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Braddock’s rebirth continues, thanks to a touch of love Ohringer Arts Apartments opening soon in Braddock

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

For the past six years or so, Gregg Kander has been using the expression, “You don’t know you’re in a bubble until you step out of it.”

The longtime attorney and investor told the New Pittsburgh Courier he had a great marriage to a Jewish woman, Ellen Kander, for 25 years, before she passed away in 2012 from cancer.

But how did life fare for him after her death? The first few years were hard.

He told the Courier he had thoughts of not wanting to live; instead, wishing to spend his days up above with his beloved Ellen.

But Gregg Kander has three children. Three very important reasons to be here. He had to be here for them.

And as many in the historic, though sometimes-forgotten borough of Braddock would come to see, Kander later found additional reasons for being.

THE UNEXPECTED MEETING In October 2013, Kander decided to attend a local “Tickets For Kids” fundraiser at Heinz Hall. Tickets For Kids is a non-profit organization that provides free access for low-income and at-risk kids to attend the arts, cultural, educational, and athletic venues of their community. There, he saw what he called a “beautiful Black woman,” complete with “this glow about her.”

Only problem was, she was sitting with three other Black women. His nerves were starting to kick in. Could he really muster the courage to go and speak to her?

Yes, he did.

This “beautiful Black woman” turned out to be Anna E. Hollis, the executive director of Amachi Pittsburgh. The Amachi Initiative provides children impacted by incarceration with a different path

by establishing the consistent presence of loving, caring mentors, its website said.

“She’s my fiancee now,” Kander, who is Jewish, proudly told the Courier.

The more time the two spent with each other, the more Kander began to see the world through Hollis’ eyes. “Everything that the world is learning now about systemic racism and mass incarceration,” Kander received those lessons years ago, he said.

Hollis’ brother is Rev. Tim Smith, the founder, president and executive director of the non-profit organization Center of Life, in Hazelwood. He’s also the pastor of the Keystone Church of Hazelwood. One day, Rev. Smith gave a sermon, heard by Kander, which stressed that the next time an opportunity arises to change the community, “don’t do what we always do and make excuses, just step up and do it. We’re here for a limited time, view it as a message

GREGG KANDER, right, with his fiancee, Anna E. Hollis, who is executive director of Amachi Pittsburgh. The two met during a Tickets For Kids fundraiser at Heinz Hall in October 2013. Kander is the developer and owner of the new Ohringer Arts Apartments, set to open in a few weeks in Braddock. from God to try to do something to make a change and make a difference.”

BECOMING PART OF BRADDOCK’S REBIRTH In the following days, Kander got to work. He

hooked up with then-Braddock mayor John Fetterman to financially invest into a fledging concept for a restaurant, Superior Motors, which was the brainchild of a well-known chef, Kevin Sousa. Nothing deterred Kander from putting his money where his

mouth was. Not when Fetterman, now Pa.’s Lt. Governor, stressed to Kander that the idea of a new sitdown restaurant in Braddock was “all about providing opportunities and jobs for the local people,” SEE BRADDOCK A2

EXCELLENCE IN ADVISING Schenley graduate, IUP professor Kalani Palmer receives top award

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

It’s not like Kalani Palmer, Ph.D., ever expected to become an academic advisor in higher education, but she always knew that she enjoyed helping others.

Back in high school, at

in the Hill District to tutor students after school.

Even before the Schenley days, Palmer’s mother and grandmother got her involved in service-oriented programs like Urban Youth Action, which gave Palmer and her friends a budget to create community pro-

St. Clair Village, our home community, out to watch a movie,” Palmer recalled to the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview, Jan. 28. “It seems so small, but I was only in middle school. I knew from then that I wanted to be of service and help others.”

When it comes to being an advisor, not everyone is cut out for it, especially in a professional role, in an academic setting. Kalani Palmer, however, is an exception.

Schenley, she started a mentoring/tutoring program, which received formal training from Americorps on how to provide literacy support. Palmer’s group then traveled to Miller Elementary School

gramming. “A friend and I created a budget, rented a bus, reserved spaced at the University of Pittsburgh, received donations, purchased snacks, made flyers and brought families from

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Today, she is an academic advisor and associate professor in Human Development and Family Science and Program Coordinator for Family and Consumer Sciences Education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

And after more than 300 students whom she’s advised since becoming a faculty member in 2014, Palmer recently received a faculty award for excel-

KALANI PALMER, PH.D., received the “Excellence in Advising” award from the National Academic Advising Association in January. She’s the first person to receive the award in Western Pennsylvania since 2013. She’s currently a faculty member at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. lence in advising from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), Region 2.

The awards were announced in mid-January.

Region 2, which encompasses Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and Washington, D.C., awarded 15 individuals total for “Excellence in Advising” this year, which includ-

ed faculty members from universities such as Old Dominion, Temple, Virginia, Delaware and Maryland-College Park.

It’s a significant award to receive for any faculty member in the academic advising profession.

A Courier data analysis found that Palmer was the first faculty advisor from Western Pennsylvania to receive the “Excel-

lence in Advising” award from NACADA since 2013, when Christopher Kirchhof won the award as an advisor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Palmer, in a statement, called advising “the most meaningful part of my job.

I tell my husband I have 100 children. I feel like their school mom. SomeSEE PALMER A4

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BRADDOCK’S REBIRTH CONTINUES Ohringer Arts Apartments opening soon in Braddock BRADDOCK FROM A1

Kander said.

It’s exactly the alley Kander wanted to bark up.

“He acknowledges he’s not the greatest financial guy in the world, but he’s the greatest cook in the world,” Kander said of Sousa in an article published in the online publication, Eater, in June 2017. “I’m not the greatest cook in the world, but I’m good at putting deals together. And so we’re all just using that skills when we need ’em.”

The Superior Motors restaurant, nestled on the site of a former indoor car dealership at 1211 Braddock Ave., has been a resounding success. Not only did it put some Braddock residents to work, but it was named one of Time magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places” for 2018. A year prior, Food & Wine magazine called Superior Motors one of its “10 Restaurants of the Year.”

“If we were in Lawrenceville, we would have been just another restaurant,” Kander told the Courier in an exclusive interview, Feb. 17. But it was smack dab in Braddock, across the street from

the unmissable Edgar Thompson Steel Works plant, the facility that exemplifies Braddock’s history and heritage. “...If you gave people good jobs and good opportunities and good training,” Kander added, “they were then bringing that home to their family, and then their family was better off.”

Superior Motors is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s certain to reopen, Kander said, when the country hopefully rebounds from the coronavirus.

OHRINGER ARTS APARTMENTS — AN ADDITION TO BRADDOCK’S REBIRTH What will be opening soon, however, are the Ohringer Arts Apartments, featuring the much-anticipated migration of some of the Pittsburgh area’s finest artisans into one of Braddock’s most historic buildings.

And yes, Kander is behind this multi-million dollar project, too.

Kander said a few years ago, Fetterman, as Braddock mayor, asked him to

“bring back the Ohringer Building,” which formerly was a popular furniture store that beamed eight stories tall along Braddock’s primary thoroughfare. “My goal was to give people the same experience that I had that breaks down barriers,” Kander told the Courier.

Kander was able to qualify the development for a number of tax credits, as the plan for the Ohringer Building, located at 640 Braddock Ave., was to transform the inside into 31 one-bedroom apartments and six studio apartments, primarily (but not exclusively) for artists. On July 30, 2019, local officials and community members witnessed the groundbreaking of the Ohringer transformation, officials like Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald with mallets in hand helping to break the wooden boards that covered the building’s firstfloor windows.

Kander said the yearlong renovations were to wrap up in June 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic had its own plans.

As the month of March

A VIEW OF THE SIGNATURE OHRINGER FURNITURE STORE SIGN, the building now converted into affordable housing apartments. (Photos by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)

THE OHRINGER ARTS APARTMENTS in Braddock, where 37 residents will soon be moving, owner/ developer Gregg Kander said, in about four weeks.

nears, Kander was excited to report that almost all of the apartment units in the building were completed. There are still building inspections that must be done, along with obtaining the Temporary Certificate for Occupancy (TCO).

“This building is firstclass. I would live in it in a heartbeat,” Kander said.

And what about that view from atop the building? Kander’s crew spiced up the Ohringer’s rooftop deck. “I don’t think there’s a parallel view in the city,” he boasted. “People from Braddock have cried up there; just like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen my town like this.’”

The Ohringer Arts Apartments, as they’ll be known, will also have communal studios in

the basement, so artists can work on their crafts free of charge. There is a 2,000 square-foot area on street-level for retail space, but Kander said he is donating the space to the residents. “Do something great” with it for the Braddock community, was his message to the artists. “And they’re already coming up with great things.”

The Ohringer Arts Apartments are classified as “affordable housing,” which helped the development qualify for certain tax credits.

Kander told the Courier that he’s received dozens of applications for the apartments, and most of the applications have been approved. But there is still a chance that someone (artists receive preference) can get approved for an apartment

at Ohringer, by applying at: www.ohringerarts.com or emailing: info@ohringerarts.com for more information.

Residents must have an annual income between $20,000 and $35,000.

Monthly rent prices range from $680 to $750, based on income.

There has been a near-perfect ratio of Black and White applicants, Kander said, which was of vast importance to him.

“If these apartments ended up being 95 percent White, I failed. If they were 95 percent Black, I failed,” he said.

Kander wants a “good mix of people that learn to live with each other, collaborate with each other and care about the SEE BRADDOCK A3

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OHRINGER ARTS APARTMENTS OWNER/DEVELOPER GREGG KANDER, on the roof of the building.

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BRADDOCK FROM A2

community first. And as we develop this community, I want the people of the community to participate in the growth of the community.”

“The Ohringer Arts Project has been in the works for quite some time and I’m excited to see it prosper,” added current Braddock Mayor Chardae Jones, in a statement to the Courier, Feb. 22. “The apartments are beautiful and to see that building blossom is everyone’s hope. Gregg Kander saw a vision for the project and he’s seeing it through.”

The first residents should be moving in within the next four weeks, Kander said.

‘IT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT HER’ Gregg Kander told the Courier that he decided to “broaden his horizons”

CREWS HAVE BEEN WORKING for nearly two years to convert the Ohringer Building in Braddock into apartments. The job is nearly complete. Pictured above is Darrel Strong. (Photos by Courier photographer J.L. Martello) when he felt it was time to see if his future included another outstand-

ing woman.

He said he went to laundromats. Starbucks.

A VIEW FROM THE INSIDE OF THE OHRINGER ARTS APARTMENTS...

Hot Yoga. Community events. Fundraisers. Any and everything, hoping to find that next great woman.

Little did he know, that woman would be African American. And so accomplished. And so full of wisdom and determination.

Little did he know that she would get him out of that “bubble,” that environment that he had lived in for decades, giving him just an outsider’s view of what life is like for many African Americans through no fault of their own.

Hollis, who grew up in Pittsburgh, has long been an advocate for change, especially pertaining to the penal system. She has been outspoken on how, oftentimes, laws are made that dispro-

portionately incarcerate African Americans more than their White counterparts. She told the online publication Next Pittsburgh in 2018 that the best part of her job was “witnessing young people morph from being withdrawn and ashamed of their parents’ incarceration to bold, confident ambassadors for social and education justice.”

She also told the publication that her longterm mission for Amachi Pittsburgh was to “educate the community and especially policymakers about the plight and promise of children with incarcerated parents.

They’re 100 percent innocent, by the way.”

Kander sure got educated, too, by Hollis. Over time, he’s visited local

jails and talked to some incarcerated African Americans, hearing their stories firsthand. He told the Courier he’s able to see, for example, the African American stores that used to brighten East Liberty, only to see the gentrification work its “magic”—poof, most of them are now gone.

