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A DISTINCTIVE HONOR Bishop Loran Mann elected to the Church Of God In Christ General Board Page A5

Pittsburgh Courier NEW

www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 112 No. 13

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MARCH 31-APRIL 6, 2021

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THE RACE TO VACCINATE PITTSBURGH’S BLACK COMMUNITY

RAYMOND HALL, left, and Crystal Baldwin, both Pittsburgh-area residents, receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at an event at Heinz Field, March 9. The race is on to vaccinate as many people as possible, and African Americans want to be sure they’re included in the ability to receive the vaccine. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

Vaccine getting to Black communities, but more needs to be done

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

Oakland resident Raymond Hall wasted no time.

As soon as he was able to get a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, he signed up.

On March 9, there was no place he would have rather been than at Heinz Field

— not to see his beloved Steelers, but to get the first dose of the coveted COVID-19 vaccine.

Hall was part of thousands who received their first vaccine doses at Heinz Field over a multi-day event, sponsored by Giant Eagle. The New Pittsburgh Courier has been report-

ing on the low proportion of African Americans in Allegheny County who have received all or part of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to Whites in the county. As of March 26, only 9,377 African Americans in Allegheny County had been fully vaccinated, according to state Depart-

ment of Health data. The number of Whites fully vaccinated was 134,728.

The Courier interviewed some African Americans that had received their first doses during the Heinz Field event in early SEE VACCINE A3

Dannielle Brown ends hunger strike, starts foundation in honor of her son

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

Dannielle Brown’s hunger strike is over, but her battle for justice for her son is everlasting.

Brown, whose son, Marquis Jaylen Brown, died after falling out of a Duquesne University dorm room window in 2018, announced the start of a foundation named in her son’s honor on March 11, at the site where her fight for justice in Pittsburgh all began—Freedom Corner.

“The actions we’ve done

here at Freedom Corner... man, epic,” Dannielle Brown told the crowd gathered at Freedom Corner in the Hill District, the site where she staged her hunger strike for 237 days demanding answers from Duquesne University officials about the death of her son. “I will never, ever forget how each and every one of you played a role in helping us get to this place, so I want to say thank you, personally, from the bottom of my heart.”

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DANNIELLE BROWN, speaking at an event at Freedom Corner, March 11. Her hunger strike lasted 237 days. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

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This Week In Black History

Marquis Jaylen Brown Foundation aims to advocate for students at universities

A Courier Staple MARCH 31

DANNIELLE BROWN, mother of Marquis Jaylen Brown. (Photos by Courier photographer J.L. Martello) BROWN FROM A1

For much of the past year, Dannielle Brown’s relocation from her hometown of Washington, D.C., to inside a tent (and subsequent hunger strike) at Freedom Corner garnered national attention to the death of Marquis Jaylen Brown, who played football for Duquesne.

Dannielle Brown was angered at the lack of transparency she felt university officials gave to her about the Oct. 4, 2018, tragic incident involving her son on his 21st birthday. University officials said that their inves-

tigation revealed Marquis Jaylen Brown broke the 16th floor Brottier Hall dorm window and jumped to his death. But Dannielle Brown never fully believed that story, and made her presence known and felt to Duquesne University officials that she wanted more answers to such a perplexing situation.

On Feb. 25, which was day 236 of her hunger strike, Dannielle Brown was rushed to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, after a possible seizure.

She was told by her doc-

DANNIELLE BROWN

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tors that continuing the hunger strike could have adverse effects on her health, but up until Feb. 25, Dannielle Brown was not deterred.

During the March 11 event at Freedom Corner, Dannielle Brown praised

UPMC doctors for nursing her back to good health, while concurrently deciding to end her hunger strike on Feb. 27.

“I went to the edge,” Dannielle Brown told supporters, “and at the edge, Jaylen was there, but Jaylen pushed me back and he pushed me back in to the arms of my other son. So I knew that it was just not my time, and I also knew that I’m going to keep raising my fist and continue this fight, and I also know that the Marquis Jaylen Brown Foundation needed me.”

On Feb. 28, Paul Jubas and Max Petrunya, attorneys for Dannielle Brown, told WTAE-TV in a statement that Duquesne University had complied with some of Dannielle Brown’s demands, including turning over to the attorneys its public safety files and video camera footage related to the Marquis Jaylen Brown incident, purchasing bodyworn cameras for its officers, and enhancing its de-escalation training for university officers.

The Marquis Jaylen Brown Foundation’s mission is to collaborate with students and mothers “to advocate for justice for any student who faces a crisis at America’s higher learning institutions,” according to a release from the organization. The foundation wants to ensure that “not another mother has to endure the grief and pain surrounding the sudden, unresolved death of their child, and that all students’ voices are heard and represented in universities nationwide,” a release said.

“It is imperative that we collectively work together to make sure that our students are safe,” Dannielle Brown told the crowd at Freedom Corner. “We want to know what happened to our children.”

APRIL 1

1868—Hampton University is founded during Reconstruction in Hampton, Va. The school is now one of the leading Black educational institutions in America.

1950—Surgeon Charles Drew dies at 45 in an automobile accident near Burlington, N.C. Drew developed the concept of a blood bank for storing large amounts of plasma.

Anyone who has ever received a blood transfusion is indebted to Dr. Drew. He had dedicated his life to insuring that increased scientific knowledge actually led to the betterment of human life. One of his most frequently repeated quotes: “There must always be the continuing struggle to make the increasing knowledge of the world bear fruit (in the form of) increased understanding and the production of human happiness.”

1984—Sensational, Washington, D.C., born R&B singer Marvin Gaye is shot and killed by his father during an argument.

Gaye was 38—just one day short of his 39th birthday. The senior Gaye later died of pneumonia. Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown Records in the 1960s with a string of hits, including “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and duet recordings with Mary Wells and Tammi Terrell, later earning the titles “Prince of Motown” and “Prince of Soul.”

APRIL 2

1855—John Mercer Langston becomes the first African-American elected to public office when he wins the position of clerk of Brownhelm Township, in Ohio. Though not well known today, Langston was one of the foremost Black leaders of the 1800s. With the aid of his two brothers, he organized anti-slavery societies throughout Ohio. The Oberlin College graduate also became a lawyer and statesman for Black rights. After the Civil War, he organized the law department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The town of Langston, Okla., is named in his honor. He died in 1897.

1932—World famous Black cowboy William “Bill” Picket dies on this day in Ponca, Okla., after being kicked in the head by a horse. He was 70. But during his heyday Picket was perhaps the best known and most celebrated cowboy in the world traveling with various “wild west” shows including the Millers Brothers’ Fabulous 101 Ranch.

He invented the rodeo sport of bulldogging.

Picket was of Black and Indian descent.

1939—Marvin Gaye is born on this day in Washington, D.C. He signs with Detroit’s Motown Records in 1962 and goes on to become one of the leading R&B male vocalists of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s, with hits ranging from the socially conscious “What’s Going On” to the sexy “Let’s Get It On.” Gaye was shot to death by his father during an argument in 1984.

1845—Texas is admitted to the union as a slave state. President John Tyler on this day in 1845 signed the joint Congressional resolution.

APRIL 3

The New Pittsburgh Courier is published weekly

1930—Ras Tafari is proclaimed Emperor of Ethiopia—one of the only African nations to successfully resist European colonization.

He is renamed Haile Selassie. Blacks in many parts of the world view him as a god-like figure. Indeed, Jamaicans form a religion in his honor. They call themselves Rastafarians. Selassie could trace his ancestry as far back as the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon of the Christian Bible.

1950—Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black History Month, dies at age 74 in Washington, D.C. 1961—Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy is born in Brooklyn, N.Y. 1968—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his powerful and prophetic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech in Memphis, Tenn. Many felt he used the speech to predict his own death. He was assassinated the very next day—at 6:01 p.m., April 4, 1968.

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1741—Black rebellion hysteria grips New York. A series of mysterious fires and reports of slaves plotting rebellion sweep New York. The hysteria lasts through April.

Thirty-one alleged slave plotters and five White sympathizers were hanged.

1931—Cab Calloway recorded “Minnie the Moocher”—the first jazz album to sell more than one million copies.

1948—Labor leader A. Philip Randolph issues a threat before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He declares that unless more is done to end segregation and discrimination in the military, he would launch a campaign encouraging Black youth to employ civil disobedience to resist the draft.

His threat helps to bring an end to a host of discriminatory practices in the U.S. armed forces.

1980—Olympic legend Jesse Owens dies at 66 in Tucson, Ariz. Owens won four track and field gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, embarrassing German leader Adolf Hitler and undermining his ideology of White Aryan superiority.

MARQUIS JAYLEN BROWN died on Oct. 4, 2018.

APRIL 4

1915—Muddy Waters is born McKinley

Morganfield in Rolling Fork, Miss. Walters would go on to become one of the primary shapers of that genre of music known as the blues. Indeed, he was easily one of the most influential musicians of the first half of the 20th century.

1928—Poet Maya Angelou is born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Mo. Angelou now ranks as one of the greatest poets in America. But her talents have also been expressed as a playwright, author, producer, historian and civil rights activist.

1967—Civil rights legend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. formally announces his opposition to America’s war in Vietnam during a speech before the Overseas Press Club in New York City. The speech brought King even greater opposition from the federal government, especially then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. It also alienated some Black leaders who felt it was a mistake to mix domestic civil rights issues with foreign policy issues. But King charged that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

1968—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated while standing on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tenn., as he had embarked on a campaign to focus the Civil Rights Movement on economic and financial betterment issues for Blacks. Riots or urban rebellions broke out in more than 100 U.S. cities. At least 50 people are killed as more than 20,000 federal troops and 34,000 National Guardsmen are mobilized to put down the disturbances. The official finding was that a lone White gunman, James Earl Ray, was responsible for the assassination.

However, suspicions remain until this day that the FBI, led by arch-conservative J. Edgar Hoover, was somehow involved in the killing.

APRIL 5

1856—Booker T. Washington is born a slave in Hale’s Ford, Va. He would become one of the three or four most influential leaders in all of African-American history.

He was one of the nation’s greatest educators, having founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. However, more progressive Black leaders became critical of him after he delivered the so-called “Atlanta Compromise” speech of 1895 in which he appeared to offer an acceptance and accommodation to American racism in exchange of greater vocational training of African-Americans.

1976—The infamous COINTELPRO documents are released. In response to an accidental discovery at a warehouse and a freedom of information lawsuit, the FBI is forced to release documents detailing an intensive and extensive campaign to disrupt and destroy civil rights and anti-war organizations and their leaders. Among the documents released was a letter dated August 25, 1967 which made clear that one of the campaign’s chief aims was “to expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit or otherwise neutralize the activities of Black nationalists …” But the FBI’s definition of “Black nationalist” was so broad that even moderate civil rights organizations and their leaders were targeted to be neutralized. For example, the letter characterized the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) as one of the organizations having “radical and violence prone leaders…” The leader of the SCLC was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 1990—Jazz great Sarah Vaughn dies.

