7 percent of the metro’s businesses Black-owned. One-quarter (25 percent) of the population in D.C. is Black, lowest among any of the Southern metros within the top 10—only St. Louis, in the Midwest, is lower at 18 percent.

The Richmond, Va., and Atlanta metros follow closely behind, with Black-owned businesses comprising 6.7 percent of the totals in both regions.

Three in 10 Richmond residents are Black, versus 35 percent in Atlanta— sometimes referenced as the “Black Mecca.”

Where there are fewer Black-owned businesses The 10 metros with the lowest percentage of Black-owned businesses are all below 2 percent.

And they aren’t concentrated in a particular geographic region, ranging from Pittsburgh to San Diego to Seattle to Milwaukee.

A common feature among the bottom 10 is a lower percentage of Black residents relative to the U.S. population. Except for Milwaukee, each of the metros had Black populations below 10 percent. As mentioned earlier, Black people comprise 12.8 percent of the U.S. population, so the places with the fewest Black-owned businesses also have fewer Black residents.

Metros with the lowest percentage of Black-owned businesses Pittsburgh’s Black population, for example, is 8 percent. As the bottom-ranking metro, just 1 percent of its businesses are Black-owned.

The San Diego metro, which has the lowest percentage of Black residents among the 50 examined at 5 percent, ranks 49th for its percentage of Blackowned businesses at 1.1 percent.

(Edited by Dan Pearly Huang)

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NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Broncos’ sale to Robert F. Smith could help NFL begin to solve race problem

by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA NEWSWIRE)— Even before Coach Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the National Football League claiming the league discriminated against Black coaches in their hiring practices, it was pretty clear that professional football has a race issue.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida recently found that, in 2021, around 71 percent of the players in the NFL were people of color, while only a quarter were White.

Yet of the league’s 32 teams, only three head coaches are people of color. And only two team owners are nonWhite: Jacksonville Jaguars’ owner Shahid Kahn is a Pakistani-American and Kim Pegula, a Korean American, is a co-owner of the Buffalo Bills.

In a league whose players are overwhelmingly Black, there needs to be more representation in the front office of people who look like the athletes that take the gridiron each Sunday.

With the Denver Broncos expected to hit the market sometime this off-season, now is probably the best time in the 101-year history of the NFL for the league to have its first Black team owner and to begin to change the plantation mentality that has plagued professional football for decades.

When considering potential buyers of the team,

WHEN CONSIDERING POTENTIAL BUYERS of the Denver Broncos, one name continually rises above the rest: Robert F. Smith. ning and John Elway or Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos).

But what he does have is a long track record of success in the largely White world of investment. He has an ability to see value where others do not, successfully

In a league whose players are overwhelmingly Black, there needs to be more representation in the front office of people who look like the athletes that take the gridiron each Sunday. one name continually rises above the rest: Robert F. Smith.

Smith, the 59-year-old founder of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, whose net worth is estimated to be around $6.7 billion, may not have the star power that other potential buyers do (i.e., former Broncos quarterbacks Peyton Man-

investing in emerging enterprises and quickly making them profitable. Consider, for example, that Vista currently has $86 billion in assets under management.

And the Broncos could certainly use some of Smith’s magic given that the team hasn’t had a winning record since the 2015-16 season

when they won the Super Bowl.

Putting aside Smith’s investing acumen and ability to grow emerging businesses, his up-from-the-bootstraps story and expansive philanthropic work in the Black community would go a long way to changing the make-up of a NFL ownership from its traditional purview of stodgy, old White men.

For one, Smith is a Denver native whose curiosity, intelligence and drive led him to a job with Bell Laboratories when he was just in high school. From there, Smith went on to Cornell and Columbia universities and jobs with Goodyear, Kraft, and Goldman Sachs before founding Vista Equity in 2000.

What his resume shows is that Smith is not afraid of breaking down walls and inserting himself into traditional bastions of whiteness like the Ivy Leagues and private equity. If there is any Black man in America who could take on the

lily-White structure of NFL ownership, it’s Robert Smith.

If the NFL is serious about changing not just its image, but its relationships with its players and fan base, then Smith would also be an ideal partner for the league. He not only talks a big game about racial equity, but he backs it up by putting money where his mouth is.

In 2019, Smith spent $34 million of his own money to settle the loan debt for the nearly 400 students who graduated that spring from Morehouse College. He also donated $20 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the largest by an individual donor to the museum at the time, and he helped found and donated $50 million to the Student Freedom Initiative, which aims to relieve the financial burdens on minority college students.

Through Vista, Smith has also spearheaded the Southern Communities Initiative, a consortium of companies working to address problems facing communities of color in the South, where almost 60 percent of all Black Americans live. Through the SCI, Smith hopes to tackle pressing issues like substandard education and workforce development opportunities, housing and healthcare inequalities, the digital divide, limited access to capital, and physical infrastructure failures in these communities.

In an argument about integrating professional football, Black activist and journalist Halley Harding wrote in the Los Angeles Tribune in 1941 that “most persons, corporations or businesses almost always forget the people or incidents that made them big.”

Harding added: “This story is about a great American sport [football] that took all the aid the colored American could give and then as soon as it became ‘big league,’ promptly put a bar up against the very backbone of its existence.”

These words could just as aptly be applied to the NFL today as they did back in the 1940s. But now, as America once again reexamines its turbulent past when it comes to race, the NFL probably has its best chance in years to right a glaring gap in its leadership when it comes to the Broncos. And if there is anyone who can fill that gap, it’s Robert Smith.

(Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is President and CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association)

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

B3

Discomfort

Guest Commentary

Closing the American mind

by Dr. Yaounde Olu People have been talking about the shift in the U.S. toward right wing conservatism and a move toward opposing certain educational ideas. This is especially true as it relates to African Americans and so-called “Critical Race Theory.”