Little did Gregg Kander know that his life would change this much, and in his words, for the better, after meeting Hollis.

“The news shows you a ‘one percent’ and it doesn’t show you all the hard-working, churchgoing good (African American) people that are trying to get things done, without the preferences and privileges (that Caucasians have),” Kander told the Courier.

“I learned through Anna that people with ‘arms behind their back’ are doing the best they can.”

The mostly-African American borough of Braddock, the town that is now down to just 2,000 people, a far cry from its heyday when 10 times as many people called Braddock home, is undergoing a transformation. A rebirth, one might say. Kander can honestly say that he’s part of that rebirth, but only thanks to this thing called the “journey of life,” a journey that led him to that “beautiful Black woman,” his new love of his life, Anna E. Hollis.

“She’s a superstar,” Kander said of Hollis.

“It would not have happened without her.”

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PCSI to hold free Criminal Record Expungement Clinic, March 4 The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Pittsburgh Community Services Inc., is sponsoring an in-person event on March 4 that will provide individuals with a criminal record a workshop on the expungement process, free of charge.

The event is by appointment only, and those who wish to register must do so by calling PCSI at 412-9044700. Interested people may also email PCSI’s job developer and reentrant

specialist, Kurtis Mennitti, at kurtism@pghcsi.org.

The appointment grants people the opportunity to meet with members of the Allegheny County Public Defender’s office. Additionally, one can learn about the Pennsylvania pardon process, learn how to look up a court docket sheet, and connect with re-entrant-friendly employers.

“1 of 3 individuals in Allegheny County have some form of a criminal record,” Mennitti told the Courier

in an exclusive interview, Feb. 23. “Many of the highly qualified individuals PCSI services have been unable to locate jobs that pay livable wages due to the barrier of having a criminal record. These individuals tend to make 10-20 percent less than other employees if they can locate employment. Some experience the barriers in other ways such as not being able to volunteer at their child’s school, while others experience difficulties lo-

cating safe and affordable housing. Yet others just no longer want old charges on their record. PCSI’s view is to help as many individuals and families rise above the limitations presented from living in poverty.”

PCSI’s “Pardon Hub” was created for this reason, Mennitti said. “The Pardon Hub looks at how we can help get a person successfully to employment by addressing all barriers to increase their chances of success.”

The March 4 event will follow all guidelines required by the County Health Department due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“All individuals entering the building will have their temperatures checked and be required to wear a mask,” Mennitti told the Courier. “...There are a lot of moving parts to the event. It will encompass not only individual review for Clean Slate, Expungement, and Pardons, but also assistance with

job-readiness and employment referrals from the PCSI workforce team, while our case management staff will review how we can help with housing, utilities and more. With the sensitive nature of the event, along with COVID protocols, having a scheduled appointment time was the only way to make sure we could keep things confidential and safe.”

Kalani Palmer, Ph.D., wins ‘Excellence in Advising’ award PALMER FROM A1

times I am just supportive and listen. Sometimes I have to be firm and push them. My goal is by the time the student is a senior, I’m listening to their plan for their future and offering the advice and support that they need.”

In 2019, Palmer was a member of the university’s Center for Teaching Excellence Advising Workgroup.

The group conducted research on best practices in advising, created an updated faculty advising handbook, held a workshop on advising for existing faculty, and an orientation for new faculty about advising.

Palmer has served as chair of the Peer Mentoring Committee in the school’s Department of Human Development, and has been a peer mentoring coordinator. Incoming freshmen, students who have changed their major, and transfer students are matched up with juniors and seniors. When Palmer was chair, she provided training to the mentors, made the mentee-mentor matches, organized events, and collected data on how the program was faring.

As an associate professor,

gets to college, they are most-likely legal adults, who can make their own decisions.

Oftentimes, however, college is a world in itself, rooted in balancing time, finances, friendships, academics

willingness to learn. “I adjust my advising for each student and situation,” she said. “I know that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work for different people or even the same people

Palmer will be formally recognized for her “Excellence in Advising” award from NACADA during a virtual conference in March. But in the present, and long after she’s bestowed with the award, she’ll continue to do all she can to make an impact on the lives of others.

and future professional endeavors. Lots of college students find themselves searching for help.

That’s where the academic advisors come in.

Dalton State College, in Georgia, convened an extensive survey within its system, published in 2011, that revealed the six characteristics of good advisors: Student-oriented (an interest in and concern for students as individuals); Knowledgeable about the requirements and policies of the college/

at different moments. I am also respectful of the students I work with...by listening to them, being responsive and valuing their perspective.”

Palmer said a respectful environment helps students “feel safe” and thus, “strong relationships can form.”

And when it comes to a willingness to learn, “I reflect on my own practice and learn from mistakes. No one is perfect or knows everything.”

As previously mentioned, Palmer’s desire to

Flexibility, respect for all and a willingness to learn are Kalani Palmer’s top attributes as an academic advisor.

Palmer’s research focus centers around marginalized groups and parent involvement in supporting academic achievement.

Palmer, according to her IUP bio, is an applied researcher and evaluator with experience in clinical settings and urban school districts, as well as nonprofit youth-and family-serving organizations.

When it comes to being an advisor, not everyone is cut out for it, especially in a professional role in an academic setting.

By the time a person

firsthand everyday until she became ill what it meant to be of service.”

Abdullah passed away in 1990.

After Palmer graduated as a Schenley Spartan in 1998, she earned

university; Skilled in counseling and interpersonal relationships (ability to listen, take directive and non-directive, demonstrate patience and tolerance); Available to students; Careful about details such as record-keeping, follow-through and follow-up, and; Positive about and committed to advisement.

Palmer told the Courier her best attributes to help her perform as an advisor are her flexibility, respect for all and

be of service goes back to her childhood. Growing up in St. Clair Village, she told the Courier how her late grandmother, Elaine Abdullah, was the first welfare recipient to ever serve on the state Board of Public Welfare in Pennsylvania, and later became the vice president of the study commission that drafted Pittsburgh’s home rule charter.

“She was outspoken and active in her community,” Palmer told the Courier. “I observed

a Bachelor of Arts in Art/ Art Education from Carlow College (now Carlow University), a Master of Science in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Developmental Psychology, also from Pitt.

Palmer said she never thought about pursuing a doctorate degree, until she met Eva Shivers, J.D., Ph.D. Shivers was the advisor assigned to Palmer while Palmer was in grad school.

Palmer loved research (collecting and analyzing data and predicting outcomes), and it was Dr. Shivers who urged her to get a Ph.D. “I didn’t really know what a Ph.D. was or why anyone would want to get one,” Palmer told the Courier exclusively. “That may sound funny, but it wasn’t a part of my world growing up.”

Eventually, Palmer took her advisor up on the idea, and Shivers arranged an interview for Palmer with a committee at Pitt that awarded the K. Leroy Irvis fellowship to incoming doctoral students.

The late K. Leroy Irvis, a 1954 Pitt law school graduate, was a member of the Pa. State House,

representing Pittsburgh, for 30 years. The highly competitive fellowships that bear his name are designed to recruit underrepresented minority graduate students to Pitt’s doctorate programs.

“I was offered the K. Leroy Irvis fellowship and from there, my life was changed forever,” Palmer said. “Every time I think about how that one person, just her recognizing my interest and skill, and encouraging me, made such a huge impact on my life, it makes me cry.”

Palmer will be formally recognized for her “Excellence in Advising” award from NACADA during a virtual conference in March. But in the

present, and long after she’s bestowed with the award, she’ll continue to do all she can to make an impact on the lives of others.

“I ultimately decided to become a faculty member because I wanted to pursue research that could better my community,” Palmer told the Courier.

“Once I became a faculty member, I realized that just by being visible and present, I was making a difference in the community through my impact on the lives of students.

I still value the research, but working with students and supporting junior faculty is by far the most rewarding part of my job.”

What do you need to do in case of a financial emergency?

Damon Carr, as always, has the answer.

Read his column on Page B1.

New Pittsburgh Courier

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

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FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2021

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

This Week In Black History A Courier Staple FEBRUARY 24

1864—Rebecca Lee Crumbler becomes the first African-American woman to receive a medical degree. Born in 1833, she graduated from the New England Female Medical College. Prior to becoming a doctor, she had worked as a nurse in Massachusetts for more than six years.

1966—Kwame Nkrumah is ousted in a military coup as president of the West African nation of Ghana. This was another event which changed the course of Black history for the worse. Nkrumah, educated at the predominantly Black Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, had been a major intellectual and pragmatic force for Pan-Africanism and worldwide Black unity. From the time he became the first president of Ghana in March 1957, he had worked tirelessly for international Black advance and world peace.

His ouster left a void which after 40 years has not been filled by any other African leader. Nkrumah died in 1972.

FEBRUARY 27

PRINCE HALL

FEBRUARY 25

1851—The first Black Women’s Rights Convention is held in Akron, Ohio. The keynote speaker was anti-slavery activist Sojourner Truth.

1966—Constance Baker Motley becomes the first African-American woman appointed to a federal judgeship. She takes the bench in the Southern District of New York. Motley was a major civil rights hero helping win several important cases during the 1950s and ‘60s. Among the cases was the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education case, which desegregated the nation’s schools.

She worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and helped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in several of his legal battles. Born in 1921 in New Haven, Conn., Motley died in 2006.

1980—Black Entertainment Television, the first Black owned company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, begins CONSTANCE BAKER broadcasting from its headquarters in Washington, D.C. While still Black programmed, BET is now owned by media conglomMOTLEY erate Viacom.

FEBRUARY 26

DR. CARTER G. WOODSON

comes from the teaching of biography and history.”

1964—Heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay changes his name to Muhammad Ali after rejecting Christianity and joining the Elijah Muhammad-led Nation of Islam.

1920—Dr. Carter G. Woodson (1875-1950) founds the first nationally organized celebration of Black American history (then called Negro History Week), which was first celebrated on this day in 1926. Woodson scheduled the week to coincide with the birthdays of Civil War President Abraham Lincoln and Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass. However, in 1976, Negro History Week was expanded into the current-day Black History Month. For his efforts in promoting knowledge of Black historical achievements, Woodson became known as the “Father of Black History.” In explaining the need for the celebration, Woodson once said, “Those who have no record of what their forebearers have accomplished lose the inspiration which

CHARLOTTE E. RAY

1748—This is the probable birthdate of Prince Hall—the “Father of Black Masons.” Hall was a veteran of America’s war of independence from England, founder of the first African American Masonic lodges and one of the most prominent Black leaders of his era. The charter for the first Black Masonic lodge was granted on Sept. 29, 1784. It was known as African Lodge #459 of Boston.

1869—Congress adopts the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution, making it illegal for the U.S. government or any state to “deny or abridge” the right to vote “on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.” This was one of the so-called “Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th & 15th)” which essentially ended slavery, made Blacks full U.S. citizens and guaranteed the right to vote.

1872—Charlotte E. Ray graduates from the Howard University Law School, becoming the first Black female lawyer in the United States. It also appears that she was the third female lawyer of any race. She was admitted to the Washington, D.C., bar the same year she graduated. But racism and sexism prevented her from making a living as a lawyer in the nation’s capital, so she moved to New York and got a job with the Brooklyn school system.

FEBRUARY 28

1708—One of the first recorded slave revolts in American history takes place on Newton, Long Island (New York). Seven Whites are killed. In retaliation, two Black male slaves and one Indian male slave were hung, while one Black female slave was burned alive.

