3.22.23 NPC

by Rob Taylor Jr.

Courier Staff Writer

The Hill District Federal Credit Union is expanding, not only in its physical size, but in its financial offerings for its customers.

Wednesday, March 15, marked the public announcement that the credit union had acquired the storefront space to the left of its space at 2021 Centre Ave., and in about 10 months, there will not only be a new classroom in that space specifically for financial literacy classes, but four two-bedroom apartments will be housed above the credit union.

And the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned exclusively that the Hill District Federal Credit Union will start a mortgage department, giving its customers a chance to purchase a home through their hometown credit union.

“We’ve never done mortgages before,” said longtime CEO of the Hill District Federal Credit Union, Richard Witherspoon. “I’m building a mortgage program from the ground up. Our mortgage program is

going to be geared towards us, for us.”

Witherspoon said he built the credit union’s small business lines of credit specifically for African Americans, and it’s worked out handily. There are 82 small businesses with lines of credit through the HDFCU.

“It’s always a win when longtime community institutions participate in the revitalization of their community,” voiced Marimba Milliones, President and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corporation. “When we have longstanding institutions participating, owning expanding, fulfilling commitments to the master plan, those are wins.”

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey was on hand for the celebration, held on a sunny day in the Hill District. “I always say that as development happens it should be diverse, and it should be reflective of the neighborhood in which the people come from, and you’ve accomplished that by expanding the Hill District Federal Cred-

by Rob Taylor Jr.

Courier Staff Writer

Glenn “Rambo” Ramsey and Danielle Parson were just two of the many Pittsburghers who picked up some food at CARES CommuniTEA Cafe, on Feb. 1, 2023, a very special day for the eatery in the Hill District.

Feb. 1 marked exactly two years that CARES CommuniTEA Cafe had been in business. The cafe is a workforce development initiative of The Center that CARES, founded by Rev. Glenn Grayson Sr., pastor of Wesley Center AME Zion Church, on Centre Avenue. The organization also runs the popular Jeron X. Grayson Community Center, on Enoch Street in the Hill.

At a time when some businesses have left the Centre Heldman Plaza, CARES CommuniTEA Cafe has withstood, of all things, a pandemic.

“We’re really excited

about surviving two years in the pandemic, two years with rising food costs, two years of challenging workforce and staff and people switching jobs,” said Shinora Johnson, with The Center that CARES, in an exclusive interview with the New Pittsburgh Courier. “So, it’s been a struggle, but I feel a sense of pride and people coming here, having meetings...it’s something that the community really needed... there’s really no sit-down restaurants or eateries in the community.”

Johnson said as she’s watched local and state politicians and other Pittsburgh notables come into the restaurant, or people having a chance to fellowship at the eatery, “it warms my soul. Sometimes you have really slow days, but when you see that the community needs something that you’re offering, you want to be able to serve.”

Every Black San Francisco resident may soon receive $5 million payout

by Black Information Network

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors expressed enthusiastic support on Tuesday (March 14) for the city-appointed committee’s recommendations for reparations, which included paying eligible Black adults $5 million each.

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According to the Associated Press, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors heard recommendations from the city-appointed reparations committee for the first time on Tuesday.

Along with the $5 million payout, the board seemingly supported other ideas proposed by the reparations committee, including eliminating personal debt and tax burdens, providing guaranteed annual incomes of at least $97,000 for 250 years, and doling out homes in San Francisco for just $1 for every eligible Black adult.

These were just a few of the more than 100 recommendations made by the reparations committee, which was formed in 2020 to figure out how to compensate Black San Franciscans for centuries

This Week In Black History A Courier Staple

• MARCH 22

1492—Alonzo Pietro sets sail with Christopher Columbus as he begins his famous journey to find a new trade route to China, but accidentally “discovers” the Americas. Pietro was one of Columbus’ navigators. He was known as “il Negro”—The Black.

of slavery and systemic racism.

Those eligible for compensation would include people of at least 18 years of age who have identified as Black/African American in public documents for at least 10 years, according to a draft recommendation. Eligible persons would then have to meet two of eight standards still subject to change, including being born in or having migrated to San Francisco between 1940 and 1996, being a descendant of or someone jailed in the “failed War on Drugs,” or being a descendant of a person enslaved before 1865.

The reparations committee hasn’t completed an official analysis of the cost of its proposal, which has been criticized by opponents as financially and politically impossible. However, the committee still has time to mull over its recommendations, including monetary compensations, as its final report is due to the Legislature on July 1. At that point, it will be in the hands of lawmakers to draft and pass legislation.

1942— Scholar and political activist Walter Rodney is born in Georgetown, Guyana. Rodney would become one of the leading intellectual forces behind the worldwide Black Nationalist and Pan-Africanist movements of the 1960s and ‘70s. He was a brilliant scholar who traveled widely and among his major writings was the book “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa.” He died in a car bombing in Guyana in 1980.

• MARCH 23

1916—Marcus Garvey arrives in the United States from Jamaica. He would go on to build the largest Black nationalist and self-help organization in world history—the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The UNIA owned everything from bakeries to a shipping line. It would develop chapters throughout major cities in the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. “Garveyism” emphasized racial pride, economic empowerment, Blacks doing for self and the establishment of a powerful Black nation in Africa to give protection to Blacks throughout the world.

• MARCH 24

1837—Blacks in Canada are granted the right to vote. Most of these Blacks had escaped from slavery in America.

2002—Halle Berry becomes the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress. She won for her role in the movie “Monster’s Ball.” She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Movie/Mini-Series for “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” in 1999. Berry was born on Aug. 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio, to an African-American father and a Caucasian mother.

• MARCH 25

1931—Ida B. Wells Barnett dies. Barnett was one of the leading Black female activists in America for over 30 years. Born in Holly Springs, Miss., she became a crusading journalist against racism and injustice with her Memphis, Tennessee-based newspaper—“The Free Speech and Headlight.” When a prominent Memphis Black man (and friend or hers) was lynched in 1892, she launched a national campaign against lynching. In 1909, she became a member of the Committee of 40 which laid the foundation for the organization which would become the NAACP. But she later sided with scholar W.E.B. DuBois when he accused the NAACP of not being militant enough. Barnett would also later join with White suffragettes in demanding that women be given the right to vote.

1931—The “Scottsboro Boys” are arrested and accused of raping two young White women—a crime which evidence suggests (then and now) never occurred. However, the saga of the nine Scottsboro Boys (young Black men aged 12 to 20) would stretch out over a period of nearly 20 years in a series of trials, convictions, reversals and retrials. The racism of the period was so thick that even when one of the young White women recanted and admitted that no rape had occurred, an all-White Alabama jury still found members of the group guilty and sentenced them to death. The convictions were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court and more retrials and new convictions followed. Eventually, either by paroles or escapes, all the Scottsboro Boys would leave Alabama prisons. The last one died in 1989.

1942—Aretha Franklin , the “Queen of Soul” music, is born in Detroit, Mich.

• MARCH 26

1831— The founder of the Afri -

can Methodist Episcopal Church Church, Richard Allen , dies at age 71 in Philadelphia, Pa. As its first bishop, Allen set the AME Church on the path to becoming the first Black religious denomination in America to be fully independent of White control. He, in effect, chartered a separate religious identity for African-Americans. He also founded schools throughout the nation to teach Blacks. This includes Allen University in Columbia, S.C. 1944— Singer/Actress Diana Ross is born in Detroit, Mich. She headed the most popular female signing group of the 1960s—The Supremes.

1950— Singer Teddy Pendergrass is born in Philadelphia, Pa. For a period, Pendergrass was the leading sex symbol in R&B music. However, an automobile accident on March 18, 1982 left him paralyzed from the chest down. Pendergrass died Jan. 13, 2010.

• MARCH 27

1924— The sensational Jazz singer Sarah Vaughn was born on this day in Newark, N.J. 1970—Mariah Carey was born on this day in Long Island, N.Y. Her parents are of Irish/ African-American/Venezuelan background. Carey came to prominence after releasing her self-titled debut studio album “Mariah Carey” in 1990; it went multiplatinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Under the guidance of Columbia Records executive and later husband Tommy Mottola, she continued booking success with followup albums “Emotions” (1991), “Music Box” (1993), and “Merry Christmas” (1994), Carey was established as Columbia’s highest-selling act. In 1998, she was honored as the world’s best-selling recording artist of the 1990s at the World Music Awards. She married actor/comedian Nick Cannon in 2008. She lists Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder as her favorite singers.

• MARCH 28

1900— The British demand the Ashanti Golden Stool . Ironically, the Ashanti had been one of the tribes which had actually benefited from slavery by capturing and selling their fellow Africans. But when the slave trade ended, the British turned on the Ashanti in a bid to colonize the Gold Coast (now Ghana). In an apparent attempt to demoralize and humiliate the Ashanti, the British demanded that they turnover one of their greatest symbols—the Golden Stool. The demand led to war. The Ashanti were led by Queen Yaa Asantewa . Her fighters kept the British at bay for several months. But with superior fire power, the British eventually prevailed.

1972— The two surviving Soledad Brothers are found not guilty by an all White jury in the alleged killing of a White guard at the California prison. The other Soledad Brother, revolutionary writer George Jackson, had been killed during an August 1971 Marin County Courthouse escape attempt, which also led to charges against college professor and communist Angela Davis. Davis was also eventually acquitted.

1984—Dr. Benjamin Mays dies. The president of Atlanta’s Morehouse College had been one of the leading Black educational figures in America during the 20th century.

CARES CommuniTEA Cafe celebrates two years in business

In March 2020, ironically, when the COVID pandemic began in the U.S., the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh released a “Request for Interested Tenants” for the vacant retail spaces in the Centre Heldman Plaza.

In August 2020, the URA announced it would lease one of the spaces to CARES CommuniTEA Cafe. The cafe is located at 1836 Centre Ave., and is part of the Avenues of Hope initiative, which addresses Pittsburgh’s lack of community and economic development in Black communities.

Johnson, the day-to-day leader of the cafe, said that

about 30 students ages 18 to 24 have worked at the cafe. The cafe is designed to have students, the majority of whom are African American, get prepared for the work world. The students learn how to run a register, the cafe’s social media efforts, pricing structure, inventory control, and how to staff the cafe, especially during call-offs.

The Grayson Center, Johnson said, also is home to a program that provides students the opportunity to learn different stages of entrepreneurship, including how to create and follow a business plan.

Every other Wednesday, the cafe partners with Be-

yond Blessed Catering to offer different meals to the cafe’s customers. Johnson said the cafe also partners with local businesses for its uniforms, and the cafe is looking to partner more with Sunny’s Community Garden, which is another program of The Center that CARES. The community garden is located on Granville Street, its mission to provide fresh food to Hill District residents.

A normal day at CARES CommuniTEA cafe, which is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., features croissants with egg and cheese, bagels, and yogurt with fresh fruit and granola for breakfast; and a variety of salads, panini and sandwiches for lunch. It’s a “cafe” of course, so don’t forget about the mochas, lattes, cappucinos, espressos, and spiced ciders. There’s also lemonade, iced tea, fruit smoothies and candy and cakes on the menu.

For Ramsey, known around town as “Rambo,” he told the Courier he picked up a special meal on a Wednesday, which included, in his words, “one gumbo, three wings and two salmons for the family.” He said the cafe, right in his neighborhood, is “good for the community.”