Regarding this last point, some people are perplexed about why a lot of Americans oppose the teaching of accurate history, which encompasses ideas that would be considered in critical race theory curricula, which is basically just American history.

Recently, the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards for Social Studies group held hearings on proposed new state standards, based on key elements of American culture.

They requested the public to register to speak to address the following proposals: Remove the names of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, James Meredith and Fanny Lou Hamer; organizations like the Ku Klux Klan and terms like Black Codes and Jim Crow laws from the social study course narratives.

It also suggested that the AFL-CIO be stricken from the history of U.S. industrialization. At press time, the results have not been released.

There are also growing movements to ban books. One of the most incredible books that has come under fire is the super classic “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale,” a graphic novel by the great Art Spiegelman that chronicles the experiences that his father had under the Nazis during World War II. This classic is able to share the pain of the holocaust to an amazing degree!

Books by African Americans that are being challenged by various groups or institutions include: The Color Purple, by Alice Walker; Beloved, by Toni Morrison; Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston; Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison; Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison; Native Son, by Richard Wright; and Go Tell It on the Mountain, by James Baldwin.

There are a number of reasons why certain members of the public want books banned, but whatever the reasons, they all boil down to the notion that people with special interests want to serve as gatekeepers of what goes into American minds.

This would be understandable if the literature that they oppose is promoting principles that would cause people to embrace debased moral standards, but for the most part, that is not what is happening.

When people want to ban ideas that differ from their own, they pretty much guarantee that new ideas will be stifled, that a broader view of the possibilities of civilization are locked out.

If we can’t envision a better world, there is a great chance that we won’t get one.

What is clear today is that we seem to be going backwards.

This is in keeping with the former president’s movement to “Make America Great Again.” The assumption here is that the America of the past should be our target sociological destination. Most Black people certainly oppose that notion!

To sum up the foregoing, America is in big trouble if broader minds don’t prevail when it comes to educating the masses.

Chief among the gatekeepers are White supremacists and their sympathizers.

Some pundits have opined that one of the reasons they oppose the teaching of “critical race theory,” which is really a scapegoat concept for those who oppose the teaching of any Black history, is that they have to face the bogeymen of hatred and oppression that has been their legacy.

A television special recently highlighted the work that Mamie Till-Mobley did to bring to the attention of people the shameful behavior of some southern Whites and the bogus criminal justice system that had a hand in murdering her son, 14-year-old Emmett Till, for allegedly “whistling” at a White woman.

What they did to Emmett Till was an abomination! The emotionally riveting documentary opened old wounds, and no doubt relatives of the reprobates responsible are loathe to have their dirty White supremacist laundry aired in front of their offspring and the rest of the world. They are probably ashamed, as they should be!

There is a saying (paraphrased) that truth crushed to the ground will eventually rise. Those who oppose the free spread of knowledge take heed; the truth of our history will eventually be seen by all because you can’t hide from yourself—everywhere you go there you are!

(Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)

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

Rob Taylor Jr.

Ashley Johnson

Office Manager

Managing Editor

Sales Director

John. H. Sengstacke

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

Commentary cation of the 1619 Project have all caused a renewal of the discomfort engendered by this nation’s Original Sin. The only difference is that the resulting White discomfort in these new revelations is causing a reaction of ignorance and a demand to remain ignorant of the truth.

America’s history is replete with White violence against African Americans, Indigenous People, Asians and other persons of color, yet there is a movement to fabricate this nation’s White history into a kinder and gentler lie. This is done to prevent White discomfort. An (abbreviated) example can be found on the homepage of the Governor of Florida: WILDWOOD, Fla.—Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act will be the strongest legislation of its kind in the nation and will take on both corporate wokeness and Critical Race Theory.

Today’s proposal builds on actions Governor DeSantis has already taken to ban Critical Race Theory and the New York Times’ 1619 Project in Florida’s schools.”

DeSantis states: “In Florida we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is critical race theory. We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other.” Like his counterpart in Virginia (Youngkin), DeSantis demonstrates a misunderstanding of CRT and equates it with the TRUTHFUL presentation of historical information.

It is understood that the ostensible purpose of this historical revisionism is to prevent the discomfort of Whites, but what results can be expected for people of color?

I offer that the efforts of these Republican Governors are designed to leave people of color ignorant of their histories and accepting that their status in this country is a result of the efforts of their ancestors.

It disconnects people of color from an understanding of historical influences that limit their social progress.

Most importantly, it makes Whites comfortable with any argument that refutes their responsibility to take a stand against discrimination.

My only admonishment to those who would take this course of escapism is: You cannot be held responsible for the injustice that precedes you, but you ARE responsible for ignoring and taking no action against the injustice that supports and sustains you.

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

The trauma suffered daily

by Black and Brown youths demands our attention (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Before Krysten Sinema won the Arizona Senate seat left vacant by the retirement of Jeff Flake, a Democrat had never been elected to the U.S. Senate during the previous 30 years. Today, people have buyer’s remorse in their disappointment with Sen. Sinema.

When voters awarded Democratic lawmakers control of Congress and the White House, they did so with high expectations. The hope was to have laws passed benefiting and protecting communities of color. Our single vote represents a measure of trust given to a candidate who will fight on our behalf as citizens.

There are times when the expectations are fulfilled and times when the trust is taken for granted. In Arizona, voters are upset because Sinema not only betrayed their trust but did so for financial gain. The senator’s popularity was already in decline after she voted against raising the federal minimum wage, her resistance to endorsing the Build Back Better legislation, and skipping a Senate vote to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

When the Arizona senator joined fellow Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia in rejecting changes to the Senate filibuster rules, the two essentially prevented the passage of voting rights legislation. One should not be surprised that Sinema attended a fundraiser with Republican donors the day before the filibuster vote. In her speech, Sinema told the mostly oil-industry attendees that “rest assured” she would not back any changes to the filibuster rules.

Sinema has been exposed as an undependable fighter for the interests impacting minority communities.

David W. Marshall

Commentary That two lawmakers can stand apart and undercut the sincere efforts and work of their fellow Democratic lawmakers merits accountability and consequences. Many people have concluded that a lawmaker who is unwilling to do whatever it takes to save democracy warrants being voted out of office. The same conclusions and consequences are needed for lawmakers who have no urgency in protecting and saving Black and brown children who are adversely impacted by crime and gun violence.

You simply cannot expect a child to live in a warzone and ignore the lasting harm to the child. Every night somewhere across the nation, there are traumatized children and young adults dealing with the constant sound of gunfire, sirens, searchlights, and the noise from surveillance helicopters, in addition to bearing witness to the actual violence. Gun violence disproportionately impacts minority children and families living in poverty. It is not just a law enforcement issue, but a public health crisis where children exposed to trauma have higher rates of anger, anxiety, depression, desensitization to violence, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Without the proper intervention, traumatized youths and young adults become perpetrators, and the cycle never ends. It takes a committed public

policy and community effort to offset the systemic racism limiting equitable opportunities. No one person or organization can solve the problem.

It must be a strategic and coordinated effort that addresses crime prevention measures, community policing, job training, drug rehabilitation, access to technology, public transportation, and reentry. The key is having elected officials who truly understand the complexities of the solution and remain sensitive to the human costs.

In 2017, DaVonte Friedman went before members of the Baltimore City Council to present youth violence prevention. He spoke from experience because he understood the struggles of growing up in tough neighborhoods. His was a success story in the making. Despite having earlier run-ins with police, he turned himself around and received his GED, and completed a leadership program that gave him the opportunity to speak to local city officials.

When asked what he wanted for his 18th birthday, he told his mother, “I’m glad I made it to see 18.” Days after his birthday, the 18-year-old was killed in a triple shooting.

Unfortunately, every urban area has a DaVonte Friedman. Those who fight the odds don’t always make it. Every city and state government has a Kyrsten Sinema-like official who was put into office and trusted to serve but stands in the way of progress, unwilling to fight at any cost for communities of color.

(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.davidwmarshallauthor. com)

We need some answers

by Field Negro

Founded 1910

Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—I believe that the TRUTH will always be revealed. It may not be as we want or expect, but TRUTH will overcome the attempts of those who would conceal it.

Most, who witnessed the civil rights struggles of the 1950’s and 1960’s, offer the fact that until White America witnessed and grew uncomfortable with the brutality and violence perpetrated against the “children of the movement” by the reactionary racists of the period, there was no true movement in the direction of social justice in America.

Scenes of the beatings at the Edmund Pettis Bridge and memories of children being hosed in Alabama would not allow America to rationalize the existing social inequities which prevailed. The televised, visual TRUTH of the injustice which enveloped the African American community created White discomfort which led to a modicum of action.

Dr. King’s excursion for housing justice into the racist hellhole that was then Chicago and the sadistic reaction to his efforts in the Gage Park area of the city mirrored a national resistance to social mobility. Yet the violent reaction to his efforts created the White discomfort that eventually caused a national reflection on the implications of fair housing on social progress.

The recent acknowledgment of the 1918 lynching of (pregnant) Mary Turner, the Red Summer of 1919, the Tulsa Massacre, and the publi-

Wassup field hands? I know the posts have been a bit sporadic, but I am deep in these fields with this work thing, so just hang with me a little bit while I get some things together.

Having said that, I had to post about this bit of news from Western Pennsylvania. I am not sure why this story is not getting more traction, but hopefully we will get some answers soon.

Maybe my friends at the Pittsburgh Courier can give us some updates, since it’s pretty much being ignored by the lame stream media.

“People are demanding answers after a Jamaican immigrant was found shot and killed in western Pennsylvania while attending a hunting trip with a former co-worker and friends.

A man identified as Peter Spen-

cer, 29, was found dead on Carl’s Road in Rockland Township in the early morning hours of Dec 12. He was shot at least nine times.

“We are talking six bullets into the chest, two into the buttocks, and one we have a different opinion—either through the mouth or from the neck out of the mouth,” Tim Stevens, CEO of local organization, the Black Political Empowerment Project, told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.

The organization has been calling for an arrest for Spencer’s murder.

Spencer’s pregnant fiancee had dropped him off at a cabin in Venango County on Dec 11. A man he used to work with contacted him about the hunting trip on Snapchat.

“This time he was taken directly into the woods and not this person’s mother’s home … to the fiancé she didn’t totally feel comfort-

able with that,” Stevens said.

Shortly after Spencer was dropped off at the cabin, his fiancee said she received a text saying he was staying the night.

Around 2:30 a.m. on Dec 12, police were called to the cabin and found Spencer dead at the scene.

A 25-year-old man was taken into custody and claimed self-defense.

Multiple guns were also located at the scene.

Currently, no charges have been filed.” [Source] Peter’s first mistake was trusting these guys enough to go hunting with them. But that’s a post for a different time. For now, we just need some answers. I am sure that the District Attorney in that Western Pennsylvania county doesn’t want to end up like the DA in this case.

Do your job!

B4

FORUM

FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

Black History — critical and factual, not theory (BlackPressUSA)—Focus on the history-making contributions of Blacks in America began when Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History successfully lobbied for the creation of Negro History Week in 1926. They chose a week in February that could embrace the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Civil Rights activities on colleges campuses in the 1960s agitated for expanding the week to the entire month of February. President Gerald Ford formalized Black History Month in 1976, and every President since has followed suit.