Vaughn was born in Newark, N.J., in 1924 and went on to become what many considered “the world’s greatest singing talent.”

She was known as the “incomparable Sarah Vaughn.”

APRIL 6

1798—One of the nation’s most famous and accomplished early Black pioneers, James Beckwourth, is born. The product of a White slave owner and a Black slave mother, Beckwourth acquired his freedom and became a successful fur trader. He would later become a scout for the Rocky Mount Fur Company. However, in 1824, he joined the Crow Indian nation and married a Crow woman. He would later move west where he discovered an important passageway through the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. The passage was named “Beckwourth Pass,” after him.

1846—Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet, first file suit claiming their freedom. The case would eventually lead to Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney’s infamous “Dred Scott Decision” in 1857. Scott had basically argued that by being taken from the slave state of Missouri and living in free states or territories for seven years he was in effect a free man. The case finally reached the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 7 to 2 decision written by 80-year-old Chief Justice Taney, himself a former slave owner, Scott’s argument was rejected. In one of the most racist Supreme Court decisions ever issued, Justice Taney ruled that neither Blacks nor their descendants could be U.S. citizens and thus had no right to sue for their freedom in U.S. courts. Taney capped off the ruling by saying, “A Negro had no rights a White man was bound [required] to respect.”

METRO

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MARCH 31-APRIL 6, 2021 A3

THE RACE TO VACCINATE PITTSBURGH’S BLACK COMMUNITY As of Mar. 26, 2021, in Allegheny County, according to the Pa. Dept. of Health Vaccine Data Website...

Number of those who identified as White who have been fully vaccinated

Number of those who identified as African American who have been fully vaccinated

134,728

9,377

Number of those who identified as White who have been partially vaccinated

Number of those who identified as African American who have been partially vaccinated

151,477

15,603

VACCINE FROM A1

March.

“It’s very important (for African Americans to get the vaccine) because we have enough medical issues as it is, we don’t need COVID on top of it,” Hall, who is a security guard, told the Courier’s J.L. Martello. “Make your appointment, be patient and when your appointment comes up, show up.”

Crystal Baldwin, of Beaver Falls, told the Courier that she and her husband were initially hesitant about getting the vaccine.

But she wasn’t alone. Anita Alston, of Mt. Oliver, told the Courier that she was somewhat hesitant about receiving the vaccine, too.

Her daughter-in-law, Tiera Alston, of the East End, brought her to Heinz Field to get the vaccine.

“I’m glad it’s done,” Anita Alston told the Courier’s Martello. “Didn’t really want to do it, but I’m glad it’s done.” Pressed on why she didn’t want to get the vaccine, Anita Alston replied: “I just wasn’t ready.

But I’m glad it’s done.”

Baldwin said that the more she and her husband heard about the vaccine, they finally decided to take the shots. Plus, they hadn’t seen their grandchildren, and wanted to be able to be around them.

“We are dying at a higher rate than any other group,” Baldwin said about African Americans shedding any worries and making sure they get the vaccine. “If we could show Black folks that the vaccine is safe, we can get it, we can move forward, then why not?”

Elaine Harris-Fulton, of Forest Hills, also received the first dose of the vaccine on March 9 at Heinz Field.

She acknowledged how some African Americans may be hesitant to get the vaccine. “I know in the past, there have been things that we haven’t trusted, but we might need to trust them on this one because so many people are dying,” she said.

To those who had no hesitation about the vaccine (which is the vast majority), it was difficult for some to even get an appointment. Over the past 60 days, trying to sign up for the vaccine via the websites of Giant Eagle, the Allegheny Health Department, UPMC, or Allegheny Health Network have been like trying to hit the Pennsylvania Lottery.

Harris-Fulton said she had tried for weeks to get an appointment, but her daughter eventually found a spot on Giant Eagle’s website.

The Allegheny County Health Department announced recently that they were opening up additional centers for residents to receive the vaccine, including Central Baptist Church (2200 Wylie Ave., Hill District) and Petersen Events Center, in Oakland. The vaccine is available at those locations, in addition to the county locations in Castle Shannon and Ross Twp., by appointment only, via the Health Department’s website.

Placing a county “point of dispensary” vaccine location at Central Baptist Church is a sign that the county wants to make it as easy as possible for African Americans to get the vaccine. But the Courier has also learned of partnerships between the county, Allegheny Health Network and UPMC to get even more African Americans vaccinated.

A number of community organizations partnered with the county to provide 1,000 vaccinations for those 65 years of age and older at the YMCA location on Bennett St., in Homewood, in February. After a small delay, the residents were able to return to receive their second dose, making them fully vaccinated.

And Alice Williams, vice chair of the community organization Bethany Community Ministries (Homewood), told the Courier that her group collaborated with the county on Feb. 12 to provide vaccines to 33 residents at the Eva P. Mitchell senior apartments on Lincoln Ave., and to 75 residents at the Legacy Apartments on Centre Ave., Hill District. The residents received the Moderna COVID vaccine, vaccinated by those from the Duquesne University pharmacy division.

Bethany Community Ministries then partnered with Allegheny Health Network to vaccinate residents at senior residences Douglas Plaza, Ebenezer Towers, K. Leroy Irvis Towers and Silver Lake Commons, among others.

And on March 13, Williams was overjoyed when she witnessed 600 primarily African American residents receiving their first vaccine doses during an event at Bethany Center, 7745 Tioga St., Homewood. Bethany Community Ministries partnered with UPMC on the venture.

“Our greatest desire is to save lives, and to see our community response, and to do it in such a positive way,” proved beneficial, Williams told the Courier.

Bethany Community Ministries was informed on March 4 that UPMC would have 600 doses available.

The organization was able to gather 600 people from their community list, and with assistance from Soul Pitt magazine president Donna Baxter Porcher, to make it all happen.

Williams said it’s important that the vaccine is brought to African American communities in Allegheny County, because not only do the vast majority of people want the vaccine, but making the vaccines easily accessible to the Black community shows true equity. She said oftentimes, there is a misnomer that just because thousands of people were vaccinated at a massive location, such as Heinz Field or PNC Park, that equals “equity.”

But to African Americans, “equity” means “fairness,” and Williams said putting the vaccine in Black communities is the real meaning of equity.

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What does ‘Free to the People’ mean to you?

Pittsburgh Black artists create commemorative Carnegie Library cards for its 125th anniversary The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is a place where, at one point or another, you’re sure to frequent.

Where else can kids have a section dedicated entirely to them? Children’s books, activities, computers...

Where else can adults find an all-in-one space that’s adept for studying, tailoring their resume,

TAKARA CANTY Takara Canty, 36, of Garfield Heights, is a classically trained visual artist who grew her talent from watching her mother paint pictures in watercolor and acrylic.

Inspired by her mom and prominent artists like Frida Kahlo, she evolved into having an appreciation for art and followed her passion. After realizing that working in a mainstream studio art class environment was not for her, she decided to teach at-risk kids art by providing them with nontraditional art projects in art class. She has been

professionally teaching at-risk youth in grades K-12 for more than 10 years. In her spare time, Canty likes to paint, tattoo, weld, sculpt, sew, draw and create memorable pieces.

“Completing a compelling fresh piece of artwork is the only thing that satisfies this thirst to create,” Canty said.

“Unapologetically not caring if it is beautiful but allowing an outpour of emotion in color and substance to create an existence of a story that first was cultivated through my mind.”

D.S. KINSEL

and holding a meeting with their organization?

Takara Canty, Cue Perry, Janel Young and D.S. Kinsel all have significant, intimate experiences with the Carnegie Library. Thus, it was a no-brainer to participate when the Library commissioned them to create new library card designs based on the question: “What does ‘Free to the

People’ mean to you?”

The New Pittsburgh Courier obtained the photos of each artist’s library card design, pictured below. Residents can choose to acquire one of the four library cards below for free at any Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branch. To receive a commemorative card through the Library’s curbside pickup, residents should:

CUE PERRY Pittsburgh North Side native Cue Perry has been pursuing a career in the arts his entire life.

After years of studying graphic design at both Brashear High School and the University of Pittsburgh, Perry decided to change his major and pursue other ventures until he turned 30 years old. He is known for his unconventional art style and humor, which is translated throughout

his artwork. Perry has sold nearly 2,000 original paintings worldwide and has been nominated

by Pittsburgh City Paper for best local visual artist four years in a row.

“I always try to portray and express positivity,” Perry said. “I feel like this project exudes that. It’s messy. It’s wild.

It’s creative. It is all the things, in my opinion, that embodies love. Love is free.”

D.S. Kinsel, an award-winning entrepreneur and cultural agitator, expresses himself through many artforms. His art themes focus on space keeping, urban tradition, hip-hop, informalism and cultural re-appropriation.

In addition to his art, he also co-founded BOOM Concepts, an inspirational hub devoted to the advancement of Black and brown artists representing marginalized communities. Kinsel has received numerous awards, including the New Pittsburgh Courier “Fab 40,” Pittsburgh Magazine PUMP 40 Under 40, Pittsburgh Tech Council Creative of The Year, and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s “Top Ten People to Meet in 2016” and the Incline’s “Who’s Next” for 2018.

“I was really inspired by the motto, ‘Free to the People,’ and

Call their preferred pickup location ahead, register, and schedule a pickup time; or arrive at their preferred Library location and register over the phone and staff will deliver an active card in real-time. For more information on receiving one of the four cards, call 412622-3114.

JANEL YOUNG Janel Young, a Pittsburgh native, painter and muralist, is on a mission to inspire through creativity and play. Prior to pursuing art full-time, Young studied business marketing at Penn State University and relocated to New York City to work in public relations. After taking the leap to practice art full-time in New York, Young went back to her childhood neighborhood, Beltzhoover, to install her largest-led mural to date — The Home Court Advantage Project.

The city awarded her for her community-centered efforts, making Oct. 23, 2019, “Janel Young Day” in Pittsburgh. Young’s latest public works in Pittsburgh include the reworked Black Girl Magic “Masked” series and her first curated project, New

wanted to find an intentional intersection for the commission and my Nothing But Love series,” said Kinsel. “I have been exploring love songs and pulling lyrics from different songs to express different ways in which love can be expressed. I really connected to the idea of ‘Free to the People’ and how CLP’s history offering free art, music, and literature was a true expression of love. I believe the library allows for exploration of knowledge, culture and love by being ‘Free To The People.’ After researching different love song lyrics, I landed on the lyric, ‘everybody come together (love is free)’ from the song ‘Love Is Free’ by Sheryl Crow. Free knowledge, free culture, and free love is a reason for folks to come together and the library is the perfect place for that action to happen.”

Space Spheres. In New York, Young was selected to exhibit in the “Black Lives to the Front” art showcase during the 2020 U.S. Open tennis tournament. Most recently, Young became the first artist ever commissioned to design Yahoo!’s Black History Month logo in February 2021.

“When I thought about the theme, ‘Free to the People,’ immediately, my mind went to my experience reading, especially when I was younger,” Young said. “Growing up with my mom being a reading specialist, I always felt like reading books and stories were a form of liberation, an escape, so I wanted to show the transition to ‘freeing the people’ through literature.”