1879—A date considered by many to mark the beginning of the great “Exodus of 1879,” when thousands of Blacks begin fleeing racism, violence and economic exploitation in the South for new lives in the Midwest, especially Kansas. One of the most prominent organizers of the exodus was former Tennessee slave Benjamin “Pap” Singleton. An estimated 20,000 Blacks took part in the exodus. They were driven in part by the Homestead Act which promised free land. But by 1880, efforts had already begun to curtail the movement of Blacks to the Midwest. In 1881, Pap Singleton was hauled before a Senate investigative committee looking into his role in the exodus.

1989—Philip Emeagwali is awarded the Golden Bell Prize for solving one of the 20 most difficult problems in computer science. The prize is widely considered SEE BLACK HISTORY A6

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Praise & Worship ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH 91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Sunday Mass 10:30 A.M. www.sbtmparishpgh.com

East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800 Worship Online on Facebook/YouTube www.ELPC.church Journey Worship...........8:45 a.m.

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

Taize -Wednesdays.........7 p.m.

Curious about Quakerism?

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

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Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!

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Does anyone in Pittsburgh have photos of ‘Central Park,’ from the early 1920s?

On June 27, 1925, William G. Nunn’s “Diamond Dope” column in the Pittsburgh Courier discussed the “passing of Central Park,” a park that was the home of the Pittsburgh Keystones Negro Leagues team in the Hill District.

The park sat near the corner of Wylie Avenue and Chauncey Street, completed in the summer of 1920 by A.D. Williams, who founded the team. By 1925, however, the park was no more, at least for baseball.

“Upon the spot where the most famous colored players of modern days once planted their spikes arises a summer dancing pavilion,” Nunn wrote in the Courier. “The pavilion will be completed by the end of this month, and where the shouts of the diamond enthusiast once held sway the shrill chatter of the modern jazz-crazed youth will be heard.”

Nunn continued: “And with the passing of the grand old park memories of those halcon days of 1920-21-22 rise to haunt us like ghosts of the night.”

Now, Mark T. Fatla, executive director of the Northside Leadership Conference, told the Courier that he’s using some of his free time during the coronavirus pandemic to write a book, “Pittsburgh’s Historic Ballparks,” for Arcadia Press. Fatla said the book will cover the nine ballparks that hosted Major League Baseball in Pittsburgh, including the Negro Leagues.

“Central Park remained for a few more seasons, hosting independent Black teams, including a new version of the Keystones.

Central Park also hosted band concerts and gatherings of the Knights of Pythias. But by 1925, the Homestead Grays had

become the dominant local Black team and they squeezed out the Keystones and other Black teams. By the following year, Central Park was demolished,” Fatla said.

“During its short life, Central Park seemed insignificant and today it is almost entirely forgotten, but it appears to have been the first ballpark in the

an important role in history.

Here’s what Fatla wanted to tell the current Courier audience: “The search for this lost Negro League ballpark is on! Pull out your old family albums and scrapbooks.

If you have old photos of ballplayers or ballparks, we’ll scan them for study.

If we can verify a photo as

ist of these Negro League parks, but any newly uncovered images will help tell their story as well.

“If you have any photographs that you think may be of interest, please contact me at 412-231-4714, ext. 200. I’ll be happy to meet with you to scan and return your photos.

I’ll also be happy to share anything I learn about the

MARK T. FATLA, center, executive director of the Northside Leadership Conference, is penning a book entitled, “Pittsburgh’s Historic Ballparks,” for Arcadia Press. He’s wondering if anyone has photos of Central Park, in the Hill District, from the early 1920s, where the Pittsburgh Keystones Negro Leagues team played. Also pictured are Carol Washington and James Freeman, in this file photo courtesy of the Northside Chronicle. country owned, designed and built by African-Americans. It pre-dates Greenlee Field, which was the home of the Pittsburgh Crawfords. No other park in the country has a documented claim to that historic first.

There’s just one problem, Fatla said. “Amazingly, no

BLACK HISTORY FROM A5

“Nobel Prize of Computing.” The feat of the Nigerian-born computer scientist involved, at the time, the world’s fastest computer computation—a staggering 3.1 billion calculations per second. He figured out how oil flows underground and thus better enabled companies to extract it.

photographs of Central Park are known to have survived. The Courier reported on the Keystones and ran pictures of their players, but did not print any photos of the park.

Teenie Harris had not yet begun his incredible career and local photo archives and the Heinz History Center have nothing.”

So now, Fatla is on the

MAROONS

MARCH 1

1739—The British government is forced

EDWARD WATERS MEEKS JR Edward Waters Meeks Jr of Pittsburgh PA died unexpectedly on Sunday, February 7, 2021.

Being the first child born in Philadelphia PA on January 1st, 1951 and the first child and only son of his parents, Edward Waters Meeks, Sr. and Nannie P. Meeks, Ed or “Meekie” as he was lovingly known to family and close friends, thus began his life that came to be characterized by a “straight-talking” independent spirit; a commitment to serving and improving his community, and loyalty to the people and organizations that he loved.

Ed was raised in Philadelphia and Penllyn PA; he was known for his football skills at Wissahickon HS (Ambler) and went on to play football and graduate from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in Erie with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He continued his education at the University of Pittsburgh, receiving a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning. As an associate to many Pittsburgh leaders of the era of business and community development in the 1970’s and beyond, he worked with organizations such as the United Black Front and later the Office of Urban and Community Services of the University of Pittsburgh to shape the urban landscape of the Hill District and Greater Pittsburgh. His special interest as Co-Founder and Executive Director of Renaissance III was in placing under-represented people in the building trades by developing and providing a successful pre-apprentice training program.

At heart, Ed was truly an entrepreneur who, along with family, owned Meeks I & II, Inc., and the Market Square Beauty Gallerie and Mystique Beauty Salon in Pittsburgh. At his passing, he was a substitute teacher for the Pittsburgh Public Schools. In addition, he was a life-long member of the fraternity Omega Psi Phi. Inc. Ed leaves to cherish his memory a daughter and a granddaughter, Amanda Brown Meeks and Wisdom Sarai Davis in Atlanta GA; and sisters Dr. Karen Meeks (Bluffton, S.C.) and Dr. Valli Meeks (Baltimore, MD). He is also remembered by his beloved fraternity brothers of Omega Psi Phi, Inc., and a host of relatives and friends.

His memorial service is private.

Professional services are entrusted to Ciavarelli Family Funeral Homes, Ambler PA.

hunt. He believes that someone, somewhere in their local photo album or scrapbook in the Pittsburgh area must have some photos of Central Park. At the time, people may not have thought Central Park was significant, but, some 96 years later, Central Park played

being of Central Park, it will fill an important gap in our history. As a bonus, such a rare photo may be of value to collectors of vintage baseball and Negro League memorabilia.

“Your family albums may also have photos of Ammon Field or Greenlee Field. A small number of photos ex-

to sign a peace treaty with the Jamaican Maroons. The Maroons were escaped slaves or, to put it another way, Africans who refused to be slaves. When the Spanish lost Jamaica to the British in 1665, they freed many of their slaves and called them Maroons or “wild.” The Maroons set up villages, were frequently joined by other escaped slaves and eventually began to wage a highly successful guerrilla war against the British.

Under the terms of the peace treaty, the Maroons were designated a free people and given 1,500 acres of land.

1780—Pennsylvania becomes perhaps the first state to abolish slavery. There is some confusion about the effective dates of the laws passed during this period, which called for the gradual elimination of slavery. The honor of being the first state to ban slavery may actually go to Vermont.

1875—Congress enacts the first Civil Rights Bill. It granted Blacks the right to equal treatment in inns, on public transportation, in theaters and places of amusement.

However, with the end of the progressive Reconstruction period, Jim Crow laws were passed throughout the South which largely ignored the Civil Rights Bill.

African-Americans did not regain most of the rights granted in 1875 until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

1927—Entertainer and political activist Harry Belafonte is born Harold George Belafonte on this day in Harlem, N.Y., to Jamaican immigrant parents.

Belafonte developed an early flair for entertainment and in the postWorld War II period, he became one of the most popular vocalists in America and made Calypso popular throughout the nation. In 1959, he became the first African American to win an Emmy. However, from the 1960s forward he mixed his entertainment career with active participation in the Civil Rights Movement and other social causes.

He has been a frequent critic of Republican conservatism and conservative Blacks. In 2002, he was accused of labeling Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice “house niggers” for their support of President Bush’s right wing domestic and foreign policies.

HARRY BELAFONTE

ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR. 1967—On this day, the U.S. House of Representatives expelled flamboyant and outspoken Black New York Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. from Congress for allegedly misappropriating funds. However, in June 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the expulsion unconstitutional and Powell returned to Congress, but without his seniority. He lost his seat to current Representative

photos. Let’s find Pittsburgh’s lost ballpark!”

Nunn finished his column in the Pittsburgh Courier in 1925 about Central Park this way: “Central Park is no more, but it will always hold fond memories for thousands.”

Charles Rangel in 1970 and Powell died on April 4, 1972. During his most powerful years in Congress, Powell headed the House Labor and Education Committee and used his powers to help pass a wide range of civil rights and progressive social legislation.

MARCH 2

1807—Congress passes legislation banning the slave trade. The law, which was to go into effect on Jan. 1, 1808, prohibited the importation of slaves into the U.S. or any of its territories. Despite the law, however, the illegal importation of slaves continued for years. The best available records suggest that the very last slave ship arrived in the U.S. in 1859 off the coast of Mobile, Ala. The ship was called the Clothilde.

1896—Ethiopia defeats Italy at the battle of Adowa (also called Adwa). It was one of the few successful military victories of Africans over Europeans as the latter attempted to colonize and economically exploit the African continent. The nominal head of the Ethiopian forces was Emperor Menelik II, but the lead general was Ras Makonnen—father of the man who would become next Emperor Haile Selassie. The battle, which began on March 1, 1896, would leave 6,000 Italians and 10,000 Ethiopians dead.

But the victory forced Europe to recognize Ethiopia as an independent and sovereign nation, as well as, give inspiration to Blacks worldwide who were fighting for freedom.

METRO

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2021

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Buford named president of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Lauded for his efforts as Partner4Work CEO

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

David J. Malone, Chair of the local workforce development organization Partner4Work, called Earl Buford in a statement a “tireless advocate for the region’s businesses, job-seekers, workers and youth by taking an already strong public workforce system and elevating its portfolio and profile to a national stage.”

Malone said further that Buford’s contributions to the Pittsburgh region “cannot be overstated. Under his leadership, Partner4Work established itself as the model for workforce development boards across the country.”

It’s that type of impact that Buford’s made that launched him into a new challenge—president of the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL). It’s the next step in Buford’s substantive career, as Buford announced on Feb. 17 that he would be stepping down as CEO of Partner4Work after three years at the helm.

The New Pittsburgh Courier learned via Partner4Work that Buford established and delivered several innovations during his tenure, including: Elevating the organization’s profile through strategic partnerships with the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, National

Skills Coalition, Jobs for the Future, National Association of Workforce Boards, U.S Conference of Mayors, and other national entities; Establishing Pittsburgh as a member city of Midwest Urban Strategies, a coalition of 13 urban workforce boards united to advance economic and workforce development, secure resources, and share best practices.

As a member city, Pittsburgh received nearly $9 million in U.S. Department of Labor funds to reconnect dislocated workers and returning citizens with meaningful career opportunities; Mobilizing a robust network of industry-led and strategic partnerships in key sectors including Financial Services, Retail and Hospitality, Construction, Manufacturing, and Early Childhood Education; Attracting and delivering nationally renowned and industry-recognized training solutions including BankWork$, IBM SkillsBuild, and Per Scholas; Formalizing an agreement with the Pittsburgh Arena Real Estate Development (PAR) and the Buccini Pollin Group to establish a designated first-source workforce development initiative for Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District redevelopment; Launching the Ready to Work COVID Recovery Response Coalition with the leadership of numerous enti-

ties including business and philanthropic leaders, education, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh, and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. This strategic coalition has established or advanced numerous efforts with a particular focus on job quality and diversity, equity, and inclusion; Convening the Pittsburgh Area Funding Collaborative to bring $500,000 in National Fund for Workforce Solutions resources support industry partnerships and other workforce efforts, and; Expanding Partner4Work’s portfolio of adult and youth service providers including connecting nearly 6,000 young adults with employment through Learn & Earn, the summer jobs program delivered jointly with Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning is an affiliate of the Indianapolis-based Strada Education Network.