Black history has taken on new meaning in this polarized political era. Education Week reports that since January 2021, 14 Republican-led states (Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Utah, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho) have imposed bans or restrictions on teaching about racial issues, and similar legislation is currently pending in another 23 states.

These states claim to be protecting primary and secondary school students from being taught critical race theory or “things that make White children uncomfortable.”

Theory is part of the higher education experience; not the K-12 curriculum. While no one will deny the significant accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Harriett Tubman to our nation’s history; telling their stories has nothing to do with “critical race theory.” Their contributions and those of many others are some critical race facts that are missing from most of our textbooks and many of our discussions.

For example, I often tell the story of Thomas Edison and Lewis Latimer. Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb is found in all our history books, and we are all comfortable with his story. What is not found in all our history books is the critical fact that he could not keep his bulb from overheating and burning out. It was not until Edison collaborated with Lewis Latimer, the son of escaped slaves, that he got his bulb to work. Latimer had invented a long-lasting, carbon filament. The fact that it was Latimer’s invention that made the light bulb functional, seems to be uncomfortable for some to read in our history books.

There are many other similar facts. Thomas Savery, a White man, is known as the inventor of the steam engine; one of the most important inventions during the Industrial Revolution.

However, the steam engine was very inefficient because it had to be constantly shut down for lubrication, a very dangerous and time-consuming

Rep. James Clyburn

Commentary task. A critical and not very well-known fact is that Elijah McCoy, also the son of escaped slaves, invented an automatic oil cup, which allowed engines to be lubricated mechanically while continuing to run. His invention saved the limbs of many “oilers” and created a more efficient and cost-effective means of keeping steam trains running. It is reported in many places that Elijah McCoy’s genius as an inventor is what gave rise to the very well used question that everybody seems comfortable using; “Is that a real McCoy?” John Haldane, a Scottish inventor is often credited with having invented the gas mask during World War I, which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. The fact is Garrett Morgan, a Black man, invented the earliest gas mask after the 1911 New York Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire that killed 146 garment workers. Morgan patented his “breathing hood” in 1914, and he and his brother used the gas mask invention in 1916 to successfully rescue workers trapped by an explosion in sewer tunnels in Morgan’s hometown of Cleveland. However, due to their race, White men were credited with the rescue.

Morgan also met resistance when trying to sell the gas masks. He hired a White actor to pose as the inventor, while he disguised himself by wearing the hood during presentations. Despite these challenges, Morgan went on to invent the three-position traffic light and sold the patent to General Electric for $40,000.

What all these inventors have in common is that these critical facts about Black Americans have been overlooked and forgotten by history.

In fact, when the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index was released in 2012, of the 1,000 young people between 16 and 25 were asked who was the greatest inventor of all time, 52 percent said Thomas Edison. There were no Black inventors on the list, which illustrates how we are failing our students by perpetrating false equivalences like critical race theory verses critical race facts.

This Black History Month, we must raise our voices and fight against the false, politically motivated, narrative about schools teaching critical race theory. Our history is what it is and no amount of whitewashing or book banning will change it. But with enlightened leadership, we can learn its lessons.

Dr. Woodson wrote of his Negro History Week creation that, “If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.”

There are so many African Americans in all walks of life who have been trailblazers. If we don’t tell their stories and teach future generations of their contributions, our history is erased. And that is a critical fact.

(U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn (D) represents the 6th District of South Carolina and is the House Majority Whip.)

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Sue Morris and the lawsuit to equalize teacher pay Clashes with the White power structure are normally told during Black History Month. A celebrated clash is when Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine integrated Arkansas’s Central High School.

Bates became the president of Arkansas’s NAACP in 1952.

Two years later the Supreme Court declared school segregation unconstitutional, and in 1956 Bates challenged Little Rock’s school board to integrate immediately. This clash garnered national and international attention and forced President Dwight Eisenhower to federalize Arkansas’s National Guard to protect the Black students.

Bates was able to challenge Little Rock’s school board because the NAACP had established a formidable presence in Arkansas, a presence the NAACP lacked decades prior. But all of that changed in 1942 when Sue Morris made it her mission to equalize Black and White teachers’ salaries in Little Rock School District.

By 1941, White elementary school teachers in Little Rock made $526 per year while Black elementary school teachers made $331. White high school teachers made $856 per year while Black high school teachers made $567.

That summer the school district increased teachers’ salaries, but the increase widened the gap between Black and White pay. Naturally, this infuriated the Black teachers who petitioned Little Rock’s superintendent of school for equal pay the year before.

The Black teachers believed the pay disparities violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights to equal protection

J. Pharoah Doss

Check It Out and due process under the law and obtained a local lawyer.

Sue Morris was chosen to head the lawsuit because of her outstanding teaching credentials. The local lawyer contacted the national headquarters of the NAACP and asked for assistance.

The NAACP’s special counsel, Thurgood Marshall, was thrilled about assisting the teachers in Arkansas. Marshall’s mother was a school teacher. He had childhood memories of the discrimination Black teachers faced and took equalizing teacher pay personally.

The local White community took the lawsuit personally as well. They condemn the Black teachers for asking for more money while the nation was making sacrifices in preparation to enter World War II and questioned the Black teachers’ loyalty to the United States.

The school district took it personally and refused to renew Sue Morris’s teaching contract, i.e., she was fired for filing the lawsuit.

The school district claimed no racial discrimination existed concerning teachers’ salaries. Their attorneys stated teacher pay was determined by special training, ability, character, experience, duties, services, and accomplishments.

In other words, Black teachers were

inferior to White teachers in areas that had nothing to do with skin color. This argument allowed the school district’s attorneys to get around the issue of racial discrimination and justify the Black and White pay disparities.

In 1944 the judge ruled in favor of the school district.