RELIGION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

MARCH 31-APRIL 6, 2021

Bishop Loran Mann elected to the Church Of God In Christ General Board

ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH

Sunday Mass 10:30 A.M.

For New Pittsburgh Courier

BISHOP LORAN MANN

Praise & Worship 91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141

by Jacquelyn McDonald It was a triumphant Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) General Board seat vote on Saturday, March 20, for Bishop Loran Edward Mann, Pastor of the Pentecostal Temple Church Of God In Christ, 6300 East Liberty Blvd., in East Liberty, and it was the answer to prayer, especially for all of the members of the Church Of God In Christ citywide.

After vetting more than 30 potential candidates by COGIC’s Elections Committee, Bishop Mann and eight other potential winners were chosen to run and possibly be elected to fill six open General Board seats in the denomination’s first Virtual Quadrennial Election. The General Board, also known as the Board of Directors, consists of 12 elected Bishops,

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

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

which includes the denomination’s Presiding Bishop.

The General Assembly, the legislative body of the Church, was tasked with filling the six seats recently vacated due to the unexpected deaths of four Bishops due to COVID-19. Also, there were two “emeritus” status requests made, including that of COGIC’s Presiding Bishop, Charles Edward Blake.

Bishop Mann’s duties will include spiritually representing and negotiating business along with the other board members on behalf of the Church Of God In Christ, the largest Black Pentecostal denomination, which boasts a membership of six million members in 112 countries.

Curious about Quakerism?

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

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Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community!

For rate information, call 412-4818302, ext. 128. We want to feature positive youth from our Pittsburgh church community. Please mail their bio and photo to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or email us: religion@newpittsburghcourier. com

RESURRECTION SUNDAY IS THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 4 JESUS HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD “Jesus is not here, for Jesus is risen, as he said come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

- Matthew 28:6 REV. WALKER SAYS: Jesus’ Resurrection IS THE GREATEST DAY OF ALL TIME, THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN COMPARE TO IT IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND. The Resurrection of Jesus proves He has conquered death and has given us Eternal Life through His death, burial and Resurrection. AMEN. (Rev. A. Marie Walker is servant pastor of St. John Baptist Church in Wilmerding.)

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEXT CHURCH EVENT! We want to place your event in our Church Circuit weekly calendar!

Send info to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh PA 15219 Or Email us! religion@ newpittsburgh courier.com

The Courier is THE VOICE of Black Pittsburgh.

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BUSINESS

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Workplace reopening? Put employee safety first (BPT)—Of all the milestones in our nation’s COVID-19 recovery, workplaces reopening is one of the biggest. As millions of people start returning to offices, classrooms and more, the hope of progress is tempered by concerns for safety. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work.

How can employers help make that happen?

The key is planning ahead, says Christopher Gill, vice president of EnviroPro Solutions. “Having enough supplies, the right equipment and clear information—all of these are important. They do more than just keep the workplace safe and sanitized.

They help employees feel confident about returning.”

Here are 5 easy steps employers can take to help build trust and stay safe.

Pick up plenty of PPE. The bare minimum should include disposable masks and hand sanitizer. Depending on the sanitizing steps your business is taking, gloves and goggles may also be necessary.

Designate a clear responsible party who will be in charge of tracking supplies and re-ordering.

Post or share information on the supplies available, where employees can

access them and who to report any shortages or concerns to.

Re-assess restrooms. Restrooms should always be well-stocked with soap, hot water and paper towels. Increase the frequency at which restrooms are checked for supplies and sanitized. This is even more important if your facility’s restrooms are open to the public.

For large restrooms, consider closing off some stalls and sinks to limit the areas that require frequent sanitizing. Placing out-of-order signs can help deter use. Post clear instructions for handwashing—it should be done for at least 30 seconds with hot water and soap.

Scale back shared spaces. Shared spaces may mean break rooms, employee kitchens, copy rooms, lobbies, supply closets or more. If any of these spaces aren’t strictly necessary, consider closing them off. This will discourage congregating and limit the areas that need frequent sanitization. For shared spaces that stay open, limit furniture and supplies to the absolute essentials. This may mean reducing seating and tables, or removing communal dishware.

It’s also vital to establish clear expectations for sanitizing shared spaces before and after every use. Prominently post and share sanitizing guidelines with all staff. Include information on where sanitizing equipment will be stored and how it can be accessed and used. To help ensure everyone follows guidelines, look for a sanitizing solution that’s fast and easy-to-use, like electrostatic sprayers fromenviroprosolutions.com, made by Victory or Graco.

Sick? Stay home. Wherever possible, encourage

employees to stay home or work from home if: • They are experiencing any symptoms of illness.

• They suspect they may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

• They have just returned from traveling.

• There have been any changes to their household, such as a child returning from college.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provides guidelines for length of self-quarantines and more in their Guidance for Businesses & Employees page.

Provide proper equip-

ment. Empowering employees is the best strategy for building trust. When it comes to sanitization, providing individual sanitizing tools is a terrific way to empower. Some companies offer kits to keep multiple employees in-stock at once, such as the Millennium Q Viral Disinfecting Kit. When every employee has their own set of supplies, they can take full responsibility for the safety of their workspace.

Even with shared workstations, having dedicated sets of sanitizing tools is highly effective. Post or

share clear instructions on how to sanitize and the necessary frequency. Particularly for shared workstations, it’s advisable for employees to sanitize before and after every shift.

After more than a year at home for some workers, returning to the workplace is an enormous step.

Emotions may be running high, and it’s up to employers to set a positive example and tone. Making your dedication to safety clear and tangible will boost employee confidence, all while keeping your workforce healthy.

Creating wealth — A critical step for Black America

by Larry Rice and Lamell McMorris For New Pittsburgh Courier

The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the recent attack on the U.S. Capitol in which domestic terrorists with Confederate flags and White nationalist symbols, has shaken America to its core. This is the moment to confront America’s racist past and present.

Though we are not denying America’s achievement as the first constitutional democracy, we must also acknowledge that centuries of slavery and racist policies have not yet been resolved.

Last year, after the tragic and publicized killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmadu Arbery and countless more, Americans began to reckon not only with police brutality but the glaring racial in-

equities in economic prosperity, interactions with the criminal justice system and access to the voting booth.

Now, with COVID-19 disproportionately devastating the Black community, the systemic inequities are clear and people are motivated for change. We need to build on this momentum and pass sweeping legislative policies that uproot the deeply embedded racism in our country.

First, the racial wealth and homeownership gap needs to be deliberately corrected. The median net worth of Black households in 2016 was just $17,150, compared to $171,000 for White households. Homeownership, a key step in creating generational wealth, is still skewed, as the racial homeownership gap is today wider than it was in the 1940s.

The devastation of the

COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this economic inequality. In addition to the disparate health impacts, COVID has also had much worse effects on Black businesses. A recent report by the National Bureau of Eco-

nomic Research found that 41 percent of Black-owned businesses—about 440,000 enterprises—have been shuttered by COVID-19, compared to just 17 percent of White-owned businesses. It is critical to focus on growing and supporting

Black-owned businesses through providing access to business loans, promoting widespread financial literacy (including stock market and real estate investment education) and financing entrepreneurial incubators that develop

community businesses.

It is also critical to provide financial support to historically Black colleges and universities that are educating future Black leaders. Indeed, rather than investing in education, states spend exorbitant amounts of money on our mass incarceration system—some states have spent as much on prisons as on universities. Far too many people are incarcerated (we have less than five percent of the world’s population but nearly 25 percent of its prisoners), many for non-violent crimes and resulting in unnecessary costs to the state. This money needs to be redistributed, particularly due to the fact that African Americans continue to be disproportionately targeted by the prison system—African Americans SEE WEALTH B2

The only ‘minimum’ I tolerate is pain!

I recently shared a motivational meme online. It read, “‘Weekly Schedule,’ Rise and Grind 24/7. New week, new goals.” It listed every day of the week. The action step for each day was to “HUSTLE.” The meme closed out with the following statement: “You can’t have a million-dollar dream with a ‘minimum wage’ work ethic.”

There were a few people who interpreted the meme as I did — “The grind never stops!”

There were quite a few people who were taken back by the notion of working every day.

They believe you need to get rest. There were other people who were offended at the meme use of the word “minimum wage.”

I’ll admit, my work ethic is over the top. I work from sun-up to sun-down. It’s just the way I’m wired. I don’t expect everyone to share my intense work ethic. Nonetheless, I was still surprised by some of the comments.

What follows is some of the back and forth comments I had with some of the people on the post.

Poster: I’m curious as to why minimum wage work ethic is there when minimum wage workers are the backbone of the economy. They more than often work more than one job. If you have to talk down on other people and their own personal struggles and decisions to lift up yourself, then that needs some evaluation.

Damon: No putdown. If you work hard all day, every day, you will make more than minimum wage earnings. The point of the meme is that you cannot have a million-dollar dream and not be willing to work extra hard to achieve it.

Poster: Laughing out loud. Million-dollar dreams with minimum wage work ethic?

Minimum wage workers work way harder than millionaires. I don’t see millionaires doing back-breaking work seven days per week just to get by.

Damon: Why settle for minimum wage?

A person may start there but shouldn’t stay there.

Poster: There is nothing wrong with working minimum wage jobs.

Minimum wage jobs are literally the backbone of the United States. Almost all essential workers are earning minimum wage. Those are hard jobs. To get out of poverty, it takes more than work ethic.

Damon: If minimum wage is the backbone of the United States, I’m aiming for the neckbone.

Poster: Great advice if you want to be miserable and burned out. Muscles grow during rest and recovery like everything else.

Damon: The idea is to work smarter, not harder. Muscles grow during rest after you break them down from working hard. Savings and investments grow from deposits after you worked hard to earn money. More work. More deposits.

Poster: Trading time for money isn’t working smarter. Perhaps you should read, “The 4 Hour Work Week” by Tim Ferris.

Damon: I’ll check out the book. Fact is

you have to trade time for money until you create passive, portfolio, residual and/or royalty income sufficient enough to replace your earned income. You should read my article, “What’s the difference between building income and building wealth.”

Poster: I think you can both hustle and rest and get a lot further. But I hear you. Do you!

Damon: Do you really think I or anyone work 24 hours per day, seven days per week with ZERO Sleep? The answer is NO! Poster: Obviously, I wasn’t thinking that’s what you meant. What I’m suggesting is that you can grind all day (10-16 hours) and wear yourself out. If your body is telling you to take a break, rest, nap, sleep in, take a weekend or more—do it. That downtime helps you rejuvenate. Constant grinding for 60 hours per week is a lot on a mere mortal.

Damon: Let this marinate. The average person earning six figures and above works about 60 hours per week. Only 10 percent of American households earn more than $100,000 per year. Note: Households include husband and wife. In order to earn what the 10 percent earn, you have to be willing to put in the work. To each his or her own.