CAEL forges viable connections between education and career success for adult learners. CAEL provides solutions to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth in collaboration with workforce and economic developers, post-secondary educators, employers and industry groups, foundations, and other mission-aligned groups. Strada Educa-

EARL BUFORD tion Network is a social impact organization that combines research, thought leadership, strategic philanthropy, mission-aligned investments and its network affiliates to establish purposeful pathways be-

tween education and employment.

Buford will take on his new role at CAEL on April 12.

“It is with deep appreciation and the utmost confidence that we wish Earl well on his next

chapter,” Malone said in a statement, “and look forward to his successes and continuing to bring strategic partnerships to the Pittsburgh region through his work at CAEL.”

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FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Two popular Black historians and their unpopular works on slavery J. Pharoah Doss B4

New Pittsburgh Courier

BUSINESS FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2021

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

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Find what you need from jobs to cars to housing B5-6

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ACCORDING TO A 2020 REPORT from the Urban Institute, Black households have the lowest median FICO score among all racial and ethnic groups and the greatest share of households with no credit score at all.

How can we narrow the Black homeownership gap?

by Chuck Bishop For New Pittsburgh Courier

(BlackPressUSA)—Despite ongoing challenges due to the pandemic, Black Americans joined the many homebuyers looking for a space to call their own during the past year. But even against that backdrop, the homeownership gap for the Black community remains significant, and concerns remain about the overall effect the pandemic-slowed economy and historic challenges will have on long-term homeownership goals.

During Black History Month, and throughout the year, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges the Black community faces when it comes to homeownership and racial equity, and also acknowledge the important work that remains. That’s especially true considering how far behind the homeownership rate for the Black community lags compared to other communities in America, and how important owning a home is to achieving the American Dream and building longterm wealth.

The homeownership rate for Black families is nearly 30 percentage points lower than that for White families, according to a recent analysis by the National Association of Realtors. A recent Urban Institute report warns that if no policy measures are taken to address the significant homeownership gap, homeownership rates will continue to fall further behind, likely

pushing more members of the Black com- crease African American homeownership munity into renting as they age. that includes $60 billion in purchase The Black community also continues to lending to create at least 250,000 homeface significant barriers to homebuying. owners over the next 10 years; a focus Saving for a down payon increasing the diment, building credit and versity of our sales finding affordable homes team including Afriare challenges for many can American Home Americans, but can be Mortgage Consuleven more so for potential tants; and dedicating homebuyers in the Black $15 million toward community. initiatives that proAccording to a 2020 remote homebuyer edport from the Urban Inucation and counselstitute, Black households ing. While we have have the lowest median made progress, creatFICO score among all ing more than 72,000 racial and ethnic groups homeowners to date, and the greatest share of much work remains. households with no credAs a lender, we look it score at all. Serving to support homeownthese households requires ership in a number of lenders and other stakeways, from offering a CHUCK BISHOP holders to work toward broad array of prodnew solutions. The Office ucts to providing high of the Comptroller of the quality education to Currency’s Project REACh, which we are consumers. We offer educational tools a part of as both a founding participant about the home lending process, building and as the lead of its affordable home- credit and other important financial topownership work group, is one spot where ics, including an interactive experience at the industry is joining hands with policy myfirsthome.wf.com. makers to address issues.

We also try to strategize on ways to At Wells Fargo, we are committed to share information through community taking steps to increase homeownership organizations and outreach. Our home within the Black community. In 2017, mortgage consultants also are ready to we announced a commitment to help in- guide potential homebuyers through the

process, even if they aren’t ready to purchase right away. We encourage potential homebuyers to find out where they stand financially, and then come up with a plan, including seeking HUD-approved homebuyer education, and counseling from a nonprofit housing provider. Too many potential buyers wrongly assume that their credit isn’t good enough or that they don’t have enough funds saved for a down payment.

We also encourage potential buyers not to get overwhelmed by the concept of a down payment. Wells Fargo offers low down payment options that can help potential buyers get past that savings hurdle. Buyers can achieve their homeownership goals with as little as 3 percent down, giving them flexibility to decide how much of their savings to devote to a down payment, and how much to keep for a rainy day. In addition, a number of organizations have down payment assistance programs available that may also help.

There is no single solution that will solve the challenges facing Black homeowners, but there are many steps that we can take to narrow the homeownership gap. We continue to evaluate the ways we can help customers and our communities become stronger and help more members of the Black community achieve the dream of homeownership.

(Chuck Bishop is Head of Diverse Segments for Wells Fargo Home Lending.)

In case of emergency, break glass When defining a banker Mark Twain said, “a banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain.” New Edition posed a thought provoking question in one of their hit records “Sunny days—everybody loves them but can you stand the rain”?

Emergency savings is known by many names—emergency fund, god only knows fund, hard times fund, in case something happens fund. The most popular name used to describe emergency savings is a rainy day fund. An emergency saving is money set aside to help cover you and your family during unexpected events that result in a reduction or loss of income such as unemployment, disability, death, or divorce. An emergency saving can also be used to pay for unexpected expenses such as home and car repairs, legal fees and medical bills.

When things happen that affects your money that are unplanned and unexpected it feels as if it’s raining on your parade. An emergency saving or raining day fund will serve as your umbrella shielding you from the rain.

In the event something unexpected and/or unplanned was to happen to you, do you have a raining day fund in place to help you weather the storm?

According to a survey done by CNN, 41-percent of Americans don’t have an emergency fund.

“Ideally”, an emergency fund should be 3 to 6 months of living expenses.

However, “initially” 3 to 6 months of living expenses is simply not practical for the average person. Since I

ascribe to pragmatism versus theory, my advice for building an emergency fund differs from conventional financial experts. Before I share my process for establishing an emergency fund, let me share some bad financial planning commonly used for an emergency fund: • Credit Cards—One of the primary reasons people use cards is for emergencies. An emergency—or unexpected expense and/or unexpected event usually result in a reduction of income and/or an increase in expenses. Accumulating more debt in the midst of a money crunch seems foolhardy to me.

• Early Withdrawal from Roth and/or Traditional IRA (Individual Retirement Account)—Only in a bankruptcy or foreclosure preventing situation would I consider the idea of making an early withdrawal from a retirement account. Call me old school, but shouldn’t a retirement savings serve its intended purpose—RETIREMENT. No wonder why 96 percent of Americans age 65 and older are dying and retiring broke. Without a solid financial game plan, they’re using their retirement accounts for emergencies, home purchases, car purchases, college funding, debt consolidations etc.

In other words they retire their retirement portfolio before they retire from work.

• Loans from a 401(k) plan or sim-

ilar retirement account—People often rationalize that they’re paying themselves back at a low interest rate when they borrow from their 401(k) plan. When you’re investing money, you’re looking for the best rate of return with acceptable risk—not a low interest rate. Furthermore, the payments you’re making to your retirement plan hinder your ability to continue to save toward retirement. Your employer will not match the money you’re contributing as loan repayments so you lose the match. In the event you leave your employer or they politely encourage you to leave, your loan becomes due in full.

If not paid in full, it’s treated as an early withdrawal. Therefore, you may incur a 10 percent penalty.

• Cash value in a life insurance policy—A life insurance policy with a cash value element is the most aggressively sold life insurance product.

In my opinion it’s also the worst. In the event you have cash value life insurance and you use the cash build up to provide the needed cash for your emergency, the money withdrawn from the cash value will reduce the death benefit. Most people who have a cash-value life insurance policy are already underinsured.

Unlike the traditional financial advice you hear, save a little here, invest a little here, and use what’s left for debt reduction, I use a more F.O.C.U.S

approach—Following One Course Until Successful. I have a three tier emergency fund saving process. The first tier is to free up a minimum of 10-percent of your gross household income —Wiggle Room. The money freed up here will have a very focused purpose.

Its first purpose will be to save $1,000 as a starter emergency fund. Initially, it’s more realistic for most families to save $1,000 as a starter emergency fund. After we have $1,000 saved for emergencies, we’ll then use the 10-percent or more we freed up to accelerate our debt reduction plan. Now that we have paid off all debt except for the mortgage, we have effectively given ourselves a raise and increased our cash flow. It’s now realistic to save a fully funded emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of living expenses in a reasonable amount of time. I also have a three-line defense when faced with an emergency—(1) Do without, (2) Use the wiggle room money we freed up to address the emergency, (3) Tap into the emergency fund.

An emergency fund should be placed in a simple conservative easily accessible account such as a savings account, money market account, or money market mutual funds. With an emergency fund, you’re not concerned about the ROI—Return on Investment. You’re concerned about the ROP —Return of Principal. You want to be sure that in case of an emergency, you can break the glass and access the necessary funds.

(Damon Carr, Money Coach can be reached @ 412-216-1013 or visit his website @ www. damonmoneycoach.com)

BUSINESS

B2 FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Rosalind Brewer named new CEO of Walgreens Brewer will be the only Black woman heading a Fortune 500 company Ashley Stevenson The Michigan Chronicle

On March 15, Rosalind Brewer will be named the new CEO of Fortune 500 Company, Walgreens.

Brewer, currently COO of Starbucks and former CEO of Sam’s Club, is a graduate of Cass Technical High School in Detroit.

She went on to graduate from Spelman and then Stanford Law School before becoming the first Black woman to serve as Starbucks’ CEO and sit

on the board of Amazon.

Brewer will get a signing bonus worth $24.7 million when she joins Walgreens as CEO. She’ll also get a $1.5 million annual salary and personal use of the company’s private jet. Brewer, who will become the only Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, is currently Starbucks’ Chief Operating Officer.

In 2018, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Brewer during her address at the Sankofa

Black Business Awards.

It was at that moment, I tangibly felt the pride of being a Black woman from Detroit, working hard to pave the way for myself and pull up a chair to the table for others. Ironically, I was at the event serving alongside the event team and consequently pulling out chairs, but what was most inspiring was that she noticed the work I was doing. At the end of the night, she asked to take a photo with me, compli-

MEETING A TRAILBLAZER—Rosalind Brewer and Michigan Chronicle Staff Writer/Social Media Manager Ashley Stevenson.

menting me on the hard work she saw me doing at the event. I smiled, completely awe-stricken and filled with inspiration.

Black women, once described as the “least desirable” in almost every category that didn’t involve immoral servitude, continuously set new bars of achievement and elevation. Brewer’s story is a primary example of that.

Now that the world has found what I refer to as “an upswing of approval” for Black women, it is finally being venerated, that despite the obstacles against them Black women have always found a way and continue to succeed. With hard work and grit tucked up their sleeve and sweat on their brow.

Regardless of who was watching or even cared enough to give them their flowers.

I’d like to think that when I met her in 2018, she saw in me what the world may not have in that moment. I was working toward my dreams.

Another true testament, that sometimes the only people who understand are those who have the experience. I keep this quote from her in the forefront of my mind: “You can and should set your own limits and clearly articulate them.

ROSALIND BREWER This takes courage, but it is also liberating and empowering, and often earns you new respect.”