And for Parson, a former Courier Fab 40 honoree in 2018, going to CARES CommuniTEA Cafe makes her feel “comfortable. I know I can get something great to eat,I know I’m going to see a smiling face, so I love that they’re here. My prayer is that they’ll stay here and I’ll continue to support.”

DANIELLE PARSON ENJOYS THE COMFORTABLE ATMOSPHERE OF CARES COMMUNITEA CAFE.

JASHAN THOMAS, AT THE TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CARES COMMUNITEA CAFE. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)

“RAMBO” GETS FOOD FROM CARES COMMUNITEA CAFE...

it Union,” Mayor Gainey said, directed at Witherspoon. “I just want to say ‘thank you’ for your long and hard work, years of dedication and service to this community.”

Witherspoon, former board member Carol Sims, retired Pittsburgh Police detective Brenda Tate and others couldn’t leave the podium without paying tribute to the woman who started it all, Dame Mary Walker. She founded the Hill District Federal Credit Union 53 years ago.

“She went door to door to start this company, collecting 25 cents,” said Sims, who knew Walker

very well. “She would even go up to our school, at the time was St. Richards, now St. Benedict The Moor, to get the kids to start their deposits.

We’ve always welcomed children coming into the credit union to start small deposits, because that’s what has helped us build today. She has helped so many people... people even coming to get a loan to help pay their light bill. You can’t go down to the big banks and say, ‘I can’t pay my light and gas bill.’

They’re not willing to give out small loans like that. But we do.”

Walker passed away in 2011 at age 93.

“I want you to know Mary Walker, with her

smile, would be very appreciative of this day,” Sims said.

Tate said that the impact of the Hill District Federal Credit Union “goes far and beyond the walls of that building.”

She’s had an account at the credit union since 1976. She told the story of how Witherspoon once demanded that Tate fix her credit. She was used to coming in and getting loans around the holidays, and she would pay the loans back, but still, Witherspoon wanted her to go the extra mile.

Tate said his conversation with her gave her the impetus to finally repair her credit. “Because of the character of Dame Mary Walker that

is now in Richard Witherspoon’s hands and his staff, I was able to retire with dignity,” she said.

Witherspoon thanked the Hillman Foundation, McAuley Ministries, McCune Foundation, Heinz Endowments and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh for the funding for the expansion and apartments. But for Witherspoon, the physical expansion gives him more space to continue what he’s always done—help others. Financial literacy is a huge deal, and he wants more African Americans in Pittsburgh to conquer it. Hence, the classroom. “So many people have temptations, and they

ABOVE: RICHARD WITHERSPOON SPEAKS AT A NEWS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING THE EXPANSION, MARCH 15. PICTURED AT LEFT ARE EMPLOYEES INSIDE THE CREDIT UNION. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)

job in financial literacy is to teach people how to manage their money, but also understand the pitfalls of getting in too deep. That’s what financial literacy is.”

CREDIT UNION FROM A1

CAROL SIMS

THE WOMAN WHO STARTED IT ALL—MARY WALKER, FOUNDER OF THE HILL DISTRICT FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

MAYOR ED GAINEY

Sharise Nance’s ‘S.W.A.G. Awards’ puts local social workers in the spotlight

Third-annual event is March 25 at Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg

by Chardae Jones

For New Pittsburgh Courier

Sharise Nance didn’t always know that she wanted to be a social worker. She just always knew that she wanted to help.

Initially, Nance, a Pittsburgh native, wanted to be a child psychologist. After being hands-on for quite some time, she realized that the problems were systemic, and decided that she needed to work on the system atlarge. Nance entered social work in 2003 at the University of Pittsburgh and found it was so broad to keep herself on her toes and to challenge herself, she started a private practice as soon as she could.

“I didn’t know about social work when I was younger, I just knew I wanted to help people,” Nance told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview.

“Fascinated about the human mind and behaviors.”

The hardest part of having her own practice is accepting that everything won’t be finished at the end of the day. She thrives at completed results. Learning to accept everything won’t be done at the end of the day. Finding balance is working in the business, working on the business and growing the business.

It takes a lot to wear a lot of hats, and Nance wears a lot of hats and isn’t afraid of a challenge. She is an adjunct professor, as if running her private practice, HandinHand Counseling Services, LLC, wasn’t enough. While working at UPMC in 2017 she started realizing that the best way to effect change was to get into that role and grab social workers’ attention early.

“There’s a huge problem with representation

in the field,” Nance said. She immediately wanted to drive that change and help people understand the needs of the population. Being a social worker and teaching social workers helped her see the needs of social workers and one of those needs was recognition.

While working at hospitals, she observed that social workers weren’t getting praised or awarded and realized that someone needed to step up, since it takes a lot of work and money to become a social worker.

“We’re in school for eight years. We earned our dues but we weren’t getting respect. We weren’t getting paid enough or any appreciation,” Nance told the Courier.

That’s how the “S.W.A.G. Awards” became a thing. She needed to show social workers that their work was appreciated as they were and are still out in the trenches during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We need to do something for social work,” Nance recalled. “I reached out to local organizations to recognize them on social media. It started out as a small happy hour meet-andgreet and it grew legs. I talked with my husband and discussed an award ceremony to help decrease burnout. Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness (S.W.A.G.) was formed.”

Now that she has a private practice with fulltime therapists, Nance said it motivates her to keep going as this is their bread and butter.

“A lot of my peers are looking up to me with inspiration,” Nance told the Courier. “People telling me that I’ve helped them change. More recently when COVID was at its height, my dad passed away and he was a supporter of my journey, and he made a lot of

sacrifices as far as helping with school.

“The money’s gonna come,” Nance, a Westinghouse High School graduate, said. “I don’t want to do something driven by money. I want to be connected with what I do.”

Nance, who grew up in Homewood and East Liberty, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2002. She earned her Master of Social Work in 2006 from the University of Pittsburgh, and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2016. She was a Courier “Fab 40” honoree in 2019.

The S.W.A.G. Awards are very important to Nance because she wants people to remember how important social workers are to everyone. Any profession you can think of, there’s usually a social worker there. Social workers

are, “essential workers.”

“One of my goals is to fight for social workers to get paid what they deserve,” Nance said. “It’s beyond us. We’re bound by insurance companies. It’s time to advocate at a higher level. We’re man -

aging mental health.”

She’s working on building a consulting company to help social workers who want to start their own business, whether a private practice, speaking, facilitating or consulting.

This year’s S.W.A.G. Awards is the third of its kind, to be held, Saturday, March 25 at the Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg. This year’s awardees are: Aliya D. Durham, Ph.D., MSW, MPIA; Angela Campbell, MSW; Anette Nance, MSW; Kiera Mallett, LSW; Kimberly Washington, LCSW; Mikea Wall, LCSW; and Tierra

L. Thorne, LSW. Tanya

J. Ashby, LSW, will receive the Social Worker Lifetime Achievement

Award, and Molly Burke Allwein, LSW, will receive the Social Work Changemaker Award. The event will also feature the “Andre B. Hemby There for Me Social Work Supporter” distinction. Hemby was Nance’s father, who passed away due to complications of COVID in December 2020.

“‘There for Me’ recognizes the support and sacrifices of the parents, caregivers, mentors, coaches, or any other parental figures,” Nance said, “who played significant roles in the lives of our S.W.A.G awardees.”

S.W.A.G. AWARDS CLASS OF 2023 HONOREES

S.W.A.G. AWARDS CLASS OF 2023 SPECIAL RECOGNITION HONOREES

REV. GLENN GRAYSON SR.

DR. WILLIAM H. CURTIS CARLOS T. CARTER, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER PITTSBURGH

For more than a century, people of color have continued to dilute and “whitewash” their value by pining and whining because they have perverted their own sense of value. Why? Well, because they have not, under most circumstances, ignored or passed up the opportunity to compare their talent to the talent of their White counterparts. Black folks have continuously lacked the self-esteem and strength of character to feel comfortable competing against themselves. Black folks fight to compete against inferior athletes that are paid more for their services as the bottom lines of franchises increase, resulting in White athletes and White owners, enjoying the windfall.

How much sense does that make? How does this work? Your store is closed. You soon find new employment with another store that pays you less and works you more. However, when it is all said and done, you continue to

have a sense of fulfillment working for the store that pays you less and works you more. Does that seem to be OK? Oftentimes, change can be slower than molasses and there may be times that change doesn’t come at all.

For example, when the Pittsburgh Steelers ushered in the 1970s, they had become generational losers. However, at that point management began a metamorphosis by beginning to alter the racial composition of their team. The Steelers began drafting Black players from small Black colleges because the team began to discover that many of those institutions had a hidden wealth of talent, and the race of those players began to take a back seat to their talent. From 1969-1975 the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted 24 players from HBCUs, more than any other NFL franchise during that same time. The value of Black athletes to the NFL was beginning to increase. The demographics and

the competitive landscape of the NCAA, college football, and the HBCUs also began to simultaneously experience a seismic cultural shift beginning in 1970. That was the year that the SEC, as well as the head coach of Alabama, Bear Bryant, and his lily-White University of Alabama squad, permitted the integrated USC Trojans to travel below the Mason-Dixon to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. After the Tide was promptly smoked by running back Sam “Bam” Cunningham and a USC squad that featured many other African American players. The Trojans would be the first fully integrated team to play the Crimson Tide. The thor-

ough shellacking that the Tide received at the hands of the Trojans signaled the beginning of the end of the White-against-White competition, not only in the Southeastern Conference but in many other NCAA men’s football conferences. However, integration represented the death warrant for the football programs at many Black schools.

Young Black athletes began to become enamored with the opportunity to have a chance to play in front of national audiences, increasing the opportunities for them to play professional football on Sundays. Not only do many Black athletes find wealth at the end of the collegiate athletic tunnel but there is a glutton of sports agents, financial advisers, attorneys, real estate agents, and a myriad of “gold seekers” perched as if they are vultures on a fence, waiting to descend on a fresh kill. Financial advisers that have never scored a touchdown, or made a layup are not

even remotely shy when it comes to supposedly putting this performer on the road to even greater riches. I would like to ask you a simple question. If financial advisers are so astute regarding money management matters and growth, why are the majority of the funds that advisers earmark and target for investments taken from the capital reservoirs of many young and naïve athletes of color?

All this is because Black folks in general found little or no value in competing against themselves. Black athletes fought to compete against inferior athletes while increasing the bottom lines of Whiteowned franchises so White athletes could be paid more. How much sense does that make? You close down your store to go work for another store that values you less and pays you less. Yet, you feel more satisfied and fulfilled.

Contrary to popular belief, equal “screen time” does not indirectly or directly increase economic

opportunities, it only creates a false impression of economic progress. Just because a player receives marquee-like publicity does not mean that player receives a marquee share of the pie.

The NBA is the only existing professional sports organization that even comes close to equitable market- and revenue-sharing with the talent that is the reason for the league’s success. The growth and the increase of the financial reservoir of the players have been grudgingly permitted, yet it is steadily growing. The ownership aspect of the NBA still leaves a lot to be desired but the players of color by far have a far bigger megaphone than is provided in any other sport. If other sports at least attempt to partially emulate the efforts of the NBA, then there may be some hope for the economic expansion of athletes to invest in and take on the substantial roles of ownership.

