4.5.23 NPC

by Rob Taylor Jr.

Courier Staff Writer

“There’s one of them. He’s alone. Let’s get him.”

At that exact moment in time, March of 1965, just a few months shy of his 39th birthday, George Barbour was, in fact, alone. The former Pittsburgh Courier city editor, who later became the first Black reporter for KDKA Radio, had just finished a 15-minute report/conversation via telephone with anchor Bill Steinbach, for KDKA Radio’s massive audience. After all, it was the biggest story in the world — the Selma March, in Selma, Ala., and Barbour was the only Black radio reporter at the march.

by Genea L. Webb

For New Pittsburgh Courier

Jau’mair Garland and James Gilmer see the long-awaited upcoming Alvin Ailey performance in Pittsburgh as a full circle moment in their dance careers.

“It feels really good and honestly really surreal,” said Garland, who attended Propel Homestead before moving on to Pittsburgh CAPA where he graduated. He lived in Carrick and Mount Washington, and joined the Alvin Ailey dance company in January of this year.

As Barbour, outfitted with 30 pounds worth of radio equipment, attempted to catch up with the marchers who had long passed while Barbour was doing his radio report, a group of Caucasians with bad intentions spotted the veteran newsman. Barbour recalled in an interview with KDKA-TV’s Lynne Hayes-Freeland that one of them mouthed, “There’s one of them. He’s alone. Let’s get him.”

But they soon found out that they picked the wrong African American to mess with.

“I let them know as I was running down the road...I am not one of the non-violent kind. If somebody gets me, whoever it

is, somebody’s going to go down with me,” Barbour said in the 1990 interview. “And lo and behold, I guess I was traveling pretty fast. I used to be a good football player...” Finally, Barbour caught up with the rest of the marchers. “And lo and behold, almost like Hollywood, I saw around the curve in the road, the backs of the troops, the bayonets and so forth, and it was a happy sight, and I hit that line like Jim Brown, went right through it,” Barbour said.

“But I was able to get the reports in.”

George Barbour, for this and numerous other

“It’s my first professional job and it’s such a beautiful company and this experience especially means a lot to me, and I am super grateful to be having this moment early on in my career. I’m excited to share the stories that the company channels and the beauty of it all with the people back home.”

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company will perform at the Benedum Center on May 9 at 8 p.m. for one night only. Tickets for the show can be purchased by vis-

This Week In Black History A Courier Staple

• APRIL 5

HARRIS

VP Harris unveils $1 billion African investment during historic continent visit

by Stacy M. Brown

NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

Vice President Kamala

Harris’ historic trip to Africa continued with the launch of global initiatives on the economic empowerment of women, totaling more than $1 billion.

America’s first Black and female vice president spoke fervently during the trip about how “immensely powerful and moving,” the visit to the Motherland was. She further was moved while visiting Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle, where the vice president reflected on the painful horrors of where heartless slave owners captured their prey.

“The horror of what happened here must always be remembered,” Harris stated. “It cannot be denied. It must be taught. History must be learned.”

Harris and President Joe Biden have made outreach to Africa an important initiative of the administration.

In addition to Ghana, the vice president visited Tanzania and Zambia.

In each country, Harris touted investments that would bring economic and gender equity to Africa.

The vice president convened a roundtable with several African women business owners where the discussion centered on how America and private-sector businesses could form a partnership with African nations that would advance gender equality.

“Promoting gender equity and equality is a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy in Africa and around the world,”

administration officials said in a Fact Sheet.

“Advancing the economic status of women and girls is not only a matter of human rights, justice, and fairness—it is also a strategic imperative that reduces poverty and promotes sustainable economic growth, increases access to education, improves health outcomes, advances political stability, and fosters democracy.”

The digital gender gap undermines women’s full participation in the 21st century economy, officials asserted.

Globally, approximately 260 million more men than women were using the internet in 2022— and this gap has increased by 20 million in the last three years.

The gap is especially acute across Africa, where International Telecommunication Union data show that sixty-six percent of women do not use the internet.

To address this disparity, Harris pledged that the administration would continue to work with other governments, private sector, foundations, and multilateral organizations to help close the digital divide, improve meaningful access to equitable digital finance and other online services, and address social norms that prevent women from participating fully in the digital economy.

More broadly, the Biden-Harris administration would continue to promote the economic empowerment of women, the vice president stated.

In support of those goals, Harris announced a series of investments and initiatives that to -

tal $1 billion.

She also made a series of announcements to foster women’s political, economic, and social inclusion in Africa, building upon initiatives launched at the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit in December 2022, including the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) Initiative.

Harris made clear that education remains key.

She hammered home that point as a message to Republican governors who continue to ban history in school curriculums.

“All these stories must be told in a way that we take from this place— the pain we all feel, the anguish that reeks from this place,” Harris reflected as she traversed Cape Coast Castle.

“And we then carry the knowledge that we have may gained here toward the work that we do in lifting up all people, in recognizing the struggles of all people, of fighting for, as the walls of this place talk about, justice and freedom for all people, human rights for all people.”

She continued:

“So, that’s what I take from being here.

“The descendants of the people who walked through that door were strong people, proud people, people of deep faith; people who loved their families, their traditions, their culture, and carried that innate being with them through all of these periods; went on to fight for civil rights, fight for justice in the United States of America and around the world.

“And all of us, regardless of your background, have benefited from their struggle and their fight for freedom and for justice.”

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 Aug. 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 slaver 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.”

• APRIL 7

1712—The New York City slave rebellion occurs . A group of 27 slaves began setting fires in the city and shooting Whites. At least a dozen Whites were killed before the state militia arrived to brutally put down the rebellion. Following the revolt, slave codes were toughened, 21 Blacks were executed and six committed suicide.

1915—Billie Holiday is born. She would go on to become the greatest blues and jazz singer of her era with songs like “The Man I Love” and “God Bless the Child Whose Got His Own.” She was born to a 13-year-old mother and began her working career as a small girl helping to clean up a Baltimore, Md., whorehouse—a house in which she

was also raped. Holiday made money from her performances despite the fact that she never received any royalties from any of the 200 songs she recorded. Drug use was a factor in her premature death at 44.

• APRIL 8

1974—Hammering Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves breaks the homerun record of the legendary Babe Ruth when he hit his 715th homer during a game at Atlanta Stadium.

1990— Scientist Percy Julian , who developed drugs to combat glaucoma and methods to mass produce cortisone, is admitted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

• APRIL 9

1865—Black regiments led an assault on and eventually captured a key Southern fort helping bring the Civil War to an end. The nine regiments led by Gen. John Hawkins smashed through Confederate defenses at Forth Blakely, Ala. The 68th Division of USCT (United States Colored Troops) had some of the highest casualties of the Civil War. 1898—Paul Bustill Robeson is born in Princeton, N.J. Robeson would go on to become the greatest combination of entertainer and social activist in American history. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Rutgers University while simultaneously being one of the school’s greatest football stars. After graduation he turned to entertainment— acting and singing on stage and in early movies. However, he was also an outspoken critic of American racism and imperialism while being a strong proponent of socialism. This made him the target of a government disruption and destruction campaign. The campaign did not truly produce results until the anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s. Concert halls were closed to Robeson, the media began to attack him unrelentingly, established Black leaders began to shun him and the government took his passport so he could not perform and earn money abroad. Nevertheless, he remained a symbol that would later inspire activist entertainers such as Ossie Davis and Harry Belafonte. Robeson died in Philadelphia Jan. 23, 1976.

1939— Operatic star Marian Anderson performs for an estimated 65,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after the Daughters of the American Revolution make a racist decision denying her the right to perform at Constitution Hall.

• APRIL 10

1943— Tennis great Arthur Ashe is born in Richmond, Va. Ashe’s spectacular abilities on the tennis court enabled him to become the first Black member of the American Davis Cup team; the first Black to win the U.S. Open and the first Black to win the men’s single’s title at Wimbledon in England. Unfortunately, Ashe would die of AIDS after receiving a contaminated blood transfusion.

• APRIL 11

1948— On this day Jackie Robinson signed a contract that would officially make him the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. Robinson became a symbol of pride for Blacks as well as a star player. However, the admitting of Blacks into Major League Baseball helped bring about the demise of the old Negro Baseball League whose teams had become major economic institutions in cities throughout the nation.

1967— The voters of Harlem, N.Y., defy Congress and re-elect the outspoken and often flamboyant Adam Clayton Powell Jr . His opponents in Congress had recently expelled him. The decision of the Harlem voters was rendered legally sound when the United States Supreme Court later ruled that the congressional expulsion was unconstitutional. Powell was returned to Congress, but without his seniority. He died April 4, 1972 in Miami, Fla.

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA

WPXI’s Jessica Faith leaving Pittsburgh for Washington, D.C. Final day at Channel 11 is April 21

by Marcia Liggett

For New Pittsburgh Courier

The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that WPXI-TV meteorologist Jessica Faith is exiting the station, and moving to the Washington, D.C., area to work for NBC 4, WRC-TV. Her final day at WPXI is April 21.

“I appreciate the way I’ve been able to serve here in Pittsburgh and how well I’ve been received in Pittsburgh,” Faith told the Courier exclusively. “I can honestly say my experience at WPXI has been lovely, and uplifting. I will always cherish my time at WPXI and in Pittsburgh. I have so much love, respect and admiration for my co-workers and bosses as they have helped me grow and continue to make me better. My colleagues at WPXI are some of the best people in the business. The entire time I’ve been in Pittsburgh has been nothing but positive.”

Faith shared that she and husband, Renaldo Pearson, will always have a huge love for Pittsburgh, explaining they “put down roots, and (will) always be Pittsburgh sports fans.”

“During our time here, we really fell in love with Pittsburgh. We talked about staying here and buying a house, but when the opportunity came up to go to D.C., we thought

JESSICA FAITH, STANDING IN FRONT OF THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

about the future of our family and what that would look like, and we decided it would be great to be near family. It’s also a great move professionally, as was WPXI. I had a three-year contract that’s wrapping up, which allowed me to go to D.C. We really think this will be the best thing for the future of our family. My husband is from the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia area), and our family there is ecstatic that they can now watch me locally on their favorite news station. Nothing negative is making me leave.”

Faith, who was born in Montgomery and raised in Clanton, Ala, graduated from Alabama A&M University with a degree in communication. She later completed her Broadcast Meteorology degree from Mississippi State University.

In December 2016, Faith landed a position as a meteorologist at KLTV-TV (7 News) in Tyler, Tex. Next, she joined the First Alert Weather Team at WAFF-TV (48) in Huntsville, Ala., where she was a former intern. Applauding WPXI’s committed to diversity, Faith expressed gratitude for being sought out by the powers at WPXI. In June 2020, two weeks after marrying Pearson, the couple relocated to Pittsburgh, where Faith made history as the first Black

female meteorologist to have a regular role on Pittsburgh local news for an extended period.

“I don’t think that Pittsburgh, WPXI or the other stations are against hiring Black female meteorologists,” Faith told the Courier. “Every job and every company can do better with recruitment for Black talent, people of color, diversity in general.”

She noted that many Black on-air talents desire positions in major cities with large Black viewership, such as Atlanta, Chicago, D.C., New York City, etc., which makes it difficult for news stations in smaller cities, such as the Pittsburgh market, to recruit and maintain Black talent.

A larger viewing area will afford Faith the opportunity for greater impact and visibility. “A lot of what I plan to do in D.C. is what I’ve already been doing in Pittsburgh, which is reaching out to the community, being a great (representative), and I think in D.C. because there is a large population of Black women, I may have that opportunity a little bit more.”

However, she encourages everyone, regardless of their race, to pursue an on-air career in Pittsburgh, as she feels the city is welcoming to everyone.

Faith told the Courier she wanted to publicly dispel rumors that are circulating. “It’s been said online that Pittsburgh can’t keep Black talent. I don’t think that’s what it is. If you see Black talent leaving, they may have an opportunity to move back to their hometown. Everyone has their own personal reasons for leaving.”

“Many people are leaving TV in general,” Faith pointed out. One such drastic move was recently made by WPXI’s Sarafina James, a Pittsburgh native who joined Channel 11 as a freelance reporter in September 2020, worked as a staff reporter in early 2021, then abruptly departed WPXI in January of this year. James shared on social media: “After almost a decade in TV news, I’m taking a step away to focus on a new goal and dream.” She is now the Senior Public Relations Analyst for Allegheny Health Network.

WPXI is still home to two African American female TV personalities. Talia Kirkland, a Penn Hills native and Duquesne University graduate, joined WPXI in January 2022 as a general assignment reporter. She previously worked as a multimedia reporter for WTXF-TV in Philadelphia and WDTV-TV in Clarksburg, W.Va.

Emmy Award-winning reporter Lisa Sylvester joined the WPXI family in October 2013. Her experience includes working for multiple news outlets, including CNN, and ABC in Washington, D.C. Sylvester current -

Weekend morning news viewers are familiar with Briana Smith. She’s been anchoring the KDKA-TV morning news in that position for about two years.

But on Monday, April 3, she announced via Twitter that she will be leaving KDKA for a reporter position at 6 ABC in Philadelphia. Her last day at KDKA is May 24.

“I can’t thank you enough for providing me with love, growth and memories these past 2 years!” she wrote on Twitter.