Poster: This was a motivational post. No one is downing minimum wage workers.

No one is saying stress yourself out and be

miserable. And he’s right, the grind NEVER stops. You do have to get in the zone to get what you want if your goals are lofty. I love this post. It inspired me and made me think – YEAH, LET’S GOOO! Some people get so negative by these types of posts. Please don’t.

See the post for what it is.

Damon: Thanks Sis!! I rest my case! I’m simply going to sit this right here: Proverbs: 24:33-34—A little extra sleep, a little more slumber. A little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit.

Scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Alright, those were some of the comments I received. The idea of anything minimum doesn’t sit well with me. Minimum doesn’t bode well if you’re trying to be successful in life, in relationships or with money. If you make minimum payments, you pay maximum interest expense and you’re in debt for the maximum amount of time. If you give minimum effort, you’re not being the best you. You’re not tapping into your full potential. You’re short-changing yourself! If you make minimum wage, you’re considered to be among the working poor. Being among the working poor comes with strife, stress and pain.

Paying more than the minimum payment, putting your best foot forward and working towards increasing your earning potential are things that will alleviate and minimize your strife, stress and pain. Minimum strife, stress and pain. That’s the only type of minimum, I’m willing to tolerate!

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

B2

BUSINESS

MARCH 31-APRIL 6, 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

10 ways to stop the scammers

by Elizabeth Rogers For New Pittsburgh Courier

Keep your cash out of the hands of criminals with these tips for spotting and avoiding fraud.

Fraud-related offenses are a profitable business. In fact, the RCMP’s Commercial Crime Branch estimates that fraud related crime nets between $10 and $30 billion each year in Canada.

Here, some tips to identify and prevent fraud.

1. Cut off communications.

Suspicious of a too-goodto-be-true offer or fundraising call? Don’t take chances.

Delete the email, recycle the fax or letter, hang up the phone or say “no thank you” and shut the door. You can even add a few barriers to the process—like call display on your phone, a peephole in your door and a spam filter for your email.

Many people are afraid to be rude, but remember you don’t owe solicitors anything —even your time and attention.

2. Ask questions.

Sometimes it isn’t easy to tell if the request or company is legitimate or not. Crooks have been known to adopt the names of familiar organizations and pose as staff from financial institutions.

Phishing emails—meant to get you to enter your financial details into an online form—are getting more realistic looking too.

Scammers would prefer you didn’t look too closely and will often try to hide their identity or provide few details about the offer in question. However, any pur-

chase or donation deserves a little research first, and it’s your right to ask questions, request information and references and take your time to think things over.

3. Know their tactics.

There are many different kinds of scams and methods to deploy them, but you’ll notice some common threads.

In addition to a lack of information, watch out for: • Requests to pay upfront to claim a prize or apply for a job, or pay using an unsecure method like cash or money order.

• You’re asked for personal or financial information you shouldn’t give out, like your social insurance number.

• High pressure sales tactics.

• Overly emotional appeals.

• Too-good-to-be-true offers, like high pay for a job with no skills or experience required.

Want to get down to details?

Check out our Fight Fraud section for more information about specific types of fraud and how you can avoid them.

4. Initiate contact.

Instead of responding to solicitations, be proactive and contact organizations yourself. For example, if you’re interested in a new long distance calling plan, reach out to companies to learn about their promotions. If you want to make a donation, contact the charity organization yourself—you’ll also help the organization to avoid costly fundraising services. When you have a plan for your money, you won’t feel guilty saying no.

5. Keep your information secret.

Losing money isn’t your only concern: your financial

information can be used to commit identity fraud, and crooks find innovative ways to capture it. Worse yet, if you willingly share sensitive data like your personal identification number (PIN), you could be voiding any protection offered by your bank or credit card company.

Your best protection is to know when to share and

it card applications, make sure to destroy them before they hit the recycling bin. (A cross-cut paper shredder will do the trick.)

6. Practice safe surfing.

Scammers love new technology too, and malware can be used to track and capture your financial information.

Experts recommend installing a firewall to protect your

when to keep your information to yourself. For instance: – Employers only need your social insurance number after you’ve been hired—but employment scams ask for it upfront.

– No one needs to know your PIN, not even your bank. You shouldn’t share it with friends or family, and you should always shield the keypad when you enter it.

– Unless you’re making a purchase with a company you know and trust, don’t give out your credit card information—especially the three-digit security code on the back of your card. Avoid using unsecure methods like email or fax too.

When it’s time to get rid of unneeded documents like receipts, statements or cred-

wireless network and using a virus scanner on a regular basis as protection. Beware of invitations to click on links or download free software or files—they could expose you to malware.

Also, be careful when you’re out and about as free wireless internet access and shared computers may not be as secure as you think.

With very little equipment and effort, a crook can set up their own wi-fi network and capture people’s information when they mistakenly use it. Even data stored in the Internet browser of a shared computer can be useful for crooks. When in doubt, wait until you’re home to make sensitive transactions like online purchases or checking your bank statement.

7. Pay attention.

You may not know how you were caught, but you’ll soon spot the problem if you regularly check your financial statements. Promptly reporting the problem can prevent further damage and hassles.

Experts also recommend ordering your free credit reports from Trans Union and Equifax each year to make sure your good name is protected.

Another sign you or someone you know has become a victim is a notable increase in calls, emails or other solicitations. Crooks are eager to repeat their success and will share and sell victims’ names.

8. Stay informed.

Do you know what scams are operating in your area, or how to prevent fraud and identity theft? In addition to breaking news, websites like Scambusters.org, The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre all keep tabs on the latest cons and offer tips for prevention. You can also find alerts and information on company websites like your bank’s online service.

However, one method isn’t so reliable: emails. Financial institutions don’t typically email customers when there’s a problem—they call or post a fraud alert on their website. If you see an email from your bank, chances are it’s a phishing attempt.

9. Help others.

Scammers love to target certain segments of the population they deem to more vulnerable and less knowledgeable—like children and older adults. Even tech-savvy teens may not have the

know-how to protect themselves from scams targeted at their age group — like talent scams, scholarship scams and sales fraud.

The best advice: talk to your loved one about ways they can avoid fraud, what scams to watch for and how to react if they’re approached by a potential crook. Experts note that when you stay involved in the lives of your children, friends and parents, you help combat the isolation and lack of knowledge that can make them targets.

10. Report it.

Sometimes despite their best efforts, people can fall prey to a sneaky scam. Unfortunately, victims are often too embarrassed or ashamed to admit they’ve been caught.

While reporting the crime may not guarantee the perpetrator will be caught or that you’ll get your money back, it can go a long way to helping an investigation and warning others.

How can you report a fraud related crime? In Canada, contact the Canadian AntiFraud Centre through its website or call 1-888-4958501. In the U.S., contact the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

If your personal or financial information has been compromised, you’ll also want to contact your financial institutions, the credit reporting bureaus (Trans Union, Equifax and Experian for U.S. residents) and any government institutions responsible for issuing I.D. — like your passport and driver’s license. (See Identity theft: what to do if you’re affected for more details.)

Creating wealth—A critical step for Black America WEALTH FROM B1

are incarcerated at more than five times the rate of whites. This also exacerbates the racial wealth gap. Our broken criminal justice system is more likely to imprison poor people who then are passed over for jobs once they are released due to their past criminal history so they remain unable to achieve financial stability, continuing the cycle of poverty.

Of course, an important way to exert legislative change is through voting.

However, the criminal justice system connects to the disenfranchisement of Black Americans. Millions of Americans are barred from voting due to past criminal convictions, an injustice that is a relic of our Jim Crow past as Black Americans are disproportionately targeted by the criminal justice system.

Racial inequity in voting doesn’t stop there—after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, laws have sprung up across the country that suppress turnout of Black

Americans and other racial minority groups. The federal government needs to pass a comprehensive voting rights bill that addresses racially targeted voter suppression. These problems are all intertwined and difficult to parse through, yet the only way to progress towards solving them is through dramatic legislative action that confronts systemic racism in its many forms.

We are at an inflection point when it comes to racial justice. After a trauma-

tizing year, we have the opportunity now to recognize the deeper work that needs to happen to confront systemic racism. We are at a point where we need to realize that, despite the various accomplishments of America, we are a deeply flawed nation stained by centuries of slavery, Jim Crow laws, banking discrimination, red-lining segregation and mass incarceration which have yet to be resolved. To be clear, we can certainly celebrate America’s history of

Bids/Proposals

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR BATHTUB REFINISHING AT VARIOUS HACP LOCATIONS REBID IFB#300-08-21-REBID The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Bathtub Refinishing at Various HACP Locations Rebid The documents will be available no later than March 29, 2021 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 A.M. on April 20, 2021. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on April 20, 2021 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

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

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

Questions or inquiries should be directed to: Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on April 12, 2021 at 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 918 2070 1075 Passcode: 538457 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

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

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

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

ly serving on the national boards of the National Action Network, the National Urban League and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

He previously served on the national board of the NAACP and as the Executive Director and COO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

He is founder and CEO of the Washington, DC-based strategic advisory firm Phase 2 Consulting.)

LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

LEGAL ADVERTISING LEGAL ADVERTISING

achievements, but we must also honestly assess our past and confront, through legislative action, the lingering obstacles placed on Black Americans.

(Lamell McMorris is the founding principal of Greenlining Realty USA, a real estate redevelopment firm aimed at redressing the effects of redlining.

McMorris is a lifelong advocate of civil, economic and social rights, current-

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR ROLL-OFF CONTAINER SERVICES AUTHORITY-WIDE REBID IFB#300-05-21-REBID The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Roll-Off Container Services Authority Wide Rebid IFB#300-05-21-REBID The documents will be available no later than March 29, 2021 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 10:00 AM on April 20, 2021 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 10:00 AM on April 20, 2021 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

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

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

Questions or inquires should be directed to: Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on April 12, 2021 at 10:00 AM Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 942 2970 8350 Passcode: 299776 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

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

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR AUDIO-VIDEO TRAINING AND PRODUCTION PROGRAM REBID RFP#800-07-21-REBID The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby request proposals from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Audio-Video Training and Production Program Rebid RFP #800-07-21-REBID The documents will be available no later than March 29, 2021 and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until: 10:00 A.M. on April 20, 2021. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 10:00 AM on April 20, 2021 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Proposals may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the RFP. Sealed proposals may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

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

Questions or inquiries should be directed to: Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on April 12, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 919 7756 1264 Passcode: 264820 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

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

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

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

Bids/Proposals

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

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

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

MARCH 31-APRIL 6, 2021

B3

Our diversity is truly America’s strength and the hateful reaction to it is truly America’s weakness Guest Editorial

Latest shootings underscore need for gun control laws The recent mass shootings in Colorado and Georgia have become all too common in the United States.

A shooting at a crowded Colorado supermarket that killed 10 people and the March 16 shooting at three Atlanta-area massage businesses that left eight people dead are the latest incidents of mass killings and the daily gun violence that is endemic to the United States.

The attack in Boulder on Monday was the seventh mass killing this year in the U.S., according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.