:10—The Pitt Panthers finished the season with a second round loss to the Xavier Musketeers in the NCAA Tournament, 84-73, but by any measure this was a very successful season. They made it to the second round with a cast led by Coach Jeff Capel, only their second appearance in the last 7 years, and in all honesty they were probably between the 25th to 32nd best team in the nation so the outcome was appropriate. Xavier, led by hometown great, Coach Sean Miller, are a superior team, as their 27-9 record speaks to such a conclusion. They were more physical and better at shooting 3s and could seriously make a deep run in the tournament. But this is not about Xavier, this is about a team that was supposed to be dead in the water before the season started, a team with not enough talent to make a dent in the ACC. Well, what a difference a day makes!

:09—Jamarius Burton. Greg Elliott. Nelly Cummings. Nike Sibande. Remember the names, the seniors that were a big part of the success of the 2022-2023 Pitt men’s basketball program. Jamarius Burton was a well-deserved first-team All-ACC and a pro career is in his

future. These men have set the stage for the future, for the program-building mission Coach Capel is on, and for a return to the NCAA Tournament each and every season as we had grown accustomed to under former Coach Jaime Dixon. Coach Capel, winner of Coach of the Year honors in the ACC and in the discussion for National Coach of the Year recognition, stated he will look anywhere and everywhere to replace his four seniors but it has to be done with the right people to continue their run of success. As demonstrated with the use of the transfer portal system last year, the Panthers are very capable of reloading their roster to assist leading scorer Blake Hinson and make a deeper run in next year’s ACC and NCAA tournaments.

:08—The Panthers jumped from 11 victories in the 2021-2022 season to 24 victories this season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. This speaks volumes for the way the team believed in Coach Jeff Capel’s ideas and system. After stints as VCU Head Coach from 2002-2006 and Head Coach of Oklahoma from 2006 to 2011, Coach Capel joined legendary

Coach Mike Krzwzewski’s staff as an assistant coach at Duke in May 2011, and was then promoted to Associate Head Coach in April 2014. Hired by Pitt in March 2018, this season has been the culmination of Coach Capel’s hard work and focus on winning and I expect nothing less moving forward with his system now fully in place and with the players he has brought and will continue to bring to the program.

:07—Watching the game from the luxury of my home on the big screen TV, I had a thought about halfway through the first half, and feel free to disagree if you like, but wouldn’t it have been nice to have been able to feed a big man inside when the 3-point shooting was less than stellar? A few easy inside buckets slammed down by a 6-11, 255-pound center could have been a game-changer. Old school basketball 101. I’m just sayin’. And yes, it would

have helped if Federiko Federiko had been able to play more than the one minute Sunday due to his knee injury. :06—One last thing. With four-star recruit Dior Johnson, Coach Capel’s highest-rated recruit redshirting the season, Pitt will enter next season with one of the finest guards in all the country without having to look further than their own gym. Dior Johnson has all the talent to be a difference-maker for Pitt and take them to the next level with the right combination of talent and returning scorer Blake Hinson. Watch out, ACC, and the rest of the NCAA, Pitt is back and coming on even stronger next season, baby!!!

:05—Switching over to Duquesne basketball for just a second, the Dukes dropped their first-round game in the CBI opener to Rice, 84-78, but the Dukes still ended up 20-13 under Head Coach Keith Dambrot and despite a late season swoon Coach Dambrot said, “We didn’t play very good at the end of the year..., and we didn’t quite get what we wanted. But overall, we’re in good shape.” Despite a few players already entering the NCAA transfer portal, Coach Dambrot hopes to retain most of the core

of this season’s team and bring in a few players to aid his roster and make another leap forward next season.

:04—We’d be remiss, and by that I mean me, if we didn’t mention all the free agent signings your Pittsburgh Steelers have made since last week, most notably signing Isaac Seumalo, 6-foot-4, 303-pound Guard from the Philadelphia Eagles, rated the ninth-best guard in all of football last season and veteran Guard Nate Herbig, 6-foot4, 334-pound free agent from the Jets last season and teammate of Seumalo with the Eagles from 20192021, a nice symmetry that will definitely help fit them seamlessly into the lineup together. Plus the addition of eight-time Pro Bowl CB Patrick Peterson to replace Cam Sutton is a no-brainer. Peterson, although 32 years old, is still mighty capable of holding down his side of the field ably and is a terrific signing.

:03—The Penguins, up and down, up and down, may or may not make the playoffs but if they do I don’t see them once again getting out of the first round of the playoffs unfortunately. The “Big 3” of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have all been terrific this

year but the goaltending is very suspect and Tristan Jarry is flat out awful right now; whether it’s due to injury again to his brittle body or his skill set already diminished is anyone’s guess. One and done. Again. And yeah, GM Ron Hextall has to go.

:02— FYI...Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, he of the 134 points so far and counting, 58 goals and counting, unstoppable scoring machine and counting, is otherworldly talented and moving into the discussion of all-time top 10 players. And until he brings home a Stanley Cup he will never be higher than #10 despite all the accolades and scoring titles. It’s all about the Cup or Cups and right now, Connor got zip. :01—The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Home Opener is Friday, April 7 at the best baseball stadium in the world, PNC Park, so if you haven’t got your tickets yet, hurry up, there can’t be many left. I am optimistic about our pitching staff—Mitch Keller, Roansy Contreras and Johan Oviedo could be a real solid nucleus but the starting lineup is a little shaky on paper. Hoping for the best but still a realist, too. I say better than last season but not quite there yet.

:00—GAME OVER.

Choosing uncommon careers continues to keep Black women on top

by Sherri Kolade Michigan Chronicle

The fields of tech, law, construction and that of certain business sectors are in dire need of Black women who naturally always up the ante wherever they go.

However, there is still a lot to be desired. Between Black women leaving the workforce in high numbers (according to a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) to still being underpaid; there are many gaps in varying workforce sectors that need to be addressed.

According to Health Affairs, while many workforce segments have low percentages of Black women working, in the healthcare field, it’s oversaturated with this demographic group, more than any other population segment.

The health care industry employs more than one in five Black women in the labor force (23 percent); of this group, Black women are most likely to work in the long-term care industry (37 percent) and in positions requiring a li-

cense as a practical nurse or assistant (42 percent).

Research establishes a connection between Black women’s status in the labor force and the racial and sexist historical legacies that go back to the partition of domestic work and care work during enslavement.

The Center for American Progress, a neutral, independent think tank, said that while Black women have entered more diversified areas over time, they have also experienced significant occupational segregation, which keeps them concentrated in positions with poor compensation and no mobility.

Black women frequently experience opposition since they are not seen as conforming to the traditional, largely male norm of success, even after moving into jobs traditionally occupied by men or white workers and climbing the professional ladder into managerial or leadership roles, according to American Progress. This constrained perspective reinforces a myth that restricts Black women’s employment opportunities

The Center for American Progress, a neutral, independent think tank, said that while Black women have entered more diversified areas over time, they have also experienced significant occupational segregation, which keeps them concentrated in positions with poor compensation and no mobility.

and puts obstacles in the way of their future professional success.

Cherri Harris, president and CEO of Swint Logistics Group, Inc., told the Michigan Chronicle that at her Detroit-based company she began her uncommon career choice by starting as a truck driver.   Harris said that her company has branched out from trucking to add commercial construction, training, consulting and specialty services like asphalt paving and underground camera operations

for mainline sewers.

She is proud that her company is an award-winning (minority certified woman-owned firm) and has numerous certifications through Wayne County and federally, among others coming down the line.

“These certifications are extremely beneficial. Our Wayne County certification has paved the way for us to be able to bid,” she said.     Harris said that for other Black women interested in the trucking indus-

try like she was, or other career paths, it is always a good idea to build relationships with people in these industries.

“Having a great reputation is more valuable than money. The relationships that you build in business will help you to expand your business, meet new people, learn new things and make some money along the way,” she said.

“Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to me to be responsive, to be productive and, most importantly, to be accountable.

I highly recommend that any Black female in the trucking industry have a mentor. Your mentor should be someone that is very successful in the industry and willing to reach back and lend a hand to help you be a better business owner.”

Starting in this industry for Black women is becoming more and more of a commonplace event even though, according to https://www.11alive. com/, 94 percent of truckers are men.     The trucking industry workforce is getting a batch of new coworkers nationwide, especially

Black women who are looking toward this as a viable career path.

In some instances, truck drivers are “aging out.” Black women are engulfed by the over 3 million truckers who operate 18-wheelers and large dump trucks, and there are plenty of these drivers to go around.

Harris added that having a seat at the table to her means being “prepared to sit at that table.”

“You have to earn that seat at the table. It is very important to get to the table and it comes with a lot of work and determination,” she said, adding that her company is currently at the table with Barton Malow, Wayne County and Bedrock for one of the biggest contracts in the company’s history. “It takes a lot of work, time and money.”      Harris said she does it all for her daughter as a single mother.

“I’ve been a single mother from day one,” she said, adding that this field helped her to learn something new and take a risk, which she encourages oth-

‘When she needs you’ versus ‘When she needs you not’

I’ve witnessed firsthand the struggle of single women being the woman and the man of the house. I’ve witnessed the stress women endured and continue to endure multitasking, trying to be everything to everybody. It’s been my observation that women are strong and can shoulder a lot.

Imagine this, it was less than 100 years ago when women were given the right to vote. It was during World War I which took place between 1914-1918 when employers started hiring women to work. This was due to a shortage of men. Although women were always allowed to do menial jobs for low pay, it wasn’t until 1964—less than 60 years ago during the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act that states employers could not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin that women had legal rights to work. Title VII made it illegal for employers to exclude qualified women from any available position. Employers would often hire less-qualified men for positions to which women had applied. Let’s fast forward to modern day times. Women have come a long way. Today’s women are highly educated, extremely talented, ambitious, in high demand, thought leaders, high-income earners, and hold positions of power and influence. While striving for success within their career, women continue to endure a lot striving to be everything to everybody.

For many women, they feel that winning within their career has created its own set of relationship challenges. I’m hearing that some men are intimidated, jealous, envious, insecure, and outright disrespectful when they encounter

an independent, hardworking woman. This has resulted in some women downplaying their career in an effort to make him feel like the man. Many women who are doing well in their career are struggling at maintaining relationships.

I recently shared a meme on Facebook that read, “Money only impresses lazy girls. When a woman works hard, a man with money is a bonus, not a ladder to upgrade.” It generated a lot of reactions. There was one reaction that caught my attention. A male in his mid-40s chimed in and said, “I like my women dependent. At least I know her motivation.”

He goes on to say, “More security with a dependent woman.”

Who loves and values you more?

A needy woman looking for a man to upgrade her life and her lifestyle or an independent woman who chooses you because she wants you, not because she needs you?

Surely a needy woman would do any and everything within reason to maintain her standing within the relationship. If love is a fulfillment of duty and a needy woman is willing, able, and ready to fulfill his demands and needs at every beck and call—would that be sufficient to make him feel like the man? Does that provide the security he needs to know that she’ll stick around? Will her need for him cause devotion and loyalty to him? Will her need for him make her fall in love with him? Will her need for

him make her feel whole?