Smith’s pending departure leaves KDKA-TV

with two African American women on its local airwaves — Mikey Hood, who is a host on Pittsburgh Today Live, weekdays at 9 a.m. Hood is also a New Pittsburgh Courier “Woman of Excellence” from the 2022 class, and will host the Courier’s “Fab 40” celebration on April 14. She also hosted the “Women of Excellence” event in 2019. And Lisa Smith, who hosts “Intersections” on KDKA-operated “The CW,” Sundays at 11:30 a.m.

- Rob Taylor Jr.

weekday evening anchor among Pittsburgh’s three local news stations (KDKA, WTAE, WPXI).

BRIANA SMITH OF KDKA-TV

Briana Smith leaving KDKA-TV for Philadelphia

George E. Barbour, pioneering journalist who covered Selma March, dies at 96

reasons, will always be a trailblazer, a legend in the field of journalism, media and the Civil Rights movement. The trifecta of Selma to Montgomery protest marches in 1965 came with it a series of injustices, including beatings and murders. But Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Amelia Boynton, Frederick Reese, Stokely Carmichael and others ultimately won their non-violent fight, for voting rights and more, for African Americans. A few months later, the 1965 Voting Rights Act was passed and became federal law.

George E. Barbour died at UPMC Mercy Hospital on Tuesday, March 28. He was 96.

Barbour grew up in Oakdale, and graduated from Oakdale High School in 1944. Following high school, Barbour joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, rising to the rank of sergeant. He also was editor of the MacDill Field (Tampa, Fla.) base daily news bulletin.

Barbour later graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1951 with a degree in journalism. Barbour’s unparalleled journey in journalism and reporting took him to Black newspapers in Baltimore and Richmond.

But he soon found himself back home, as an investigative reporter and city editor for the Pittsburgh Courier, where he spent 10 years. At the Courier, Barbour wasn’t afraid to delve into Pittsburgh’s White neighborhoods such as Troy Hill and Carrick to gauge the housing and employment opportunities there, compared with those found in the Black neighborhoods.

In 1964, Barbour became KDKA Radio’s first Black reporter. The July 8, 1964, edition of “Variety” magazine read, “Geo. Barbour, as KDKA’s 1st Negro In 43 Years, Gets to Core of Things.” Some of the more memorable assignments Barbour covered for KDKA Radio included the “Miracle of Hominy Falls” mine disaster in West Virginia, and of course, the Selma to Montgomery

Marches in 1965.

After KDKA Radio, Barbour hosted a weekly program on KQV Radio (1410) titled, “Showcase Plus — Black Frustrations, Achievements and Hopes for the Future.”

He hosted the program for 12 years. Barbour also served as Assistant Director of Communications for the Western Pa. area for the Pennsylvania State Education Association from 1972-1993.

Barbour was a Sunday School teacher. He drove a church bus to pick up church members. He was a Deacon at First Baptist Church of Bridgeville. He loved flying. Not even a brain hemorrhage 19 years ago could stop Barbour. When some thought he wouldn’t make it through, Barbour showed who he really was.

Barbour was the consummate family man; husband to Gloria Cross Barbour for 68 years, father to three children, grandfather to five.

More than anything, Barbour’s son, Ed Barbour, told the Courier he will always remember those

“Sunday Drives” with his father. It’s just like it sounds; the family going for a drive in their 1955 Chevrolet. No cell phones, of course. Just great quality time with Dad.

“He used that as a time to connect us with our family,” Ed Barbour said in a telephone interview, April 4. “We would ride past the old J&L Steel Mill, head out to Cecil (Township), or to Houston, Pa., where my mother’s stepfather and her mother lived, or to Oakdale, where my father’s parents lived. That was very important for connecting us with cousins and aunts and uncles and other loved ones.”

Or on that sunny Sunday afternoon, instead of going up the road to the nearest ice cream parlor, “Dad’s idea of going to get ice cream was taking a drive on the old Route 22 up to State College, to Penn State’s creamery,” Ed Barbour recalled.

In 1971, Barbour earned his private pilot’s license. He later earned an “instrument-rating,” which allowed him to fly “the much more advanced and

challenging airplanes, but also to be able to fly in clouds, bad weather, etc.,”

Ed Barbour said.

How determined was George Barbour? Barbour used to take “multiple means” to get from Oakdale to the Hunt Armory in Shadyside, where he took meteorology, Morse Code and other sciences.

Ed Barbour and Jacalyn Barbour, George Barbour’s daughter, recalled to the Courier of their father’s love for education, and telling the story of African American success and progress. Whether he was in the field or in the studio, he would make it a point to interview not only the notable figures, but also the everyday folks. To him, everyone’s story was important. George Barbour, in addition to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., also interviewed Viola Liuzzo, a White Civil Rights activist who participated in the Selma March. Liuzzo was killed while driving people home from the Selma March in 1965.

George Barbour tried his best to keep the dangers of being a Black reporter

in those times away from his family. Jacalyn Barbour told the Courier her grandparents were afraid George Barbour would be killed if he went to Selma, Ala. They felt he was “putting his life on the line.” But she recalled her father singing an iconic song at the time, “You’ll never walk alone.” She said she would hear him sing the lyrics: “When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark...”

Jacalyn Barbour, in recent years, found the Bible that her father took with him to Selma. He wrote in the Bible some things that indicated that “dad did not expect to come back here (to Pittsburgh alive). He had a faith in the Lord that got him through his life.”

The Celebration of Life for George Barbour will be held, Thursday, April 13, at 11 a.m. at The Bible Chapel, 300 Gallery Dr., McMurray. Following will be a military salute at his burial in nearby Forest Lawn Gardens.

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater to perform in Pittsburgh, May 9

FROM A1

HOMECOMING

iting www.trustarts.org.

The company was slated to perform in Pittsburgh in 2020 but that concert was postponed due to the COVID pandemic.

Fellow Ailey dancer and former Highland Park resident James Gilmer echoed Garland’s sentiments about performing in Pittsburgh next month.

“I’m really excited for Pittsburgh to see this program for this year, which for me shows the vast array of talent physically and emotionally of my fellow dancers throughout that evening,” Gilmer said.

The program will begin with Jamar Roberts’ “In a Sentimental Mood,” then continue with Kyle Abraham’s “Are You in Your Feelings?” and culminate with Alvin Ailey’s iconic work, “Revelations.”

Garland was first introduced to Gilmer when Gilmer taught a master class in dance at CAPA during Garland’s sophomore year. The two kept in touch and when Garland went to the Ailey Summer Intensive in 2019—Gilmer’s first year with the company—the two reconnected.

“Jau’mair was in my class. The year I joined Ailey, he went to Ailey’s rep. I saw him in the building, and I knew he was going to dance there. Knowing the kind of dancer he is and knowing him as a person, when he came to New York in December he crashed on my couch during the week of his audition. I had a really strong feeling that he was going to get offered something that he was going to be happy with,” Gilmer said. “He’s been such an incredible addition to the company, and I don’t think we’d be able to do any of this spring tour without him. It’s fun being out there with him. It’s a full circle moment for me. I’ve never gotten to be on stage with someone that I’ve had as a student. It’s been great.”

GIlmer and Garland are both excited to be performing together in “Revelations” and that the company will be performing Lincoln-Larimer native Kyle Abraham’s “Are You in Your Feelings?”

“Are You in Your Feelings?” is a celebration

of Black culture, Black music and the youthful spirit that resonates in everyone. It is scored to a mixtape of soul, Hip-Hop and R&B and explores the links between music, communication and personal memory.

“A lot of these songs are the songs that I play when I’m at my lowest and at my highest,” explained Abraham, a MacArthur Fellowship award-winning choreographer. “I wanted to find a way to thank those artists for their music and thank our culture for their contributions to this world in which we live.”

“That’s my favorite part about coming home,” said Garland, who was introduced to Abraham’s work while a student at CAPA. “We had so many opportunities to see his company and experience that. For all three of us to do this, I’m super excited and elated to do this.”

“Seeing Kyle’s creative process and being in the room with him is something I’ve wanted to do since I started dancing professionally and moved away from home, so I’m really looking forward to sharing all of that with Pittsburgh,” Gilmer added.

Gilmer will be featured in the opening work of the program. Both men will perform together in “Revelations” in the work’s yellow scene, towards the end of the show.

Gilmer trained at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and CAPA but got bitten by the dance bug early in life and began dancing at the age of 5. He joined Ailey in 2019 right before the COVID-19 pandemic. He credits his family upbringing to his amazing dance career.

“I come from an artistic family. Early on my parents made it accessible to me and my sister to see dance productions or Broadway productions that came through Pittsburgh,” Gilmer told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “A lot of times my grandmother and I would get tickets to anything and everything that the (Pittsburgh Dance Council) would bring in, what Dance Alloy was putting on, Kelly Strayhorn and later on the August Wilson (African American Cul-

tural) Center; they made sure I could be in the audience. It really gave me so much perspective from a very early age.”

That love for Alvin Ailey and dance is why former Pittsburgh resident and Point Park University graduate Toni Gloster wrote the book, “Embraced by Dance,” which tells the story of Matthew Rushing. Rushing and Gloster will be on hand for the Pittsburgh performance.

“I was born in 1959 and the company was created in 1958. By the time I started dancing at age 11 it was in existence for 10 years. I was around 13 when I first saw the company,” Gloster recalled.

“The company back then was a smaller company that was driving from city-to-city themselves. The dancers were the costume department, the drivers and everything, unlike now. But for Black dance, Alvin Ailey is the pinnacle of a modern company. It set the precedent for professional dancers of color to make a living in dance.

A Point Park dance graduate and former Hill District resident, Gloster, like Garland, was a part of Ailey’s Summer Intensive program and has built solid relationships within the dance community.

Gloster interviewed Rushing for one hour per year for 10 years before he would perform to learn about his life as a dancer and years with Ailey. Although he is not from Pittsburgh, Rushing, who is currently the associate artistic director with Alvin Ailey, has been with the company for more than three decades.

“The book is a beautiful work,” said Rushing about “Embraced by Dance.”

The book is available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.

“I feel nothing but pride to see so many people connected with Ailey from Pittsburgh against the odds because being a Black dancer in Pittsburgh is not easy,” explained Gloster, who moved from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles 30 years ago.

The Alvin Ailey/Pittsburgh connection is strong. Garland pinches himself every time he steps on stage.

“James and I are together all the time and sometimes we are together backstage and look at each other and say, ‘We

both are from Pittsburgh and went to CAPA and are in Alvin Ailey. These three people from Pittsburgh found a way from Pitts-

burgh to New York and to Alvin Ailey.’”

BARBOUR

VIGIL HELD IN HOMEWOOD FOR DAMION ‘DAY DAY’ NANCE

Crowd also remembered Janell Ross; both died near Denise and Earl’s, March 25

by Rob Taylor Jr.

Courier Staff Writer

Seemingly everyone— Pittsburgh’s mayor, the police department, elected officials, community organizers, church pastors, residents of the community—is trying to stop the senseless gun violence that plagues Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and beyond.

Yet, there have been 38 homicides through the first three months of 2023 in Allegheny County, and two of the last three homicides that occurred in March were 46-year-old Damion “Day Day” Nance, and 47-year-old Janell Ross. They both were shot outside Denise and Earl’s bar, near the corner of Frankstown and Brushton avenues, around midnight, March 25.

No suspects have been arrested.

On March 27, the Homewood community held a vigil for Nance, as hundreds came out to show their love and support for both Nance and Ross.

Shayla Hopkins, Nance’s sister, told the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Ashley G. Woodson that “Dami-

on was a humble and non-problematic person. He did not deserve this to happen to him. He was loved by the kids from the Homewood community and a coach for the football teams. He lost his son two years ago due to tragedy. He was minding his business and they ran down on him for no reason.”

Derrick Clark, from The Mission Continues, told Woodson that “Day Day and I played Little League baseball, and we went to school together since we were kids. Nelly

(Janell Ross’ nickname) and I were cool, and she was trying to do her music by promoting and getting herself out to the masses. She was out here doing positive things for women.”

Mayor Ed Gainey and Black Political Empowerment Project Chairman and CEO Tim Stevens also attended the vigil.

“This was a senseless shooting and you run out of words,” Stevens told Woodson. “When I was driving down Frankstown Avenue today, there was a beautiful rainbow. I hope that the rainbow was a

sign that we can move forward in a positive manner. People who shoot folks don’t realize the tragic impact they have on people’s lives for years to come.”

Mayor Gainey called Nance a “great guy” and Ross “a beautiful woman.”

“I know how much Day Day worked with our children...loved the community, poured love into them,” he said.

Data from the Allegheny County

spent 35 of those years with the Pittsburgh

HIP HOP ARTIST DRE’ LEEZ AND KENNY, AT THE VIGIL (PHOTOS BY ASHLEY G. WOODSON)

DAMION “DAY DAY” NANCE AND JANELL “NELLY” ROSS, VICTIMS IN THE HOMEWOOD SHOOTING ON MARCH 25.