The attack in Boulder stunned a state that has seen several mass shootings, including the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting.

The latest shootings in Colorado and Georgia follow a lull in mass killings during the pandemic in 2020, which had the smallest number of such attacks in more than a decade, according to the database that tracks mass killings, defined as four or more dead not including the shooter.

Despite the mass killings and daily gun violence, there has been little action from lawmakers.

Political impasses keep gun control laws from passing Congress.

The time for action is long overdue, but there is no sense of urgency among lawmakers.

The gun lobby and cynical politics have stopped meaningful reforms from being made in the past.

In fact, Republican lawmakers have moved to pass laws calling for less gun control. With Democrats controlling the presidency and Congress, Republican state lawmakers concerned about the possibility of new federal gun control laws have passed legislation in at least a dozen states seeking to nullify any new restrictions, such as ammunition limits or a ban on certain types of weapons.

Background checks and imposing a longer waiting period before allowing a gun purchase are among the common-sense gun legislation that is urgently needed.

Not long before the deadly Atlanta-area shootings, police say, the attacker made a legal purchase: a 9mm handgun.

Within hours, they say, the shooter had killed eight people, seven of them women and six of Asian descent, in a rampage targeting massage businesses.

Lawmakers and gun control advocates say that if Georgia had required the shooter to wait before getting a gun he might not have acted on his impulse.

Most states are like Georgia, allowing buyers to walk out of a store with a firearm after a background check that sometimes takes only minutes.

Waiting periods are required in only 10 states and the District of Columbia.

Mandating a window of even a couple of days between the purchase of a gun and taking possession would give more time for background checks and create a “cooling off” period for people considering harming themselves or someone else, according to gun control advocates. Studies suggest that waiting periods may help bring down firearm suicide rates by up to 11 percent and gun homicides by about 17 perceent, according to the Giffords Center.

Until lawmakers feel pressure to act on common-sense gun legislation proposals that have been long debated in Congress, the mass shootings and gun violence will continue.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

Founded 1910

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

Rob Taylor Jr.

Jeff Marion

Office Manager

Managing Editor

Circulation Consultant

John. H. Sengstacke

Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—The recent murder of eight people in North Georgia, six of them Asian American women, has brought national attention to the increasing violence and hatred suffered by Asian Americans in this country, and to the continuing reality of violence against women. Hate crimes against Asian Americans were up a staggering 150 percent in 2020, with Asian American women twice as likely to be victimized as men. Those targeted are of all ages and all different Asian nationalities.

The violent attacks are often simply random, as when Xiao Zhen Xie, a 76-year-old grandmother in San Francisco, was punched in the face by a stranger. Children have been bullied and insulted. Asian-owned businesses have been vandalized; homes smeared with hateful graffiti. The immediate cause of the increasing violence can be traced back to Donald Trump labeling the COVID-19 pandemic the “Kung Flu” and blaming the Chinese for its spread. Trump’s taunts focused the anger of frightened people on Asian Americans, despite the fact that Asian Americans—often front-line essential workers—were disproportionately hit by the disease.

This comes on top of the resentment fueled by the loss of good jobs in America, as rapacious multinationals and foolish policymakers conspired to cripple manufacturing.

The recent outbreak of race crimes directed at Asian Americans is the most recent chapter of a long, dismal history in this country, dating back to when Chinese workers were first imported in the 1850s to do dangerous, low-wage jobs in mining and railroad construction. Employers suppressed their wages, stripped them of their rights and stomped out any effort to organize.

Immediately, fears that the “Chinese were taking American jobs” spread wildly. Just as with African Americans, Asian Americans were victimized repeatedly by vigilante violence and official injustice. In

Jesse Jackson Sr.

Commentary 1854, the California Supreme Court in People v. Hall ruled that Asians could not testify against a White person. Hall, who had murdered a Chinese immigrant, walked away without penalty. In 1871, in Los Angeles, a vengeful mob lynched 17 Chinese men.

No one was ever punished. In 1882, the U.S. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, a ban on Chinese immigration that was extended for 60 years. In World War II, Japanese Americans were interned in what were essentially concentration camps, a brazen violation of their rights that the Supreme Court, to its shame, ratified. More recently, when refugees from Vietnam began to work in shrimping off the coast of Texas, the local Ku Klux Klan, garbed in their regalia, set their boats on fire. After 9/11, violence against South Asians soared.

In reality, the 20 million Asian Americans in the United States are very diverse, coming from 20 countries with different languages, religions and races. The largest numbers come from China, India and the Philippines. Collectively, they are the fastest growing minority in the United States. On average, they are remarkably successful. Their median annual wage is higher than that of all Americans.

They are less likely to live in poverty. Over half of those older than 25 have a college degree or more, compared with 30 percent of all Americans. Seven in 10 who are 5 or older speak English proficiently. Yet, despite this success, they suffer from systemic racism and face a growing threat of violence. Now is the time

to confront this plague. The murders in North Georgia have sparked vigils across the country. Civil rights organizations, African American and Latino groups have rallied in solidarity.

The mainstream media has finally put a spotlight on the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes. The Asian American Leaders Table has called on the federal government to ensure robust enforcement of civil rights laws, and to prioritize violence prevention and restorative justice.

Strikingly, they understand that all communities of color struggle in the face of racism and hate crimes.

They call on Congress to invest in communities at risk, building for all Americans basic economic rights that include jobs, housing, health care and education. The founding vision of the Rainbow Coalition was the inclusive society. We realized when you combine all the marginalized people who suffer from discrimination—African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, members of the LGBTQ communities, undocumented immigrants, the disabled and more—we represent the majority of America. And when workers come together across lines of race and religion, they can change the world.

The pandemic and the poisonous rhetoric of Donald Trump have exposed once more the hard work that must be done to bring together an inclusive society. Our diversity is truly America’s strength, and the hateful reaction to it America’s weakness. The rising violence against Asian Americans, the Black Lives Matter marches against police brutality, the tragic epidemic of deaths of despair plaguing displaced working people, the increasing anger at immigrants require all of us to come together, across lines of race and religion and region, to protect one another and to unite in the call for equal justice. Together we can make a more perfect union.

America’s Big Lie: ‘This is not who we are’ The first thing folk want to claim when we find ourselves in the throes of some unfathomable tragedy is, “This is not us. We are better than this.” Well, if Americans really want to ever get a grip on problems plaguing this nation, the first thing required would be to stop living a lie.

Eight senseless killings in three Atlanta spas were followed only four days later by the soulless slaughter of 10 innocent people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. Horrendous as those two incidents were alone, the gruesome truth is that they were only two of at least seven mass murders in the U.S. over about a one-week stretch.

In Indianapolis, there have been two mass murders since the start of 2021, including one quadruple deadly assault only days before the Atlanta tragedy. An argument over a stimulus check led a 25-year-old man to shoot the mother of his child and kill four of her relatives, the youngest victim being only seven years old.

In Chicago, during the second weekend of March, there were a total of 40 shootings reported and four killed—including 15 shot and two fatalities at one location in the aftermath of an early-morning party in the 6700 block of South Chicago Avenue. The deadly trend this month is nationwide.

On March 17, five people were preparing a vigil in Stockton, California, when all of them were victims of a drive-by shooting. On March 18, four Gresham, Oregon, residents were hospitalized after shootings just east of Portland. On Saturday, March 20, five people were shot after a disturbance at a Houston nightclub, one suffering a gunshot wound to the neck. On March 20, a gunman in Dallas shot eight, killing at least one. The same day in Philadelphia, one person was killed and five other people shot at a crowded party.

Statistics and data never seem to convey the humanity of our condition in this nation, but when it comes to shootings and gun deaths in this country, numbers definitely don’t lie.

Last year, with pandemic shutdown and all, Indianapolis set a grim record reporting a staggering 245 homicides, a stunning 37 percent

Vernon WIlliams

Commentary more murders than the previous record of 179 in 2017.

In one awful incident, a family of six was slain January 26 in Indianapolis and it barely got a bleep on the national media radar, even though victims included a pregnant woman and her unborn fetus. A teen gunman is in custody.

As out of control as the situation seems to be at times, particularly in certain key areas of the Circle City, Indianapolis was not alone in the meteoric rise of violent crime.

Nationwide, more than 19,000 were killed by gunfire in the year in which coronavirus fears dominated the headlines. Time magazine reports that 2020 brought the highest murder rate of the new millennium.

All-time high homicide rates were recorded in Chicago, Cleveland, Kansas City, Louisville, Macon, Milwaukee, Memphis, and New York City. About twice that number came perilously close to record numbers during that period.

In Indianapolis, 89 percent of the homicides last year—that would be 218 out of 245—were the result of shootings. Eleven deaths were stab victims and a handful of citizens were killed by blunt force objects.

But there is simply no debate that handguns and assault rifles are at the core of this lethal trend engulfing our nation.

Sadly, some 68 percent of those Indy slayings targeted victims 34 years of age or younger (including elementary school children), with 205 or 84 percent of the fatalities being male. And yes, most of those victims were Black—184 men and 24 women. Comparatively, only 29 White males were murdered in Indianapolis in 2020 along with 14 White females.

Just for the record, Indianapolis is about 62 percent White and 28 percent Black. Obviously, an alarmingly

disproportionate number of Black males are dying as a result of gun violence in the Capitol City of the Hoosier State and around the world.

While the pandemic may be easing, the epidemic of Black Americans murdered is surging.

People shrug off horrendous violence as being endemic to urban life. That is one of the lies that create a false sense of comfort time after time. It is true that there were more murders in that one incident in Boulder, Colorado, than the city had seen over the previous 10 years.

Only nine homicides were recorded during the past decade in that normally peaceful city that includes 33,000 university students.

The sobering truth is that such wanton violence can happen anywhere.

The other lie is that politicians are shocked and saddened and will make certain everything possible is done to thwart any reoccurrence of such a tragedy. The truth is that from local government to state and federal levels, they will do whatever is necessary to weather the public outrage before returning to business as usual. You have to wonder if the grisly grade school slaughters at Sandy Hook couldn’t force gun law change, what could?

So, there will be flags flown at half-mast, slow funeral caravans, weeping, accolades for police bravery, lamentations of lives lost, pontification of politicians, candlelight vigils, hollow promises, and perfunctory prayer.

Like all the others, the Boulder community and our nation will return to business as usual living the lie that “this is not who we are” —that violence is an anomaly in the U.S. when it is, in truth, as American as apple pie.

CIRCLE CITY CONNECTION

by Vernon A. Williams is a series of essays on myriad topics that include social issues, human interest, entertainment and profiles of difference-makers who are forging change in a constantly evolving society. Williams is a 40-year veteran journalist based in Indianapolis, IN —commonly referred to as The Circle City. Send comments or questions to:vernonawilliams@yahoo.com.