Everyone wants to feel needed, wanted and desired, including those who are independent. No one wants to be used, misled, or feel unappreciated. When you project your own needs, insecurities, shortcomings, and negative experiences on the other person, you’re doomed from the start. To seek out a person based on need overshadows the issue. Why are you needy? Is it because you’re lazy, low self-esteem, lack of self-control or you have no drive? Those issues, if left unchecked, will be the reason a person will use you but never respect and honor you. If a person’s love and loyalty for you is a need base, they’re more apt to move on when the need no longer exists, when the provider is no longer able to provide, or when someone comes along who can do better and provide more. If the love ends when the benefit stops there was never any love to begin with.

When she wants you but doesn’t need you, does that mean she’s really attracted to him? Is there any heightened possibility that she’ll love him for him, not because of what he can do for her? Will she be harder to please and satisfy? Will she give his needs and wants proper attention? Will she be too tired and too overworked to consistently perform her womanly duties? Is she more likely to bail when things don’t go her way?

When you’re in a position to provide for yourself, you give yourself options. You don’t have to settle because of need.

You engage because of choice. When you’re ambitious and on your grind, and are working steadily towards your goals, you ooze with drive and confidence. There’s an external glow that follows you. There’s an aura about you.

Your confidence is the real sexy! You will attract people to you. If your drive, ambition, and success scares and intimates him, he’s too insecure, he’s not ready for you. On to the next. The company you chose to keep was your choice.

So, if there are issues with the company you chose, there are questions regarding your choosing.

To be wanted but not needed is an honor. There’s no hidden agenda. She wants you for you. And if you’re of her choosing, there’s clearly something about you that clicks. She’s desirous of a strong, hardworking man who’s able to make good decisions and help lead her down the right path. You’ve shown signs and characteristics that you’re fit for the task. Despite her being independent, she still wants a man who will protect, provide, and lead. She’ll do all that the needy women would do and more. The difference is she’s there to assist as a helpmate. Should you fall from grace and land flat on your face, she’ll be there to help you get back on your feet.

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. (Proverbs 31: 1012) (Damon

Deal that could increase minority media ownership hits ‘brick wall’

FCC accused of bowing to bigoted perceptions

by Hazel Trice Edney

For New Pittsburgh Courier

A major acquisition that civil rights leaders and advocates for Blackowned media had hoped would increase media ownership, opportunity, and participation by African Americans and other minorities has apparently “hit a brick wall.”

Following months of advocacy and public support for a $5.4 billion acquisition of Tegna by Standard General, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has essentially killed the deal by sending it to an administrative judge for a hearing, a process that could mire it down in red tape. Standard General is led by Soo Kim, a Korean American immigrant who moved to Queens, N.Y. when he was just 5 years old. Soo Kim’s vision for the future of local broadcast news is one where diverse voices are escalated and heard to better represent the communities they serve.

“As part of the FCC’s mission, we are responsible for determining whether grant of the applications constituting this transaction serves the public interest. That’s why we’re asking for closer review to ensure that this transaction does not anti-competitively raise prices or put jobs in local newsrooms at risk,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in a Feb. 24 press release announcing the decision. “The additional review will allow us to make a more informed assessment on whether proposed safeguards are sufficient to protect the public interest, and we will take the time needed to address these critical questions.”

The FCC’s decision will have a chilling effect on minority ownership, as this action aims to kill the deal by delaying it past the May 22 deadline by which it must close.

The NAACP New York State Conference issued a strong rebuke to Rosenworcel’s announcement.

NY NAACP President Hazel Dukes responded to apparently bigoted perceptions that because of Soo Kim’s Asian heritage, he is not the kind of racial minority being sought to increase media ownership.

“I understand that Chairwoman Rosenworcel has bowed to the pressure of those who accuse Soo Kim of not being the “right type of minority,” wrote Dukes in an open letter to Rosenworcel and the FCC Commissioners March 1.

“I am appalled that we still use this type of incendiary language to define a person of color who attempts to enter a particular ‘club’ [of which] they are not traditional members.”

She concludes that the assignment to an FCC administrative judge was intentional to kill the deal.

“This action was deliberate and malicious and only happened because some deemed Soo Kim is considered not to be the ‘right type of minority,’” Dukes writes.

“Standard General has

Here’s how Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse affects Black founders

(Black Information Network)—The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has left Black founders and investors with new worries about their future in the financial section, NBC News reports.

I will not be able to raise the money I need to keep my company going,” Jones-Brown said, “and it’s so scary after the beautiful, amazing year we had last year.”

not only publicly pledged to invest in local broadcasting and to preserve jobs, but they have also committed to directly impacting our communities to have a voice and to empower community journalism.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the New York-based National Action Network, was also riled by what appeared to have been a decision based on Asian bias.

“Who determines who is the ‘right minority’ and who is the ‘wrong minority’?” Sharpton questioned in a Tweet. He added that Soo Kim’s Standard General and TEGNA would be “a 300 pct increase of minority owned tv stations.”

This disappointing announcement was made by the FCC despite strong support from civil rights leaders and media diversity advocates for the acquisition throughout the year long review process.

The FCC decision follows months of pushing for the transaction. In her letter, Dukes listed a string of her civil rights associates, who publicly supported the acquisition, including Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford, civil rights leaders including the iconic Rev. Jesse Jackson; Rev. Sharpton, Transformative Justice Coalition President Barbara Arnwine, and Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president/CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association.  Chavis was among the first to support the acquisition and to explain the benefits of an Asian American taking ownership of TEGNA.

“I know some of you would ask me why I am speaking up and out about other persons of color to own media businesses in America in addition to African American ownership of media businesses. There is, I assert, only one clear answer. If you are, as I am, for equality, equity, and believe in the oneness of all humanity, then we must practice what we preach. This is why I am publicly and forthright -

ly supporting the efforts and leadership of Soo Kim, founder and managing partner of Standard General. Kim is an effective and outstanding Korean American business leader, and he is on record supporting greater Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in our nation’s media ownership landscape,” Chavis wrote in an oped published in NNPA and other newspapers Dec. 2. “The multimedia publishing and communications industry is a trillion-dollar business sector in America. Yet the disparities and inequities of ownership of media industry businesses by persons of color remains glaringly inequitable.”

Black Star Network host Roland Martin, an avid supporter of Black Media ownership, announced that the deal has now “hit a brick wall.” Interviewing Kim on his You Tube talk show, he asked how it felt to Kim to be assumed “not the right kind of minority?” Kim responded with a quote from former First Lady Michelle Obama, “‘When they go low, I go high.’” He said, “It’s not a great” feeling. Adding that the Black participation in his network would be huge, Kim shows no sign of giving up.  “This deal has taken a long time. We’re in our eleventh month of review here. And so, yes, we have made concessions and basically addressed each of the concerns that have been put up,” Kim told Martin on the show. “We’ve actually gone in and said we’re willing to address each of these concerns. What I’d hoped from the very beginning is that we’d be treated like everybody else. I would say that maybe that was too much to hope for. But we’re still optimistic that we’ve put together a series of responses to each of the concerns that we’ve heard.”

Rev. Jackson, as president/CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, sent a letter to the Commission in support of the acquisition.

“After meeting with Soo Kim and upon careful and scrupulous review of his record on diversity and inclusion, my team and I wholeheartedly support the purchase of Tegna,” Jackson wrote. “Soo Kim, being Korean-American, is sensitive to the plight of racial justice, equity and inclusion…It is my strong belief that Soo Kim would be committed to inclusion which leads to growth in the America of our dreams. He will honor the spirit and the law representing the best in American ideals.”

If the deal now fails, the FCC’s decision will no doubt call into question its seriousness about increasing ownership by minority media, one of its stated goals. And the civil rights community will once again feel like their voices are not being heard.

“Enhancing media diversity is a primary objective at the FCC, but it has a lot of work to do,” wrote Barbara Arnwine in an op-ed published in January. “The FCC just reported that Blacks account for only 3 percent of majority interests in full-power TV stations with Asian Americans at only 1 percent. Now it has a chance to really show that it cares about this goal as the Standard General transaction would radically enhance minority media ownership of broadcast channels.”

The issue of Black media ownership matters greatly and will continue as a top priority for the civil rights activists. Unrelated to the Standard General/TEGNA acquisition, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has, for years, been on top of the issue of diversity in media ownership.

The Leadership Conference concluded in a recent report: “At a time when more people, particularly Black people, are distrustful of the media, diversity in media ownership has become more important than ever for the functioning of our democracy. Diversity in ownership is part of that solution.”

On Wednesday (March 15), members of Atlanta’s Black business community convened via Zoom to “determine a path forward to fill the gap in the ecosystem [left] from SVB,” Joey Womack, a co-founder of Black Tech, said following the collapse. During the meeting, many noted that SVB’s “warm embrace” of the regional Black business scene would be missed as the bank had previously offered local entrepreneurs discounted tech tools, valuable introductions, and research funding.

Barbara Jones-Brown, a member of the Atlanta business community, said her credit card declined while she was with a prospective client last week when SVB collapsed. The card was tied to her SVB business account, which she opened last year at the insistence of one of her investors. JonesBrown was told it would be easier to manage and allocate her business’ money through the bank. But now that SVB is under federally appointed management and seeking a buyer, Jones-Brown is worried that there will be a broader industry pullback.

“I’m very nervous that

Venture capital funding dropped by 45 percent for Black founders last year, marking the biggest annual decrease for the group in over a decade, according to data from Crunchbase.

“When our economy catches a cold, the Black community catches the flu,” said Kelly Burton, the CEO of the Black Innovation Alliance. “There will likely be retrenchment in the space with investors becoming more skittish. That can’t be good for Black founders, especially [considering] there’s all this conservative blowback.”

Sherrell Dorsey, the founder of the Black tech-focused research firm The Plug, said Monday (March 13) that SVB’s collapse “will mean a drop in support for the Black tech ecosystem at large,” noting that the bank would be “sorely missed” given that it funded initiatives such as the State of Black Venture Report, startup competitions, and Black founder brunches.

“They were a force in helping to create space for Black innovation to be conducted and were truly a partner within the ecosystem,” Dorsey said.

Plan your retirement with Social Security

by Josh Grant

For New Pittsburgh Courier

Social Security benefits factor into the retirement plan of almost every American worker.  If you are covered under Social Security, you should know how much you might receive in future benefits.  These monthly payments are likely to be an important part of your retirement income.

We base your benefit payment on how much you earned during your working career.  Higher lifetime earnings result in higher benefits.  If there were some years you didn’t work or had low earnings, your benefit amount may be lower than if you had worked steadily or had higher earnings.  Even if you never worked and did not pay Social Security taxes, you may be eligible for benefits from a spouse’s record. You must be at least 62 years old, and your spouse must already be receiving retirement or disability benefits.

Our Retirement page at www.ssa.gov/retirement is a great place to start mapping out your retirement plan.

For example, have you considered:

•         When is the right time for you to start receiving your retirement benefits?

•         What documents you may need to provide Social Security for your retirement application?

•         Which factors may affect your retirement benefits?

You can use your personal my Social Security account at www.ssa. gov/myaccount to get an instant estimate of your future retirement benefits.

You can also see the effects of starting your retirement benefits at different ages.

You may also be wondering about:

•         Benefits for a spouse or children.

•         How work affects your benefits.

•         If you will have to pay taxes on your benefits.

•         Medicare.