In 2018, Brewer was named Forbes’ 34th most powerful woman. She is a trailblazer for all powerful women who know the respect that they deserve and have the courage to not only articulate it but

act on it as well. It did not just become cool to be a Black woman, it was always cool. Black women, like Brewer, understand the freedom in making space for yourself to keep others from putting you in a box.

Securing the keys to homeownership Millennials have over $1 trillion in debt, the most of any generation in United States history. They’ve also had to work towards financial stability in an economy that has grown slower than any previous generation. The last “golden-era” of economic growth in the United States, the 1990s, saw high job creation and low inflation levels, two indicators of a thriving economy. When you compare baby boomers in their thirties to millennials of the same age, boomers owned eight times as much real estate value as millennials. Rising student debt and stagnant income levels are some of the factors that have made buying and keeping a home seem unattainable. The economic impact of Covid-19 has only reaffirmed that view for many.

However, a home is more than just a place to live; it’s also a valuable asset to your financial portfolio.

When the economy is going well, home values usually increase between 3-4 percent per year. You can then

cash in on it later by selling your house for more than you paid or borrow against it at a lower interest rate than most credit cards.

Furthermore, you will get income tax breaks for the mortgage interest and property tax you pay each year. Owning a home gives you more financial freedom in both the short and long term to pursue the things you want in your everyday life.

Support for Prospective Homebuyers As a rule of thumb, start your search for programs offered by the local and federal government, specific vocations (military, nurses, etc.), and different family structures.

• GreenPath has partnered with Freddie Mac to create the BorrowSmart Program, a down-payment incentive program to allow prospective homebuyers to receive additional education while moving toward a home purchase.

It can be hard to know which options best fit your situation and which information to trust. By work-

ing with realtors, loan originators, and financial counselors like Greenpath, you can compile a more exhaustive list of options that might even enable you to utilize several different programs at once.

Support for Existing Homeowners Many mortgage lenders are offering financial remedies to borrowers during the pandemic. The assistance provided is usually either forbearance or de-

ferment. The difference between the two is generally how interest accrues and how those paused payments are paid back.

For example, Under the CARES act, any homeowner with a federally backed mortgage (i.e., FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac) is potentially eligible for an initial forbearance up to 180 days.

Often, taxes, insurance, etc., must still be paid with either option.

There are also options for nontraditional homeowners. If you’re in a more stable financial position, refinancing your home at a lower interest might offer an opportunity to save thousands of dollars. If that’s a path you look into, be sure to consider your new rate and term, plus your closing costs to ensure the dollars make sense for you.

Even the most common form of assistance available comes with many terms, implications, and decisions.

Contact your loan servicer, and a qualified counselor, like GreenPath Financial Wellness, to assess how the remedies will impact your short and long term financial outlook.

Honest conversations with loan servicers and realtors about your financial situation are often stressful and maybe even embarrassing. Still, these tough conversations are the best way to start down a path of financial remedy. They know, and in many cases, the authority to present solutions to seemingly un-

fixable problems.

Additionally, new federal and state programs aimed at offsetting income lost due to the pandemic could help you keep up with your mortgage payment. Benefits.gov, 211.org, and Sba. gov are great places to start looking.

• The Small Business Administration (SBA) has several loan programs, grant programs, and resources available to assist eligible small businesses.

And as always, be wary of fixes such as debt consolidation, payday loans, etc.

They often end up being more stressful and costly than the original bills you sought to pay down.

Milestones such as buying a house or keeping up with the mortgage payments are undeniably more difficult because of COVID-19, but thankfully there are real, attainable solutions to many of the genuine issues that are hitting many of us just a little too close to home. Visit https://www. greenpath.com/housing/ for more information.

It’s critical to support small and BIPOC-owned companies

by Pamela Dover For New Pittsburgh Courier

While the pandemic’s ripple effect has impacted many businesses, a National Bureau of Economic Research from June 2020 revealed Black, Indigenous and People of Color-owned (BIPOC) organizations have taken a bigger hit. Nationally, the number of Black business owners plummeted from 1.1 million in February 2020 to 640,000 in April —a 41 percent loss in a couple of months— while the number of Latinx business owners dropped from 2.1 million to 1.4 million (32 percent) from February to March 2020.

COVID-19 is not the only challenge impacting small and BIPOC-owned businesses, of course. They also face old and new difficulties due to systemic social and economic injustices, civil and social unrest, and environmental events—and these ongoing inequities have been further highlighted during the pandemic, including in our community.

An Aug. 2020 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York revealed businesses in Wayne County did not have appropriate access to coronavirus-relief federal loans.

The report noted Black-owned businesses across the country saw “huge disparities in access to federal relief funds and a higher rate of business closures.” Additionally, the Detroit Free Press found only 11.6 percent

of Black-owned firms in Wayne County had sented groups. More than 700 Black-owned received loans under the Paycheck Protec- small businesses received marketing and tion Program through June 2020. technology services, including 20 based For their small businesses to survive over right here in Detroit. the next few years, BIPOC business owners The second wave of the program just will need to employ all of their skills, cre- kicked off this month, giving eligible BIativity, resources and capaciPOC-owned small businesses ties to stay viable and thrive located in Detroit, Highland —but the onus should not be Park and Hamtramck (as well entirely on them. as in four other cities across Small businesses are the the country severely impactbackbone of our economy. ed by COVID-19) the chance When they don’t make it, the to apply for direct grants of entire country pays the price: $10,000. One hundred recipskyrocketing unemployment ients will be selected locally rates, reduced consumer for a total of $1 million dollars spending and less optimisawarded. tic long-term forecasts for all Here’s what you need to businesses, among other efknow if you’re one of these PAMELA DOVER fects. But when they succeed, small business owners. If your we all succeed.

BIPOC-owned business is eliThat’s why companies with gible—that is, at least 51 permore resources should play a role in sup- cent BIPOC owned, independently owned porting small and minority-owned busi- and operated, registered as a business in nesses—and why Comcast created a new the U.S., in operation for more than three initiative, Comcast RISE, in October 2020 years, with one to 25 employees, and locatto help these businesses address their chal- ed within Comcast’s Detroit coverage area, lenges and succeed over the long term. which includes the City of Detroit, HamThe first wave of RISE—which stands tramck and Highland Park—simply fill out for “Representation, Investment, Strength the form on www.comcastrise.com/apply/ and Empowerment”—granted marketing, between March 1 and 14, 2021. creative, media and technology services Many BIPOC-owned businesses have to small businesses owned by underrepre- suffered from lack of access to capital. This

is an opportunity to leverage a program that will provide capital without many of the challenging criteria, because Comcast aimed to make the application process for these grants as easy as possible. We want businesses to gain the much-needed financial support that can help them stay viable.

Their success is paramount to our economy and to the success of our country as a whole.

We at Comcast are hoping Detroit-area BIPOC businesses will take advantage of the opportunity to potentially obtain one of these grants. We know the past year was difficult, traumatic and tragic for so many people and businesses within our community, and 2021 will bring its own share of challenges. And we know Comcast, alone, can’t remedy complex, systemic issues. But we are deeply committed to helping to drive change and begin the long process of correcting social and economic injustices.

Through Comcast RISE, we hope to create sustainable impact and meaningfully support the small businesses which are shaping our communities. It’s not just about the economy. It’s about ensuring , diversity and inclusion, and it’s the right thing to do.

For more information or to apply for the program, visit www.comcastrise.com/apply.

(Pamela Dover is Senior Director of Business Development for Comcast Business. corporate.comcast. com, Pamela_dover@cable.comcast.com)

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Guest Editorial

Strong evidence for in-person schooling Public schools nationwide are struggling with the question of when to return to in-person schooling.

There is strong new evidence that in-person schooling can resume safely, especially at lower grade levels. There is also clear evidence that the longer in-person schooling is delayed the more it hurts students from low-income families.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that in-person schooling can resume safely with masks, social distancing and other strategies, and vaccination of teachers, while important, is not a prerequisite for reopening.

The nation’s top public health agency released its long-awaited guidelines for getting students back to classrooms in the middle of a pandemic that has killed 500,000 people in the U.S. Officials recommended measures include hand washing, disinfection of school facilities, diagnostic testing and contact tracing to find new infections and separate infected people from others in a school.

Congress should pass President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 package quickly to get $130 billion in aid to schools to help them meet the CDC’s standards.

“We have sacrificed so much in the last year,” Biden said in a statement. “But science tells us that if we support our children, educators and communities with the resources they need, we can get kids back to school safely in more parts of the country sooner.”

There’s wide agreement that learning in the classroom is more effective and that students can face isolation and learning setbacks at home. But teachers unions in some areas including the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers say schools have failed to make buildings safe enough to return.

The CDC guidelines and the problems of ventilation systems in some schools suggest that officials must reopen schools on a case-by-case basis. Schools with poor ventilation systems that do not meet CDC standards should remain closed and continue remote learning. However, schools that meet public health standards should be reopened.

CDC officials emphasized that transmission among students is now considered relatively rare.

The CDC says high community transmissions does not necessarily mean schools cannot be open—especially those at the elementary level. If school mitigation measures are strictly followed, the risk of spread in the schools should still be low, the guidance suggests.

The guidelines suggests that when things get risky, elementary schools can go hybrid, providing in-person instruction at least on some days, but that middle and high schools might go virtual.

The CDC continues to recommend that children be spaced 6 feet apart in school settings.

The fact is that remote learning is having a devastating impact on students. In school buildings, students mostly must remain physically present once they arrive. But when students learn at home, they have opportunities to disengage just about hourly.

Remote learning is having a particularly negative impact on low-income students.

Studies show math class participation decreased disproportionately for students from low-income families since the beginning of the lockdowns.

At the end of March when lockdowns began in the U.S., the number of students from the lowest earning families who participated in online math classes per week plunged by 62 percent, while the decrease was less pronounced— down 21percent—among students from the highest-earning households, according to a paper by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights group that analyzed data from Zearn, an education nonprofit that partners with schools to provide math programs.

“If you look at the past four years of Zearn data, high and low-income kids were participating in online math at similar rates,” said Shalinee Sharma, co-founder and CEO of Zearn. “Until March 16 of this year, that is, when schools closed and learning became remote. After that, a divergence between high- and low-income children happened that is shocking.”

A Los Angeles Times survey of 45 Southern California school districts found profound differences in distance learning among children attending school districts in high-poverty communities and those in more affluent ones.

These inequities threaten to exacerbate wide and persistent disparities in public education that shortchange students of color and those from low-income families, resulting in potentially lasting harm to a generation of children, Heather C. Hill, a professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education who studies teacher quality, teacher professional learning, and instructional improvement, said in an article in Education Week in December.

“The longer this goes on, the longer the pendulum swings to where this could be a generation that’s really left behind,” said Beth Tarasawa, who studies educational equity issues at the not-for-profit educational research group NWEA. Schools must reopen as safely and quickly as possible.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

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Health and Welfare (TriceEdneyWire.com)—Two points loom significant as I begin my thoughts for this week. First, my NCBW predecessor, Dr. C. Delores Tucker would often remark that: From birth, when we receive our birth certificates, until death and our survivors receive our death certificates, we have an on-going relationship with government. For those living under the U.S. Constitution, this observation is unquestionable even to state and local governments.

Doubters need only reflect on public schools, our annual interaction with the IRS, recurring license renewals, and, hopefully, rare contact with law enforcement and other public safety officials.

The second consideration are the goals stated in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Central is the self-imposed obligation to promote the general welfare. I have family in Houston, TX, and recent events in Texas give me cause to question the commitment of some state and local officials to the general welfare. I understand that ‘The Preamble’ doesn’t guarantee each citizen nirvana, but, as a student and teacher, I have learned that the

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

Commentary oaths of office for governing officials require a direct pledge to reduce/remove threats to the collective safety of citizens and to improve quality of life.