PREPARING FOR THE BALLOON RELEASE (PHOTO BY AMBER SLOAN)

Bureau of Police, retiring as a detective, in the January article. “There were more people protecting them in the community. I can remember, and I’m 73 years old,

there was never a time in the community that I would be in a certain place, that someone didn’t stop me and say, ‘Does your mother know you’re here.’ My brothers didn’t get that same treatment, but someone

always had their eyes on Black women and girls in the community.”

“It’s a trend that has been on the uptick for a while now,” said Diane Powell, director of Community and Family Builders, in the Jan -

uary article. She was formerly the director of Black Women 4 Positive Change, in Pittsburgh. “It’s no secret that African American women have always been the least protected and the

most victimized in our society.”

“We’re the only ones that can change our community,” Mayor Gainey said at the vigil. “There’s no cavalry that’s coming to get us,

no white horse that’s coming to save us. The only ones we got is each other.”

VIGIL FROM A6

AMONG THOSE PICTURED—MAYOR ED GAINEY, HIP HOP ARTIST/DJ TUFFY TUFF, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST AMBER SLOAN (SECOND FROM RIGHT) AND TIM STEVENS OF B-PEP

HIP HOP ARTIST LADY HOMI SHOWING SUPPORT (PHOTOS BY ASHLEY G. WOODSON)

BARBERS AND PODCASTERS DAIN WILLIAMS AND ADBUL RAHIM

Northside Institutional Church Of God In Christ celebrates

more than five decades

“And he said unto them, Be not affrighted: You seek Jesus of Nazaeth, which was crucified: HE IS RISEN; He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him. But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee: there shall you see Him as He said unto you.”

- St. Mark 16:6-7

REV. WALKER SAYS: JESUS IS ALIVE, JESUS HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD, HALLELUJAH!!! The Greatest Day of All Time. AMEN.

PASTOR LOLA THORPE with COGIC-PGH Bishop-Designee Marvin Moreland. (Photos by Jacquelyn McDonald)

55TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM—Evangelist Darlene Pinno, Deaconess Denise Barron, Mother Sharon Gans, Sister Linda Dennis Ralph, Chairlady/Missionary Nancy Hornsby

BISHOP MATTHEW BROWN

SHARON WATKINS

The sports show is back! Every other

Wednesday at Vicky’s Soul Grill and Q&M’s!

:10—In the now-famous words of one Michael Jeffrey Jordan . . . I’m back!!!

Well, actually, we’re back. The collective we being Team Champion and Champions Live Sports and Entertainment Show.

Western PA’s Live Sports Talk Show, and the only Black-owned and operated Facebook and YouTube live venue in all of Western PA.

:09—“C-Live” kicks off its 25th year of bringing you the best in sports news, personalities and celebrities with a new cast of the best sports minds in the business, featuring yours truly calling the plays for this star-studded group; attorney Alexis Cobb representing the players on and off the field; Vince Butts, the soft spoken but matter-offact rep; Keith Platt Jr.,

delivering the update on high school sports; Noah Hiles, the true insider in all sports Pittsburgh; Dr./ Coach Karen Hall bringing the national flavor; and Ken Ogilvie, aka the Production Master.

:08—The show premieres this Wednesday, April 5, at Vicky’s Soul Grill and Q&M’s, located at 655 Rodi Road in Penn Hills in the complex left of the Comfort Inn. Doors open at 5:30; Showtime is at 6:30. Our opening guests are Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl Champion Dwayne Woodruff and the Penn Hills football team. There is no cost for admission. However, any and everyone attending the show is required to purchase a meal...from a limited menu. There are no exceptions! We ask that you secure seating and eating

between 5:30 and 6:30.

:07—Following The opener, the show will be on every other Wednesday through June.

:06—Plus you need a place to go where “everybody knows your name” and where you can cry over your busted bracket. So, by now you know that LSU put an old school thumpin’ on Iowa in spite of Caitlin Clark’s 30 points. She, the National Player of the Year, was fresh off backto-back 41-point games. After knocking off defend-

ing champs South Carolina in the Final Four, this game was the Hawkeyes to lose. That being said, the six foot “CC” is gonna get paid!

:05—For disclosure, I submitted my column hours before the men’s championship game featuring the favored University of Connecticut vs. San Diego State, the last Cinderella team standing. Look, I like an underdog as much as the next guy (given that I had the nerve to play the late, great Kenny Durrett one-on-one at our Midnight to Six Hoop League back in the day down at Peabody. I am not embarrassed to say that I got slapped 7-1...but I am a little salty because he gave me the one point to allow me to secure my manhood. C’mon, what do you want from me, I had

game but we’re talking about the greatest player in Western PA history here people!) But I said all that for a reason. You’ll see in #4. And to tell you to take all your money out of your shoebox and take UConn by double digits. That’s right, I said it. (Editor’s Note: UConn defeated SDSU, 76-59, on Monday night, April 3)

:04—The movie “Air” opens this week. The story of Michael Jordan’s phenomenal relationship with Nike. It, of course, all started with the genius of Pittsburgh’s own Sonny Vaccarro. Did you know that Sonny V proclaimed Kenny Durrett the greatest player in the history of his Dapper Dan Roundball Classic? In that PA -vsUSA contest, Durrett had 21 rebounds against three national seven footers. (I

guess that 7-1 mugging KD gave me don’t look so bad now, huh???) :03—The Pirates’ home opener will take place Friday, April 7 at PNC Park against the White Sox. Keep Hope Alive! :02—OK, the Pens need this many points or the Pens need that many points...y’all know I don’t know. But come to Champions Live on Wednesday and Noah will fill you in. :01—You can say whatever you want... about whatever you want...but I am gonna tell you this. THE GODFATHER OF HARLEM is the best show ever seen on TV. It makes me double check the locks on my door ‘cause Bumpy Johnson is that scary! :00—GAME OVER.

Wearing the ‘Triple Crown’ is Bill Hillgrove

Calls games for the Steelers and Pitt men’s basketball, football

There may be others, but Bill Hillgrove has been the voice of three sports institutions. The Pittsburgh Steelers and both the University of Pittsburgh men’s football and basketball programs for many years. He is unlike many folks that may have a limited impact on whatever life’s work they choose; this legendary radio and television broadcaster is and has always been far from being a “one-trick pony.”

Regarding radio and television broadcasting, it is a rarity that one man or woman is the core of a broadcasting effort that represents two sports programs of a university and a major professional football franchise all located in the same city.

Hillgrove is a rare triple threat broadcaster that oftentimes uses his unique voice to describe the game for listeners as if it were an intimate operatic performance held in the privacy of their living rooms with his richly layered and multi-timbres voice serving as if it were a conductor wielding a baton. During his 55-plus years as a radio and television broadcaster, he has been the “voice of consistency,” a voice that has consoled Pittsburghers when they lost, celebrated with them when they won, never abandoning them and choosing to ride the roller coaster of athletic incompetency and poor performances along with them through times both good and bad.

When it comes to what he means to the fan bases of the Steeler Nation and the Pitt Panthers, the saying, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown” is an appropriate description regarding him being the voice of these three sports entities simultaneously. However, in the case of Bill Hillgrove, that saying should be amended to say; “Heavy is the head that wears the crowns.”

That being true, on occasion, Bill Hillgrove might sometimes feel as if he is wearing a fedora made from lead. How did such an icon-

ic broadcasting journey begin? Bill Hillgrove explains that: “It began when I was 13. My aunt, who was a sister of charity, suggested to me that I go to the Pittsburgh Diocesan Radio and TV school, which was being run by a friend of hers from that charity order, Sister Rosalie. My dad was an electrician and I showed up at this radio and TV school expecting to learn how to fix radios and TVs.

“Well, she handed me a script and said, ‘Read it.’ I read it and she said, ‘That’s perfect. You’re just what I’m looking for?’ And I said, ‘What’s that, sister?’ And she said, ‘A 13-year-old brat.’ And it was a thing called ‘Morning, Noon, and Night’ and it was a weekly live radio drama about this Catholic family. And it was on WDUQ, Also WMCK McKeesport, and WEDO McKeesport. So, at the age of 13, I discovered I had a talent for being on this side of the microphone. And, you know, just being able to combine that with my passion for sports, kind of led me down a path that has brought me to this day,” Hillgrove explained. Most of the public might falsely assume that with Bill Hillgrove being on center stage, the fanatically loyal Pittsburgh sports demographic might present a challenge for the now 80-plus year old broadcaster. But Hillgrove will not even indirectly agree with that assessment of his role. “I wouldn’t call it pressure,” he says in a rather matter-of-fact tone of voice.

“You know, you realize that you’re on a big stage and that you’re reaching a lot of people. But in the case of both Pitt and the Steelers, these are people that I grew up around so it’s been kind of natural

for me and I can’t imagine doing anything else. And there’s no such thing as neutrality; if there’s a game, somebody’s rooting for one team and somebody else is rooting for the other team, but if the other team does something well, then I have to point that out. I learned from a young age that you have to be fair. And I think that’s what I’ve tried to do.”

With NFL budgets being far more demanding than the college games, most people might mistakenly think that calling an NFL game is more challenging, but Bill Hillgrove assesses it differently. He explains it this way. “The most difficult thing about college football is the numbers. You know, it used to be, and I don’t know what the number is now, but you could travel 65 players and they could all dress for the game but now you have 65 players for the visitors and probably 80 something for the home team and if the score gets out of whack all of these players might get into the game. You better be on top of it, or you hear from their parents. The NFL rosters are more controllable with 53, with 45 active plus the quarterbacks. And basketball rosters are 5 against 5 as opposed to 11 against 11.”

Bill took us on a stroll down memory lane when he was asked what was the most memorable Steelers game and Pitt football and basketball games that he called.

“Okay, let’s start with the Steelers. I think Super Bowl 43 with that touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes. But yet they couldn’t have won the game without James Harrison’s great interception return. So that game produced two of the biggest plays in Steelers history. For Pitt football, it had to be Tony Dorsett breaking Archie Griffin’s record at Navy. It was where it happened. The Navy Midshipmen doffed their caps in honor of Tony Dorsett. And in basketball, it was Pitt’s first Big East Tournament

Championship win (in 2003) against Connecticut in Madison Square Garden.”

Hillgrove is also a jazz music lover, promoter, and philanthropist. He was once quoted as saying, “I don’t know how I developed my passion for jazz, I was just a kid from Garfield. I think it was listening to Earl Bostic tunes on the jukebox at Katz’s tavern. But it is my passion. I was a sophomore at Duquesne University when I landed my first commercial job as an announcer on WKJF-FM on Mount Washington when many people were not aware of what FM was. It was

what they called a ‘good music station.’ My shift was at 9 o’clock on Saturday nights and we had the dance party. And I was able to play some Benny Goodman and Eddie Haywood, stuff that was danceable. I got into it big time and was kind of fulfilled when the Pittsburgh Jazz Channel came and asked me to do a show on Saturdays. So, I did it for 10 years. I also listened to the late Tony Mowood when he was broadcasting out of a station in New Kensington along with a guy named Dole Brooks. So when Tony ended up at WYDD I used to guest host and it was fun.”

Many people don’t know this, but when bluesman Leroy Wofford was murdered and did not have burial insurance, Bill Hillgrove spearheaded the effort to provide a proper burial for the iconic Pittsburgh musician.

As far as the modern-day TikTok experts and internet bloggers are concerned, Bill Hillgrove has this timeless bit of advice. “Someone once said: ‘You should be yourself because everybody else is taken.’ If you’re yourself, it’s not an act, it’s true. What you do on the air is the same thing that you would do sitting and talking to a friend.”

These tax tips can make filing (1040) EZ

With tax day approaching, there’s no time like the present to get started on your 2022 returns and submit them well before the April 18 deadline.

This year, you have a few extra days to complete your taxes. With the typical deadline of April 15 falling on a weekend, followed by Emancipation Day on Monday, this year’s filing date is on Tuesday, April 18.

“Though there are a few extra days to file, make sure to still give yourself ample time to gather and organize your tax information to take advantage of any and all tax deductions, or other tax breaks that may apply to you and your family,” says Kelly Perez, Wealth Advisor for J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “Many key deductions that may reduce your tax bill or provide a refund are often left on the table due to lack of preparation. Whether you file on your own or work with a paid tax professional, the initial groundwork is the key to maximizing your benefits.”

Ready to submit or get started? Here are some tips to help simplify the process, maximize your potential refund or minimize your tax burden before you finalize your return.

• Get organized. Make sure you have important documents like last year’s return, current W-2s, 1099s and mortgage interest statements on hand. You’ll also want to gather receipts for tax-deductible purchases, travel, charitable contributions and other potential write-offs. You can look online to find checklists of documents you might need to help you file.

• Be aware of tax law changes. While taxes are inevitable, what you may owe or get refunded might not be. As you finalize or start your 2022 tax return, be aware of changes to federal, state and local tax laws that could affect your refund or how much you owe. For example, if you benefitted from the child tax credit, earned income tax credit or child and dependent care credit on your 2021 return, don’t be surprised if you get a smaller refund this year. Credits expanded as part of federal Covid relief packages have now returned to pre-pandemic levels.

• Are you working from home permanently? If you have a home-based business, you might qualify for a home office tax deduction. You can potential-

ly write off expenses for a part of your home you only use for business purposes.