You can learn more at www.ssa.gov/retirement.  Please share this information with your loved ones to help them prepare for their retirement.

(Josh Grant is Social Security District Manager in Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Choosing uncommon careers continues to keep Black women on top

ers to do. “Think outside the box. Go to an industry that’s less thought of because everybody isn’t flocked into that.”   Asia Hamilton, artist-photographer, founder and chief curator at

Norwest Gallery of Art, agrees.   Hamilton, also a Detroit Entertainment Commissioner representing District 1, told the Michigan Chronicle that while her field as an art curator is dominated by women, it is

not necessarily full of women of color, and that in the photography industry it is the complete opposite.   “[It is] primarily a White male-dominated industry as a commercial industry,” she said, adding that it’s

seemingly “two strikes against her.” “Just kind of going through the channel you know, as a freelance photographer, I definitely had to create my own way. And women have to create their own way. They might not have gotten

those big commercial gigs that most [white] men would get but we made a way out of what we could.”   She said nevertheless that mentorship with other like-minded individuals goes a long way in making connections,

friendships and more.   “[With] camaraderie, it definitely, you know, you get opportunities … if you need to buy ammo or equipment or whatever you need to buy to get your career [in order],” Hamilton said.

BEN CHAVIS

AL SHARPTON HAZEL DUKES

JESSE JACKSON ROLAND MARTIN SOO KIM

BLACK WOMEN FROM B1

Guest Editorial

Women’s inferiority debunked

In the United States, the month of March has been set aside to honor the contributions women have made to the country and to the world. It has been designated as Women’s History Month. This became necessary because a history of toxic patriarchy had resulted in the perception that women have not contributed anything of consequence to the world. The month is a time for reflection, appreciation and celebration of women.

Interestingly, the more we find out about the contributions made by women, the more important they become in the eyes of the world. Unfortunately, in the case of Black women, the contributions have been unfairly maligned and debased. This has happened in spite of the fact Black women have done a lot to keep the Black community afloat. They have raised the children, in many cases becoming the head of household due to the mass incarceration or lack of employment of Black men.

Women in general have been stereotyped as the “weaker sex,” but this has been done in light of a lack of understanding of how nature works. Men and women have different modes of behavior. Men are considered to be physically stronger than women. On the other hand, women tend to have a spiritual strength that helps them in the process of nurturing children and others. Women tend to be the caretakers of the world.

In addition to being caretakers and nurturers, women have contributed to every area of life on the planet. These run the gamut of human existence and include the following inventions by women: circular saw; computer algorithm; dishwasher; life raft; fire escape; medical syringe; windshield wiper; the first Monopoly game; bulletproof fiber; the discovery and function of radiation; radio-controlled torpedo device; caller ID, aquarium; ice cream maker; submarine lamp and telescope; paper-bag making machine; locomotive chimney; globe mount; system to reduce noise by trains; and alphabet blocks.

Moreover, we must not forget the African American women who were responsible for helping land astronauts on the moon as depicted in the film Hidden Figures. In addition, Black women and women of color are responsible for the following inventions/innovations: fiber-optic cables; home video security system; 3D movie; fold-out bed; contactless locker system; stem cell isolation; hair brush with synthetic bristles; HIV test and molecular knife; central heating system with natural slickline software; feeding tube; cataract treatment; ironing board; sanitary belt; clothes wringer for washing machines; permanent wave machine; gong and signal chair; dough kneader and roller; automated double dutch jump rope machine; long cycle-life nickel-hydrogen battery; and plant tissue culture.

The foregoing is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg regarding the contributions women have made to the world which, for some reason, were ignored until recently. Truth be told, because of the oppression women have endured, it has actually made them stronger. This may be the reason why they are able to cope with adversity better than would be expected.

Outside of what has already been mentioned, women have one of the most important jobs on the planet—that of giving birth to and—raising children. That is no small feat. A world without women would translate into a world without people.

Something else must be said: one of the reasons women don’t get the credit for the incredible people they are has to do with Christian Biblical lore.

Eve was the supposed culprit when she succumbed to the temptation to eat an apple from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, tempted by a snake in the Garden of Eden, and afterwards convinced her spouse Adam to take a bite. As a result, Eve was supposedly punished by having to experience painful childbirth, and all of humanity was punished by her deed.

This has caused people to judge women negatively, at least by those who profess to be Christians. The unfairness of that situation can be immediately seen if looked at objectively. If Adam was the superior entity and Eve was taken from his rib, logic would dictate that he would exercise his authority by overriding Eve and refusing to partake of the forbidden fruit. Instead, he succumbed just like she did, according to the story. Women’s inferiority, therefore, is immediately debunked. People need to understand that women are an important part of the world and, without them, humanity would cease to exist. Happy Women’s History Month! A Luta Continua.

(Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)

Founded 1910

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

Allison Palm Office Manager Ashley Johnson Sales Director Rob Taylor Jr. Managing Editor

John. H. Sengstacke Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

Hate crimes and our humanity

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—As a human being, I am always appalled when I observe or learn of events of inhumanity.  Without fail, the first questions which come to mind are, “What experience(s) could have motivated an act(s) of such heinous cruelty?” and “What values or ethical principles can the assailant use to justify his/her acts?”  As an ordained Christian minister, my personal distress is no less, and my questions do not change.  I am, however, even more perplexed when these acts of inhumanity are perpetrated by those professed to hold religious fervor and who use their distorted belief systems to relegate, subjugate, and brutalize others.

For over a year, we have witnessed the catastrophic results of aggression running rampant.  On so many different levels, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is unjust and inhumane.  It is the manifestation of Vladimir Putin’s maniacal obsession to reestablish the power, authority, and geographical footprint of the long-dead Soviet Union.  For over ten-years, Russia has chosen to alter established borders of territorial integrity and sovereignty with the use of force, and has threatened retribution upon those who oppose it. War is bad enough when waged between combatants.  Those who practice war are comfortable with, or at least accept, what they classify as “collateral damage.”  What has been documented and we have seen through the magic of modern telecommunication is Russia waging war against a civilian population.  Mass murder, kidnapping, rape,

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

destruction of power and water grids, and directed attacks against residential areas and cultural centers and icons are all hallmarks of an illegal Russian invasion.

In our own country, we are experiencing an alarming increase in the number and frequency of hate crimes and violence.  According to The Voice of America (VOA), in December 2022, the FBI released its annual hate crimes statistics, which showed there were 7,262 hate crime incidents in 2021; however, the report excluded data for New York City, Chicago and most of California.

In the decades since (1991), most (reported) hate crimes have been motivated by racial bias, with African Americans the top target. That remained the case last year in most cities studied by the research center. VOA continues: In New York City, the nation’s largest city with about 9 million residents, police investigated 619 hate crimes, up 18 percent for the year and the most since 1992.

In Los Angeles, the second most populous U.S. city, police recorded a total of 643 hate crime victims in 2022, up 13 percent from 2021 and the highest num-

ber since 2001. In contrast to most other police agencies, the Los Angeles Police Department counts hate crimes by the number of victims rather than incidents. Other major cities that saw multidecade highs in reported hate crimes include Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Austin, Texas. All who look to these statistics as being ‘conclusive’ must acknowledge that too many incidents of hate crimes occur without being reported.  My ‘street sense’ informs me that growing intensity in expressed interpersonal animus and cultural exclusion is predictive of an even greater increase in incidents of violence.

In this season of Peace, we seek the enlightenment, redemption, and renewal that is concomitant in all religions.  As we observe Ramadan, Passover, and Easter, I pray for a renewal and rebirth of our humanity, even among non-believers.  The fact that we share the values of allegiance to a Supreme Being, different in our characterizations, but who is the singular source of our strength and survival, should provide a greater reason for us to attempt a harmonious coexistence.  We must face the reality of our co-existence with the understanding that, isolated as we are on a single spaceship, we must learn to live in peace or we will surely perish together.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of The Dick Gregory Society (thedickgregorysociety.org; drefayewilliams@gmail. com) and President Emerita of the National Congress of Black Women)

America’s true life—a path forward

The most advanced industrial democracy on the planet stands today in deep distress; critical societal divisions, political dysfunction, and severe economic challenges. In a society that champions individual and local states’ rights, average families and most local agencies are in deep despair. This discord appears to have revitalized the fervent seed which burns in the soil of America’s racial intolerance and oppression. And that seed has produced disastrous fruit.

A recent poll by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that one in three Americans believe some derivation of the Great Replacement theory. This formerly extremist, right-wing proposition holds that immigrants and non-white citizens are engaged in a plot to displace the political power, the economic prominence, and the culture of White people in Western cultures. Apparently, it has moved to the mainstream of American psyche.

I do not ignore the political actors, the talking heads, and others who are advocating this theory, with varied motives, generally stoking fear and trepidation within society. However, they are not completely ignored—they are center stage in words from long ago; Psalms 94:1-15, and Isaiah 10:1-4.

Instead, the focus here goes to the dark bedroom of Payton Gendron, the 18 year-old young man who killed 10 people in a Buffalo, New York supermarket.  Details of this young man, much from his own diary, suggest confusion about basic issues of history, and of race, and extreme vulnerability to rancid misinformation he found online. In dark isolation, he anchored his thoughts and beliefs to the Great Replacement

Ennis Leon Jacobs Jr.

Commentary

theory, and to the underlying cultural, stereotypical and racial biases on which it relies. Growing up in a nearly allwhite Conklin, NY, he lacked interracial and intercultural relationships and experiences that would counteract the extreme biases integral to the Great Replacement theory. The unjust violence by some law enforcement, the Buffalo shootings, subsequent attacks on Asian Americans, as well as attacks on Jewish Americans, and others now frame a moment of reckoning for America. How substantial is the influence of extremism in American mainstream culture? Did this rabid extremism transform an impressionable Payton Gendron into someone oblivious to humanity, who demonized skin color or culture; Someone who wantonly dispersed untold trauma into many family genealogies without thought --so as to blindly uphold the sanctity of a “White” culture.

American society is not a mistake—“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…”. These words require a purposeful, intentional pursuit of human fairness—an inclusive, democratic society. Though an admittedly difficult

task given America’s incredible diversity, true Americans embrace this ideal to establish a more perfect union of peoples. The Great Replacement theory, as well as other ambiguous whistles of racial, cultural and ethnic division, completely contradict this premise, and the American ideal.

For me, the best life is one mapped out by my creator, God. It necessarily entails a diverse, inclusive and unified community. I posit that most Americans seek genuine unity. We now must choose whether we truly believe the slogan placed on our currency because, it will take genuine trust in a supernatural power to achieve this unity in today’s contentious society. This is our call to action.

Last year, I wrote an opinion editorial titled “America’s True Critical Race Theory” in response to the political debate in Florida on this civic controversy. It told of an experience in high school in the 1970’s when, during a band trip, I and a classmate were ushered out of the home of a host student because of our race. I recalled that the host student seemed to welcome the idea of getting to know my friend and I of a different culture. But his family clearly disagreed. The article struck a chord nationally and was referenced throughout the country. It is my deep prayer that the cultural, stereotypical and racial biases of families such as our long-ago host family have not persevered over generations to influence the culture wars of today. Sadly, the evidence suggests otherwise.

(Ennis Leon Jacobs Jr., is an attorney based in Tallahassee, Florida, a Chairman emeritus of the Florida Public Service Commission, and former member of the Florida Elections Commission.)

What’s ‘woke’ got to do with the SVB Bank failure?

by Julianne Malveaux

The Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the 16th largest bank in the United States, failed because its leaders used poor judgment in making ill-advised investments. They invested heavily in long-term Treasury bonds that had low-interest rate returns. As interest rates rose (which meant SVB was losing money), they didn’t have the required reserves to cover their outstanding loans. Instability in the tech industries, where they were heavily invested, contributed to the bank’s denouement. While the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation usually insures deposits up to $250,000, President Biden agreed that the federal government would cover deposits “at no cost to taxpayers.” Because SVB primarily served start-ups and heavy hitters, about 85 percent of its deposits were uninsured.

Ordinary Americans don’t get the bailout that SVB depositors got, but Biden and others justified it by saying they wanted to avoid further instability in the banking industry. While the president says that taxpayer dollars won’t be used in the SVB bailout, that remains to be seen. Financial experts will examine the reasons for the SVB failure for months, if not years. Daft Republican legislators, with absolutely no facts, have concluded that the failure of the bank is a result of “woke” business policies. They’ve not defined what they mean by such policies, but some see their vacuous rhetoric as a swipe at diversity practices to which most banks adhere. The intellectually chal-

lenged Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) wrote, “the fools running the bank were woke and almost because broke.” Donald Trump Jr., the business icon whose daddy’s companies have regularly declared bankruptcy, also weighed in on this matter. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is pinning his presidential hopes on making anti-wokeness a national mantra, said the bank was “so concerned with DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) that they got diverted from their core mission.” Wall Street Journal writer Andy Kessler suggested that the SVB board, primarily White male, may have failed because its 12-person board—45 percent women, with one African American and one GBLTQ+ member—was diverse.

Florida’s DeSantis is a leader among those who decry consciousness. His 2022 “Stop Woke Act” prohibits instruction on race or diversity that makes White folks feel “remorse or guilt”. The law prevents employers with more than 15 employees from mandating diversity training.

DeSantis has rejected the Advanced Placement Black Studies curriculum for Florida public schools. These aren’t dog whistles but outright shouts of racism and anti-blackness. These rabid Republicans will blame anything—bank failures, derailed trains, and more—on so-called “wokeness,” and non-critical thinkers are perfectly willing to go along with those distortions. Would a bank with all White male directors have acted differently than the current directors of SVB did? One might argue that an all-White male board might have performed even worse.

The financial press offers many reasons why SVB failed, and throwing “wokeness” into the equation is a distraction.

Though I get the concept, I’ve never been fond of “woke” rhetoric. It’s been used as shorthand to describe conscious, racially and politically aware people, who are often progressive. A dear friend and diversity consultant, Howard Ross, says, “It doesn’t matter whether you are woke or not; it’s what you do when you get out of bed.” In other words, anyone can mouth the rhetoric, but actions speak louder than words. It is unfathomable that a profit-making, predatory-capitalist bank led by White men can be described as mistakenly “woke” after its failure. Marjorie Taylor Green and her ilk are looking for excuses in the face of their stumbles, which include the loosening of Dodd-Frank regulation that might have prevented the SVB bank failure.

“Woke” has nothing to do with recent bank failures (New York’s Signature Bank also failed at the same time as SVB did). Still, racist Republicans have carefully honed their rhetoric that even common decency is described as “woke”. Don’t believe the hype, folks. While our nation remains majority White, it is rapidly diversifying, and denial will not stop demographic change. DeSantis and his anti-Black cronies would like to turn the clock back to the “good old days” and erase history by denying it. Despite DeSantis’ efforts, neither the past nor diversity will be erased.

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

The inspired Black child

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The truth is always revealed despite the lies and misinformation sometimes communicated by those in and running for office. Ignorance represents a lack of knowledge or information; therefore, ignorance is the opposite of knowledge. It is surprising how much the ignorance of voters will play a role when it comes to the GOP waging its culture war in America. A motivating factor behind many ambitious politicians resorting to lies and misinformation is the ignorance of those who will choose to accept and embrace the twisted truth. While access to the truth is always available, the facts will remain ignored and disregarded. The facts become irrelevant if the lie and misinformation feed an individual’s prejudices and/or political beliefs. A shrewd politician will recognize when they have a receptive audience with deliberate ignorance in which their lack of knowledge is by their choosing.

The culture war is not just a fight between conservatives and liberal ideologies. How this culture war is conducted shows it to be a fight between ignorance versus knowledge. The perfect example is the “birther” movement. Then-President Obama and the Dept. of Health in Hawaii approved the public release of Obama’s birth certificate to finally put the questions surrounding his nationality to rest. Once the birth certificate was made public, Donald Trump, as a presidential candidate, questioned if the document was authentic. His MAGA supporters continued to believe the lie despite the facts.

After years of stirring up controversy, misinformation, and racial division, Trump eventually acknowledged what he knew all along, that Barack Obama is a natural-born American citizen. The “birther” movement was an effective means for Trump to politically prey on the deliberate ignorance of his MAGA supporters and exploit their willingness to reject the truth.

Felony murder and frontal lobe studies

The latest studies in neuroscience suggest that the frontal lobe of the human brain doesn’t fully develop until the age of 25. However, in 2022, Kate Mills, a neuroscientist, said, “We’re still not there with the research to say the brain is mature at 25 because we don’t have a good indication of what maturity even looks like.”

Neuroscientists define maturity as the point when changes in the brain level off. That means neuromaturation is different from maturation in emotional, social, and moral development. So far, there is little empirical evidence that links neurodevelopment and adolescent real-world behavior.

The legal system is struggling with the implications of these frontal lobe studies. Since law is not science, lawyers and policymakers use frontal lobe studies for their persuasive power, not for their scientific precision.

For example, a juvenile can be charged as an adult based on the severity of the crime. Lawyers representing juveniles charged as adults use frontal lobe studies as evidence as to why punishing a child as if he or she is an adult is tantamount to child abuse. When trying to convince the legal system not to charge a child as an adult, the frontal lobe studies are persuasive despite their lack of precision.

But there are other times when frontal lobe studies don’t apply.

Recently, a group of Democratic Delegates in Maryland proposed House Bill 1180—the Youth Accountability and Safety Act. This bill will prohibit anyone under the age of 25 from being charged with felony murder. The supporters of the bill insist that the brain is not fully developed until 25 years old and “those that commit

heinous crimes like felony murder may not have intended to do so.”

At first glance, House Bill 1180 sounds like radical soft on crime legislation until closer attention is paid to what the Democratic delegates are trying to prevent.

According to the legal database Justia, the felony murder rule is a rule that allows a defendant to be charged with first-degree murder for a killing that occurs during a dangerous felony, even if the defendant is not the killer.

For instance, a getaway driver’s partner fires a warning shot to scare the cashier during a robbery, but the bullet strikes and kills a customer that was hiding in the aisle. The shooting wasn’t premeditated, nor did the shooter intend to kill anyone, but under the felony murder rule, the getaway driver and the robber are charged with first-degree murder.

The Democratic supporters of House Bill 1180 are opposed to the fact that the felony murder rule makes an exception to the normal rules of murder.

Justia states, “Normally, a defendant can be convicted of murder only if a prosecutor shows that the defendant acted with the intent to kill or with a reckless indifference to human life. Under the felony murder rule, however, a defendant can be convicted of murder even if the defendant

did not act with intent or with reckless indifference. The prosecution must show only that the defendant participated in a felony where fatalities occurred.”

This exception was designed to be a deterrent.

Justia explains, “Certain crimes are so dangerous that society wants to deter individuals from engaging in them altogether.  Thus, when a person participates in an inherently dangerous crime, he or she may be held responsible for the fatal consequences of that crime, even if someone else caused the actual death.”

The Democratic supporters of House Bill 1180 are not being soft on crime by making every effort to point out that felony murder’s exception to the normal rules of murder doesn’t deter felony crimes. Nor is it being soft on crime to suggest that those responsible for killing someone while committing a felony can still be charged with murder, just not in the first degree.

The problem is that frontal lobe studies don’t explain why 18- to 24-year-olds shouldn’t be held responsible if charged with felony murder. The age of criminal responsibility varies state by state but can be rounded to 10 years old. (Many experts believe 10 is too young and the age should be raised to 12.) The legal system set this age based on long-standing psychological studies showing that children develop a moral sense around age 7 and understand the difference between right and wrong following puberty.

In this matter of felony murder, when it comes to individuals 18 to 24 years old, the frontal lobe studies aren’t persuasive enough to spare them as if they were still juveniles.

Why Allegheny County needs a new District Attorney

by Frank Walker and Rob Perkins

Soon, voters will decide whether to re-elect District Attorney Steve Zappala to a seventh term as Allegheny County’s chief local prosecutor. Several incidents in Zappala’s current term show why we need a new DA.

David W. Marshall

Commentary

When the “birther” movement was inserted into Trump’s culture war strategy, it perfectly fit as a “dog whistle” tactic when connecting the culture war with his quest for elected office. While the “birther” movement galvanized support among MAGA voters, it was a deliberate misrepresentation of the truth, a means of disrespecting Obama and Black voters. It helped propel Trump to the White House. Now, “wokeness” has become the latest “dog whistle” and means of twisting the truth to satisfy and appeal to conservative voters.

Many GOP primary voters are passionate about wanting their presidential candidates to embrace and defend culture war issues. Therefore, it was no surprise that former South Carolina Governor and US Ambassador Nikki Haley declared war on “wokeness” while giving her speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). “I am running for president to renew an America that’s proud and strong, not weak and woke,” she said. “Wokeness” is a virus more dangerous than any pandemic, hands down.” The Republican presidential candidate was not done. During the same speech, Haley spoke about “election integrity” and the fact that as governor, she enacted a voter ID law. While hitting all the talking points that typically resonate with Republican voters, many within the CPAC audience still may be unable to state the true meaning of CRT. The same is now true about the definition of the term “woke.” Most of the CPAC audience will unlikely support her candidacy for president, but most will embrace her misinformation regarding the threat of being “woke.”

Why is the term, which began to gain popularity at the start of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2014, rejected by many within the Republican Party? To be “woke” politically in the Black community means that someone is informed, educated, and conscious of social injustice and racial inequality, Merriam-Webster Dictionary states. To be “woke” means a person chooses knowledge over ignorance. It means the same individual accepts what can often be painful facts and, with empathy and compassion, chooses to dismantle the injustices impacting Black and brown communities. Haley made it clear this version of “wokeness” is more dangerous than the pandemic and its million deaths. The war against “wokeness” is to marginalize people and racial ideas that don’t align with their own. Since this is their rallying cry out of CPAC, what is the response from knowledgeable people?

The CPAC speech is a rallying cry on both sides. A big part of being “woke” means we are to be motivated to ensure Black children remain inspired. An inspired child is less likely to steal, kill, and destroy. An inspired child is more likely to embrace the ideas and examples of Black empowerment from our Black history. Where states such as Florida, Tennessee, and Texas have passed so-called “anti-critical race theory” bills that limit how race is taught, this becomes a rallying cry to protect the interests of Black students everywhere. Jessica Kibblewhite is a sixth-grade social science teacher in Chicago. Sixth graders are at a vulnerable age. As a White teacher who works with Black students, Kibblewhite said it’s important for students to see themselves in history books. “Students don’t learn anything unless they’re deeply engaged,” said Kibblewhite. “If students don’t see themselves in characters in text or [instead] historical figures that look different from them, they’ll be less likely to be engaged.”

A less engaged child is a less inspired child.

(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of the book

Let’s start with Zappala’s attack on defense attorney Milton Raiford. Raiford angered Zappala when he raised concerns about systemic racism in the justice system. In retaliation, Zappala issued this order to his employees: “Effective immediately, in all matters involving Attorney Milton Raiford, no plea offers are to be made.”

To place Zappala’s vindictive order in context, it’s helpful to understand how the prosecution process works. 97 percent of criminal cases are resolved through plea bargains. The prosecutor holds the power to set the terms of plea bargains. During the plea-bargaining process, the prosecutor often agrees to a reduced sentence, such as probation instead of jail time.

This means that the practical effect of Zappala’s order was this: Raiford’s clients, based solely on their choice of attorney, would be more likely to be ripped away from their families and sent to prison.

A courageous Zappala employee leaked the unethical order to a reporter. Following a media firestorm, Zappala revoked the order – though he never admitted wrongdoing or apologized.

Here’s why this story should matter to voters.

First, Zappala plainly abused the power of the prosecutor’s office. That, in itself, should disqualify him from serving another term. And if a Zappala employee hadn’t leaked the discriminatory policy, the public may never have known about it – which begs the question, what other unethical policies did Zappala implement that never came to light?

Secondly, as a result of Zappala’s retaliatory tactics, people who work inside the legal system are afraid to speak freely out of fear of retribution. These tactics, in turn, silence the voices of those most likely to see injustice within that system.  Zappala’s response after the Raiford story broke was especially revealing. In a letter to his employees, Zappala claimed that Raiford’s “allegation of systemic racism in this Office was the first that I ever heard of.” Notably, the concept of systemic racism refers to a system of laws and policies that impacts communities of color unequally. If Zappala truly did not know that the justice system impacts Black people unequally, then he has no grasp of what goes on in our criminal courts on a day-to-day basis - because the statistics show striking racial inequalities.

In Allegheny County, a White defendant convicted of the same charge as a Black defendant is 41 percent less likely to be sentenced to jail. Black girls are 13 times more likely than white girls to be arrested. As a final example (there are countless others), Black people account for 90 percent of marijuana possession arrests in the City of Pittsburgh – despite similar usage rates to White people and making up just 23 percent of the overall population.

A separate troubling incident involved the Judge Tranquilli scandal, and Zappala’s failed response to it. This episode reflects a broader failure of transparency and accountability in Zappala’s office.

As background, Mark Tranquilli was a local criminal court judge who resigned on the eve of his own ethics trial. Tranquilli is closely connected to Zappala because, before Tranquilli became a judge, he worked in Zappala’s DA office for 15 years, heading Zappala’s homicide unit for 8 of them.

Tranquilli’s misconduct included the following: he was upset after a jury returned a not-guilty verdict in his courtroom because he wanted a guilty verdict. He directed the case prosecutor

and defense attorney to meet him in his judicial chambers. In the tirade that followed, Tranquilli – who, as judge, was supposed to serve without bias – used racial epithets when referring to a Black woman who served on the jury. Tranquilli insultingly added that the juror probably had a “baby daddy” who “sling[s] heroin.” Tranquilli even scolded the prosecutor for allowing the Black woman to serve on the jury.

A core principle in our justice system is that potential jurors cannot be excluded based on race. This helps to ensure fairness in our American system of trial by jury. Tranquilli’s conduct violated that principle.

The incident becomes more disturbing when one considers that, over the course of his career, Tranquilli prosecuted or judged thousands of cases involving Black victims or defendants. Imagine how they felt when they heard about Tranquilli’s racist rant in the news.

Here’s why this story should also matter to voters. Common sense tells us that the Judge Tranquilli who embraced harmful racial stereotypes, and believed it was okay to racially discriminate against jurors, likely held those same beliefs when he led Zappala’s DA office for a decade. In response to the Tranquilli scandal, Zappala should have committed to an independent investigation that probed whether racial bias infected Tranquilli’s prosecutions, and publicly shared the investigation’s results.

Zappala failed to take those simple steps.

We cannot achieve equal justice under law without advancing racial justice. Zappala has proven that, under his direction, the DA’s office is unwilling to confront racial inequities. This election season, we should hold Zappala accountable by voting him out of office.

Frank Walker and Rob Perkins

(The authors are criminal law attorneys with extensive experience working in Allegheny County’s court system.)

Threats to marriage rights

If you’ve been watching what’s going on in state legislatures lately, you know that red-state lawmakers are all-in on attacking three things: abortion, voting rights and LGBTQ rights.  And in Tennessee, a real alarm bell just rang.

The state House passed a bill that would effectively end marriage equality in the state, by allowing county clerks to refuse marriage licenses to same-sex couples. In fact, the law would allow clerks to refuse to issue marriage licenses for any couple if they disagreed with the union. That could mean same-sex couples, interracial couples, or interfaith couples.

We don’t know how far this bill will go in the state Senate. But a sufficient number of Tennessee House members voted for it, and that’s disturbing enough. Especially since President Biden just signed the Respect for Marriage Act to protect marriage equality at the federal level. It turns out this bill takes advantage of a loophole in the federal legislation, because the federal law does not say states have to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

We may or may not be in same-sex marriages ourselves, or know people who are. But those of us who disagree with this inhumanity being inflicted on other Americans have to speak out. I’m proud to say my mom, who is my hero in many ways, set this example for me.  Mom played the piano in our church for two decades. There came a time when the question of same-sex marriage came up, and individual churches within our

Svante Myrick

Commentary

denomination were allowed to make their own decisions about whether to perform them. Sadly, our church decided not to.

And Mom resigned there and then.

She did that even though nobody in our family or immediate circle was in a same-sex relationship. She did it because she had the courage to stand up for other people even when she had no skin in the game herself.  Later, when I became mayor of Ithaca, I had the honor to perform the first same-sex wedding in our city.

Mom taught me that we need to stand up for the full spectrum of civil and human rights, whether a particular right affects us personally or not. It is the moral thing to do. And that’s enough. But for those who need more convincing, it’s wellknown that if someone is coming after a right that doesn’t affect you today, chances are they will come for rights that do affect you tomorrow. Authoritarians have a pattern of chipping away at rights until they win the big prize.

A classic example of this is the long road to undermining Roe and the right to choose.  For years, people were called

alarmists for warning that Roe could be overturned. And guess what; the alarmists were right.

Not only that, but when the Supreme Court did away with Roe last year, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the words that everyone feared: “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including?Griswold,?Lawrence, and?Obergefell.”

That means “reconsidering” the right to use birth control (Griswold), the right to same-sex intimate relationships (Lawrence), and the right to same-sex marriage (Obergefell).

The prospect is chilling – and where does this end? What about Loving v. Virginia, the case that affirmed the right to interracial marriage? Many of us would have said it’s alarmist to think that right could be lost. But again, the alarmists were right when it came to Roe. And the bill in Tennessee’s House appears to open a door to this possibility.

I’m deeply concerned about what is happening in Tennessee and the red flag raised by Justice Thomas. More than 40 years ago another Supreme Court justice, the late Thurgood Marshall, spoke words that are as apt today as they were then. Justice Marshall said, “Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.”

Our rights depend on it.

(Svante Myrick is President of People For the American Way.)

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Help Wanted

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR CLINICAL AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS

The University of Pittsburgh’s Human Engineering Research Laboratories in Pittsburgh, PA, seeks an Assistant Director for Clinical and Regulatory Affairs

This position provides oversight to a team of research coordinators ensuring compliance with the University and VAPHS Institutional Review Boards (IRB) policies and procedures. This is an in-person office-based position. Apply at https://join.pitt.edu, #23001660 Applicants should upload a cover letter, CV, a letter describing leadership style, and at least three (3) letters of recommendation. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity. EOE, including disability/vets.

THE BOROUGH OF BELLEVUE

The Borough of Bellevue is accepting applications for the following positions: Office Clerk/ Secretary; School Crossing Guard; Pool Manager; Lifeguards

For more information and an application, go to: https://www.bellevuepa. org/employment-opportunities

Applications are due before end of day April 14, 2023. EOE

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP.

SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a: PERSONAL CARE PARAEDUCATOR

Applications must be received by 4:00 PM, March 24, 2023

Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP.

SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a: BUILDING CUSTODIAN

Applications must be received by 4:00 PM March 31, 2023

Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org

SOUTH HILLS AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS

NOTICE OF EXAMINATION FOR THE POSITION OF ENTRY LEVEL POLICE OFFICER

Applications to take the test for the position of entry level police officer are being accepted on behalf of the following Municipalities or their Civil Service Commissions:

Castle Shannon Borough Dormont Borough

Peters Township Pleasant Hills Borough

Upper St. Clair Township West Mifflin Borough

until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the offices of the South Hills Area Council of Governments (SHACOG), 2600 Old Greentree Road, Carnegie, PA 15106, 412-429-1130.

A single application to take the test and a single testing process will be utilized by the listed municipalities. All appointments, if any, will be made by the individual municipalities. Information concerning minimum eligibility requirements for each police department is contained in the application package.

Applications and instructions are available at the SHACOG office, at the SHACOG website (www.shacog.com), and at the Police Departments of the listed municipalities. Completed applications are to be returned with a non-refundable fee of $50.00 only to the SHACOG office.

A physical agility test is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, May 13, 2023 , with a written test to follow in the afternoon of that same day for those who pass the physical agility test. The listed municipalities are equal opportunity employers.

Stanley Louis Gorski Executive Director SHACOG

FIRE LIEUTENANT

MT. LEBANON,

PA

The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon will accept applications for the position of fire lieutenant beginning February 13, 2023 . Deadline to submit an application, resume, certifications, and complete the on-line written exam will be May 12, 2023.

This is a lateral entry supervisory position requiring substantial fire service knowledge, skills, and background. Job responsibilities include supervision of volunteer staff, fire apparatus operation, fire suppression, fire prevention, public education, rescue operations, and hazardous material and emergency medical response. Starting salary is $76,310.00 with excellent benefits and pension. To review requirements and apply, go to https://mtlebanon.bamboohr.com/ hiring/jobs/150.

Mt. Lebanon is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Articles of Incorporation

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

Jay Arthur Gilmer, Esq.,

NONPROFIT CORPORATION

Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 3rd day of April, 2023, at 9:45 A M., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

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IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

CIVIL DIVISION

In re: Cornelia A. Baker, a/k/a Cornelia A. Geraghty Deceased Orphan’s Court Division No. 02-23-01219 DECREE NISI AND NOW, this 3rd day of March, 2023, after consideration of the Petition filed by Penn Pioneer Enterprises, LLC to Establish Title to Decedent’s Real Estate Pursuant to 20 Pa.C.S. §3546, it is hereby Ordered and DECREED NISI that title to all the interest of Cornelia A. Baker, a/k/a Cornelia A. Geraghty, Deceased, in the Real Estate known as 1232 Broadway St., East McKeesport, PA 15035 and designated as Block 547-E, Lot 235, is adjudged to be fully in Penn Pioneer Enterprises, LLC. Notice of this Decree shall be given to all known Creditors and parties in interest by US Mail and by publication in the Pittsburgh Legal Journal and in one newspaper of general circulation in Allegheny County. Proof of publication and a Certificate of Service shall be filed of record in this matter. If no exception to this Decree is filed within three months, it shall be confirmed absolute. A certified copy shall be recorded in the Office of the Department of Real Estate of Allegheny County, which shall be indexed under the name of the Decedent and in the name of the Grantee, Penn Pioneer Enterprises, LLC.

By the Court, Michael E. McCarthy

ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings

NOTICE

On Thursday, March 30, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., in Council Chambers, 537 Bayne Ave., Bellevue, PA, Bellevue Borough’s Zoning Hearing Board shall hold Public Hearings on the following Applications: (1) NYXQ 31201 LLC/Adam Hussaini, seeking Special Exception approval, per Tri-Borough Zoning Ord. §2000405 & Ord. No. 18-05, to use a portion of the property at 120 S. Bryant Ave. as a Short-term Rental unit; and (2) Bender/Constantino, seeking a dimensional variance from the setbacks required by §2000-406 & §2000-409 for residential Accessory Bldgs., in order to enlarge an existing garage at 64 N. Jackson Ave., along its current setback lines. The Applications may be viewed during normal business hours at the Borough Offices.

Thomas P. McDermott, Solicitor Bellevue Borough ZHB

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY A regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the College will be held on: April 6, 2023 4:30 PM

CCAC Allegheny CampusByers Hall 808 Ridge Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

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Estate of PATRICIA L. BUTLER a/k/a PATRICIA LOUISE BUTLER, deceased of Monroeville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (No. 022301007). Notice is hereby given that Letters of Administration on the above Estate have been granted to the undersigned at probate number 022301007, to whom all persons indebted to said Estate are requested to make immediate payment, and those having claims or demands against the same will make them known without delay to the undersigned or their attorney.

Laura M. Butler, Administratrix, 127 Holy Cross Drive, Monroeville, PA 15146 ROBERT A. CINPINSKI, Attorney, 200 N. Jefferson St., Kittanning, PA 16201

Estate of EUGENE D. SHERPATA

Deceased of City of Clairton, Pennsylvania, No: 02-23-01652, Dana L. O’Hara, Executrix or to Ryan W. Brode, Atty, 6 Clairton Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15236

Estate of ELIZABETH M. BELFIORE deceased of Neville Island,

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Bids/Proposals

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on March 28, 2023, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

Pgh. Langley K-8 Finish Floor Replacements and Miscellaneous Work (REBID)

Asbestos Abatement Primes

Service & Maintenance Contract at Various Schools, Facilities and Properties: - Fire Extinguisher and Fire Hoses Service and Maintenance (REBID)

Pgh. Carrick High School Whiteboard Installations General Primes

PPS Service Center Service Center Fuel Dispenser Island Replacement Mechanical Primes

Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on March 6, 2023 , at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean 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.

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Bids are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 on the following: Bid 1114 – Signage for Workforce Development Training Center

Due date: 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Any bid or proposals received after this deadline will be considered as a “late bid” and will be returned unopened to the offerer. Proposals may require Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds, and Surety as dictated by the specifications. No bidder may withdraw his bid or proposal for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses. For more information, contact Michael Cvetic at mcvetic@ccac.edu.

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY D.B.A. PRT Electronic Proposals will be received online at PRT’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on April 11, 2023 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following:

Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org) Bid

Fixx Expansion

2 B23-03-19A Nitrile Gloves

3 B23-03-20A Coach Radiators

4 B23-03-21A CRP Air Conditioning

5 B22-12-123AR Paper Products - Janitorial Supplies

To join the bid opening through Microsoft Teams meeting on your computer, mobile app or room device

Meeting ID: 276 578 910 863

Passcode: Kdj2Nz

Or call in (audio only)

412-927-0245

Phone Conference ID: 628 197 512#

No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids.

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 AM, March 28, 2023 as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference.

To join the pre-bid meeting through Microsoft Teams on your computer, mobile app or room device

Meeting ID: 290 930 588 454

Passcode: 4KnCW9

Or call in (audio only)

412-927-0245

Phone Conference ID: 286 913 705#

Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the PRT 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 d.b.a. PRT 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 d.b.a. PRT 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 PRT reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

REQUEST FOR

QUALIFICATIONS

In accordance with federal law and regulation, the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) is revising its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Administrative Plan. The proposed revisions to the HCV Administrative Plan are available for review and comment from Sunday, March 26, 2023 to Wednesday, April 26, 2023 on the HACP website: www.hacp.org.

To review the HCV Administrative Plan in its current form, please visit https://hacp.org/about/publicinformation/. Written comments on the proposed revisions must be addressed to

“Attention: HACP HCV Administrative Plan” at the HACP Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Department, 200 Ross Street, 7th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, and must be received by the close of business (5:00 pm) on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Public hearings to receive public comments on the proposed revisions to the HCV Administrative Plan will be held on Monday, April 3, 2023, at 9:00 am and 6:00 pm. via Zoom. The Zoom meeting information can be accessed at www.hacp.org.

For questions regarding the HCV Administrative Plan proposed revisions, please contact Sherry Perkins at 412-456-5000 extension 2808.

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

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Qualifications for Recruiting Talent for DHS Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 26.

For more details and submission information, visit: www.alleghenycounty.us/ Human-Services/Resources/ Doing-Business/Solicitations-(RFP/ RFQ/RFI).aspx.

Erin Dalton Director

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Proposals are requested by P.O.O.R.L.A.W & Praise Temple Deliverance Church for renovations to 124 Johnston Ave., Pittsburgh. Please reference https://poorlaw.org for individual bid details for HVAC, roofing, and demo/painting. Proposals must be delivered to 124 Johnston Ave. by March 31st, 2023 at 5:00 pm. Please direct questions to Pastor Lutual Love at lutuallove@gmail.com or 412-277-0113.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Proposals for a Mobile Competency Restoration and Support Team. Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 3.

For more details and submission information, visit: www.alleghenycounty.us/ Human-Services/Resources/ Doing-Business/Solicitations-(RFP/ RFQ/RFI).aspx.

Erin Dalton Director

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Bids/Proposals LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA MARCH 14, 2023

The Office of the County Controller of Allegheny County, Room 104, Court House, Pittsburgh, PA, will receive separate and sealed Bids on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. and FROM 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M. prevailing local time, Wednesday, April 5, 2023, and a representative of the Department of Public Works will open and read the Bids in the Conference Room 1, County Court House, Pittsburgh, PA, one half hour later, 11:30 o’clock A.M., for the following:

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS HOMESTEAD GRAYS BRIDGE REPAIR HOMESTEAD BOROUGH AND CITY OF PITTSBURGH COUNTY PROJECT NO. MA12-3516

As a prospective bidder please note the following general Project information regarding Pre-Bid Information, Bidding Requirements, and Contra ct Conditions. See the Project Manual and Drawings for detailed information, responsibilities and instructions.

PRE-BID INFORMATION: View the Proposal, Specifications and Drawings at the Office of the Contract Manager, Room 504, County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA. The non-refundable charge for the Proposal and a disc containing the Specifications and Drawings is $107.00 including sales tax. The Contract Manager will accept only check or money order to the “COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY” in that amount and WILL NOT ACCEPT

CASH OR EXTEND CREDIT.

Prospective bidders may request to have their bid documents mailed. An additional fee of $16.05 for handling costs for each requested proposal must be paid in advance. The fee must be received at the office of the Contract Manager prior to mailing of any documents.

Interested bidders planning to purchase bid documents or attend the public bid opening are advised to follow Self-Monitoring and Social Distancing guidelines when entering the Allegheny County Courthouse or County Office Building. Interested bidders should also be aware that when entering either the Allegheny County Courthouse or County Office Building, a face mask meeting the guidelines set by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, must be worn at all times.

BIDDING REQUIREMENTS: The County requires pre-qualification of bidders, including subcontractors, as specified in Section 102. 01 of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Specifications, Publication No. 408, 2020 Edition, Change No. 4, Effective April 1, 2022 on this project.

Submit bid on the supplied Bid Forms in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders and General and Supplementary Conditions; include th e following documents with the Bid Form, ALONG WITH ONE COMPLETE

PHOTOCOPIED SET OF PROPOSAL:

• Bid Security - certified check or surety company bond on County’s form to the order of/or running to the County of Allegheny in the amount of five (5%) percent of the Bid as evidence that you, the Bidder, will accept and carry out the conditions of the Contract in case of award. The County will accept only bonds written by Surety Companies acceptable on Federal Bonds per the current Federal Register Circular 570. Federal Register Circular 570 is available for inspection in the Contract Office, Room 504, County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

• Bidder Certification of Pre-Qualification, Classification and Work Capacity.

• List of Subcontractors

• Statement of Joint Venture Participation

• MBE and WBE Goals Attainment Certification - (ONLY NECESSARY IF YOU CAN NOT MEET THE SPECIFIED MBE AND WBE GOALS)

• Work Sheet Required Amount Performed By Contractor (Non Federal Project)

• MBE/WBE Subcontractor and Supplier Solicitation Sheet

• MBE/WBE Subcontractor and Supplier Commitment Sheet THE COUNTY WILL REJECT BIDS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE THE EXECUTED DOCUMENTS SPECIFIED ABOVE WITH THE BID FORM.

You may not withdraw your bid for a period of Sixty (60) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The County Manager reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.

CONTRACT CONDITIONS: In accordance with the provisions of the

“Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act” of August 15, 1961, P.L. 987, as Department of Labor and Industry, the prevailing minimum wage predetermination requirements as set forth in the Attachments apply to this Project. The anticipated notice to proceed is May 22, 2023. The project completion date is to occur by August 16, 2023.

The County of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority business enterprises / women business enterprises [MBE/WBE] will be afforded the full opportunity to submit bids on the grounds of race, sex, color or national origin in consideration for an award. It is a condition of the bidding process/contract that all responsive bidders/ contractors shall follow the minority business enterprises/women’s business enterprises [MBE/WBE] procedures set forth in the project manual/ contract documents.

For technical questions, contact Matthew Sartori, Project Manager, at 412-350-5343. For contracting questions, contact the Contracts Division at 412-350-7646.

Corey O’Connor Controller County of Allegheny

SONNY BOY

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BID

The Town of McCandless will receive sealed bids for the Town Hall Window Replacement project until 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the Town Hall Building located at 9955 Grubbs Road, Wexford, PA, 15090. Bids will be thereafter publicly opened and read at 1:30 p.m. in the Powers Meeting Room at the Town Hall. All bids must be submitted to the attention of Brian O’Malley, Town Manager, and marked “Town Hall Window Replacement”. Proposals to receive consideration must be accompanied by a certified check or bidder’s bond from a surety company authorized to do business in Pennsylvania, made to the order of the “Town of McCandless”, in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total amount of the proposal. Sealed Bids will be received for the following contracts:

1. General Construction Contract

All bids must be on a lump sum basis; segregated bids will not be accepted. Bidders shall be responsible for verifying all addenda prior to submitting bid. Failure to acknowledge receipt of addenda may result in disqualification of bid.

Bid Documents will be available, starting Wednesday, March 23, 2023, for a non-refundable fee, by contacting Accu-Copy