The antithesis of this is Texas Republican Tim Boyd, now the former mayor of Colorado City. As reported by The Grio, in a Facebook post on February 16th, he disparagingly labeled his citizens as “lazy” and told them to “get off your ass and take care of your own family!”

He added (with the misspellings), “No one owes you are your family anything; nor is it the local government’s responsibility to support you during trying times like this! The City and County, along with power providers or any other service owes you NOTHING! I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout!

Sink or swim it’s your choice! Only the strong will survive.”

Boyd’s indifferent attitude is mirrored by Texas Republican Governor, Greg Abbott, who attempted to shift the blame for the abject mismanagement of the Texas Electric Grid to Wind and Solar power sources and a nebulous, theoretical “Green New

Deal.” Instead of “real” corrective action, even with knowledge of the impact of a similar catastrophe in February 2011, government and industry leaders chose profit over people. Just in case you forgot, Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson were newlyweds (in 1994) which is the last time a Democrat won statewide office in Texas. So, the “blame” falls squarely in the laps of elected Republicans.

From a practical position, it seems foolish to think that the national Republican Party would demonstrate any more compassion and concern for people than its subsidiaries at the state level. The advent of the Biden/Harris administration has provided disclosure of the level of mismanagement of the COVID pandemic by “that former guy (#45).”

It was no surprise to learn that, prior to January 20, 2021, there was no viable plan for the acquisition, distribution, and administration of the COVID vaccine. Although understood, there was no plan to overcome ‘Vaccine Aversion’ in communities of color. Moreover, deficiencies were obscured with institutional misrepresentations—LIES!!

Sweet words and personal freedoms mean little to the dead! Rather than listening to their words, we must judge the actions and conduct of those who would lead. If they fail to zealously act in our behalf in times of crisis, we must remove them in times of elections.

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

The impeachment verdict: A function of who voted, not facts!

The 53-47 Senate vote not to find P45 guilty is a shameful example of what happens when the presented evidence demonstrates beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime in question, but the jury votes “guilty” or “not guilty” because of their political, racial, religious, and/or other personal reason(s). What is known as jury nullification takes place when members of the jury deliberately ignore valid evidence and, instead, vote contrary to the evidence as well as in accordance with their biases.

Blacks know this phenomenon very well, given the very long history of all-White juries ignoring solid evidence and finding Blacks “guilty” of crimes they did not commit or finding Whites “not guilty” of crimes they did commit against Blacks.

One of the most horrific all-White male jury nullification cases took place in 1955 when two White men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, kidnapped Black, 14-year-old Emmett Till, brutally murdered him, and threw his body in the river. Bryant and Milam admitted kidnapping Till and there was overwhelming evidence that they murdered him.

However, a racist all-White male jury found Bryant and Milam “not guilty” of any crime. Years later, Bryant and Milam admitted committing the murder.

In addition to race-based jury nullification, American “justice” is all too often a function of the defendant’s socio-economic status as opposed to the facts in a given case.

This matter has been well documented by scholars in the Southern Poverty Law Center, the University of Michigan Innocence Clinic, and the Cordozo School of Law Innocence Project. For example, one report indicated that while Blacks “…make up 13 percent of the nation’s population, they make up 47 percent of those who are found to be wrongfully convicted. The poorest counties have the fewest resources to provide adequate defense and those are counties where you have a lot of minorities.”

(See Lester Graham and Sandra Svoboda, November 3, 2016).

In addition to the dangerous practice of jury nullification, race and lower socio-economic status are often the basis for judicial bias. After the

Jack L. Daniel

Commentary January 6, 2021 insurrection, we witnessed judicial bias as evidenced by the following: • The White 22-year-old Riley J. Williams bragged about stealing Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop and her intentions to sell the hard drive to Russians. Yet, the U.S. Magisterial Judge Martin Carlson opted to read sections of the Constitution to Williams and, subsequently, released her in the custody of her mother.

• In terms of “White privilege” being vividly on display, District Judge Trevor McFadden approved a Texas White female insurrectionist’s (Jenny Cudd) request to go on vacation in Mexico because the vacation had been prepaid! Her charges “include obstructing an official proceeding of Congress; being in a restricted building; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted area; disorderly conduct in the U.S. Capitol; and parading or demonstrating inside the Capitol” (See Bill Chappell, February 5, 2021).

• A White male insurrectionist, who happens to be the founder of “Proud Boys Hawaii” (Nicholas “Nick” Robert Ochs), was charged with criminal conspiracy but released from federal custody by Judge Wes Reber Porter, after Ochs’ told the judge that he understood the charges against him.

• Federal Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey ordered the Black male insurrectionist (Emmanuel Jackson), accused of attacking police with a bat, to be jailed without bail.

Against the backdrop of American racialized and economically discriminating “justice,” one needed only add a heavy dosage of “national politics” to obtain the 53-47 Senate impeachment vote that surprised few, if any.

We witnessed jury nullification and hypocrisy on vivid display when Senator Mitch McConnell voted to

acquit P45 and then stated, “There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. …A mob was assaulting the Capitol in his name. These criminals were carrying his banners, hanging his flags and screaming their loyalty to him.”

The impeachment trial of P45 indelibly underscored the fact that the administration of justice is but one of the fundamental ways in which America remains divided. To address this type of judicial malfunction in Pennsylvania, for example, it is of great importance during the May 2021 primary election processes that we attend to things such as the gross racial imbalance of federal, state, and county judges. Close attention must be paid to the political endorsement processes for judges and, in turn, take steps to change the conspicuous absence of Black judges being endorse and elected. In sum, “Black Robes Matter” and Pennsylvania must not follow P45’s paltry appointment of Black judges.

If Pennsylvanians are to change the biased administration of justice referenced herein, then all Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Law Schools must hire significant numbers of Black faculty and enroll record numbers of Black law students.

It has been far too long since the Honorable K. Leroy Irvis graduated from Pitt’s Law School (1954) and was elected the 130th Speaker of the House in 1977. We desperately need the Commonwealth’s Law Schools to produce graduates whose career choices will lead to them serving in an array of public service positions.

Before we vote nationally in four years, we must take all necessary steps to elect a Congress that will not engage in jury nullification.

During the interim, let’s watch to ascertain whether the Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the Washington D. C. Attorney General Karl Racine, and others can achieve justice related to documentable malfeasances by P45.

(Jack L. Daniel is Vice Provost and Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh.)

FORUM

B4 FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2021

Lessons from Texas

Two popular Black historians and their unpopular works on slavery

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Texas was freezing, and Senator Ted Cruz was looking forward to sizzling his way to a Cancun vacation. People didn’t have drinking water and were advised to boil anything that came out of their faucets. That’s easy enough to do when you have no power. Some resorted to burning their furniture, fences, and anything else they could get their hands on. A woman and her two grandchildren perished from flames when they lit a fire in their fireplace to stay warm. Children died from the cold, and Texas’s Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT) is being sued. They’ve sent people five-figure electricity bills, and the absentee governor says power cannot be cut off for nonpayment.

The rest of the nation is looking at Texas (and Louisiana and Oklahoma, but Texas is in the worst shape) with shock and horror. People have queued up for food, water, and heat.

Many have left their homes to shelter with friends, only to return to frozen pipes and flooded floors. Others have thronged to Gallery Furniture, where the civic-minded “Mattress Mack”, Jim MCIngvale, opened his store so people could rest in warmth.

People slept on high-end beds, reclin-

There’s an African Universities created J. Pharoah Doss proverb that goes: Black Studies Until lions have their programs. Then in historians, tales of the 1980’s Afrothe hunt shall always centric scholarship glorify the hunter. emerged, which The proverb implies took “glorification of history is written by the Black past” to the victors, but it also controversial levels gives the “lion historiby claiming Westan” a specific task – to ern Civilization glorify the lion. “Glorifiers of the past” stole everything from architecture to phiare the first type of historians that emerge losophy from Africa. Afrocentric historifrom the oppressed. ans creating a mythology about Blacks in In 1879 Martin R. Delany published: antiquity wasn’t what the African proverb The Origin of Races and Color. The back had in mind. cover of a modern copy explains: DelaHistory that “glorifies the past” to prony wrote in opposition to an oppressive duce dignity, pride, and cultural appreciaintellectualism that used Darwin’s thesis tion will always be important. However, if ‘survival of the fittest’ to support dementit dominates the discourse other lessons of ed theories of Black inferiority. Delany history, which are just as vital, do not get believed knowledge of one’s past was learned. essential and it was necessary to inspire For example, there are two lesser-known self-improvement. works by two of the historians I previousIn 1893 Rev. Rufus Lewis Perry publy mentioned that don’t glorify the past. lished: The Cushite, or The Descendants These works reveal aspects of American of Ham. Perry’s book was in response to slavery that are purposely left out of cona racist doctrine known as “The Curse of temporary narratives, but are vital for a Ham”. The curse stated the descendants complete understanding of the subject. of Noah’s son Ham (The Black race) would Before Carter G Woodson created Negro be enslaved by the descendants of Noah’s History Week, he wrote a small book that son Japheth (The White race). Perry documented the number of free Negro wrote: During the period of American owners of slaves in the United States in slavery, no historian could write a true re1830. Woodson explained he took on the cord of the sons of Ham. All were against study of the free Negro because it was a the Negro and suppressed the facts of the forgotten group and “person’s supposedly Negro’s ancient greatness. In those days well informed in history are surprised to the White man wrote for White men; and learn that about a half a million Negroes now the Black man must write for Black were free prior to the emancipation in men, and give [the Black race] its proper 1865”, and many of those free Negroes rank among the historical peoples of the owned slaves. earth.

In 1969 Lerone Bennett Jr. published a In 1896 the US Supreme Court legalized feature in Ebony magazine called: White segregation. Since segregation created Servitude in America. He wrote: When an inferiority complex inside of the Black the cataracts of whiteness are removed population, Black historians felt duty from our eyes, and we look with uncloudbound to continue writing history that ed vision on the bloody shadows of the instilled a sense of pride in Black people American past, we will recognize for the throughout the 20th century. first time that Afro-Americans, who was In the 1920’s historian Carter G. so often second in freedom, was also secWoodson created Negro history week to ond in slavery. The story of how the White celebrate the achievements of the Negro. planter reduced White people to servitude, In the 1930’s W.E.B. Dubois wrote the before stretching out his hand to Ethiopia, history of Black Reconstruction. In the has never been told because White histo1940’s journalist J.A. Rogers published rians find White servitude embarrassing a two-volume history called The World’s and prefer to dwell on Black bondage.

Great Men of Color. In the 1960’s HistoToday, we have activists shouting rian Lerone Bennett Jr. published: Before “America has never come to grips with the the Mayflower: A History of the Negro legacy of slavery”, but—in all fairness— 1619-1962. In the 1970’s colleges and neither have they.

Julianne Malveaux

Commentary ers, sofas, and other furniture, ate snacks, and drank water that they could not find at home.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called the crisis the result of “twenty years of bad government.” He criticized state leadership for the situation and said the state, not individuals, should be responsible for excessive bills. Other mayors, leaders, and Congressional representatives talked about the lack of planning.

They seemed resigned to the crisis, which can’t be resolved until people have running water and their homes are repaired. Could this happen in Washington, DC, New York, Denver, or San Francisco? What can we learn from the Texas calamity?

Firstly, we must acknowledge that our infrastructure is crumbling. The American Society of Civil Engineers reports that our infrastructure— our highways and bridges, water systems, and dams—has long been neglected and is crumbling. President Biden has an excellent opportunity to generate jobs and repair our aging infrastructure, and it is an effort that should garner bipartisan support. Texas reminds us how fragile our infrastructure is and how much it will cost us, both in money and human misery, if we continue to ignore it.