B4

MARCH 31-APRIL 6, 2021

President Biden, please ignore the former president (TriceEdneyWire.com)—The previous President, also known as 45, or the Orange Man, or the Nutty Narcissist, kept our nation with his insanity for more than four years. President Biden is best advised to ignore his predecessor and should not even stoop to mention his name. Why not? The nation, even his rabid supporters, know the former was out of line, out of order, and out of control. He is also desperate for the attention that even his Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) sycophants could not offer. Reality can be grating, especially when someone accustomed to adulation finds the applause tepid, the plane out of order, the taxes under review, and more. President Biden gave the former too much air in even mentioning his name at his March 25 press conference.

The press behaved as badly as President Biden. They focused on immigration, a Republican talking point that invokes the former, instead of concentrating on COVID and vaccinations, about which most Americans care.

Not one question about COVID? Who are these press members, and what is wrong with them? If you polled people, the pandemic would rank much higher

Julianne Malveaux

Commentary on a priority scale than immigration.

But like sharks smelling blood in the water, or a possible Biden weakness, they surrounded and pounced (or whatever sharks do).

Meanwhile, several topics got short shrift in the hour-long press conference. The President likened the filibuster to Jim Crow law, but he shillyshallied around what he will do about it.

President Biden, you have condemned racism, discrimination, and Jim Crow in the past. Why can’t you come out more forcefully against the filibuster?

You’ve had strong words about the new voter-suppressing Georgia laws. Why won’t you commit to federal action to ensure that we all have the right to vote?

Are you expecting a message in a bottle? Georgia Republicans seem to think that voting activists can send them. Otherwise, why would they make it illegal for people to offer a simple, humane gesture to people who have been standing in line for hours, a bottle of water? What could be more benign than handing someone standing in line for hours a bottle of water and a bag of chips or an apple? If President Biden got a message from a bottle I handed him, it would say, be firm, be firm. This racist attack on our democracy must not be tolerated.

We must consider President Biden’s point about timing. He knows the Senate better than most, knows his former colleagues well enough to know their sensibilities. But he must also understand the nature of racist intransigence. Many Senate Republicans have chosen partisanship and obstruction over integrity and decency. Few of them are willing to retreat from their line in the sand.

President Biden must understand, though, that he would not be our nation’s elected leader if the laws that Georgia just passed existed in November 2020 or January 2021. There would be no Senators Warnock and Osoff, no Georgia electoral votes, no democracy. Instead, there would have been the continuation of anarchy with the former resting on his laurels, spewing more lies.

President Biden inherited a mess, no question. Still, he should never refer to the former and the mess he left again.

If he were me, he might respond with any questions about the former with a dismissive, “the former is irrelevant.”

The former needs to be treated as such.

Whether it is immigration, COVID, the economy, or more, it’s President Biden’s ball of wax now. Continuing to mention the former gives him light he does not deserve. President Biden, and the rest of us, should keep that name in the dark. He can probably show up on Faux News whenever he wants to, but his rants look more like empty barks when nobody calls his name.

So, President Biden, you’ve been doing rather well in your first two-plus months as Presidents. You’ve got checks in the bank, shots in arms, and shelter for children at the border. You have infrastructure plans but must stand more firmly against efforts to erode our democracy. And it would be best if you did not refer to your predecessor as anything but “the former.”

Nor should the rest of us ever utter the former’s name. We must move forward and leave the devil in the dark.

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

FORUM

Eliminating exams to enter gifted programs?

I went to a high of the gifted J. Pharoah Doss school that was 98 program found percent Black. I had 70 percent of Black classmates the enrollment that were in a prewas White and dominately Black Asian. Since 80 gifted program. percent of all Naturally, the gifted Boston public students were a tiny school students percentage out of are Black and the entire student Hispanic, this body. However, no Black parent, local disparity is considered an injustice Black politician, or Black community and is unacceptable. Boston’s school spokesperson complained about the superintendent explained the pandemdisparity between the average Black ic made it impossible to administer students and the gifted Black stuthe program’s entrance exam. That’s dents. a legitimate reason to suspend the No one said, since the majority of the enrollment for the accelerated proschool’s Black students maintained a gram, but the superintendent didn’t C average it was unfair that C-aversay that at first. The superintendent age students had no representation in said, “There’s been a lot of inequities the gifted program. No one suggested that have been brought to light in the eliminating the criteria to enter the pandemic that we have to address. gifted program in order to include There’s a lot of work we have to do in C-average students. And no one rethe district to be antiracist and have quested to set aside two percent of the policies where all of our students have gifted program’s seats for the minority a fair shot at an equitable and excelWhite students so that the gifted prolent education.” gram could match the racial makeup Boston also has gifted institutions of the school. called “exam schools.” Last October, a No one complained. one-year plan was passed by the BosIt was simply accepted that a tiny ton School Committee to remove the portion of the student population admissions test due to challenges prepossessed abilities above their peers. sented by the pandemic. For the first More importantly, since the school was time, Boston will use zip codes to place 98 percent Black, no one presupposed students, along with their GPAs, with the disparities were caused by an priority given to low-income areas. injustice.

Asian and White parents argued that It only becomes a matter of injusthe pandemic is an excuse to eliminate tice when different racial or ethnic the entrance exams and have progroups are compared and disparities tested this new policy because their are found. For years statistics rechildren will lose seats. The Boston vealed that Black and Latino students Parents Coalition for Academic Excelwere “underrepresented” in gifted lence filed a lawsuit to stop the new programs, classes, and schools when plan. The lawsuit alleged, “By seeking compared to Asians and Whites. to apportion admission seats to the Therefore, efforts have intensified to exam schools according to zip codes, desegregate gifted programs, classes, the School Committee’s purpose and and schools. (Notice how the word intent is to decrease the number of “desegregate” is used to imply these children from certain racial and ethnic efforts are correcting an injustice.) backgrounds from gaining admission Some educators who feel morally to the exam schools, while increasobligated to cleanse the educational ing the number of children who gain system of “racial segregation” propose admission to the exam schools from eliminating all gifted programs. As of other racial and ethnic backgrounds.” right now, entrance exams for gifted The lawsuit states the new policy is in schools are considered the biggest violation of the equal protection clause barrier that prevent Black and Latino of the 14th amendment. students from having higher rates Dante Dixon, a Black assistant among the gifted. In order to include professor of school and educational more Black and Latino students in psychology, has stated that tests are gifted programs, entrance exams are the most race-blind way to evaluate being eliminated. giftedness, but Boston’s School SuperRecently, the city of Boston engaged intendent wants the school district in a process of dual elimination. to become “antiracist,” not race-blind, Enrollment for Boston’s accelerated and according to the philosophy of program for high-performing fourth, antiracism, “the only remedy to past fifth, and sixth graders was temporardiscrimination is present discriminaily suspended after a district analysis tion.”

Check It Out

Racism and its deadly cousins (TriceEdneyWire.

Ben Jealous com)—What does it say about our country when we don’t have time to absorb the impact of one mass shooting before news of the next one comes across our phones and TV screens?

Grief upon grief.

This column is not about gun culture or laws that make it easier to buy an assault rifle than to register to vote. We need to talk about those things.

But we also need to pay attention to one response to the Atlanta spa killings: the way some conservatives rushed to insist that race and racism had nothing to do with the murders.

It is true that the man who confessed to the Atlanta killings said they were not racially motivated. He reportedly told police that he was struggling with a “sex addiction” and the killings were a way to “eliminate temptation.”

There’s a lot in that statement to unpack, and a lot of smart people have been unpacking it over the past two weeks.

Marcela Howell, who leads In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Agenda, was among the Black women who spoke in solidarity after the killings. “While law enforcement officials have announced that the shooter’s motivation was ‘sex addiction,’ we know that sexual violence and racism are often intertwined when it comes to violence against women,” she said in a statement.

“As Black women, we know that our Asian-American sisters are disparately impacted at the intersections of racism, sexism, and xenophobia,” Howell said.

There is a long history of bigotry and legal discrimination that directly targeted Asian immigrants and Asian Americans. Over the past year, that hostility was inflamed by bigoted rhetoric from former President Donald Trump describing COVID-19 as the “Kung flu” and warning that if he weren’t reelected Americans would have to learn Chinese.

As Howell and many other activists and scholars have pointed out since the killings, racism in this country is deeply connected to sexism directed at women of color. And racism and misogyny are both intertwined with the history and culture of conservative White evangelicalism in which the Atlanta shooter was apparently steeped.

Kathryn Gin Lum, an associate professor of American religion at Stanford University, said the killings reflected “a toxic brew” of racism, sexism, and religion. That toxic brew has been used to justify anti-Asian laws and stoked anti-Asian violence going back to the 19th Century.

Religion scholar Bradley Onishi and others point out that Jim Crow apartheid and anti-race-mixing laws were not only defended as necessary to protect the sexual purity of individual White women, but also the racial and religious purity of White Christian America. Black women and Asian women have often been both fetishized and demonized as hypersexual temptresses threatening the innocence of and purity of White Christian men.

Young people raised in churches that emphasize “purity culture” are taught to have deep shame about their sexual feelings, and girls’ and young women’s bodies portrayed as threats to boys and young men.

We don’t yet know, and may never fully understand, just how all these influences combined in the mind of this particular young man who chose to commit multiple murders.

But we can and should push back against law enforcement officials, conservative pundits and religious leaders who dismiss the reality of systemic racism or refuse to recognize the ways that women of color are particularly harmed by the mixture of racism and sexism that plagues our culture.

Commentary

(Ben Jealous is president of People for the American Way.)

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Commentary

The GOP’s real target—the Voting Rights Act All eyes have been on Georgia’s blatant effort to shove the state permanently back in the red state column with its naked, unabashed Jim Crow style vote suppression ploy. But this is just the warmup for the GOP’s main act.

That’s to once and for all erase from the books, the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It has never liked it and has since its enactment, carped, railed, and intrigued against it. The GOP’s first point of attack was a loophole in the Act. It must be renewed every twenty-five years.

In 1981, there were loud grumbles and idle threats from some top Reagan administration officials. They wanted Reagan to put pause on signing the renewal legislation. He didn’t. A quarter century later, the protests from GOP legislators were louder, and demands were made for then President Bush not to sign the renewal. There was even the threat to delay or even block passage in Congress. Though Bush signed the renewal of the Voting Rights Act in 2006, a core of House Republicans did follow through on their threat to stall renewal. For more than a week, they dragged their feet on the legislation and demanded that hearings be held. They used the same old argument that it punishes the South for past voting-discrimination sins. They also didn’t like the idea of bilingual ballots.

Bush ignored the saber rattle against the Act and signed the renewal legislation. The renewal of the Voting Rights Act by two conservative GOP presidents seemed to assure that the effort to scrub the Voting Rights Act from the federal books was a pipe dream.

That was a fawn hope. In 2013, the SCOTUS agreed to hear a federal lawsuit by Shelby County, Alabama that had quietly worked its way up through the appeals courts. The county wanted much of the Act dumped and recycled the same old arguments that it is outdated, discriminatory, and a blatant federal intrusion into state’s rights. In times past, this claim would have gone nowhere. But 2013 was different. The SCOTUS now had a conservative majority. Meanwhile, State Attorney Generals in several states endorsed the Alabama county’s challenge. And when then Attorney General Eric Holder announced that he’d vigorously enforce all provisions of the Voting Rights Act to prevent voter suppression, that ignited more fury from the GOP. The predictable happened.

The SCOTUS struck down the provision that especially riled the GOP. The provision that mandates prior federal approval of changes to voting procedures in parts of the country with a history of racial and other discrimination.

The parts were the South and the Southwest.

The heavy-handed discrimination targets were Black and Hispanic voters whose numbers were growing. The result of those growing numbers was that states in the South and Southwest that had long been locked in the GOP vote column were now from the GOP’s standpoint in danger of flipping Democrat.

Georgia was the tipping point for the GOP. The shock of losing the state to Biden and then followed by the even greater shock of losing two GOP held Senate seats in the run-off race to Democrats was too much for the party to stomach. The SCOTUS this time will rule on the other provision of the Act which has also been a major sore point for the GOP. That’s section 2.

It permits legal challenges to racial discrimination in voting procedures. It plainly states that minorities “have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice.”

The GOP has already pecked away at eroding the Act with the rash of photo identifications laws that the GOP governors and GOP controlled state legislatures have enacted. They have one aim, and that’s to discourage and damp down the number of minority and poor voters that overwhelmingly vote Democratic.

Despite the solid bipartisan support that the Act got in prior congresses and from GOP presidents, the Act has always been more controversial than many have believed. The popular myth is that congressional leaders were so appalled and enraged at the shocking TV clips of Alabama state troopers battering civil rights marchers in Selma in April 1965 that they promptly passed the landmark law that restored voting rights to Southern Blacks. What’s forgotten is that the marchers were there in the first place because the bill was badly stalled in the Senate and the House. It took nearly five months to get the bill passed.

Then Senate minority leader, Illinois Republican Everett Dirksen, heaped amendments on the bill that included scrapping the poll tax ban, adding exemptions and escape clauses for Southern counties, and excluding all states outside the South. House Republicans tacked more amendments on the bill to weaken it. The fight over these amendments dragged on for weeks in Congress.

Now with the real danger that the SCOTUS will further gut the Act, and the couple of hundred voter suppression laws proposed in dozens of states, the GOP may get its long-standing goal. That’s nothing less than a final burial of the Voting Rights Act. Their win would be democracy’s loss.

(Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst.)

New Pittsburgh Courier

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CLINICAL DATA SPECIALIST eResearch Technology, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) to serve as prim. intrnl & client contact for Data Mgmnt questions, issues or concerns incl. re: rgltr gdnc & good clinical practice (GCP), data collection strategy, data dlvr specs & design, data cleaning, querying, & dba lock & coordinate dvlpmnt, rvw & fnlztn of Data Mgmnt Plan & collaborate w clients to define study rqrmnts in the Data Transfer Specs. Bachelor’s degree in Life Scnc or related field, plus 2 years of prior work exp. in position offered or related. Must know (through academic training or work exp.) specs writing & GCP; SAS exposure; dba design; CDISC Standards & SDTM formatting rqrmnts specific to eCOA data collection; crtng & exctng Data Mgmnt Plan; creating & executing Data Transfer Specs; eCOA mgmnt; study design, cllctn & mngmnt of such data on handheld & tablet devices. Send resume via U.S. mail to Nancy Lee, Manager, Comp & Benefits, eResearch Technology, Inc., One Cabot Road, Suite 300, Medford, MA 02155.

MEDICAL DOSIMETRIST UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside seeks a Medical Dosimetrist to work in Pittsburgh (Allegheny County), PA. Involved in all aspects of patient care performing all medical dosimetry tasks; responsible for designing a treatment plan, using a computer or manual computation, that will deliver the prescribed radiation dose to the patient after Radiation Oncologist consults with patient, determines treatment plan; responsible for specialized radiation dose distribution calculations according to the physician’s prescription given to a cancer patient while taking into consideration the dose-limiting structures, such as the eye when treating the brain, the heart when treating the lung, or the spinal cord when it is included in the treatment field; responsible for generating an optimal treatment plan that will create a balance between delivering the prescription the physician has written while ensuring the patient will not lose important healthy organ function; participate in treatment simulation including providing assistance with patient immobilization and positioning.

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If interested, please send cover letter and resume with salary requirements and references to: Human Resources Department, FHLBank Pittsburgh, 601 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-4455

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jeremiah’s Place is seeking an ecutive Director responsible for the overall success of Jeremiah’s Place. The ecutive Director works with the board of directors to develop and implement a long-range strategy to advance the mission of Jeremiah’s Place; builds and develops the senior management team; and secures funding and sets budgets to develop a high-performance organi ation. The ecutive Director works collaboratively with the board of directors, serves on board committees, and is responsible for providing timely and accurate information that is necessary for the board to function properly and make informed decisions. The ecutive Director nurtures and develops the reputation of Jeremiah’s Place in the City of Pittsburgh and the Southwestern Pennsylvania region. For more information and application details, please visit our website at https://jeremiahsplace.org APPRENTICESHIP The Joint Apprenticeship Committee of the Heat & Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local #2, Pittsburgh, PA is accepting applications for consideration towards apprenticeship in the Mechanical System Insulator an d As b estos or ker Trade.

Applications are accepted without regard to Race, Religion, ational Origin, Se , Age or Disability. Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of application; have a high school diploma or G.E.D. at the time of application; have a dependable form of transportation; and must be physically fit to perform the work of the trade.

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April 5, through April 10, 2021 and Monday through Thursday: April 12, through April 15, 2021 between the hours of 12:30pm and 3:30pm at the Insulators Training Center, 109 Pleasant Drive Suite B, Aliquippa PA 1500. Photo identification is required and there is $25.00 (non-refundable) application-processing fee, to be paid by cashiers’s check or money order

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Join Zoom Meeting https://wchaonline.zoom.us/ j/93670006991?pwd=OGpyeEdYcW1vbzY1bDVLZjFOYUVGZz09&from=addon Meeting ID: 936 7000 6991 Passcode: 197014 One tap mobile 888 788 0099 US Toll-free 877 853 5247 US Toll-free Meeting ID: 936 7000 6991 Passcode: 197014 Find your local number: https://wchaonline.zoom.us/u/ a3XHEQZ6y lectronic Bid Documents are available for downloading at www.wchaonline.com.

Bidders are required to register online at the www.wchaonline.com to view bid documents. Plan holders proposing to bid shall also register their intent to submit a bid with Westmoreland County Housing Associates, Inc. via email to lindam@wchaonline.com and eriks@wchaonline.com in accordance with the bid requirements.

DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA The Allegheny County Airport Authority will be receiving scanned PDF proposals through Submittable and a submission link will be sent to each registered plan holder. Submissions are to be submitted via Submittable by 1:00 p.m. prevailing local time on April 28, 2021, and bids will be opened by the Airport Authority and results will be emailed by end of business day of bid opening for the following pro ect:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT that an application for Registration of a FICTITIO S AM (the Application ) filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State on March 9, 2021. The fictitious name is COMMONWEALTH SPECIALTY ARMS, LLC. The name if the person or entity who is party to the registration is COMMONWEALTH ARMS, LLC.. The address of the principal office of the business to be carried on under the fictitious name, as well as the address of the person who is party to the registration is 717 BROWNSVILLE ROAD, PITTSBURGH, PA 15210. The Application was filed under the Fictitious ames Act.

LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

LEGAL AD REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL REQUEST FOR INFORMATION The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) for Administrative ork ow and Services Data Processing Systems.

Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, April 23, 2021.

For more details and submission information, visit: w w w. a l l e g h e n y c o u n t y. u s / Human-Services/Resources/ Doing-Business/Solicitations-(RFP/ RFQ/RFI).aspx.

Erin Dalton Director NOTICE TO BIDDERS PA 18-10 SCOTTDALE MANOR SCOTTDALE BOROUGH – WESTMORELAND COUNTY INVITATION FOR BIDS WINDOW REPLACEMENT PROJECT GENERAL CONSTRUCTION – CONTRACT – PA 18-10-012021.1 GC Westmoreland County Housing Authority is requesting General Construction bids for the referenced pro ect through sealed bids which will be received by the Westmoreland County Housing Authority, until April 16 2021 at 10:00 A.M. (eastern standard time). Bids shall be deposited at the Administrative Office of the estmoreland County Housing Authority, 167 South reengate Road, reensburg PA 15601. Bids received will then be opened publically.

A Zoom Pre-Bid Meeting is scheduled for April 1, 2021 at 10:30 A.M. (eastern standard time).

Attendance is not mandatory, but highly recommended.

Join Zoom Meeting https://wchaonline.zoom.us/ j/99786260284?pwd=S1A4TE5ZNFhMQnF3ZWhPdmdTK0VyQT09&from=addon Meeting ID: 997 8626 0284 Passcode: 548993 One tap mobile 877 853 5247 US Toll-free 888 788 0099 US Toll-free Meeting ID: 997 8626 0284 Passcode: 548993 Find your local number: https://wchaonline.zoom.us/u/ ab0Ur47nX3 lectronic Bid Documents are available for downloading at www.wchaonline.com.

Bidders are required to register online at the www.wchaonline.com to view bid documents. Plan holders proposing to bid shall also register their intent to submit a bid with Westmoreland County Housing Associates, Inc. via email to lindam@wchaonline.com and eriks@wchaonline.com in accordance with the bid requirements.

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

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

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Westmoreland County Housing Authority, Michael L. Washowich, Executive Director ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT NO. 1724 2020 FLAP GATE REPLACEMENT AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS Sealed Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1724 – FLAP GATE REPLACEMENT AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS shall be received at the ngineering Department office of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15233, until 2:00 P.M., Prevailing Time, Thursday, May 6, 2021 and then shall be publicly opened and read.

A Pre-Bid Meeting will be held via a video conference call on Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 10:00 A.M., Prevailing Time.

ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Contracts or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to successful Bidders.

Successful Bidders are to use minority and women’s businesses to the fullest extent possible.

Contract Documents may be e amined and obtained at the ngineering office of the Authority. A non-refundable fee of One hundred dollars ($100) (no cash or credit cards will be accepted) will be charged for each set of Contract Documents received.

Bid Security shall be furnished by providing with the Bid a Certified Check or Bid Bond in the amount of 10% of the Bid Price. Contract documents must be purchased directly from ALCOSAN to qualify as an eligible bidder.

Any questions regarding the Technical aspects of the Pro ect should be directed to Joseph Sparbanie P.E., ALCOSAN, via email to joseph.sparbanie@alcosan.org .

Any questions regarding the Purchase of Contract Documents should be directed to Kathleen P. Uniatowski, ALCOSAN, via email to contract.clerks@alcosan.org .