The following year Sue Morris’s case was heard at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri. The appeals court found that over a period of almost twenty years Black teachers entering Little Rock’s school district were routinely paid less than the White teachers solely based on racial factors and not merit. The most egregious action discovered against the school district was between 1941 and 1942 when a surplus of funds was secretly distributed unequally between Black and White teachers.

The appeal judges found in favor of Sue Morris and the NAACP. The Little Rock school district had to abandon its discriminatory teacher pay policy. This victory only equalized pay for teachers in Little Rock, not the rest of the state.

But it was a start that got local activists across the state to believe in the NAACP’s philosophy of radical change.

In 1945 the Arkansas State Conference of NAACP Branches was established.

In 1952, Sue Morris was reinstated to teach.

And when it came time to integrate Central High School, Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine were eager and willing to clash with the White power structure because Sue Morris taught them equality was possible in Little Rock.

Republican Party makes dangerous bow to Trump’s insurrectionists (TriceEdneyWire.com)—The Republican National Committee (RNC) is officially letting Americans know that it is more committed to former President Donald Trump than to democracy, the rule of law, and the truth.

Some people might say Republicans have been letting us know that ever since Donald Trump became the party’s standard-bearer in 2016. And there’s some truth to that. Even so, the party reached a new low on Feb. 4.

The RNC accused the congressional committee investigating the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol of “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.” It called the investigation an effort to “destroy President Trump.” And it formally censured the two Republican members of the committee, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, cutting them off from any future support from the party.

This is disgusting. It is also dangerous.

Keep in mind that the insurrection was meant to stop Congress from confirming the results of the presidential election as they are required to do by the U.S. Constitution.

Keep in mind that members of Congress were targets. They could easily have been among the dead if U.S. Capitol Police had not kept violent attackers from reaching them.

And keep in mind that congressional Republicans had an opportunity to create and participate in a bipartisan commission to investigate what happened. But Republican leaders

Ben Jealous

Commentary didn’t want an investigation that might reveal embarrassing truths about Trump, his allies, and some of their Republican colleagues. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell may have criticized the recent RNC resolution, but that doesn’t change the fact that he blocked the creation of a bipartisan commission to get at the truth.

Fortunately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then moved to create a special House committee to investigate the insurrection. We should all be grateful for her leadership. We should all be grateful for the investigative work being carried out by the committee.

And we should all be grateful to Reps.

Cheney and Kinzinger. No matter how strongly we may disagree with their conservative positions, they have modeled an important principle: Some things are more important than partisan politics—like democracy and the rule of law.

While the RNC resolution is disturbing, it’s not exactly surprising. Republican officials have desperately tried to

deflect attention from the assault on our democracy by Trump, his lawyers, and his followers.

Republican officials have actively tried to disrupt efforts to learn the truth. And they have resorted to law breaking— refusing to respond to congressional subpoenas—to resist any effort to hold Trump and his henchmen accountable.

The latest RNC resolution is a sad indication of Trump’s grip on the GOP. It demonstrates how few elected officials are willing to stand up to Trump and his supporters, even when they are promoting harmful lies and conspiracy theories. One Republican member of Congress went so far as to defend the RNC’s resolution by equating the attack on the capital with racial justice protests that took place after the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Meanwhile, Trump is talking about pardoning the insurrectionists if he gets reelected. And right-wing Republicans are telling us what they’ll do if they get congressional majorities in this year’s elections. Not only will they stop the investigation of Jan. 6. They will instead use their power to promote conspiracy theories about the elections and the COVID-19 pandemic and target their political opponents.

It’s an election year. We have been warned.

(Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice in the Africana Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania where he teaches leadership.)

No matter the vote: we can’t wait By the time most of us read this, the United States Senate would have taken a vote on the Voting Rights Legislation that has been delayed for so long. While passage of the Voting Rights Act and the John Lewis Act would go a long way in nullifying the many Voter Suppression laws enacted during the past year in more than 28 states, we must all realize that this battle for the right to vote now rests with each and everyone of us.

We must now understand that the issue is not one of whether we will have a democracy. The real issue is will we become a nation of racists fighting to kill the continuation of a representative government that some of us think of as a democracy, or will we allow our future to rest with two individual members of the Senate? Will we allow citizenship suppression to become the symbol of democracy for those who truly believe that only a select few are to be counted in the limited and non-inclusive government that tramples on the rights of people of color and marginalized citizens.

Because the attack on voting rights is so aggressive and uniform, those of us in

John E. Warren

Commentary favor and support of voting rights legislation must act now and take this cause beyond the necessary votes needed to make the pending bills the law of the land. We must now register and re-register every person capable, of voting age, for the midterm elections which will take place this November 2022. We must check existing voter rolls for the names of all those who have been or are being “purged” for whatever reason. We must find and re-register those individuals so that they can be in good standing to vote in November. We must conduct election drills just as Dr. King and those in the Civil Rights demonstrations prepared for each march before they went out to be attacked by dogs and high powered

water hoses.

We must establish committees to look at and examine those persons seeking to run for office at all levels and test whether they have campaign proposals that would weaken both elections and tamper with the people who handle such elections. This would include laws against election workers, voting opportunities at the local and state level as well as a national commitment to ensure that those elected to the House and Senate will maintain the control of those bodies to meet our goals.

We can’t wait to study the new electoral districts; we can’t wait to find the right people to run for office or to start the fund raising that will be necessary to change the projected Republican outcome for November 2022. Now is the time to start both here and with our families, friends and neighbors across this country. We must prove that no laws can stop an idea whose time has come with the people the laws were intended to serve.

(Dr. John E. Warren is Publisher of The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint.)

New Pittsburgh Courier

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B5

FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

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Help Wanted

Help Wanted

ATTEND THE ECS VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR: MARCH 19 The Environmental Charter School (ECS) is hosting a Virtual Career Fair on Saturday, March 19 from 9-10:30 a.m. for potential applicants to meet the staff and learn about the school culture. ECS is seeking innovative and highly motivated individuals for a variety of positions for the 2022-2023 school year as the district grows to a K-11 public charter school. RSVP by March 17 at 11:59 p.m. at ecspgh.org/careers to guarantee your spot at the ECS Career Fair.

AURORA INNOVATION, INC. seeks positions in Pittsburgh, PA. Software Engineer in Motion Planning for integrating autonomy stack. Ref# 00231. Hardware Reliability Engineer to work on autonomous vehicle (AV) hardware modules. Ref# 00160. Email resumes to jobs@aurora.tech using ref#.

DIRECTOR OF MEDIA EDUCATION – PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY TELEVISION Full-Time Exempt Position Salary Range $45,000 - $55,000 Depending on Experience Benefit Package Includes SIMPLE IRA, Health, Vision, Dental Pittsburgh Community Television (PCTV) is Pittsburgh’s community media and education center, serving the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Our mission is to empower, educate, and enhance the Greater Pittsburgh community through media.

Founded in 1986, PCTV operates a media production facility on Pittsburgh’s Northside and broadcasts programming 24/7 on Pittsburgh Comcast Channel 21, Pittsburgh Verizon Channel 47, Apple TV, ROKU, Fire TV, at www.pctv21.org, and on the Pittsburgh Community Television iOS app for iPhone and iPad. Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Director of Media Education is responsible for leading and implementing all of PCTV’s media education efforts, including PCTV’s fellowship program, studio technician training program, training for adults and PCTV’s youth media program.

Pittsburgh Community Television is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REPORTER Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting is seeking a General Assignment Reporter who can cover fast-moving, breaking news as well as in-depth reports on issues of significance in the Pittsburgh region. For complete job description and to apply, go to: pittsburghcommunitybroadcasting.org/ and follow the employment link.

Please no phone calls. PCBC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively seeks diversity in its workforce.

CITY EDITOR The New Pittsburgh Courier is seeking a highly motivated individual with a sense of urgency in developing engaging general news and feature content to be our City Editor. The successful candidate must be an engaging storyteller with strong reporting, writing, and editing skills and the ability to work within a fast-paced production and marketing environment while maintaining high ethical standards and meeting deadlines. Our ideal candidate should also be able to produce quality photographs to supplement their stories and have graphic layout skills.

Duties will include: working with editorial leadership to determine priorities for daily news coverage and reporting geared towards the Black community for both digital and print publication; and daily collaboration across a close-knit team, assisting leadership in the planning and managing of day-to-day operations, proofreading and editing copy for compliance with policies, style, and tone; and attending events, panels and speaking engagements on behalf of the publication.

This is a full-time position offering compensation commensurate to experience. Excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), PTO, and more.

Please send a letter of interest and resume to jobs@newpittsburghcourier.com

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT – WORKPLACE CAMPAIGN UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH OFFICE Provides administrative support for the Director of Workplace Campaigns, four Corporate Engagement Managers, and the Volunteer Initiative team.

In addition to Microsoft Office suite work, filing and scheduling, United Way’s administrative assistant performs duties such as coordination of meetings and conferences, database data entry and management, obtaining supplies, coordinating direct mailings, and working on special projects. Also, answers correspondence and assembles confidential and sensitive information. Works with a diverse group of important external callers and visitors as well as internal contacts at all levels of the organization.

Independent judgment is required to plan, prioritize and organize diversified workload. Recommends changes in office practices or procedures.

High school diploma or GED required; associate degree preferred.

At least three years’ experience in general office responsibilities and procedures are preferred.

Visit our website at https://uwswpa.org/careers/ to view job description and apply for this position. Submissions will only be accepted electronically.

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity, serving Allegheny, Butler, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Armstrong counties.

CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT MANAGER – LEVEL 2 UNITED WAY OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PITTSBURGH OFFICE The Corporate Engagement Manager – level 2 is responsible for contributing to the achievement of United Way of Southwestern PA’s mission and vision by maximizing revenue through leading the development, implementation, and management of corporate campaigns to grow annual, multi-million-dollar revenue and year-round engagement to increase overall contributions.

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience are required.

Three to five years of outside account management, sales presentations skill, fundraising and volunteer management are preferred.

Visit our website at https://uwswpa.org/careers/ to view job description and apply for this position. Submissions will only be accepted electronically.

The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer committed to workplace diversity, serving Allegheny, Butler, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Armstrong counties.

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING CLASSROOM TEACHER Position available at the start of the 2022-2023 school year Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM March 1, 2022 ROCHESTER AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL Elementary School Principal.

Full-time 12 month position, available i m m e d i a t e l y. E n r o l l m e n t 3 5 0 students; grades K-5. Requirements: PA Principal Certification: Strong leader with the ability to interact effectively with staff, parents and community members while proactively developing relationships with parents/ guardians. Must be knowledgeable on current educational trends, special education, curriculum, state standards, assessment, and data analysis; possess strong communication, supervisory and interpersonal skills with a focus on motivating and empowering staff; experienced in establishing a culture of professionalism and academic excellence resulting in improved student achievement.

Send letter of interest, resume, PA teaching application, copy of cert., Acts 34, 114 and 151 clearances, transcripts and three recommendation letters to Dr. Jane W. Bovalino, Superintendent, Rochester Area School District, 540 Reno Street, Rochester, PA 15074. Deadline until filled.

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LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS Estate of LINDA M. PERSIANI, a/k/a LINDA PERSIANI, Deceased of Mt. Lebanon Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No. 02-22-00425, Elizabeth Halvorsen, Executor, 292 Fern Palm Road Boca Raton, FL 33432 or to TODD A. FULLER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue Bridgeville, PA 15017

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APPLICATIONS ARE NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE POSITION OF POLICE OFFICER ALTOONA POLICE DEPARTMENT Applications for Police Officer with the City of Altoona can be obtained from the Human Resources Department of City Hall Monday through Friday between 8:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. For additional information or an application, please visit the “Employment Opportunities” Quick Link on the City’s website at www.altoonapa.gov.

Completed applications must be received in the Human Resources Department no later than Noon on Friday, March 18, 2022.

Human Resources Department 1301 12th Street, Suite 400 Altoona, PA 16601 The City of Altoona is an Equal Opportunity Employer MT. LEBANON, PA POLICE OFFICER TESTING MT. LEBANON POLICE DEPARTMENT will be conducting a physical agility and written exam for POLICE OFFICER on Saturday, April 2, 2022. Starting at $71,790 annually.

Must be a U.S. citizen; 21 years of age at hire; bachelor’s degree from accredited college/university at hire; pass physical, written, oral exams plus a comprehensive background investigation.

Full test requirements, description and application may be obtained at https://mtlebanon.bamboohr. com/jobs/view.php?id=99.

Deadline ending no later than 4:00 pm, March 11, 2022.

Mt. Lebanon provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment based on competence, merit, performance, and business needs. We are committed to valuing the diversity of all individuals without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other classification protected by law. Reasonable accommodations for the needs of otherwise qualified applicants with disabilities will be made upon request to the Human Resource Office at 412-343-3625 or bcross@mtlebanon.org.

LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices Estate of MS. FLORENCE MAE POTTER, Deceased of 1500 Fernhurst Avenue, Moon Township, PA 15108, Estate No. 02-21-09382, Mr. Marc A. Potter, Executor, c/o Max C. Feldman, Esquire and the Law Office of Max C. Feldman, 1322 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108 Estate of LOU ANN DOLDE, Deceased of Bridgeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 02-22-00715, David W. Foley ,Executor, 304 State Street, Grove City, PA 16127, or to ROBIN L. RARIE, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 Estate of ROBERT ALLEN EISLER, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 04315 of 2020, Carol E. Brown ,Executor, 664 Lincoln Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15202 Estate of WILLIE MAE MURPHY, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 06385 of 2020, Judy Johnson ,Executor, 6433 Winslow Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Notice for Publication

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of OCIE L. PAIGE, JR., deceased, Case No.022200918: Notice is hereby given that on February 9, 2022 a Petition was filed by Daphne Denise Paige to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Ocie L. Paige, Jr., deceased, in the real estate located at 1018 Jefferson Street, McKeesport, PA 15132 and determine that fee simple title is in Daphne Denise Paige. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 20 days of the filing date, Petitioner will seek an Order adjudging that Ocie L. Paige’s title is in Petitioner.

Notice for Publication

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO!

SONNY BOY

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of VIOLA FLANAGAN BENNETT, deceased, Case No.022200916: Notice is hereby given that on February 9, 2022 a Petition was filed by Harold Vincent Bennett to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Viola Flanagan Bennett deceased, in the real estate located at 7123 Kedron Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 and determine that fee simple title is in Harold Vincent Bennett. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 20 days of the filing date, Petitioner will seek an Order adjudging that Viola Flanagan Bennett’s title is in Petitioner.

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of DONALD NIEHL, deceased, Case No.021906578: Notice is hereby given that on February 9, 2022 a Petition was filed by Michael Niehl to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Donald Niehl deceased, in the real estate located at 109 10th Street, Turtle Creek, PA 15145 and determine that fee simple title is in Michael Niehl. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 20 days of the filing date, Petitioner will seek an Order adjudging that Donald Niehl’s title is in Petitioner.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR RENT REASONABLENESS SOFTWARE REBID RFP #400-42-21-REBID The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s):

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Rent Reasonableness Software

Bids/Proposals

The documents will be available no later than February 7, 2022 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 9:00 AM on March 1, 2022. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on March 1, 2022 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Proposals may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the RFP. Sealed proposals 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:

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS 2022 PHASE 1 RFP #125-01-22 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Project Based Vouchers 2022 Phase 1 The documents will be available no later than February 7, 2022 and signed, sealed proposals for Phase 1 will be accepted until 9:00 A.M. on March 31, 2022. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on March 31, 2022 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Proposals may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the RFP. Sealed proposals 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 inquires should be directed to: Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on March 16, 2022 at 09:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 961 7512 3594 Passcode: 535490 +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’s 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.

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

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Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on February 17, 2022 at 9:00 AM. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 918 2683 2453 Passcode: 606498 +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’s 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.

Caster D. Binion, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh 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 February 22, 2022 and will be opened at the same hour in the administration building cafeteria: KN95 MASKS 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 O ur Com m unit y; 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.

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

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FEBRUARY 16-22, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

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Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

SONNY BOY

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (SEA) will receive proposals for Professional Services for Electrical Power System Review and Arc Flash Update at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center as identified below. The contract for this work will be with the Sports & Exhibition Authority. The Request for Proposals may be obtained from Guy DeFazio, Director of Engineering, email: gdefazio@pittsburghcc. com, Telephone: (412) 325-6179.

This Advertisement applies to the following Request for Proposal: Project: Arc Flash Update Pre-Proposal Meeting: 11:00 AM, February 21, 2022 (non-mandatory)

David L Lawrence Convention

Center Board Room (East Lobby)

1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd.

Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Time/Date/Location for Proposals: 2:00 PM, February 28, 2022

David Lawrence Convention Center 1000 Ft Duquesne Blvd

Pittsburgh, PA 15222 ADVERTISEMENT THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Sealed Bids will be received by THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, Department of Public Works, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090, for the following: Primary Items – Paving of various streets to include the following approximate quantities: A. 97,319 S.Y. of Milling B. 7,054 S.Y of 3” Superpave 25.0 mm Binder Course, PG 64-22 C. 38,952 S.Y. of 1 1/2” Superpave 9.5 mm Fine-Graded Wearing Surface, PG 64-22 D. 65,199 S.Y. of 2” Superpave 9.5 mm Fine-Graded Wearing Surface, PG 64-22 E. 51,786 L.F. of Asphalt Wedge Curb F. Traffic Control Optional Items – A. 600 Tons Scratch Leveling Course Superpave, PG 64-22 B. 200 C.Y. of Class I Excavation C. 600 S.Y. of Geotextile Fabric D. 40 Tons of # 1 Crushed Limestone E. 60 S.Y. of McCandless Type “C” Base Course F. 10 S.Y. of Type 1 Driveway Restoration G.10 S.Y. of Type 2 Driveway Restoration H. 45,405 L.F. Hot Thermoplastic Line Striping I. 22,703 L.F. Temporary Line Striping J. 2 Hot Thermoplastic Pavement Markings Additional Work – A. 1) Lorraine G Rogers Parking Lot – Approximately 1100 s.y. (Mill, 3” Binder, 1 ½” Wearing) All Bids must be in the hands of Jeff Schoeneman, Superintendent of Public Works, not later than 10:00 A.M., prevailing time, Wednesday, March 16, 2022, and will be publicly opened and read at that time in The Town of McCandless Public Works Building located at 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090.

Specifications may be obtained at the Town of McCandless, Department of Public Works Office, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford PA 15090.

Bids shall be delivered in a sealed envelope and clearly marked on the outside with the words “Town of McCandless 2022 Paving Program.”

Bids to receive consideration must be accompanied by a Certified Check or Bidder’s Bond from a Surety Company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania, made to the order of THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pennsylvania in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the Bid as a guarantee that, if the Bid is accepted, the successful Bidder will enter into an Agreement within 15 days after Notice of the Award of the Contract.

All bidders must be PennDOT pre-qualified and meet the work classification codes of E, F, and F1. All bids submitted must have the Contractor’s valid pre-qualification certification attached to the outside of the bid or it will be rejected.

A Non-Collusion Affidavit must accompany each bid.

The Bids must be made to The Town of McCandless, and shall remain firm for a period of sixty (60) days. No Bidder may withdraw his Bid during the sixty (60) day period without forfeiting his Bid guarantee except as permitted by law.

Prevailing Wages are required to be paid on this project.

Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds, along with Public Liability and Property Damage Certificates of Insurance in the amounts specified and with the Town of McCandless identified as an additional insured, as well as Certificates of Workmen’s Compensation must be filed with the executed Agreement.

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

Jeff Schoeneman Superintendent of Public Works ADVERTISEMENT THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA Sealed Bids will be received by THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, Department of Public Works, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090, for the following: Devlin Park Tennis Court Reconstruction The reconstructing and conversion of the current exterior court facility to accommodate four pickleball courts. This work will include the removal of all fence fabric, removal of several fencing posts and footings, and all tennis court netting posts and foundations. The contractor will excavate an area (approx. 12’ X 126’) for addition court surface. Install two inches (2”) of HMA binder material followed by one- and one-half inches (1 ½”) of HMA surface course. The installation of new fence posts and fence fabric where specified and reinstallation of removed fence fabric, gates, and hardware over existing fence posts. New tennis and pickleball court net sleeves, posts, and footings will be installed. The final stage involves the application of surfacer, two coats of acrylic color, and line striping. The contractor will clean the site and repair/seed damaged landscape areas All Bids must be in the hands of Jeff Schoeneman, Superintendent of Public Works, not later than 10:00 A.M., prevailing time, Friday, April 1, 2022, and will be publicly opened and read at that time in The Town of McCandless Public Works Building located at 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA 15090.

Specifications may be obtained at the Town of McCandless, Department of Public Works Office, 9957 Grubbs Road, Wexford PA 15090.

Bids shall be delivered in a sealed envelope and clearly marked on the outside with the words “The Town of McCandless Tennis Court Reconstruction” Bids to receive consideration must be accompanied by a Certified Check or Bidder’s Bond from a Surety Company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania, made to the order of THE TOWN OF McCANDLESS, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pennsylvania in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the Bid as a guarantee that, if the Bid is accepted, the successful Bidder will enter into an Agreement within 15 days after Notice of the Award of the Contract.

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Bids/Proposals

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

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on March 9, 2022 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527) as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

Bid Number Bid Name 1

B211183AR

Used Antifreeze Removal Service

2

B220212

NVR Equipment- March Camera System

3

B220215A

Asbestos Free Brake Blocks

4

B220216A

Coach Replacement Parts - Body

5

B220217

Brake Disc Pads - LRV

To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • https://bit.ly/3rxaevT To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 228 243 893# No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 am February 24, 2022, as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference.

To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • https://bit.ly/3skoerT To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 394 680 304# Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged.

Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening.

These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations.

Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing.

Port Authority of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Board of Port Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

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Anna Mildred Allen celebrates 96 blessed years!

A Non-Collusion Affidavit must accompany each bid.

The Bids must be made to The Town of McCandless, and shall remain firm for a period of sixty (60) days. No Bidder may withdraw his Bid during the sixty (60) day period without forfeiting his Bid guarantee except as permitted by law.

Prevailing Wages are required to be paid on this project.

Performance and Labor and Material Payment Bonds, along with Public Liability and Property Damage Certificates of Insurance in the amounts specified and with the Town of McCandless identified as an additional insured, as well as Certificates of Workmen’s Compensation must be filed with the executed Agreement.

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

Jeff Schoeneman Superintendent of Public Works

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Longtime Courier subscriber Anna Mildred Allen celebrated her 96th birthday on Feb. 14! She is the aunt of Courier office manager Allison Palm.