• To itemize or not to itemize. Determine whether you’ll itemize your expenses or take the standard deduction. If you think your qualified expenses will be more than the 2022 standard deduction ($12,950 for most singles and $25,900 for most married couples filing jointly), it might be worth it to itemize. Taking the standard deduction can make the filing process easier, but it could mean you pay more in taxes or receive a smaller refund.

• Contribute to retirement accounts. You can fund a traditional or Roth IRA through the April 18, 2023, tax filing deadline and have it count for 2022. Traditional IRA contributions lower your tax bill right now, while your Roth IRA withdrawals are tax-free in retirement. You can contribute up to $6,000 to an IRA each year, or—if you were 50 years or older in 2022—up to $7,000 of your earned income.

• Seek help when you need it. If you have a more comprehensive tax return, it can be a good idea to work with a certified public accountant (CPA). If you need assistance in general, check if you quali-

fy for free in-person or remote programs offered by the IRS or local organizations depending on your income, age and disability status.

• Go faster by going digital. Filing electronically will get your return to you more quickly than filing by mail. Selecting direct deposit to a bank account or prepaid card will make the process even faster.

• Need more time? If you can’t file by April 18, you can fill out a Form 4868 that will extend your filing deadline to October 16. An extension to file isn’t an extension to pay, so if you think you’ll owe, plan to submit an estimated payment amount when you file your extension. The bottom line—Filing your taxes doesn’t have to be difficult. Getting organized now will help make tax season easier this year and put you in better shape for years to come. For more tips to help you make the most of you and your family’s finances, visit J.P. Morgan’s U.S. Tax Center at privatebank.jpmorgan.com/gl/ en/insights/planning/us-tax-center.

(Sponsored content from JPMorgan Chase & Co.)

How financial planners can advance equality

(NewsUSA)—Financial planning is about helping individuals and families make sound financial decisions that enable them to achieve their life goals. When financial planners provide these services to diverse clients, they help bridge the gaps between different communities.

A growing body of research shows that minority communities in the United States are both increasing in size and building greater wealth. However, studies have also found persistent racial gaps in wealth, financial literacy and access to or use of professional financial advice.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has found, for example, that African American and Hispanic individuals tend to score lower on financial literacy tests than Asian American and White test takers. African American and Hispanic adults are also more likely to experience unexpected drops in income, be unbanked or underbanked, and have difficulty making ends meet or saving for future expenses, according to FINRA.

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals play a vital role in helping to close those gaps. CFP® professionals guide clients through

I recently came across this article published on www.marketwatch.com.

I’m 66. We have more than $2 million, I just want to golf—can I retire? My social security payments start next month at $3,300 a month. I’m currently working part-time, three days per week, as a professional engineer for $95/hour for my long-time regular full-time employer of 28 years. (I want to leave this position ASAP or sooner.)

I currently have about $1.6 million in retirement accounts. My wife (60 years old) has about $600,000 in various regular and retirement accounts. We have a 16-year-old daughter at home attending high school and college in a dual enrollment program. If she stays with the program she’ll have her bachelor’s at 19. While in high school she takes college classes and we pay no tuition while she’s in high school.

Our monthly expenses are about $9,000$10,000 per month including health insurance for my wife and daughter. We own our modest single-family home with no mortgage. Taxes and insurance are currently about $6,000 per year. We currently have no debt, aside from an American Express and Visa that we pay off every month.

I’m on Medicare. I get walloped for a double premium for part “B” because I’m considered a high-wage earner. The two of us are in reasonable/normal health for a couple of old farts.

I want to throw in the towel on May 5 and play more golf. Can we do it?

Damon Carr here: They’re living the American Dream. Married with children, own their home free and clear of a mortgage, completely debt-free with mega-money in the bank. Wouldn’t you love to be in their shoes?

building wealth, managing financial challenges and securing their families’ financial futures. Depending on the client, that work could be as simple as helping a family create and stick to a monthly budget, or as complex as developing a diversified investment strategy to save for retirement. In either case, a CFP® professional helps their clients build financial knowledge along with their wealth —both of which can lead to greater equality among diverse communities. Thousands of CFP® professionals around the country also partner with organizations that provide free, quality personal

financial advice to individuals who cannot otherwise access financial planning services.

The Foundation for Financial Planning, for example, connects volunteer financial planners with individuals and families in need through a variety of programs. These programs provide the many benefits of financial planning to people who might not be able to afford professional financial advice, those who live in an underserved community or those who have other personal challenges.

CFP® professionals help to promote financial literacy and awareness of financial planning within their communities,

Can he retire?

Everyone reading this would conclude that they are winning—financially speaking.

Less than 1 percent of Americans at any age can say they’re completely debt-free with millions in the bank. Clearly they’ve been both intentional and proactive with their money. What’s even more important is this, despite their success in managing their money over the years, he’s humble enough to seek advice to confirm if he’s ready for retirement. Those characteristics mentioned here are more than likely the reason they’re flush with cash as they approach retirement. Humble, intentional, proactive, willingness to seek counsel from a trusted expert. These characteristics paid off for them. They’re surely characteristics worth modeling in our own life if we aspire to be like them when it’s time for us to hang up our working shoes.

The bulk of my audience is between the ages of 45 and 60. We’re on the cusp of retirement. Truth of the matter is, with retirement age being within the next 15 years, we need to buckle down and get serious about our money or we’ll never have serious money.

You don’t become debt-free with $2 million in retirement savings by being a spendthrift. In order to pull this off, you have to be willing to make sacrifices, willing to live on less than you make, willing to prioritize needs over wants, willing to delay gratification, willing to say no to

yourself, and able to have a long-term perspective. If you don’t learn to live on less than you make when you’re working, you’ll be forced to live on less than you made in retirement.

I’d like to emphasize two sacrifices I observed this family made while reading this article:

1. They live in a paid for “modest” home.

2. Their daughter is in dual enrollment taking both college and high school courses simultaneously. While she’s in high school, they don’t have to pay for college courses.

Back to the question at hand. Can he retire? I’ll give him a resounding YES! He can retire!! The real question is “Should he retire?!

Current expenses= $10,000 per month.

Projected income from Social Security=$3,300 per month.

A safe withdrawal rate is 4 percent of accumulated retirement savings then increase it by the inflation rate annually. Every $1 million saved is worth approximately $40,000 per year. They have $2.2 million in retirement savings. That’s approximately $88,000 per year or approximately $5,900 per month after accounting for taxes.

That’s a total of $9,200 per month coming in. The fact his wife has $600,000 in retirement savings suggests she’s currently working or worked at one point. She would be entitled to her full social security benefit or half of his—whichever is higher. Wife is currently 60 years old. She can’t start receiving social security until age 62 or 2 years from now. If she starts collecting at

too. Many of them share this knowledge by participating in community events or by leading workshops or other educational programming at community centers. One program offered by Rock the Street, Wall Street has enlisted CFP® professional volunteers to provide financial literacy and investment instruction to high school girls and to encourage them to consider financial services careers.

With a career as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professional, you can

age 62 her monthly benefit will be reduced by 30 percent. The big question mark is, does she currently work and how much does she make. If she currently works, her income will make his transition to retirement smooth. If she doesn’t work, sure he can still retire but they’ll have to reduce their monthly expenses and lifestyle to mirror their lower retirement income. How would that impact his ability to play golf on the regular? Lower monthly income equals less discretionary income to spend on golf. Social security benefits increase by 8 percent per year for every year you wait after your full retirement age. If he continues to work and delay taking social security until age 70, he’ll get a 24 percent increase in his monthly social security benefits. His social security check would be $4,092 per month instead of $3,300. It will allow her to reach an age that she can start collecting social security. Her monthly social security benefit will increase as well.

Also, this will allow them to continue to contribute to their retirement plan and allow what’s currently in their retirement accounts to continue to grow. Growth alone on $2.2 million pads their investment portfolio by another $110,000 per year over the next 3 years for a total of $330,000 more in their account. That’s excluding what he contributes to the account going forward. Plus I’m using a conservative 5 percent ROI. Can he retire? YES!! Should he retire? As he stated, they’re both in relatively good health for two old farts. I think it benefits them more financially if he continues to work for a couple more years.

(Damon

Survey outlook: Business trends mean economic success in 2023

by Sherri Kolade

Michigan Chronicle

From small firms increasingly using alternative funding sources to greater spending on digital marketing— lot of 2023 business trends are coming online helping small businesses thrive in the first quarter and throughout the year.

Business News Daily reports that smaller businesses must adjust to a market that is always changing, which is true especially given the last few years during the COVID crisis.

Monitoring the trends that impact your company’s operations is essential if you want to meet client expectations and stay one step ahead of the competition, and there’s no better time to do so than now to set you up for small business success.

Earlier in January, JPMorgan Chase released its 2023 Business Leaders Outlook survey, which details insights from business leaders about their recession expectations, the impacts inflation has had on their approaches to pricing, sourcing and running operations, and their outlook for the year ahead.

JPMorgan Chase’s Business Leaders Outlook poll was conducted online from November 14 to December 13, 2022, with small firms with annual revenues between $100,000 and $20 million and midsize businesses with annual revenues between $20 million and $500 million. Nearly 1,800 business leaders from diverse industries across the United States took part in the study in total. Data from the present is contrasted with data gathered in the fourth quarter of prior years to determine trends year over year. The results of this online survey are statistically valid, and at a 95 percent confidence level, the error rate for small businesses is plus or minus 3.1 percent, and for midsize businesses it is plus or minus 3.5 percent.

The survey revealed that while most small and midsize business leaders anticipate a recession in 2023 and many continue to face inflation-related challenges, they largely remain undeterred when it comes to growth, hiring and expanding their businesses.

Black Business Own-

ers Top-Line findings:

• 55 percent expect a recession in the year ahead, compared to 61 percent nationally.

• 79 percent are optimistic about their performance in the year ahead, compared to 72 percent nationally. Similarly, 75 percent are optimistic about their industry’s performance, compared to 63 percent nationally.

• 72 percent anticipate revenue and sales growth in the year ahead, and 69 percent expect their profits to increase in 2023.

• The top business challenges for Black business owners include inflation, supply chain disruptions and economic uncertainty.

• 55 percent anticipate hiring full-time employees over the next 12 months, compared to 51 percent nationally.

• To hire and retain em-

ic headlines.

or medical insurance is a privilege,” Hall said.

“There are so many positions that fit many interests and skill sets that people are not aware of.

Part of the work I do with NAAIA (National African American Insurance Association) is to expose Black/BIPOC [people] to the opportunities in the insurance industry and assist with making it more diverse.”

Executives from small firms continue to have

by Laura Onyeneho Houston Defender

Hustle culture has been an essential part of being Black in America. It’s hard not to normalize seeing Black people work multiple jobs to survive, let alone fighting that uphill battle for access to the middle class. The grind might seem like it eventually “pays” dividends, but it has an adverse effect on mental health.

Hustle culture is the idea that to achieve success, one must continuously prioritize work. This is extremely popular among younger generations. Black people are overworked and underpaid, and over time, the hustling pushes for continued burnout and poor health.

a comfortable lifestyle. Her efforts led to burnout.

“With hustle culture, I always felt like I wasn’t doing enough with just one stream of income. I would see people making money and having a bunch of businesses, and it became overwhelming. I felt guilt,” she said. “I started venturing into different things, got a second job, traded stocks. It got overwhelming. I told myself that I had to focus less on hustling and more on moving effectively and efficiently.”

She recalled a period during the COVID-19 pandemic when she experienced daily bouts of anxiety working a job that she outgrew professionally but was stuck.

ployees, half (50 percent) of Black owners surveyed plan to increase wages, and 38 percent plan to offer upskilling and training opportunities, compared to 42 percent and 29 percent nationally.

“Inflation has been a challenging headwind impacting businesses of all sizes, across all industries,” said Ginger Chambless, head of research at JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking. “While we have seen some encouraging signs that inflation has started to moderate and should cool over 2023, businesses may still want to consider adjustments to strategies, pricing or product mixes to help weather the storm in the near term.”

Baxter E. Hall, insurance broker and advisor at Kapnick Insurance, told the Michigan Chronicle recently that as a client executive and benefits consultant, he sees a lot of business trends and changes.

“The rising costs of medical and prescription costs are at the top of the list. Along with the need for mental health resources and how to get better employee engagement,” Hall said, adding that staying afloat could mean different things to different people but connectivity is always key. “I think expanding your network is always important. Exposure to different people in industries and positions that are different from yours adds a wonderful perspective. Also, adding new skills and certifications to your toolbelt is always a good thing.”

He described the insurance industry as a “noble profession.”

“The chance to help people prepare for the unexpected, whether it’s commercial, personal

more optimistic economic outlooks than executives from medium-sized businesses, who indicated substantially more pessimistic views compared to this time last year, despite the widespread opinion that a recession will occur in 2023.

The forecast for the performance of small and medium firms is still positive, with 66 percent of small businesses and 72 percent of midsize enterprises expressing optimism for the coming year. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of small businesses anticipate rising sales and revenue in the upcoming year, while 65 percent predict higher earnings in 2023. Similarly, 51 percent of medium enterprises anticipate higher profits in 2023, while 63 percent anticipate higher revenue and sales.

“Following the challenges of the last few years, it’s encouraging to see the resilience of small business owners and leaders,” said Ben Walter, CEO of Chase Business Banking. “The next economic cycle is always right around the corner, so our role is to help small business owners plan ahead so they can succeed in good times and bad.”

Companies may want to concentrate on the following factors while planning for the remainder of 2023:

1. Maintain Awareness of Economic Trends: Business leaders will want to pay close attention to whether current trends regarding the Federal Reserve, consumer spending, inflation, labor markets and more continue, slow down or reverse in the upcoming year even though they are undoubtedly familiar with today’s top econom-

2. Recession-Proof Your Company: No matter when or if a recession occurs, businesses may take action right now to maintain their flexibility, strengthen their balance sheet and even identify opportunities amid uncertainty.

3. Maximize Working Capital: In times of economic instability, sustaining working capital is even more important. Working capital is a significant measure of a company’s financial health. Businesses may want to think about using supply chain financing and dynamic discount solutions, putting in place more effective inventory management and revising present loans to minimize liabilities to manage working capital more effectively.

More social media acumen is needed in 2023, too, as using different platforms will increase this year.

The importance of social media advertising is growing, but so has the level of competition. To develop an audience and raise brand awareness, small businesses should concentrate on a multichannel organic strategy. While advertisements can support organic growth, small businesses should refrain from engaging in a social media arms race with rivals when organic strategies like content marketing may provide a higher return on investment.

Marketers will use their top clients

Look for marketers to resort to their most loyal clients as a source of income during uncertain market conditions. Strengthen the focus on current clients who show indicators of brand loyalty to boost sales and support companies through tough economic times.

“A great and cost-effective way to identify and take advantage of your biggest brand advocates is through strategic UGC [user-generated content] efforts,” said Zarnaz Arlia, chief marketing officer for customer experience platform Emplifi. “Brands can maximize the value of UGC by promoting it through exciting offers, branded hashtags, contests and even via their e-commerce website.”

User-generated content can produce spectacular outcomes while frequently costing less than more established forms of promotion. “Authenticity is what modern consumers are craving,” Arlia said, “and there’s nothing more authentic than the voice of the customer.”

For more information on the Business Leaders Outlook survey, visit jpmorgan.com and search “2023 Business Leaders Outlook: U.S.”

Bankrate states that 45 percent [estimated 70 million people] of working Americans report having a side hustle along with a full-time job. Among millennials, that statistic rises to 50 percent. Reasons include needing to make extra money to make ends meet, while others plan to use the money for savings or additional disposable income.

In 2019, the World Health Organization chartered workplace burnout as an occupational phenomenon, describing burnout as a “syndrome” conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that hasn’t been successfully managed.

Research conducted in 2018 by Current Cardiology reported that people who worked more than 50 hours per week had an increased risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. It also can cause high blood pressure due to excessive psychological activation and stress.

That is why the viral trend “quiet quitting” or, in theory, “Acting your wage” —doing the essential of what you are paid to do and nothing extra, is what younger workers are doing today to address their mental health concerns. Putting self-care first, declining additional responsibilities outside their pay grade.

Productivity is always recognized, but when it’s necessary to prioritize physical and mental health without jeopardizing how an individual makes a living?

Former First Lady Michelle Obama once said that Black people had to “work twice as good to get half as far.” Black people continue to face financial and economic challenges due to the country’s history of systemic racism and discrimination.

The term has transformed as years pass and technology advances. In the passage of Malcolm X’s 1965 autobiography, he wrote that “everyone in Harlem needed some kind of hustle to survive,” or anything that could help the poor Black man make ends meet, whether it be selling drugs or illegal gambling.

People are working longer, taking on more tasks, and accepting multiple jobs that pay low wages, which force individuals to take on side gigs to survive.

Health Implications

Ja’Vonnie Partlow is an Austin-based HR Professional and entrepreneur. Originally from Boston, her journey to becoming a six-figure earner was both a rewarding and challenging one. Growing up in extreme poverty meant that she had to work harder for

“I remember saying aloud how much I hated what I do. I was a high performer, but I started to avoid doing easy tasks because I was so burnt out. I felt stuck,” Partlow said. “There was hiring freezes everywhere, and I hadn’t tried to learn any new skills. Not only was I stagnant, but I wasn’t qualified doing anything but the job I was doing. I developed insomnia, gained weight, stopped exercising, and didn’t have the tools to get through it.” Research has shown that increased stress levels lead to reduced professional productivity. Your body is wired to react to stress. When your body faces demand each day, the body treats these minor hassles as threats.

Jessica Jackson, PhD., a Houston-based licensed psychologist, said burnout can lead to far more health complications.

“There is ‘hidden curriculum’ in the workplace for first gen Black students [people]. There is this expectation that we should know how to navigate these spaces when we are the first ones to uplift our families out of financial struggle, she said. “Feeling hypervigilant, low mood, hypertension, and headaches slowly manifests psychologically too. Your body is in a constant fight, flight, or freeze mode.”

Dr. Bettina M. Beech, a clinical professor of population health at the University of Houston, said that young people should bridge the gap of understanding between how young people cope with mental health challenges versus the older generations.

“Young people are bold with setting boundaries while my generation had to keep pushing through the burnout; however, the world isn’t going to change as quickly as maybe their generation has established. We don’t want young people to lose out on great opportunities that could help them advance in their careers. People will always have to unlearn and relearn,” Beech said. “What is meaningful work for you? What does an excellent quality of life look like? Decide what those are and pursue them.”

Dr. Jackson said experiencing burnout doesn’t need to be dealt with alone.

“Get connected with a therapist. Find someone to help you develop a framework to get you focused and back on track,” she said. “Also, learn to check in with yourself and don’t ignore the signs. It’s mindbody connection. Take a few minutes to breathe and check in with what’s going on with your body. Give yourself compassion.”

(Laura Onyeneho is a Reporter for America corps member for the Houston Defender Network.)

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‘Hustle

The forecast for the performance of small and medium firms is still positive, with 66 percent of small businesses and 72 percent of midsize enterprises expressing optimism for the coming year.

A call for stricter gun control after Nashville school shooting

Some leaders are rightfully calling for action to be taken in the wake of the tragedy in Nashville in which a shooter killed three 9-year-old students and three adult staff members at a Christian school.

Before the shooting at the Covenant School March 27, there had already been 130 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. Last year a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, left 21 dead.

The continued slaughter of American children demands that the nation’s lawmakers offer a stronger action than their usual “thoughts and prayers” response.

Republicans continue to downplay the need for legislative action on guns following these mass shootings.

The GOP leadership in Congress has repeatedly ignored or downplayed discussing potential legislative solutions to curb mass shootings.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did not respond to questions from reporters asking if there should be any gun restrictions at all.

House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., urged caution in taking action and suggested securing schools.

“The first thing in any kind of tragedy is I pray. I pray for the victims. I pray for the families. I get really angry when people try to politicize it for their own personal agenda, especially when we don’t even know the facts,” said Scalise, who was shot during a congressional baseball practice in 2017.

“Let’s work to see if there’s something that we can do to help secure schools,” he continued. “It just seems like on the other side, all they want to do is take guns away from law-abiding citizens before they even know the facts.”

One of the most defeatist statements came from Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. Burchett said Monday that the shooting was “a horrible, horrible situation, and we’re not gonna fix it. Criminals are gonna be criminals.” Burchett said that lawmakers attempting to address gun violence would only “mess things up” and noted that he homeschooled his own daughter.

Others have rightfully pushed for action to be taken in the wake of the tragedy in Nashville.

In his opening prayer Tuesday, Senate Chaplain Barry Black called for Congress to take action.

“Lord, when babies die at a church school, it is time for us to move beyond thoughts and prayers,” said Black, a retired rear admiral who has served in the role since 2003. “Remind our lawmakers of the words of the British statesman Edmund Burke: ‘All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.’

“Lord, deliver our senators from the paralysis of analysis that waits for the miraculous. Use them to battle the demonic forces that seek to engulf us. We pray, in your powerful name, amen,” he concluded.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, called the mass shooting “a uniquely American problem” and offered her condolences to those affected. She also noted the gun legislation passed by Michigan Democrats in the wake of a shooting last month at Michigan State University.

“This is precisely why it’s important that we in Michigan do what we can to keep people safe through background checks, secure storage and, ultimately, extreme risk protection orders,” Whitmer said.

Congress can pass common sense gun laws that would not infringe on the constitutional right of gun owners, including banning assault weapons and passing red flag laws, which would allow police to take guns from people deemed dangerous by the courts.

President Joe Biden called on Congress to take action, saying the White House had exhausted the possibilities of executive actions on guns. “The Congress has to act,” he said. “The majority of the American people think having assault weapons is bizarre; it’s a crazy idea. They’re against that. And so I think the Congress should be passing the assault weapons ban.”

Speaking at a North Carolina semiconductor plant on Tuesday afternoon, Biden added that there was “a moral price to pay for inaction.”

The president is right. But Congress won’t act until voters demand it.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

TriceEdneyWire.com—DISPOSE— the root word of the word disposable makes it one of the simplest of words to understand.  It suggests to all that something has reached the end of its usefulness and should/will/must be discarded or eliminated.

I began taking a harder, deeper look at the word “disposable” when cloth diapers were replaced by disposable diapers.  I think that folks in, and preceding, my generation were accustomed to “durable goods” which would have a lengthy, useful service life.  So often at the end of the original service life of these “durable goods,” they were re-purposed for additional utility.  The aforementioned diapers often served two or more infants consecutively.  Some remember, when they were no longer fit for infant use, old diapers (cleaned and washed) were found as rags used for washing cars, dusting, or other down-to-earth purposes. That was then! Nowadays there are far fewer “durable goods.”  “Useful service-life” has gone the way of “durable goods” and is, if at all, marginally applicable in the contemporary lexicon.

The one undesirable application of the term disposable is as it is currently applied to African Americans.  As we see increasing incidents of acts of genocide against African Americans, we can only infer that perpetrators of this genocide view us as “disposable.”  Certain names bring this brutal reality into focus.  Floyd, Bland, Taylor, Brown, Till, and a myriad of other decedents illustrate my point.

“We want our brothers and sisters in South Africa to know that we are with them today, we will be with them tomorrow, and we will be with them until their final freedom.” – Randall Robinson, 1985 National Urban League Conference, Washington, D.C.

Thousands had gathered to hear TransAfrica founder and president Randall Robinson address the National Urban League’s 75th Anniversary Conference.

He almost didn’t make it to his own speech. Earlier in the day, he and then-National Urban League President John E. Jacob, along with dozens of other Urban Leaguers, had been arrested at the South African Embassy during a peaceful mass protest against apartheid.

I was arrested during a protest at the same embassy just a few months later. It remains among the great honors of my life to have stood in that movement alongside the man who was singularly responsible for forcing the United States to confront the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Robinson died last week at the age of 81.

That July 1985 protest drew 1,500 people, most of whom were there to take part in the National Urban League Conference where U.S. policy toward South Africa was a major theme.  During the demonstration, before he and Jacob were arrested, Robinson said they were delivering ‘’the knock of freedom on the door of the South African Embassy.”

Within a little more than a year, Congress would override President Ronald Reagan’s veto and impose economic

Recently, at Tyson’s Corner, a Northern Virginia shopping center 14 driving miles from Washington, DC, a young Black man was shot to death.  According to WTOP, a local news radio, website: Police in Fairfax County, Virginia shot and killed a man who they said was suspected of stealing from a store in Tyson’s Corner Center. Police did not say whether the man was armed.

Fairfax County Police Chief Davis said the alleged theft happened inside the mall. The man ran from the police into a small, heavily wooded area nearby the shopping center. A uniformed officer and a plainclothes officer gave chase, and Davis said police issued commands. At some point during that chase, the two officers discharged their firearms but Davis did not say what caused them to shoot. That man was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead. No officers were hurt, Fairfax County police said. That man, unarmed 37-year-old Timothy Johnson, was suspected of shoplifting a pair of sunglasses. According to Washington’s NBC4, after viewing the eight-minute body-camera video, Johnson’s mother, Melissa

Johnson, said, “No parent, no parents should have to view the killing of their child and then be asked to give remarks.” She added, “The only thing they knew was that he was Black and male and had allegedly triggered an alarm at a store for some sunglasses.  Was shoplifting right? Absolutely not. But we have laws in place to address shoplifting.  Should my son have been murdered because he shoplifted from the mall?”

Ms. Johnson asks a valid question.  Stated differently, is shoplifting a capital crime?  Should we continue to lose lives at the hands of individuals who, arguably, perceive us as “disposable?”  Sergeant Wesley Shifflett, a seven-year veteran has been terminated for a “failure to live up to the expectations of a particular use of force policies, protocols, and procedure.”

As African Americans, we must also focus on our collective disposal.  I recently read a social media meme by Milan Kundera which states the obvious:

“To liquidate people, you start by depriving them of their memory.  They destroy your books, your culture, and your history.  And someone else writes other books, gives them another culture, and invents another story; after that, people slowly begin to forget what they are and what they were.  And the world around you forgets even faster.”  Familiar?

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of The Dick Gregory Society and President Emerita of the National Congress of Black Women)

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

Taylor Jr. Managing Editor

Johnson Sales Director

Lawmakers should follow the data and the science because they will eventually point them to. Statistics in the United States don’t lie—the number of religious Americans and families with a father in the home is on a rapid decline. Without Christ, we will not see these trends reserved. As a former NFL player, I had to deal with statistics a lot during my time in the league. I came to understand that while statistics do not always offer to predict exact results, compiled data usually provides at least some indication as to future performance and how we can expect things to play out during the next game.

Today, I have noticed a few troubling statistics regarding the decline of Christianity and the rise of fatherlessness in America. As our country moves forward, these numbers could have serious consequences for the future of our country if we don’t reverse these trends. Only about 65 percent of American adults identify as Christian today, according to Pew Research. This number is down 12 percentage points over the last decade. Additionally, only 47 percent of American adults belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque in 2020, which was down more than 20 points since the turn of the 21st century. Church membership in America was at 73 percent when Gallup began collecting its data in 1937.

Furthermore, our Nation is seeing great discrepancies when these numbers are broken down by age. Just 49% of millennials describe themselves as Christian today, while more than 80 percent of the Silent Generation and 76 percent of Baby Boomers do so. Only 22 percent of millennials say they attend church at least once

sanctions against South Africa. The resulting withdrawal of large, multinational corporations crippled the South African economy.

Robinson and the organization he founded in 1977 are best known for their role in ending apartheid. But the movement grew out of opposition to U.S. policy toward the former Republic of Rhodesia, then under white minority rule. “It was 1976, and I was working for Charlie Diggs [then-chairman of House foreign affairs subcommittee on Africa], when several of us became concerned about the administration’s handling of the Rhodesia issue,” Robinson said in 1993. “Diggs and Andy Young called together some 120 Black leaders to figure out what we ought to do. I was named chair of a working group charged with organizing an institution to galvanize Black public opinion in support of U.S. Africa policy. That was the beginning of TransAfrica.” Robinson’s 27-day hunger strike in 1994 pressured the Clinton Administration into changing its policy of turning away Haitian refugees without a hearing.

“My view has always been ... it doesn’t matter whether a country is Black or White, left or right, you judge human rights observance with the same yardstick,” he told his hometown newspaper, “And where I have seen human rights abuse, I have criticized it with as much tenacity as I can muster. And that’s been the case in Ethiopia, it’s been the case in Liberia, it’s been the case in Zaire, it’s been the case, of course, in South Africa. And it’s been the case in Haiti.”

Though I still was a teenager when Robinson founded TransAfrica and focused the nation’s attention on human rights abuses there, he inspired me as few others before or since. In the early 1980s, I was part of a leadership team of National Black Law Students Association that pushed for divestment of South African investments by U.S. companies.

I had the privilege of serving with Robinson as a panelist for Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union forum in 2009.  By then he had been living for several years in St. Kitts, where he emigrated out of frustration toward the nation’s exploitation of people of color and the poor.

“I tried to love America, its credos, its ideals, its promise, its process,” Robinson wrote in Quitting America: The Departure of a Black Man From His Native Land. “I have tried to love America but America would not love the ancient, full African whole of me.” The National Urban League mourns his passing and honors his legacy by striving to hold America to its credos, its ideals, and its promise.

per week, and almost two-thirds say they attend church services a few times per year or less. Some models estimate that America’s Christian population could fall to as low as 35 percent by the year 2070 if these trends continue.

America’s decline in faith has largely mirrored a decline in fatherhood. In 1960, only about 9 percent of American children grew up without a father in the home. Today, that number is around 25 percent, for a total of 18.4 million children absent a father in the home (the number is over 24 million or 33 percent for children absent a biological father in the home). This is over 3 times the world average and the highest rate of children living in single-parent households of any country in the entire world. The statistics also tell us that fatherlessness is a heavy indicator with a wide range of adverse outcomes for a child’s future. For example, 90 percent of all homeless and runaway children come from fatherless homes, as well as 85 percent of children and teens with behavioral disorders and 63 percent of teens who commit suicide.

Studies also indicate that fatherless children are more likely to drop out of school and to repeat a class than children with both parents in the home. Fatherlessness also relates to criminality, as about 70 percent of all

the youths in state-operated institutions come from single-parent homes. Overall, fatherless children are more likely to be incarcerated than children from two-parent homes and more likely to exhibit criminal behavior.

Deep down, Americans understand this data and realize that fatherhood is essential to a stable society. According to survey data from Scott Rasmussen, 84 percent of Americans believe a strong family is foundational to a strong America, and 65 percent agree that children who grow up fatherless are at a significant disadvantage in life. Along those same lines, another 84 percent think that parents, rather than the community, bear the primary responsibility for raising children, and 67 percent believe that the decline of the family is harming America’s growth and prosperity.

If these trends continue, our country’s very future could be in jeopardy. Faith and family are two of the most sacred values in our society. As they both decline, we expect many other issues to follow. Rising crime and drug use, failing education systems, and so much more will only continue to proliferate as America’s faith declines and family formation disintegrates.

In the NFL, when we didn’t like the statistics in front of us, we called an audible and changed the play. At the end of the day, it just came down to hard work. That’s true of our country too, and it’s up to all of us to call an audible and lead the charge in returning to a society based on faith and family — the things that matter most.

(Jack Brewer serves as Chair of the Center for Opportunity Now and Vice-Chair of the Center for 1776 for the America First Policy Institute.)

the Central Park Five to a Trump indictment

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Kindred spirits will always be drawn to one another. Therefore, positive-driven people will be attracted to the strong motivation and integrity which comes from other positive-driven people. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. When the written and spoken rhetoric by divisive-driven people is used to promote intimidation, hate and animosity toward those in society who are considered to be inferior, it draws the attention and passionate reactions of other like-minded individuals.

Words are powerful, therefore hate filled words have historically been used as an effective rallying cry for racial violence. The motivation behind hatefilled words is a distinct part of American history where the threat of Black political power, the social mobility of Black people or just being Black has led to deadly actions by White lynch mobs. Many Black massacres in the U.S. included widespread destruction of property, deaths and the exile of Black residents from their communities. It takes one person to make a false accusation motivated by racial hatred, and it has led to lynching, massacres, and the wrongful imprisonment of Black people. The pattern throughout history is clear. In late May 1921, a Black teenager was falsely accused of assaulting a White woman in Tulsa, the result was the Tulsa massacre. In January 1923, a mob of over 200 White men attacked the Black community in Rosewood, Florida, killing over 30 Black men, woman and children, burning the town to the ground, and forcing all survivors to permanently flee Rosewood. It began with a young White woman claiming she was assaulted by a Black man despite there being no evidence against the man.

law: when human rights and traditional values clash

Uganda decided in February to close the UN human rights office that was in their country. This office was set up in 2006 to keep an eye on human rights violations in Ugandan areas that were at war. In 2009, the office’s mandate was expanded to cover all human rights issues across Uganda.

Uganda’s Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that the UN’s human rights office came to monitor violations during a war period that ended two decades ago.

Therefore, Uganda no longer needed the UN’s office for human rights because the country is at peace and the current government is committed to promoting the human rights that are written in their constitution.

When the UN’s office for human rights closed, Ugandan activists said that the office was still needed to show the “worsening record” of civil liberties in the country.

In March, Uganda’s parliament passed an anti-homosexuality bill.

Supporters of the bill say it’s necessary to protect children from “an array of LBGTQ activities” that threaten to erode the country’s traditional values. The bill bans promoting and abetting homosexuality and conspiring to engage in homosexuality. Any one guilty of aggravated homosexuality—which involves gay sex with persons under 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive—will be executed.

Anti-gay legislation isn’t uncommon in Africa.

J. Pharoah Doss Check

is unprecedented because it goes beyond sexual acts. Human Rights Watch says Uganda’s latest legislation makes it illegal for individuals to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill one of the worst of its kind in the world. He also said, “If signed into law by the president, it will render lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in Uganda criminals simply for existing.”

Traditionalists around the world have shown support for Uganda by stating a sovereign nation has the right to make laws in accordance with their traditional values.

Not if the law is based on a faulty premise.

is out: It is not a choice. It is rooted in biology; it is not a result of upbringing, socialization, or sexual molestation as a child.”

Once the anti-homosexuality bill is signed into law, its faulty premise will turn openly gay citizens into criminals overnight. Yet these “criminals” committed no crime against the state. Türk believes this will provide for the systematic violation of nearly all of their human rights. Moreover, this leads to the most important question: What protects these “criminals” when the government decides to purge them from society in order to protect their traditional values?

The answer is Uganda’s civic tradition. Uganda’s constitution states that its constitution is the supreme law of Uganda. If any law is inconsistent with any provisions of their constitution, the constitution will prevail, and the other law shall be void.

Uganda’s constitution has a long list of human rights that the government can’t infringe upon. Here are five constitutional guarantees the anti-homosexuality bill disregards: 1). Equality and freedom from discrimination 2). Protection of personal liberty 3). Respect for human dignity and protection from inhuman treatment 4). Protection of minorities 5). Right to just and fair treatment in administrative decisions Germany’s government criticized Uganda’s parliament for passing such an extreme measure and called the bill a declaration of war on gay people.

David W. Marshall

Commentary

Yusef Salaam was one of the five New York teenagers who was wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the 1989 rape and assault of a White woman jogging in Central Park. The five Black and Latino teens were beaten and coerced by New York City police into falsely confessing to the rape and assault. As a 15 years old teenager, Salaam was arrested but eventually exonerated after being imprisoned for over six years for a crime he did not commit. In early 2002, Matias Reyes, a convicted murderer and rapist, admitted that he alone was responsible for the attack. When referring to the false accusations from those in law enforcement, Salaam said, “The overwhelming feeling that I have toward the police and prosecutors is that they knew that we had not done this crime. They knew it, but yet they chose to move forward…..the people who are suppose to uphold the law, it is criminal when they do the exact opposite of that.” Salaam no longer refers to the men as the Central Park Five, but the Exonerated Five.

Dr. Yusef Salaam’s remarkable journey took him from being wrongfully imprisoned as a teen to becoming an award-winning motivational and transformational speaker, thought leader, trainer, New York Times Best Selling author and coach. His time in prison was not wasted. He used it to not only find his purpose in life, but to become a writer. While Salaam is currently a prison reform activist who has formally announced his candidacy for the New York City Council seat in Harlem’s 9th District, yet he will forever be tied to Donald Trump.  As Trump runs for president for a third time, we should never forget how he led the charge against the Exonerated Five with his divisive and hate-filled rhetoric. Now that Donald Trump himself is indicted, for a brief period, the former president will become an ordinary citizen when he is formally booked for criminal charges.

Thirty-four years after the arrest of Yusef Salaam, Donald Trump will be fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot like Salaam and the other members of the Exonerated 5. He will be read the standard Miranda warning like every other person who has ever gone through the booking process. While the indictment of a former president is a sad moment in our nation’s history, it becomes a vindication of the principle that no person is above the law. His arrest in Manhattan has great significance. Before the five teenagers were convicted in 1989, Trump spent $85,000 on a full page ad that ran in all four of New York’s major newspapers. The ad was a hate-filled message which called for the return of the death penalty in response to the attack. For a man who has a lot to say, he never issued an apology or any acknowledgement of their innocence after the men were cleared. The ad ran in part:

“Mayor Koch has stated that hate and rancor should be removed from our hearts. I do not think so. I want to hate those muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffered…Yes, Mayor Koch, I want to hate these murderers and I always will…How can our great society tolerate the continued brutalization of its citizens by crazed misfits?”

In a 2019 interview, Salaam said, “We were convicted because of the color of our skin. People thought the worst of us,” he said. “And this is all because of prominent New Yorkers-especially Donald Trump.” He added, “I look at Donald Trump, and I understand him as a representation of a symptom of America.” Many of Trump’s supporters will continue to vote for him despite two impeachments, one insurrection and now a criminal indictment. At times, his divisive hate-filled rhetoric connects with the motivations behind the death of Emmett Till and the massacres in Tulsa and Rosewood. The motivation to seek the death of a Black person when it comes to a Black man attacking a White female is a symptom of America even when the accusation is known not to be true. Trump’s arrest may be violently opposed by many of his supporters, but to see that Trump may likely walk into the same courtroom where the Exonerated Five were falsely convicted is priceless.

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

More than 30 African countries, including Uganda, ban same-sex relations, but Uganda’s latest anti-homosexuality bill

Private

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Over the past few years, we’ve all become painfully aware of the Far Right’s attacks on trans people, often centered around the right to use the restroom. So-called “bathroom bills” have popped up in a number of states, including right now in Arkansas.

These bills are obvious attempts by the Far Right to attack an already marginalized group and score some culture war points with the most hateful members of their base. And the tactic isn’t even new.

The Far Right has used the fear of boogeymen in the bathroom—Black people, queer people, now trans people —to scare up support for decades. It’s never been about the bathrooms; it’s always been about riling up their base and trying to keep marginalized groups under control. When we look at the history of these attacks, we can see how the targets may change, but the hate remains the same.

The Long, Sad History of Bathroom Restrictions

Across the country, segregated bathrooms prevented Black people from accessing public accommodations well into and even after the 1960s. The Far Right made whatever racist arguments they could think of to justify their bigotry, including supposedly protecting women —the same specious argument they’ve doled out during other bathroom fights.

Through the 1970s and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, paranoia about queer

Why

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—The recent massacre of three students and three adults in Nashville is alarming. How and why did a former student invade the school locked and loaded with an automatic weapon and ruthlessly kill innocent students and their caretakers?

While it is useless to speculate on the thought process that led someone to kill people, perhaps to make a statement, it is clear that the multiple school shootings that have taken place in the last several months have encouraged many to continue the trend by executing shootings of their own. In the wake of the March 27 Nashville shooting, we were treated to the usual rhetoric of “thoughts and prayers” and even calls for stronger gun legislation. But the gun lobby is so strong and gun-toting zealots so politically powerful that attempts to limit the availability of automatic weapons get caught in the political crossfire. Anyone can offer thoughts and prayers. Who is willing to change policy to protect our students?

While I am wondering how students are reacting to the ever-present school shootings, the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in children’s mental health two years ago citing the severe toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on top of existing challenges. While their report does not explicitly reference school shootings as part of the problem, Lee Savio Beers, AAP President, said, “Young people have endured so much throughout this pandemic, and while much of the attention is often placed on its physical health consequences, we cannot overlook the escalating mental health crisis facing

Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill states that its supporters are “of the opinion” that “homosexuality is mainly an acquired and learned practice, with little or no influence from nature, save some rare biological cases.” But that opinion is contrary to the report presented in 2015 by the Academy of Science of South Africa and the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, which stated, “That the evidence on homosexuality

The war can be prevented if the anti-homosexuality bill is declared unconstitutional.

people in bathrooms was rampant. Gay men were said to use bathroom stalls for illicit sex and to prey on youth. These types of baseless accusations fueled homophobia and helped established public restrooms as places of fear.

Today, the attacks largely focus on trans people, calling them “groomers” and implying they’re trying to do anything other than use the bathroom in peace and privacy. The attacks are completely disingenuous. So, if they’re not actually about protecting people in public restrooms, what are they about? Simple. Like most things in the Far Right’s culture war, they’re about control.

When You Can’t Use the Restroom, You Can’t Engage in Public Life

Whether you want to spend a leisurely day in the park, go out on the town, or stand in line to vote, you need access to public facilities when you’re out in public. The Far Right knows that, and that’s precisely why bathrooms have always been on their radar. Keeping Black people from public re-

Malveaux

our patients.” The mental health crisis shows up through increasing incidences of child suicide, the second leading cause of death for young people 10-24 in 2018. The number has likely increased since we have experienced much disruption since the COVID epidemic that shifted life paradigms between 2019 and 2021. If adults have problems handling this disruption, how do we think our children and young adults are faring? “We are caring for young people with soaring rates of depression, anxiety, trauma, loneliness, and suicidality that will have lasting impacts on them, their families, their communities, and all of our futures,” said AACAP President Gabrielle A. Carlson, M.D. “This is a national emergency, and the time for swift and deliberate action is now.”

The 2021 report noted that young people in communities of color had been impacted by the pandemic more than others and how the ongoing struggle for racial justice is inextricably tied to the worsening mental health crisis.

When young people witness the heinous killings of Black motorists or people simply “walking while Black,” how does it affect their mental health? While our attention is focused on young people who are students, we have often ignored the children who, as young as twelve or thirteen, are working in unsafe environ-

strooms made it harder to do things like vote, protest, or participate in society. Keeping queer people out of bathrooms ensured they remained marginalized and were met with fear and persecution. Keeping trans people out of bathrooms fuels the narrative that trans people are attempting to force their way into private spaces for nefarious purposes.

The worst part is, they know it’s a lie. It’s always been a lie. Trans people aren’t out to get you in the bathroom, nor were queer people or Black people. We are all just trying to exist in public spaces, and that’s what the Far Right can’t stand. They want the people with whom they disagree to disappear completely from public life, relegated to the shadows until they need to scare their base again. Bathrooms bills are a convenient way for them to restrict public access and create fear at the same time.

So, the next time someone tries to argue that trans people shouldn’t be allowed to use the bathroom, remind them these scare tactics were rolled out against gay people and against Black people in the past. Remind them that it’s always been about depriving people of power, not plumbing. And remind them that, just like in the past, these attacks will ultimately fail if good people stand up for what’s right.

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

ments. There are federal child labor laws that restrict the hours that those under 16 can work, especially during school hours. Too many employers ignore the rules and are rarely held accountable.

The National Child Labor Coalition has documented the reckless use of children in manufacturing plants, especially automobile manufacturing plants in Alabama (Kia and Hyundai are especially egregious violators). Nearly half of all employed children work in agriculture, where they are exposed to, among other things, life-threatening pesticides. While laws prevent child labor, enforcement is lax when regulatory agencies are understaffed. Louis Hine photographed jarring images of children working in agriculture, mines, and other dangerous places.

His work, much of which was documented at the turn of the twentieth century, was responsible for the child labor legislation from 1912, and was part of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938. Our nation is moving backward in protecting children, but that is no surprise since we are going backward using legislation to prevent exploitation. Still, too many of us mouth the platitude that we believe that children are the future while ignoring our children’s mental health in the classroom, the workplace, and the world. Our indifference to our young people will likely result in their indifference to us a decade or two from now.

Can we expect the young people we have ignored to protect our Medicare or Social Security? Why should they care for us when we have not cared for them?

(Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA. She can be reached at juliannemalveaux.com)

acts, public shaming: Decoding the far right’s attack on who can access bathrooms

Julianne

Svante Myrick Commentary

NOTICE IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Notice is hereby given to the following persons, their heirs, successors or assigns, and to all persons whatsoever, that the City of Pittsburgh, by John Miller, Assistant City Solicitor, 328 City County Building has petitioned the Court of Orders quieting title to the following tax acquired real estate, pursuant to Act No. 171, approved December 11, 1984.

GD –2023-002324 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

Winton Hall Jr.; Sadie Hall; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents 25th Ward, Pittsburgh. Lot 20 x 28.302 Jefferson St. Block 7 Lot 23-E-149-A. Subject to all roads and alleyways as now located; particularly a three (3) foot wide alley for ingress, regress and egress, said alley extends from the northerly line of herein described property to which southerly line of Atlanta Way and borders along the easterly line of the within described property. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002337 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

G. W. Jones III; Truth C. Jones; George W. Jones IV; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents 25th Ward, Pittsburgh. Marquis St Lot 15.04X54 Marquis St. Block & Lot 22-H-272. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002348 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

George A. Wilson; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents 21st Ward, Pittsburgh Lot 17.42 x 79.32 St. Ives St. Block & Lot 22-G-112. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002350 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

Thomas F. Ulrich; Sarah J. Ulrich; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents 25th Ward, Pittsburgh Lot 21.6 x 57.09 Freedman Street. Block & Lot 22-H-214. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002355 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

Florence Hiller; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents 25th Ward, Pittsburgh Lot 12.79 X 52 Brightridge St. nr. N. Charles St. George Breed Plan, P. B. 3, Page 138. Block & Lot 22-D-211.

SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002360

CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

Gordon Kear; Roberta Kear; Beneficial Consumer Discount Company; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents 18th Ward, Pittsburgh Bon Air Plan 152. Part 151. Lot 37.5 X 120 Conniston near Bandi. Block & Lot 33-E-104. All roads public or private affecting the premises and the rights of others therein. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002363

CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

Teresa Gaito; Benjamin A. Miller; Daisy Reese Miller; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents 3rd Ward, Pittsburgh. Lang & Thumm Plan Pt 45 Lot 22.85x avg82x10 rr Lombard. Block & lot 11-E-174.

SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

WHEREUPON the Court granted a rule on the aforesaid persons, and all persons, whatsoever, to appear and show cause within thirty days from this notice why the title of the CITY OF PITTSBURGH to the aforesaid real estate should not be adjudicated and decreed valid and indefeasible as against all mortgages, ground-rents, rights, title, interest in or claims against the aforesaid real estate, and to further show cause why the sale of the said real estate should not be made free and clear of all the aforesaid claims whatsoever.

JOHN MILLER ASSISTANT CITY SOLICITOR CITY OF PITTSBURGH

LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

The Sports & Exhibition Authority will receive proposals for the North Shore Riverfront Park (NSRFP) Sheet Pile Wall Design/Build Repairs as identified below. The Request for Proposals may be obtained after the date identified below from Bill Williams, Facilities Director, email: bwilliams@pgh-sea.com, Telephone: 412-325-3003

This Advertisement applies to the following RFP:

Project: Design/Build - North Shore Riverfront Park (NSRFP) Sheet Pile Wall Repairs

RFP Available: Monday, April 3, 2023

Pre-Proposal Meeting: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 @ 1:00 PM North Shore Riverfront Park (NSRFP) Great Lawn (next to WWII Memorial)

Time/Date/Location for Proposals: Monday, April 24, 2023 @ 2:00 PM Sports& Exhibition Authority c/o Bill Williams 171 10th Street, 2nd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222 bwilliams@pgh-sea.com

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Proposals for a Peer-Run Respite as a Community Based Non-Clinical Crisis Support.

Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 17.

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

Erin Dalton Director

Street,

OFFICIAL NOTICE BOROUGH OF AVALON ZONING HEARING BOARD NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE CONDUCTED ON MONDAY, APRIL 10, 2023, AT 6:00 PM AT THE AVALON BOROUGH ADMINISTRATION BUILDING, 640 CALIFORNIA AVE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15202.

The Zoning Hearing Board of Avalon Borough, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania will hold a Hearing on Monday, April 10, 2023, at 6:00 pm on the Zoning Hearing Board Application for property located at 932 Clive St., Lot and Block No. 160-E-121, and 936 Clive St., Lot and Block No. 160-E-119, in the R-H: High Density Residential district.

Applicant is appealing from the Zoning Officer’s denial of an application to construct a single-car parking pad in the front yard of each unit. Alternately, Application is seeking a variance from relief from Section 2000-800[B](2) of the Tri-Boroughs Joint Zoning Ordinance, as amended by Ordinance No. 1386, which states:

Article 2000-800 [B](2): Parking

Outside of the Curb Lines – All required parking in any “R” Zoning District must be outside of the front yard in any “R” District. No singlefamily, duplex, or two family lots shall have more than twenty-five (25) percent of the front yard used for driveway purposes. Members of the public are invited to attend. Attendance at the meeting is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal of the Zoning Hearing Board Decision. All documents relative to this application are available for review in the Borough Administrative Office during normal business hours. Please contact Assistant Manager Leanne McLaughlin at 412-7615820 with any questions.

Leanne McLaughlin Assistant Borough Manager

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Bids/Proposals

ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY LEGAL NOTICE CONTRACT NO. 1786 EMERGENCY SEWER TELEVISING CONTRACT 2023 - 2024

Sealed Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1786–Emergency Sewer Televising Contract 2023-2024 shall be received at the Engineering Department office of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15233, until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Friday, May 5, 2023 and then shall be Publicly Opened and read via Microsoft Virtual Teams Meeting.

A Pre-Bid Meeting will be held via Microsoft Virtual Teams Meeting on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 10:00 A.M., Prevailing Time . A Invitation will be required to access this meeting. If interested in obtaining a Invitation to the Pre-Bid Meeting, contact Kathleen P. Uniatowski via email at Kathleen.uniatowski@alcosan.org .

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 examined and obtained at the Engineering 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 Specifications should be directed to Steven Bristol, Project Engineer I, ALCOSAN, via email at steven.bristol@alcosan.org .

Any questions regarding the Purchase of Contract Bidding Documents should be directed to Kaylynn Banks, ALCOSAN, via email at contract.clerks@alcosan.org.

The Authority reserves the right to reject 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

MICHAEL LICHTE P.E. DIRECTOR OF REGIONAL CONVEYANCE

CITY OF PITTSBURGH

OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET ADVERTISEMENT

Separate and sealed Bid Proposals will be received electronically starting on Thursday, April 5th for: 2023-IFB-074 –Steps & Stairways Repair/Replace/Renovate (CD)

Information on solicitations is available on the City of Pittsburgh website: http://purchasing.pittsburghpa.gov

Bid proposals are requested on behalf of the City of Pittsburgh. All bids must be submitted via the above website and all required documents must be provided or the bid proposal may be considered non-responsive. The contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity requirements for Federally Assisted construction contracts. The contractor must assure that employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of their race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Attention is called to Executive Order 11246, to Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, 12 U.S.C. 1701U, and to the Section 3 Clause and Regulations set forth in 24 CFR, Part 135.

The Contractor will be required to comply with the following laws, rules and regulations:

All provisions of US Executive Order 11246 of September 24, 1965, as amended by US Executive Order 11375 and as supplemented in US Department of Labor Regulations (41 CFR, Part 60), and of the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the US Secretary of Labor. Contractor shall comply with all applicable standards, orders, or requirements issued of the Clean Air Act (42 USC 1857 et. seq.), Section 508 of the Clean Water Act (33 USC 1368), Executive Order 11738, and Environmental Protection Agency regulations (40 CFR, Part 15)

Contractor shall comply with the Davis-Bacon Act the Davis-Bacon Act (40 U.S.C. 276a to 276a-7) as supplemented by Department of Labor regulations (29 CFR part 5)

Procedures for compliance to these acts shall be as follows:

All specifications for construction contracts and subcontracts will contain the prevailing wage rates (as enclosed in this bid package) as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act, as amended (40 U.S.C. 276-a to 276-C-5) and provision that overtime compensation will be paid in accordance with the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act Regulations (29 CFR, Parts 5 and 1926). The contract provisions shall require that these standards be met.

Notice of Requirement for Affirmative Action to Ensure Equal Employment Opportunity (Executive Order 11246): Bidder’s attention is called to the “Equal Opportunity Clause” and the “Standard Federal Equal Employment Specifications” set forth in 41 CFR Public Contracts and Property Management Part 60-4.3 Equal Opportunity Clauses.

Goals for minority participation: 18%

Goals for female participation: 7%

These goals are applicable to all construction work (whether or not Federal or Federally-Assisted) performed in the “covered area.”

As used in this notice, and in the contract resulting from this solicitation, the “covered area” is Pittsburgh SMSA (Allegheny, Washington, Beaver and Westmoreland counties).

The contractor shall comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1988, as amended, Section 109 of the Community Development Act of 1974, with Executive Order 11625 (Minority Business Enterprise) and Executive Order 12138 (Women’s Business Enterprise)

The Proposers will be required to submit the package of certifications included with the contract documents relating to Equal Employment Opportunity. Vendors submitting responses on federally funded projects must register on SAM.gov and provide proof of registration.

The City of Pittsburgh reserves the right to withhold the award of contract for a period of sixty (60) calendar days after the opening of bids.

The City of Pittsburgh reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals.

INVITATION TO BID

The HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF BEAVER will receive sealed bids, in duplicate, until 9:30 AM (local time) on Friday, April 28, 2023 at the office of the Housing Authority of the County of Beaver, James F. Tress Administration Building, 300 State Ave (Vanport), Beaver, Pennsylvania at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud at 10:00 A.M for the HACB Water Heater Replacement at Thomas Bishop Apts, Brodhead Apts, and Sheffield Towers at Francis Farmer Apartments, Community Room, 274 Friendship Circle, Beaver, PA 15009. A fifteen percent (15 %) bid bond is required for this project.

Proposed forms of contract documents, including Plans and Specifications may be obtained at the Housing Authority of the County of Beaver Central Office, James F. Tress Administration Building, 300 State Avenue, Beaver, PA 15009 by first mailing $100.00 in the form of a check made payable to the HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE COUNTY OF BEAVER for each set of documents so obtained. An additional $10.00 is required if you want it mailed. DEPOSITS ARE

PA 15219

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY D.B.A. PRT

Electronic Proposals will be received online at PRT’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

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

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

BOY

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

Meeting ID: 276 578 910 863

Passcode: Kdj2Nz

Or call in (audio only)

412-927-0245

Phone Conference ID: 628 197 512#

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

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

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

Meeting ID: 290 930 588 454

Passcode: 4KnCW9

Or call in (audio only)

412-927-0245

Phone Conference ID: 286 913 705#

Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the PRT within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County d.b.a. PRT and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing.

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

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

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR WORKFORCE TRAINING

PROGRAM RFP#550-13-23

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

Workforce Training Program

The documents will be available no later than March 27, 2023, and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until: 10:00 AM on April 20, 2023. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 10:00 AM on March 27, 2023 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 to the address referenced in the RFP at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped.

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:

James Harris

Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street

2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2915

A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on April 6, 2023, at 10:00 AM. Please see meeting information below:

Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 858 7816 0313

Passcode: 567537

+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs documentation.

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.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR CONSULTING SERVICES FOR CENTRAL MAINTENANCE GAS AND DIESEL STATION UPGRADES RFP#600-04-23

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

Consulting Services for Central Gas and Diesel Station Upgrades

The documents will be available no later than March 27, 2023, and signed, sealed proposals will be accepted until: 9:00 AM on April 25, 2023. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical proposals dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on April 25, 2023 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:

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

A pre-submission meeting will be held in person; on April 11,2023 at 9:00 AM. Please see meeting information below:

On-site Meeting Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Central Maintenance Building 201 Kirkpatrick Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219

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

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

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

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE CLEANUP AUTHORITY WIDE

IFB#300-14-23

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

Emergency Response Clean Up Authority Wide

IFB#300-14-23

The documents will be available no later than April 3, 2023, and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 AM on April 25, 2023

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 25, 2023, 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 13, 2023, at 9:00 AM. Please see meeting information below:

Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID:870 3254 4820 Passcode: 947646 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs documentation.

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.

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR LEAD WORK MOVING SERVICES

IFB#600-16-23

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

Lead Work Moving Services

IFB#600-16-23

The documents will be available no later than April 3, 2023, and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 11:00 AM on April 25, 2023.

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 11:00 AM on April, 25 2023 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 13, 2023, at 11:00 AM. Please see meeting information below:

Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID:840 3051 7572

Passcode: 255149 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs documentation.

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.

PORTFOLIO ANALYTICS & STRATEGY SPECIALIST

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, seeks a Portfolio Analytics & Strategy Specialist for a work-from-home position (with the ability to telecommute with appropriate telecommuting systems) to participate in the Balance Sheet Analytics & Modeling team supporting strategy initiatives and execution. Specific duties include: (i) provide financial and regulatory reporting and quantitative analyses to maintain adequate controls over the financial and regulatory reporting processes; (ii) run complex business performance, risk and operational analytics; (iii) develop analytical methods and models to assess market, credit and operational risk of new and existing financial products; (iv) leverage business and product expertise to rigorously analyze large quantitative financial datasets, improve risk adjusted returns, deliver profitable growth and communicate conclusions; (v) synthesize quantitative financial analytical results and develop, recommend and implement business strategies that improve lending decisions, assist in managing risk, increase revenues, reduce exposure to losses, meet business goals and improve performance; (vi) establish baselines for financial strategies and track actual performance to expectations; (vii) apply predictive quantitative financial models, third-party quantitative financial data and other financial quantitative analysis tools to develop and execute appropriate segmentation and target for acquisition and portfolio strategies to provide insight into portfolio risk; (viii) manage engagements with internal and external information suppliers to ensure that financial quantitative solutions are fit for business purposes while maintaining appropriate governance and oversight; (ix) work with business, credit, data and model development partners to design, develop and monitor financial quantitative test designs and analytical reporting to track and enhance strategies; (x) design and enhance standard reporting suites for regular product and portfolio reviews; and (xi) collaborate with the line of business, Finance and Risk partners to assess and establish credit risk appetite and understand its implications, as well as establish policies and procedures governing the identification, monitoring and management of risk appetite.

Estate of JANICE L. STOCKMEIER, aka Janice Lee Stockmeier, Deceased of the Borough of Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania, No.: 02-23-00697 , Judith Ann Stockmeier, Executrix

of 2023. James W. Needham has been appointed Executor by Order dated March 28, 2023 Peter B. Lewis, Neighborhood Legal Services, 928 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Counsel.

Estate of BERNADETTE A. RICHARDS, Deceased of West Mifflin Borough, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 02-23-02246, Denise Richards Hertzler, Executrix, 230 Policz Road, Waynesburg, PA 15370 or to Ryan W. Brode, Atty, 6 Clairton BlVD. Pittsburgh, PA 15236

Estate of SUSAN LOUISE BAILEY, Deceased of 124 West Swissvale Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 151218, Estate No. 02-23-02002, Theodore F. Hanselman, 60 Chase Road, Concord, MA 01742, Sarah Pratt, 2593

Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Economics, Business Administration, Statistics, Mathematical Finance or Finance plus 5 years of experience conducting data analysis in the financial services industry is required. Experience required with the following: (i) handling, manipulating and conducting statistical analytics of large datasets using SQL and Python; (ii) statistical modeling using Decision Trees and data analysis to identify high risk segments and synthesis of results for presentation to a less technical senior audience; (iii) financial lending credit risk management, including acquisition and portfolio management risk analysis; (iv) utilizing data query tools including SQL and Python to manipulate, analyze and interpret credit bureau databases; (v) P&L (profitability and loss) analysis in financial industry; (vi) writing and implementing SAS programs and macros for reporting, automation and data analysis for portfolio performance monitoring; (vii) advanced database management (writing complex SQL queries), advanced tools and software including SQL, advanced Excel (pivot tables) and PowerPoint; and (viii) delivering data analytics in multimedia presentations to senior leadership. 40 hours/week, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Interested individuals apply online at www.pnc.com using keyword R119056. PNC provides equal employment opportunity to qualified persons regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or other categories protected by law.

infrastructure renewal projects and technical services.

Essential Functions:

• Responsible for the management of required bus and rail infrastructure, tunnels, bridges, and walls, engineering and technical services and support required within the Planning and Development Division. Manages fixed guideway specification development and procurement of materials and services.

• Develop, maintain, and implement

QA/QC guidelines and procedures in such areas as design management, design reviews, cost/benefit studies, alternative analysis, conformance with design criteria, codes, standards and good engineering and architectural practices. Conduct internal and external quality audits, as required.

Provide Professional Engineering stamp for those PRT work products requiring a PE review.

• Directs the activities of the Fixed Guideways and Infrastructure teams and provides leadership to assure that the assigned human and material resources are employed in a cost effective and businesslike manner to produce results consistent with the business plan goals and policies of the PRT and to complete assigned projects on schedule and within budget

Job requirements include:

• BS Degree in Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering field.

• Minimum of ten (10) years’ of progressive experience in Design Management, i.e. managing capital projects and professional service contracts, quality control, dispute resolution, financial and schedule control with five (5) years’ experience in a supervisory/management capacity or comparable experience.

• Registered Professional Engineer or Architect in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or the ability to obtain such registration through reciprocity within one (1) year of appointment.

• Professional and effective communication skills.

• Valid PA driver’s license.

• Demonstrated ability in the use of Microsoft Office Suite Programs, including Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Preferred attributes:

• Master of Science Degree in Engineering or related field; Master’s in Business or Public Administration.

• Three (3) years’ experience in responsible charge of plans and specifications development and design.

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 and Asbestos Worker Trade.

Applications are accepted without regard to Race, Religion, National Origin, Sex, Age, or Disability.

Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of acceptance into the program; have a high school diploma or G.E.D at the time of acceptance into the program; have a dependable form of transportation; and must be physically fit to perform the work of the trade. Applications must be obtained in person Monday through Saturday: April 3, through April 8, 2023 and Monday through Thursday: April 10, through April 13, 2023 between the hours of 12:30 PM and 5:00 PM at the Insulators Training Center, 109 Pleasant Drive Suite B, Aliquippa, PA 15001. Photo identification is required and there is a $25.00 (non-refundable) application processing fee, to be paid by cashier’s check or money order.

CLERICAL WORKER

The Monroeville Municipal Authority is seeking applications for the position of Clerical Worker. Resumes and applications will be accepted at the Authority office at 219 Speelman Lane, Monroeville, PA 15146 between the hours of 7:00AM and 3:30PM weekdays until Friday April 7, 2023. For more detailed information and an application go to www.monroevillewater.org

Candidates will be subject to drug and alcohol testing and a criminal background check. Employees of the Authority must be a Monroeville resident or must become a Monroeville resident within six (6) months of their hire date, and remain a Monroeville resident throughout their employment with the Authority.

HELP WANTED

The Washington County Housing Authority is looking for a Property Manager that is experienced in Section 8 New Construction and Tax Credit properties, however, all Property Management experience will be considered. This individual will manage properties in Monongahela and New Eagle. This is a full-time Union position with an annual salary range of $39,512.00-$43,916.00

Benefits include: health, vision and dental insurance, paid time off, and a retirement plan. Hours are MondayFriday, 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. with an unpaid lunch hour.

Please contact Debbie Hurrell at 724-228-6060 ext. 110 for an application.

Stanley P. Shook, Deputy Executive Director WASHINGTON COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY

An Equal Opportunity Employer

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: CONSTRUCTION

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

Missy Ramsey Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 MRamsey@RidePRT.org

EOE

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP.

SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY SUBSTITUTE TEACHER: Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org

Deadline 4:00 PM April 12, 2023

EOE

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking the following positions: PERSONAL CARE PARAEDUCATOR CLASSROOM PARAEDUCATOR Applications must be received by 4:00 PM, April 12, 2023

Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at:

www.southfayette.org

MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

Lawrenceville United seeks an independent contractor with construction experience to support the organization’s new business line of administering home repairs for low-income homeowners in Lawrenceville. More information at bit.ly/construction15201 or contact 412-802-7220 or Dave@LUnited.org.

FIRE LIEUTENANT MT. LEBANON, PA

The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon will accept applications for the position of fire lieutenant beginning February 13, 2023 . Deadline to submit an application, resume, certifications, and complete the on-line written exam will be May 12, 2023. This is a lateral entry supervisory position requiring substantial fire service knowledge, skills, and background. Job responsibilities include supervision of volunteer staff, fire apparatus operation, fire suppression, fire prevention, public education, rescue operations, and hazardous material and emergency medical response.

Starting salary is $76,310.00 with excellent benefits and pension. To review requirements and apply, go to https://mtlebanon.bamboohr.com/ hiring/jobs/150.

Mt. Lebanon is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

ASH WITH AUNT DONNA BUTLER AND UNCLE GEORGE “PORGIE” FRYE