The Authority reserves the right to re ect any or all bids, to waive any informality in any bid and to accept any bid should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY Jan Oliver Director of Engineering of Regional Conveyance

ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PROJECT NUMBER 8G2-20 (GENERAL) TAXIWAY ‘N’ REHABILITATION PROJECT AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT A pre-bid conference will be held at 10:30 a.m., on April 8, 2021. This meeting will be a Microsoft Teams Meeting. To oin the meeting the following number can be called +1 267-358-6891 United States, (Philadelphia), Conference ID: 121 725 415# or you may call the phone numbers included in this ad for the link to the virtual meeting.

Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages, as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, must be paid on these pro ects.

Proposals must be made on the Authority’s form and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”’.

The non-refundable charge of $150.00 for the Bid Documents and the Plans, and Specifications through the bidding platform Submittable at w w w. a c a a c a p i t a l p r o g r a m s . submittable.com . Documents will be available on April 1, 2021 Please note that Submittable does not support Internet plorer 11.

Submittable recommends the following browsers: Microsoft dge, oogle Chrome, Mo illa Firefo , or Apple Safari.

This pro ect has DBE participation goals; DBE firms must be certified with the Penns ania nified Certification Progra PA CP Firms must be certified prior to award of contract. A searchable database of DBE firms can be found on the PA UCP web site: h t t p s : / / w w w. d o t s b e . p a . g o v / PAUCPWeb/paucp/viewHome.do The Airport Authority reserves the right to re ect any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of sixty [60] days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.

To view a complete advertisement, which is also included in the bidding documents visit www.flypittsburgh.com – ACAA Corporate – Business Opportunities or call 412-472-3677 or 412-472-3543.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY ADVERTISEMENT SALE OF SURPLUS EQUIPMENT COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY The following surplus equipment will be offered for sale to the highest bidder(s): REQUEST FOR QUOTATION 210415 SALE OF SURPLUS COMPUTERS, MONITORS, MISC. AUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT, NON-FUNCTIONAL IT EQUIPMENT, PALLET JACK, INDUSTRIAL COFFEE MACHINE, MAILING EQUIPMENT, AND 1999 GMC SAVANA VAN Bids are due in to the CCAC Purchasing Department no later than 2:00 PM on Thursday, April 15, 2021.

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

Community College of Allegheny County Purchasing Department 800 Allegheny Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15233

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LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 21-03 Port Authority of Allegheny County (Authority) is requesting proposals for the performance of the following service (“Contract Services”): GENERAL PLANNING SERVICES The work under the proposed Agreement(s) will be in the categories of: 1) Place Based Planning; 2) Network Planning; and 3) Organizational Planning.

While it is currently the Authority’s intention to enter into Agreements with a pool of two (2) firms for each category, this number may be ad usted up or down, at Authority’s sole discretion, based upon the number of proposals received and Authority’s evaluation of same in relation to its general planning services needs in each of the categories.

The required services will be issued on a work order basis as they are approved to proceed by Authority.

The Agreement will be for a three (3) year period with the option to extend the term of the Agreement up to two (2) additional years at the sole discretion of Authority.

A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available on or after March 24, 2021 and can be obtained by registering at the Port Authority ebusiness website: http://ebusiness.portauthority.org and following the directions listed on the website. Please note that Proposers must register under the ebusiness categories of ENGENV – Engineering Environmental; ENGPLAN – Engineering Planning Studies; and ENGGAE – General Architect and Engineering for this RFP. Proposers may also register in other categories for any future RFPs issued by Port Authority. If you have specific questions regarding this RFP, please contact Catherine Terrill at (412) 566-5188 or via email cterrill@portauthority.org.

An Information Meeting for interested parties will be held at 9:30 a.m., prevailing time, April 6, 2021 via Microsoft Teams video conference and/or conference call to answer any questions regarding this RFP. To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • http://bit.ly/RFP_21-03_Info_mtg To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: • (412) 927-0245, United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) • Conference ID: 531 225 352# Electronic proposals must be both received, and time stamped by a representative of the Procurement Department through Authority’s Ebusiness website at or before 2:00 p.m., prevailing time, April 27, 2021, at http://ebusiness.portauthority.org. Proposals received or time stamped by a Purchasing and Materials Management Department representative through Authority’s Ebusiness website after the advertised time for the submission of proposals shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for award. Each Proposer shall be solely responsible for assuring that its proposal is timely received and time stamped in accordance with the requirements herein. Please note that a sealed Summary of Costs should NOT be submitted with the Proposal, but will be submitted at a later date as requested by Port Authority.

This Contract Services may be funded, in part, by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The proposal process and the performance of the requested services will be in accordance with guidelines and regulations of the FTA “Third Party Contracting Guidelines”, FTA Circular 4220.1F, as amended, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

Port Authority of Allegheny County, in compliance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, as amended, implements positive affirmative action procedures to ensure that all Disadvantaged Business nterprises (“DBEs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed, in whole or in part, with federal funds, if any, provided under or for the proposed Agreement. In this regard, all recipients or contractors shall take all necessary and reasonable steps in accordance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services.

Port Authority of Allegheny County, in compliance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, as may be amended, also requires that certified Diverse Businesses, (“DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontract for, the Contract Services. In this regard, all Proposers, and the Contractor, shall make good faith efforts, in accordance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, to ensure that DBs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services.

Further, proposers and the Contractor shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sex, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts or subcontracts for these Contract Services Port Authority of Allegheny County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.

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

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 a.m. on April 20, 2021 and will be read at 11:15 a.m., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information for the Bid Opening), for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org) 1 2 3 4 5

Bid Number B210311 B210312A B210313A B210314A B210315

Bid Name Automatic Passenger Count (APC) System LRV Wheel Tire Kits Rug Rental & Laundering Service LRV HVAC Micro Control Cards Vehicle Air & Surface Purification Devices

Paper Proposal - Documents are available for the following item at Port Authorit s ain fices 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15222-2527

Bid Number B201193A B210318A

Bid Name Fastener Supply Service Printing of Public Timetables

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

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 a.m. on April 6, 2021. Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within fi e business da s o the schedu ed bid o ening These contracts may be sub ect to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations.

Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB de i ered un ess other ise s ecified Costs or de i er bond and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing.

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

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

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DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA PROJECT NUMBER 55M2-20 (MECHANICAL) PROJECT NUMBER 55E2-20 (ELECTRICAL) PCA SYSTEM UPGRADE PROJECT – PHASE 2 BID PACKAGE AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ELECTRONIC BIDS & BID OPENING PROCEDURE: Electronic Bids will be received by the Allegheny County Airport Authority until 1:00 P.M. prevailing local time, APRIL 28, 2021.

Due to the COVID precautions, the ACAA is modifying its typical bid opening process; the formal bid opening procedure will be conducted virtually – any/ all firms submitting a Bid to the ACAA will be given special access to view the opening event. Once bidding is closed, any all firms submitting a bid will be issued an Invitation (via email) to access the formal bid opening event via a live webcast. Bidders will also be notified of the results via an email within (24) hours of the Bid Opening event.

ACCESS TO BID PACKAGE DOCUMENTS: ALL BIDDERS shall be required to provide a completed formal Bid Document Request application in order to acquire bidding documents for any/all of the above listed Project Numbers.

No bidding documents will be issued prior to the Authority’s Construction Manager having a copy of a fully completed Request Application.

Bid Document Request Applications can be obtained by sending a Request to the following email address: TMPBids ittsburgh co On the Subject Line, include the following: “Bid Documents Request – PCA System Upgrades Phase 2”.

Although documents will not be available until April 1, 2021, applications may be submitted prior to this date.

Once a bidder’s request has been received, provided it is complete, the CM will provide access for the bidder to access and download the bid documents through Building Connected, a web-based bid management platform.

A PREBID CONFERENCE – Wednesday, April 7, 2021 – 1:00 PM The meeting will be a Microsoft Teams Meeting. To join the meeting the following number can be called (877) 286-5733 - United States (Toll-Free) Con erence P ease e ai PBids ittsburgh co to receive the link to join by computer.

Due to the COVID precautions, ACAA will not permit any Bidders to tour the site. In lieu thereof, the Construction Management Team (CM) will conduct a Virtual Prebid Meeting. In addition to addressing administration issues, a video tour of the work areas will be provided. Specific details on how interested Bidders can view this broadcast will be provided as part of the Bid Documents via Building Connected. Note that no questions can be asked during this Prebid Meeting. Any/all questions must be issued to the CM as an “RFI”.

There will be no site visits – photographs of the site will be included in the contract documents or issued via addendum.

REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION (RFIs) Any/all questions related to this project must be made in writing to the CM. RFIs are to be sent to the CM via email to PBids ittsburgh co BID SUBMISSION Proposals must be made on the Authority’s forms and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”’.

Due to Covid precautions, ACAA will not be accepting any hard copy bids for this Project. Accordingly, Electronic Bids are the only form that the ACAA will accept. hile the Instructions to Bidders will provide more details, for an lectronic Bid to be accepted in must be sent through Building Connected and it must be received by no later than the established Bid Date and time deadline.

OTHER ISSUES Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages as determined by the General Wage Determinations issued under the Davis-Bacon and related Acts must be paid on these pro ects.

This project has DBE participation goals; DBE firms must be certified with the Penns ania nified Certification Progra (PAUCP). Firms must be certified prior to award of contract. A searchable database of DBE firms can be found on the PAUCP web site: http://www.paucp.com The Airport Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of sixty [60] days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.

To view a complete advertisement, which is also included in the bidding documents visit ittsburgh co under “Business Opportunities”.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

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

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DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA The Allegheny County Airport Authority will be receiving scanned PDF proposals through Submittable and a submission link will be sent to each registered plan holder. Submissions are to be submitted via Submittable by 1:00 p.m. prevailing local time on April 28, 2021, and bids will be opened by the Airport Authority and results will be emailed by end of business day of bid opening for the following project: ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PROJECT NUMBER 40G1-21 (GENERAL) AIRFIELD DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS AT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT A pre-bid conference will be held at 10:00 a.m., on April 9, 2021. This meeting will be a GoTo Meeting. To join the meeting from your computer the following link can be used https://global.gotomeeting.com/ join/775707597. To call in using your phone call 1-866-899-4679 United States (Toll Free) access code: 775-707-597.

Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages, as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, must be paid on these projects.

Proposals must be made on the Authority’s form and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”’.

The non-refundable charge of $150.00 for the Bid Documents and the Plans, and Specifications through the bidding platform Submittable at w w w. a c a a c a p i t a l p r o g r a m s . submittable.com .Documents will be available for purchase on April 6, 2021 through Submittable.

Please note that Submittable does not support Internet Explorer 11.

Submittable recommends the following browsers: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari.

This project has DBE participation goals; DBE firms must be certified with the Penns ania nified Certification Progra PA CP .

Firms must be certified prior to award of contract. A searchable database of DBE firms can be found on the PA UCP web site: h t t p s : / / w w w. d o t s b e . p a . g o v / PAUCPWeb/paucp/viewHome.do The Airport Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of sixty [60] days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.

To view a complete advertisement, which is also included in the bidding documents visit ittsburgh co ACAA Corporate – Business Opportunities or call 412-472-3677 or 412-472-3543.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

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