The Texas debacle should also remind us how intertwined we are.

The Texas swashbuckling “go it alone” attitude kept them disconnected from national electric grids that might have been able to help when ERCOT could not. In the end, even though former Governor Rick Perry said he would prefer to freeze than have the federal government involved, President Biden declared Texas an emergency and ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to direct resources to Texas.

The National Guard is delivering food, water, shelter, and other emergency relief. New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez crossed both state and party lines to provide emergency supplies. I don’t think former Governor Perry would turn this assistance down. What a difference an administration makes!

While the previous president would have undoubtedly gone to one of the places where people have lined to throw water bottles just like he threw paper towels in Puerto Rico, President Biden has eschewed the spotlight and quietly directed resources to Texas.

Senator Ted Cruz provides a lesson from Texas regarding class, race, and access. He had the money to jump on a plane and take his family with him. Too many don’t have that access. Disasters hit most people hard, but they hit some people harder.

When we develop disaster relief, we must be mindful of the inequalities that every disaster reveals. Those who are privileged should not be allowed to exert their privilege during a disaster.

Kudos to AOC, Beto O’Rourke, Sheila Jackson Lee, among others who have stepped up to help. Texas is a tragedy, but it is also an opportunity to learn more about planning and prevention.

(Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist and author. She can be reached at www. juliannemalveaux.com.)

Check It Out

The misrepresentation of Juneteenth (TriceEdneyWire. com)—I strongly Carl Mack oppose the proposed Washington State Bill 1016, and I strongly oppose the passage of Ordinance 19209 by the Metropolitan King County Council, both designed to designate Juneteenth as a state holiday. To date, 46 States have approved June 19 as a paid or legal state holiday. No problem. The issue is the historical reason used to justify their efforts to remember. Many have stated that June 19, 1865 ended slavery in America, which is historically speaking, grossly wrong.

The State of Washington in their proposed legislation of Bill 1016 stands as a perfect example: “…The legislature intends to designate Juneteenth as a state legal holiday to celebrate the end of chattel slavery.” In addition, the language of King County Ordinance 19209 also uses similar language to justify the mis-educated belief that Juneteenth is an historically appropriate day to celebrate the end of chattel slavery.

Other states have used similar language/ justifications to recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam stated, “It mattered then because it marked the end of slavery in this country.” However, a historical fact that many people either are not aware of or choose to ignore officially ended chattel slavery in America. The 13th Amendment, when it was ratified by the state of Georgia on December 6, 1865, ended chattel slavery as it was passed by Congress and ratified by the required minimum of 27 states (Georgia was number 27) needed for its formal adoption. It must be noted that in the six months leading up to the ratification by Georgia—June 19, 1865 and December 6, 1865—there were at least 225,000 Black people enslaved in Kentucky alone. Chattel slavery was still LEGAL and practiced in Delaware and Kentucky.

The bill, ordinance, and others like it speak to why Black history should be taught. Blacks got it wrong, Whites got it wrong, Americans of all hues got this wrong. If indeed Black Lives Matter, then the historical actions of these governmental entities are historically saying those still enslaved Don’t Matter. I am in favor of celebrating and remembering June 19; however, I am not in favor of celebrating the notion of ALL or how EVAH you think, when I remember those 225,000-plus who

were not free.

It is historically clear that Black Liberation Day should be December 6. Those Black legislators and supporters of the current actions, I applaud your intent. However, if your intent is pure, then put aside your ego and replace it with truth and honor. America would never allow anyone to designate July 3rd as Independence Day. Not one person reading this article would accept any day other than their birthday as fact. So why should we accept what is a bold, and now popular, historical error in the spirit of acknowledging America’s Original Sin? I’ll tell you why…IGNORANCE. Ben Franklin once said, “the only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.”

Franklin once owned slaves, he corrected his error. Out of respect for my ancestors, ALL my ancestors, Remembrance, Honor, and History is loudly calling upon you, in the words of Spike Lee, to Do The Right Thing!

We all remember 9/11. In the aftermath, America wanted retribution. Republicans and Democrats alike voted to go to war with Iraq because the nation was told they had weapons of mass destruction. I remember Washington State Representative Jim McDermott attempting to tell the nation the facts as presented were inaccurate. He was labeled unpatriotic and “Baghdad Jim.” History is clear that Rep. McDermott was “American Jim.” I understand the shame America has about her original sin, which is, in part, why the Black Experience, aka, Black History is not taught in schools today.

There is a price for our ignorance, and today, following the ‘wokeness’ of America because of the murder of George Floyd, we have sat quietly by and watched 46 States dishonor those quarter of a million Black people.

Indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword, so as a simple fix, let’s use the pen.

For those who have passed the legislation, simply change the date from June 19 to December 6, and ALL will be honored.

True leaders, when faced with new accurate information, change course. Those who don’t…in the words of A Few Good Men, “You can’t handle the TRUTH!”

Commentary

(Carl Mack is former President of Seattle King County NAACP, and former executive director of the National Society of Black Engineers.)

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Oscar H. Blayton

Commentary

White rage LBJ was right, but wrong.

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he said of the Democratic Party, “We have lost the South for a generation.” However, President Johnson’s estimate of the damage done to his party in the eyes of White America was too optimistic. No Democratic candidate for president of the United States has won a majority of the White vote in the North or the South since 1964.

And here we are today. The Republican Party pledges allegiance to a charlatan and trickster, whose lies numbered in the tens of thousands during his presidency, rather than abide by the U.S. Constitution for fear of offending its political base of White supremacists.

Within the 74 million American voters who knowingly cast their ballots for a lying con artist, there is an underground volcano of White resentment superheated by the failure of many White Americans to actualize and achieve the American dream—a failure they blame on people of color. The lack of employment, inaccessible health care and an overall decline in the quality of life for working-class White people has been foremost among their grievances.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic laid waste to the social safety nets throughout this country, the Trump administration’s mishandling of the needs of the poor and working class had rubbed many White Americans raw. And the only thing that sustained them was the red meat of racial hatred that Donald Trump fed them daily.

They ignored that the wall was not being built along the Mexican border, let alone that Mexico was not paying for it. They were too focused on applauding the caging of little brown children who were being torn from their families after crossing our southern border.

They ignored the absurdity of Trump’s baseless claims that North Korea would limit its nuclear arms program. They were too busy high-fiving each other over the fact that Trump had pulled us out of the Iran nuclear deal, heightening the possibility of an armed conflict.

They ignored the fact that America’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement had the potential to threaten life on earth. They were too busy pounding their chests over the Trump administration’s allowing an environmentally dangerous oil pipeline to be built over Indian lands.

A howling, rampaging mob of White supremacists descended upon the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to thwart the democratic process of certifying a duly elected president because people of color had voted in great numbers. This insurrectionist mob was assembled and controlled by Donald Trump. And when the U.S. House of Representatives impeached Trump for this insurrection, 43 Republican senators refused to convict him for fear of the White rage that it would stoke.

Now these same senators have the gall to call for “unity” among the American people.

The U.S. Constitution defines treason against the United States as “levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” Anyone who says that the mob that stormed the capitol was not an enemy of the United States is lying. Anyone who says that Donald Trump did not assemble and direct that mob is lying also. The mob was comprised of treasonous villains, assembled and led by a treasonous villain, all enemies of the United States.

The 43 senators who voted to acquit Donald Trump for what he did on Jan. 6 gave aid and comfort to enemies of the United States and are guilty of treason.

This call for unity sounds hollow. It is as offensive as the praise given to slaveholder Patrick Henry, who declared “Give me liberty or give me death” when the soil of America was already soaked with the blood of the people of the First Nations, and the backs of Patrick Henry’s own enslaved property were striped from the lash.

For centuries, politicians have feigned a love of unity. But many of the Northern dead left on the battlefields of Gettysburg and Shiloh bled for union, not unity. The states of our federation had to hold together if the nation was to fulfill its “God-ordained destiny,” and slavery stood in the way of that destiny. It was not for the love of Black folk that the North marched against the South. It was the hatred of the economic advantage that slavery provided the Southern states. The ill treatment of the U.S. Colored Troops by the federal government bears witness to this.

As it was a century and a half ago, so it is today: There is no love of Black folk among the many Whites who harbor a rage born of a dissatisfaction with their quality of life and direct it at people of color.

While that underground volcano of White rage boils beneath our feet, Republicans loyal to Donald Trump want us to pretend Trump never happened, just like some Southerners pretend the Civil War was not fought over slavery. They are attempting to preach the gospel of peace and unity. But peace and unity cannot come at the price of the existence of people of color.

When LBJ signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act in the face of White rage, he did not do it for peace and unity. He did it because the world had come to condemn the United States for preaching peace and unity while African Americans were suffering horrifically violent injustices. America was shamed into signing the civil rights laws of the 1960s.

Today, many Whites still rage on and continue to fight to deny our humanity. And it is incumbent upon us to identify those people, be they low-wage earners or members of the U.S. Senate. Then we must lay the blame for the harmful results of their wrongful actions at their feet.

Whether they acted on their hateful and unjust rage, or were just complicit in inciting that rage, we must shame them in the eyes of the world.

(Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.)

New Pittsburgh Courier

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•Additional new requirements may to added from time to time

GLOBAL LINKS JOB OPENINGS Based in Green Tree, Global Links is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health of vulnerable communities locally and globally, while promoting sustainability in healthcare. We are actively seeking dynamic and diverse candidates to join our growing team.

Details and application instructions can be found at www.globallinks.org/about-us/ employment-internships POSITIONS AVAILABLE: •Development Manager (FT) •Program Manager, Domestic Medical Aid (FT) •Volunteer Program Manager (FT) •Warehouse Associate & Truck Drier (FT) •Inventory Associate (PT) CHILD SPECIFIC RECRUITER TRAC Services for Families is looking for a Child Specific Recruiter to work with specific hard to place children to identify a permanent resource for them. Applicant must be able to provide direct assistance to all families interested in adoption and foster care through intake and orientation.

Applicant must perform community outreach through general recruiting events. Applicant must have a Bachelor’s Degree and 1 – 2 years’ work experience in case management or social work.

To apply, please go to https://tracpgh.com/employment-opportunities/ CASEWORKER II TRAC Services for Families is looking for a Caseworker II to provide intensive case management to the agency foster/adopt program throughout all phases of the process.

The applicant must be able to manage scheduling of transports, home visits, supervised visitation, court hearings, and necessary paperwork for a caseload of 15 placements. Applicant needs to have a Bachelor’s degree and 3-5 years’ work experience. To apply, please go to https://tracpgh.com/employment-opportunities/ OPENINGS AT LITERACY PITTSBURGH Literacy Pittsburgh has three fulltime openings: Operations Assistant, Program Coordinator and Adult Basic Education/High School Equivalency Instructor. Deadline to apply is March 3. For details and how to apply, visit http://www.literacypittsburgh.org/join-our-team.

We invite candidates to include in their cover letter a statement about how their unique background and experiences can contribute to the diversity, cultural vitality, and perspective of our staff, students, volunteers, and supporters.

FULL/PART-TIME POLICE OFFICER HOMESTEAD BOROUGH, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA Qualified persons are invited to apply to the Homestead Borough Civil Service Commission to take competitive examinations leading to eligibility for appointment as Full Time or Part Time patrolman for the Homestead Borough Police Department.

General Requirements: US citizen, High School Diploma or equivalency certificate 21 years of age and be physically and mentally fit to perform the full duties In addition, applicants must have successfully completed Act 120 training, as prescribed by the Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission: possess a valid Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle License, and other qualifications as provided for in the Borough’s Civil Service Rules and Regulations Benefits: Part Time starting wage of 17.73 per hour An application form and details of the selection process may be obtained at the Borough Building, located at 221 East 7thAve, Homestead, PA 15120, between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. A completed application, no fee, must be filled with the Civil Service Commission by 3:00 pm Tuesday, March 9, 2021. The test will be held at 10am March 10, 2021 HVAC INSTRUCTORS, POLICE OFFICERS & HOUSEKEEPING POSITIONS OPEN Pittsburgh Technical College is seeking qualified applicants for the following positions: •HVAC Instructors, Must have Universal EPA Certification •Police Officers, Must have Act 120 & 235 (available for all shifts) •Housekeeping (available for all shifts) Must pass criminal background check.

Immediate opening at our North Fayette campus near Robinson Towne Center.

Apply to www.ptcollege.edu (Employment with PTC) or www.workforptcollege.com .

EOE M/F

PART-TIME POLICE OFFICERS The Borough of Braddock is accepting applications for Part-Time Police Officers. Applications may be obtained at the Borough Office, 415 Sixth Street, Braddock PA 15104, between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm., Monday through Friday.

For further information contact the Braddock Borough at 412-271-1018 or email resume to braddockmanager@comcast.net All Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements: •Must be available to work a minimum of 16-32 hours per week.

•Must have successfully completed PA Act 120 Training and be certified or able to be certified by MPOETC. •Must have current CPR/AED First Aide Training.

•Possess a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license.

•Must be a United States Citizen.

•Successfully pass a thorough background check and Drug Screening.

•Must be physically and mentally fit for the full duties of a Police Officer.

URBAN ACADEMY OF GREATER PITTSBURGH CHARTER SCHOOL FULL TIME DEAN OF STUDENTS REPORTS TO: Chief Executive Officer SALARY RANGE:$55,000-$63,000 JOB FUNCTION: The Dean will play a significant role in shaping and sustaining the school’s distinctive culture and ensuring that the scholars internalize its values and aspirations for academic excellence and local and global citizenship.

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

URBAN ACADEMY OF GREATER PITTSBURGH CHARTER SCHOOL FULL TIME SOCIAL WORKER REPORTS TO: Chief Executive Officer SALARY RANGE: $55,000 - 65,000 JOB FUNCTION: The School Social Worker will be responsible for supporting the school’s students and their families to make the best use of available opportunities and resources and help develop each student’s potential.

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

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a CUSTODIAL SHIFT MANAGER: Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Deadline 4:00 PM March 3, 2021 EOE

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Furnished Apartments

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FURNISHED ROOM with all amenities conveniently located in the Hill District James (412) 924-8678.

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ARTICLE OF INCORPORATION Business Corporation

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with respect to a corporation which has been incorporated under the provisions of the Business Corporation Law of 1988 THE NAME OF THE CORPORATION IS BAYENS ENTERPRISES, INC.

FICTITIOUS NAME

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to the provisions of the Fictitious Names Act of Pennsylvania that an application for Registration of a FICTITIOUS NAME (was) filed with the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for the conduct of a business under the fictitious name of VINTAGE COLONIAL FINDS with its principal office or place of business at 1799 Hassam Road, Coraopolis, PA 15108. The names and addresses, including street and number, if any, of all persons who are parties to the registration are: Morgan Miller 1799 Hassam Road, Coraopolis, PA 15108, Phone: 304-777-0904

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PUBLIC NOTICE ALLEGHENY COUNTY ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FY 2021 Notice is hereby given that Allegheny County is undertaking the development of an Annual Action Plan, as required by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to determine the types of projects that will benefit County residents. Part of the Annual Action Plan planning process involves outreach to citizens for input on housing, economic development, and community development needs across the County. Citizen comments are important and will help to determine housing, economic development, and community development needs for the county’s 2021 program year, which runs July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022.

The County will hold a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 10:00 AM via Microsoft Teams, by calling (267)368-7515 and entering the Conference ID: 953 475 949# Instruction for how to join the public hearing may also be obtained by visiting the County’s Website at: https://www.alleghenycounty.us/economic-development/index.aspx or calling the County at: 412-350-1000. Anyone requiring special accommodations or who requires a presentation in a language other than English should contact Mr. Howard Schubel at Howard.Schubel@AlleghenyCounty.US 48 hours in advance of the hearing date and time.

The purpose of this public hearing is to accept citizen comments for the use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) funds.

Allegheny County anticipates receiving Federal funds for these programs from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

All interested citizens are encouraged to attend this public hearing as they will be given the opportunity to present oral or written testimony concerning the Annual Action Plan for FY 2021. Written comments may also be addressed to Mr. Bud Schubel, Manager of Operations, One Chatham Center, Suite 900, 112 Washington Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, or by email at howard.schubel@alleghenycounty.us. Oral comments may be made in advance of the hearing by calling (412) 350-1044.

Bids/Proposals

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR CONSTABLE SERVICES RFP #250-09-21 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Constable Services The documents will be available no later than February 16, 2021 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 10:00 A.M. on March 9, 2021.

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 10:00 AM on March 9, 2021 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 February 26, 2021 at 10:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 964 0769 8121 Passcode: 823315 +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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Bud Schubel ACED, Manager of Operations ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings

FEBRUARY HACP BOARD OF COMMISSION MONTHLY MEETING Due to the COVID-19 protective guidelines set forth by federal, state, and local governments, the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s Board of Commissioners will hold its monthly meeting for February on February 25, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. on a remote basis. The meeting will be held remotely, with public access to be provided online.

HACP will provide a direct link to a livestream of the meeting, and instruction on how to make a public comment. Details will be made available on http://www.hacp.org, in advance of the meeting.

LEGAL AD REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL REQUEST FOR INFORMATION The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) for a Racial Equity Training and Support Directory.

Due Date: Ongoing. Responses will be reviewed four times yearly, with the deadlines for submissions on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15.

For more details and submission information, visit: www.alleghenyc o u n t y. u s / H u m a n - S e r v i c e s / Resources/Doing-Business/ Solicitations-(RFP/RFQ/ RFI).aspx.

Marc Cherna Director

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Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

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 a.m. on March 16, 2021 and will be read at 11:15 a.m., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information for the Bid Opening), for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

Bib Number B210205A B210206A B210207 B210208A B210209A

Bid Name Wheel Flange Lubricator Sticks Bus Batteries - Wet Type Wayside Profiling & Measurement Stsyem Herbicide Spraying for Vegetation Control Air Oil Coolant Transmission & Fuel Filters

Paper Proposal - Documents are available for the following item at Port Authority’s Main Offices 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15222-2527

Bid Number B2009754AR

Bid Name Off-Site Record Storage & Service

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 a.m. on March 2, 2021. Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information. 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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FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2021

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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR BATHTUB REFINISHING AT VARIOUS HACP LOCATIONS IFB#300-08-21 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified irms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Bathtub Refinishing at arious HACP Locations IFB#300-08-21 The documents will be available no later than February 16, 2021 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 A.M. on March 9, 2021 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on March 9, 2021 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd loor, 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. im Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd loor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via oom meeting on February 26, 2021 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 947 5694 5463 Passcode: 987582 +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.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS 2021 PHASE 1 RFP #125-10-21 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified irms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Project Based Vouchers 2021 Phase 1 The documents will be available no later than February 16, 2021 and signed, sealed proposals for Phase 1 will be accepted until 9:00 A.M. on March 30, 2021. 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, 2021 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 loor, 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. im Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd loor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via oom meeting on March 11, 2021 at 09:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 939 9398 4507 Passcode: 630169 +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.

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.

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 6000 BUS PROCUREMENT Sealed proposals must be both received and time stamped by a representative of the Purchasing and Materials Management Department through Authority’s business website at or before 2:00 p.m., E.S.T., June 22, 2021, at http://ebusiness.portauthority.org, for the following: RFP No. 6000: consists of clean diesel and battery electric powered 40 foot low oor and 60 foot low oor articulated transit type buses, with options for BRT style buses and additional buses for Authority’s existing vehicle eet (Contract Services) through a competitive sealed proposal procurement.

The Contract Services shall include, but not be limited to, project management administration for, designing, manufacturing, testing, furnishing, delivery and performance testing of the buses, as well as the delivery of data, manuals, drawings, training, support services, spare parts and special tools and equipment of the quantity and quality.

Proposals received or time stamped by a Purchasing and Materials Management Department representative after the advertised time for the submission of proposals shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for award. ach Proposer shall be solely responsible for assuring that its proposal is timely received and time stamped in accordance with the requirements herein. o proposer may withdraw a submitted proposal for a period of 180 days after the scheduled time for receipt offers.

A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available on or after February 22, 2021, and can be obtained by registering at the Port Authority ebusiness website: http://ebusiness.portauthority.org and following the directions listed on the website. Please note that Proposers must register under the ebusiness category of PURCB – Bus Vehicle Purchase for this RFP. Proposers may also register in other categories for any future RFPs issued by Port Authority. If you have specific questions regarding this RFP, please contact Anna Marie Mc ibben at (412) 566-5104 or email AMcKibben@PortAuthority.org.

A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held at 9:30 a.m., prevailing time, March 9, 2021 via Microsoft Teams video conference and or call to answer any questions regarding this RFP. A call-in number has been set up for the Information Meeting. The dial-in information is as follows: To join by Microsoft Team video conference: http://bit.ly/RFP6000 To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: •412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) •Conference ID: 477 013 808# This Contract Services may be funded, in part, by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the ederal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The proposal process and the performance of the requested services will be in accordance with guidelines and regulations of the TA “Third Party Contracting Guidelines”, FTA Circular 4220.1F, as amended, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Authority, in compliance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, as amended, implements positive affirmative action procedures to ensure that all Disadvantaged Business nterprises (“DBEs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed, in whole or in part, with federal funds, if any, provided under or for the proposed Agreement.

In this regard, all recipients or contractors shall take all necessary and reasonable steps in accordance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services. urther, proposers and the Contractor shall also not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sex, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts or subcontracts for these Contract Services.

All proposers will be required to certify that they are not on the U.S. eneral Services Administration’s List of Parties xcluded from ederal Procurement or on-procurement Programs.

Authority reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, in its sole discretion.

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HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR TECHNICAL ACCOUNTING SERVICES RFP #150-13-21 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified irms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Technical Accounting Services The documents will be available no later than February 22, 2021 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until 9:00 A.M. on March 16, 2021. 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 16, 2021 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 loor, 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. im Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd loor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via oom meeting on March 2, 2021 at 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 996 9299 7110 Passcode: 639641 +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.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR UNIFORMS FOR HACP EMPLOYEES IFB#650-15-21 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified irms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Uniforms for HACP Employees IFB#650-15-21 The documents will be available no later than February 22, 2021 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 a.m. on March 16, 2021.

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on March 16, 2021 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd loor, 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. im Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd loor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via oom meeting on March 5, at 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 942 2557 4074 Passcode: 597131 Dial in: 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.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR ROLL-OFF CONTAINERS AUTHORITY WIDE IFB#300-05-21 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified irms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Roll-Off Containers Authority Wide IFB#300-05-21 The documents will be available no later than February 22, 2021 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 10:00 A.M. on March 16, 2021 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 10:00 AM on March 16, 2021 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd loor, 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. im Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd loor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via oom meeting on March 2, 2021 10:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 997 3927 0846 Passcode: 479953 +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.

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield ntrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on March 16, 2021, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for: Service & Maintenance Contracts at Various Schools, Facilities, Facilities & Properties: -Gas and Oil Burners, Boilers and Furnaces Inspection, Service, and Repairs (REBID) Pgh. Crescent ECC Various Asphalt and Concrete Repairs General Prime Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on Monday, February 22, 2021 at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 Mc ean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual.

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

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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.

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.

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128 or 129 America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

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E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com Deadline/Closing/ Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication