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HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY!

Kevin Walker named CEO of Duquesne Light

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‘I feel fulfilled.’

Esther L. Bush to retire as President/CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

National Urban League President and CEO Marc M. Morial had nothing but praise for Esther L. Bush, saying “few individuals have done as much to advance racial equity and economic justice in Western Pennsylvania in the last half-century” as her.

Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Board Chair Alan Trivilino said that Bush “helped transform this important organization, which will have a lasting impact on so many in the Pittsburgh region.”

Bush, highly recognizable, personable, authentic and unabashed, has been President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh for 27 years.

Today, she officially announced that she would be retiring as the leader of one of the top-rated Urban League affiliates in the country.

“I am comfortable retiring at this time because I have experienced highs

COURIER EXCLUSIVE and challenges that I think have brought us to where the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh is today, and I say that with a great deal of thanks to the entire community,” Bush told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview, June 1. “I honestly feel like it is time for me to

pass the baton, and I am so impressed and excited about what I see coming from the younger generation.”

An exact date for Bush’s retirement has not been finalized.

The year 2021 marks 41 years in the Urban League family for Bush, who graduated from Westinghouse High School in 1969. Bush earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Morgan State University and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Johns Hopkins University.

She began her career as a high school teacher and later worked as a college administrator and corporate consultant. She moved progressively up the ladder in the Urban League, a release from the Urban

ESTHER L. BUSH, who has led the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh since 1994.

League stated, starting in 1980 with the position of assistant director of the Labor Education Advancement Program for the National Urban League in New York City. From there, she served first as director of the New York Urban League Staten Island Branch, then as director of its Manhattan Branch.

Before returning to her hometown of Pittsburgh in December 1994, Bush

served as President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Hartford.

More than anything else, Bush is a tireless advocate for education. She told the Courier that one of her greatest accomplishments during her tenure as Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO was the formation of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School in 1998.

“I felt like I had a hand in helping African American children develop to their fullest potential,” Bush said. “There is nothing more satisfying than that.”

There were other accomplishments that stood out in Bush’s mind, such as the three trips the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh sponsored to Africa, where participants toured SEE BUSH A7

Homestead having a Black business surge And borough’s council members are majority-Black; first time in history

by Merecedes J. Williams For New Pittsburgh Courier

Homestead’s business district is shifting, and showing signs of prosperity.

The small borough now has five Black council members and its first Black borough manager, Vanessa McCarthy-Johnson. And what’s flown under the radar is John M. Burwell, who is African American, defeating longtime incumbent mayor Betty Esper in the May 18

primary election.

Together, they are looking to increase the number of Black businesses in Homestead, particularly along well-known Eighth Avenue.

“We want to create a safe, more friendly space for Black businesses,” said McCarthy-Johnson, in an exclusive interview with the New Pittsburgh Courier.

McCarthy-Johnson wants Black residents, who make up 51 percent of the borough’s population but only five percent of the business owners, to see business

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owners who look like them, and use it as inspiration.

She also wants locals to be able to call Homestead “home.”

Over the recent months, there have been new Black-owned businesses flooding Homestead’s main thoroughfare. Mike Reid credits the work of McCarthy-Johnson and Council President Don Dais as to why he chose Homestead as headquarters for his restaurant and lounge, EON. Nestled in the heart of Eighth Avenue, EON provides food, music, drinks, private rentals, catering, and the full VIP experience.

“There is nothing like this in Pittsburgh,” Reid told the Courier. “And our SEE SURGE A3

MIKE REID is the force behind EON, a new bar and grill at 106 East Eighth Avenue, Homestead. More Black businesses have been opening in Homestead of late. (Photo by Merecedes J. Williams)

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Happy 100th Birthday, Deaconess Gertie Mae Vance!

The New Pittsburgh Courier has happily learned that Deaconess Gertie Mae Vance turned 100 years young on May 19!

Born May 19, 1921, to the late Homer D. Rush and Minerva Rush in Parkdale, Arkansas, her parents were owners of a cotton field and corner family store.

Ms. Vance married her school sweetheart Robert Vance, and they were married 57 years until his passing.

Robert and Gertie migrated to the north in 1943 with their young family. They raised five children; three sons and two daughters.

They resided in St. Clair Village and remained there until 1973.

Ms. Vance currently resides in the Sheraden area.

It’s also important to note that Ms. Vance has been a faithful member of St. Luke Baptist Church since 1945.

Ms. Vance (everybody knows her as Gertie) is a mother, grandmother to 18, great-grandmother to 28 and greatgreat grandmother to 5.

She’s an aunt, godmother, dedicated friend and a loving mom to many and, of course, a child of God. She contributes her longevity to her faith and strength from God and eating good old soul food.

This Week In Black History A Courier Staple June 2

1863—Abolitionist and “Underground Railroad Conductor” Harriet Tubman leads a force of Union Army guerrilla soldiers into Maryland and frees more than 700 slaves. Tubman was one of the most noteworthy women in the anti-slavery struggle prior to the Civil War and became a leading voice in the call for the federal government to allow Blacks to fight in the war.

1899—African Americans observe a “National Day of Fasting” to protest lynching and other racial attacks against Blacks. The day of protest was called by the National Afro-American Council.

1975—James A. Healy becomes the first Black Roman Catholic Bishop in the United States. He was

consecrated at the Roman Catholic cathedral in Portland, Maine.

June 3

1904—Dr. Charles R. Drew is born. He grows up to conduct a first of its kind research in blood transfusions and the creation of blood plasma.

Drew also established Britain’s first blood bank and in the United States he fought against the segregation of blood based on race. He died on April 1, 1950 as a result of injuries received in an automobile accident while driving in North Carolina.

1906—Entertainer Josephine Baker is born in St. Louis, Mo. At 16, she starred in the hit and controversial musical “Shuffle Along.” However, she did not achieve fame until she left the United States and

moved to Paris, France, where her exotic dancing and singing made her an international sensation.

Baker was mixed race of African American and Native American parentage.

She returned to the U.S. several times including in 1963 to speak at the Dr. Martin Luther King-led March on Washington for civil rights.

June 4

1922—Samuel L. Gravely is born. Gravely became the first African American admiral in the United States Navy and the first African American to command a U.S. warship. The Richmond, Va., native died in 2004 at the age of 82.

1972—College professor and activist Angela Davis is acquitted by a jury of charges that she assisted and conspired with the young men involved in a deadly 1970 shootout at

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the Marin County courthouse in California. The assault on the courthouse was an attempt to free imprisoned Black activist George Jackson. At least three people were killed during the escape attempt. Davis, a Birmingham, Ala., native who became a member of the Communist Party, spent 16 months in prison but on this day in 1972 she was found not guilty of all charges by an all-White San Jose, Calif., jury.

1973—Arna Bontemps dies at the age of 72 in Nashville, Tenn. Born in Louisiana, Bontemps became one of the key figures in the Black artistic and cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. Bontemps was a prolific writer and poet.

June 5

1872—The Republican Party National Convention takes place in Philadelphia with substantial representation from former Black slaves. At least

three Blacks addressed the national political gathering. At this point in history, the Republicans were the nation’s most progressive party and attracted the allegiance of African Americans. Blacks would remain loyal to the Republicans until the 1930s. But by 1945 with the Republicans becoming increasingly conservative and attracted to the New Deal programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the vast majority of Blacks had switched to the Democrats.

1894—Black inventor G.W. Murray patents a fertilizer distributor, cotton chopper and a seed planter all on this day in 1894.

1945—Track star John Carlos is born in Harlem, N.Y. Carlos and fellow sprinter Tommie Smith created an international sensation when they protested American racism by giving the “Black Power” clinched fist salute when accepting their medals at the 1968 Olympics.

1956—Although the

actual decision may have been reached the previous day, a federal district court hands down a ruling declaring that Alabama laws requiring racial segregation in public transportation were unconstitutional. The decision, which was later confirmed by the United States Supreme Court, was the first major legal victory for the Civil Rights Movement. It grew out of the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott sparked when Rosa Parks defied the law and custom by refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a White man. Although actually organized by Rev. E.D. Nixon, the Boycott would result in Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. becoming the nation’s most prominent civil rights leader.

June 6

1790—Jean Baptist Pointe Du Sable establishes a settlement which would eventually grow into the city of Chicago.

The settlement would make the French-speaking, Santo Domingo-born Du Sable a wealthy man.

1958—Singer, musician and composer Prince was born on this day in Minneapolis, Minn. His full name was Prince Rogers Nelson. He was a musical innovator and known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, extravagant dress and makeup, and wide vocal range. Prince died at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minn., on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57.

1966—Although there is some debate as to who first coined and used the phrase, this is generally recognized as the day in 1966 that Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee President Stokely Carmichael began to popularize the term “Black Power” as a demand for greater African American control over their political and economic destiny in America.

SEE BLACK HISTORY A3

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More Black businesses calling Homestead ‘home’ food is amazing.”

EON’s kitchen is led by Tanisha Brissett and Sam Darkins, private caterers and co-owners of Soul of Grace, LLC. Folks travel far and wide for their famous lamb chops and seafood boils.

A few blocks up the street from EON is an upscale night lounge offering exclusive hookah and specialty crafted cocktails. “Soldi” officially opened on April 30, and has seen 2000s R&B legends Ashanti and Ginuwine already make their way to Homestead as special guests.

Soldi owner Lauren Long moved to Homestead when she was 14, and Soldi marks her second business venture.

“It is a great feeling to drive down the same street I used to frequent growing up, seeing the developments, and being a part of it. It is necessary for the community and the culture,” she said.

Homestead’s business landscape is widely associated with The Waterfront, an open-air shopping mall that opened in 1999 to much fanfare. But while The Waterfront features national chains like Dick’s, Dave and Buster’s, Target and Barnes and Noble, McCarthy-Johnson said that “we’re not just The Waterfront. You will see a lot of these great small businesses to support, which is what we want people to see when they think of Homestead as a destination.”

Tenel Dorsey, an 18-year Homestead business veteran, has 11 employees and continues to expand her

hair salon, Dreamz, which is pretty much a Homestead staple. The salon provides a wide range of services, including natural hair styling, barbering, hair replacement, coloring, and luxury hair extensions and wigs.

Last summer, after 17 years, Dreamz moved from Eighth Avenue to Seventh Avenue.

“It amazes me how Homestead was so deserted at one point throughout the 18 years we’ve been in this community,” Dorsey told the Courier. “I think it is absolutely amazing that our people found a space where they can flourish, and now, we as Black people can flourish together.

After all, the goal is for us to come together.”

Dais, the Council President who was elected in 2018, is all in when it comes to pushing for more Black businesses in Homestead. “I’m inviting Black businesses into this area, removing the obstacles, small problems, and hurdles,” he said.

Dais was one of the first people to welcome Reid and EON to the neighborhood.

“Homestead felt like home because we were welcomed. We could not have accomplished what we accomplished without the Borough of Homestead assisting us,” Reid said. Reid originally had a business on the North Side, but the Perry Traditional Academy and Indiana University of Pennsylvania graduate said he’s happy to be in Homestead.

“The borough is super supportive and they want

Black History

you to succeed,” Reid said.

“They are really helping us and making sure we are on track, and that was from jump.”

Dais said establishments like EON “strengthen and beautify this community,” and when you come across a Black business in Homestead, he doesn’t want you “to see color, but progress.”

And progress is being made for African Americans in borough government. Burwell, who is a minister, received 223 votes to Mayor Esper’s 210 votes in the primary. And Dais is now joined by Mary Nesby, Rev. Louise Benton, Jou’Al Burwell, and Min. Connie Burwell as the five Black council members in Homestead, a majority-Black council.

They all are on board on elevating Homestead’s Black business community, which also includes, among others, Mona’s Angels, a child care center on Eighth Avenue, and the newly-opened Live Fresh, a cold pressed juice and smoothie bar, located next to EON, at 114 East Eighth Avenue. LAUREN LONG is owner of Soldi, which has already seen R&B stars Ashanti and Ginuwine visit the Its owner is Brett Gilliam. lounge at 519 East Eighth Avenue, Homestead. (Photo by Courier photographer Merecedes J. WilAnd when there are Black liams) businesses, there are jobs being created. Twenty new jobs have been created between the openings of Soldi and EON, the owners said.

What’s next for some of these Black businesses in Homestead? Well, EON is looking forward to their first full summer and expanding in Homestead and surrounding areas. Soldi is opening their kitchen soon, offering an elevated tapas menu. And Dreamz Hair Salon recently opened a warehouse to store hair care products and luxury hair extensions to ensure distribution stores like Sisters Beauty Supply in Downtown Pittsburgh can be restocked quickly.

BLACK HISTORY FROM A2

1987—Dr. Mae Jemison is selected by NASA as the first Black woman to begin training as a space shuttle astronaut. Jemison actually became the first African-American woman to travel in space on Sept.

12, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor.

June 7

1868—This is generally recognized as the day Marie Laveau retired (or was forced out) as the most powerful Voo Doo priestess in the world. The New Orleans native had become powerful and wealthy catering to the superstitious beliefs of both Blacks and Whites throughout the South. The daughter of a slave and a French plantation owner, Laveau was raised as a Catholic but became intrigued by stories of the city’s first Voo Doo priestess Sanite De De and by 1830 had built her own Voo Doo religious empire.

She was replaced by one of her daughters, but she would live until 1881 dying at the age of 98.

1917—One of the greatest poets of the 20th century Gwendolyn Brooks is born in Topeka, Kan. Pushed by her mother and father, Brooks began writing poetry at a young age and was even introduced to some of the best known Black poets and writers of the Harlem Renaissance while still a child. She won the coveted Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1950 for a collection entitled “Annie Allen.” She died on Dec. 3, 2000.

1930—Under pressure from early civil rights activists, the New York Times begins using the word “Negro” as the official designation for African Americans. It also agreed to capitalize the “N.” The decision by the Times gradually led to “Negro” becoming the official designation for Blacks nationwide and it would remain so until it was dethroned by “Black” in the 1960s.

Positively, the rights advocates were attempting to build greater respect

for African Americans but negatively, the selection of “Negro” also reflected a desire not to be referred to as “Blacks.”

1953—Educator and activist Mary Church Terrell wins a legal battle to end segregation in Washington, D.C., restaurants.

June 8

1886—Homer A. Plessy, a light-complexioned Black man, refuses to leave the “White” section of a New Orleans railroad car and move to the “colored” section. His Rosa Parks type refusal sets in motion a legal case, which eventually reached the United States Supreme Court. In its May 1896 ruling, the Court decided against Plessy and thus confirmed the segregationist doctrine of “separate but equal.” The ruling also had the effect of treating anyone with any “Black blood” as Black. The court never actually ruled on Plessy’s claim that he was 7/8 White and only 1/8 Black and thus should not be treated as “colored” under the laws of that day.

1968—James Earl Ray, the man convicted of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is captured at an airport in London using a false Canadian passport. Ray would spend the rest of his life trying to withdraw his guilty plea charging that his brother and a mysterious man he met in Montreal, Canada, named Raoul were actually involved in the killing of King. He claimed he “did not personally shoot Dr. King” but suggested he knew beforehand about the conspiracy to assassinate him. Ray died in prison in April 1998.

1982—One of the greatest athletes to ever play the game of baseball, Satchel Paige, dies in Kansas City, Mo. Paige had played in the old Negro Baseball Leagues and went unrecognized

by Major League Baseball and the general public for decades. He was finally voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.

TENEL DORSEY is owner of Dreamz Hair Salon, located at 216 East Seventh Avenue, Homestead.

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Dustin ‘DJ’ Givner rises to operations manager of new bar/restaurant at Live! Casino

DUSTIN “DJ” GIVNER, a Peabody High School graduate who earned his bachelor’s degree from Gannon University, in Erie.

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

Dustin Givner, who’s better known as “DJ,” helped generate $10 million in annual sales as manager and marketing director for Tequila Cowboy, the 20,000-squarefoot party spot on the North Shore, between PNC Park and Heinz

Field.

Starting June 11, he will begin his tenure as operations manager for Live!

Casino’s new country bar, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pittsburgh, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned. Live! Casino is located inside the Westmoreland Mall in Greensburg.

Givner is a well-regard-

ed professional in the Pittsburgh restaurant and bar industry, where he played an active role in the opening of more than 30 bars and entertainment venues, including Burgatory and Tequila Cowboy. Most recently, he served as a General Manager with AMPd Group, helping to increase sales by 20 percent in less than

“We’re excited to have someone of Dustin’s caliber manage all aspects of PBR Pittsburgh. His track record of success and experience will help create countless career opportunities at PBR Pittsburgh and ensure that each visitor has a tremendous entertainment experience.”

SEAN SULLIVAN General Manager, Live! Casino six months at their popular properties, including the Local Bar + Kitchen.

During his professional career, he has trained hundreds of industry managers.

Overseeing daily operations, front house management, social media and advertising, and event bookings are just some of the hats Givner has to wear leading a bar/restaurant.

The Courier learned that Givner is a Virginia Beach native, who moved to Pittsburgh as a teen, graduated from Peabody High School and later obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Gannon University in Erie in 2009.

Professional Bull Riders is one of the fastest-growing spectator sports in the country, embodying toughness, determination and a true spirit of independence, according to a release announcing PBR Pittsburgh’s June 11 opening at the casino.

PBR Pittsburgh seeks to live up to its legendary namesake, bringing an authentic country experience and big-time entertainment to Live! Casino.

The 4,560-square-foot country bar will incorporate line dancing, specialty-themed Friday nights, midnight military salutes, private VIP booths and the area’s only professionally endorsed mechanical riding bull in a fun, lively atmosphere.

“We’re excited to have someone of Dustin’s caliber manage all aspects of PBR Pittsburgh,” Live!

Casino General Manager Sullivan said in the release. “His track record of success and experience will help create countless career opportunities at PBR Pittsburgh and ensure that each visitor has a tremendous entertainment experience.”

“PBR Pittsburgh is more than a bar, it’s an attitude and way of life that celebrates your free spirit—your wild side,” Givner said in the release. “We’re looking forward to bringing this unique and exciting concept to Live! Casino.”

There’s been much fanfare made about Live!

Casino since its opening last fall. The facility features 750 slots and 30 live action table games,

live entertainment venues, and Sports & Social Steel City, a sportsthemed restaurant which sits next to PBR Pittsburgh.

“Since the first PBR country bar launched in 2008, the concept has been a phenomenal success,” said Sean Gleason, Commissioner and CEO of PBR, in the release.

“PBR country bars, now in 10 locations around the country, provide a strong daily brand presence for the sport in a fun, lifestyle venue where our fans can come out and release their inner cowboy. We are thrilled to open our newest location here at Live! Casino in the greater Pittsburgh region.”

“There is nothing like PBR Pittsburgh in the area,” added Sullivan.

“We’re eager to see our guests kick up their heels, listen to live country music and tackle the infamous mechanical riding bull during a fun night out. PBR country bar is one not to be missed and adds another diverse offering of best-in-class experiences for our guests.”

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The rookie must prove himself. Why doesn’t Ben Roethlisberger have to do the same?

We have lived in a work environment for generations where attrition is the final blow that every man or woman has to face in regards to the process of aging and being forced to retire because of it.

How many “gold watches,” so-called pseudo-tokens of appreciation have been given out to signify and honor a long and respectable tenure in the workplace? The world of sports should not be any different. For example, take the case of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ future NFL Hall-ofFame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

What are his retirement plans for the future? Are his plans of “riding off into the sunset” aligned or in concert with the future plans that the team has for him?

Ben Roethlisberger is 39 years old. That is “Sherman Tank old” in regards to the lifespan of an NFL player, especially a player that, by many accounts, may not be as sharp at maintaining the physical and intellectual tools and weapons required to compete against many of the NFL defenses that he may face on a weekly basis.

As far as the real “art of warfare” is concerned, imagine America taking a slow and cumbersome turtle-like Sherman tank used during WWII onto the battlefields of the new millennium against Russia and her technologically advanced drone and “satellite in the sky” type weaponry. Well, put it this way, it wouldn’t be pretty. It would be like, “shooting fish in a barrel.” Oftentimes during the recent past, putting Ben Roethlisberger on the field to face defensive linemen with 4.6 forty-yard dash times and linebackers running forties in 4.4 was almost relative to “Big” Ben: “being one of the goldfish being fattened up for sale in the family aquarium.” Because of this one important factor, Roethlisberger, unlike many of his counterparts, may not have fully grasped the concept that in the new millennium, there is no “offseason” in professional football.

Many of today’s quarterbacks have changed their workout regimen to include personal trainers and have hired additional staff to include nutritionists, personal

chefs and even private physicians that may be necessary to assist them in competing not only against their opponents on the field, but also

complex competition.

Roethlisberger seems to be more comfortable reading the plays dictated from his wristband; Brady seems to be only

Inside Conditions

Aubrey Bruce against the “un-holistic” challenges and the negative physical toll that the game of football takes on the human body, mind and spirit.

There are many NFL QBs that also study and work out with their teammates, whenever possible and when it is permitted by the NFL, throughout the year.

Arguably, Ben Roethlisberger’s counterpart, Tom Brady, at 43 years of age, seems to be more comfortable and in sync both physically and mentally with the evolution of the game and culture of professional football into to a faster, more

THIS JUST IN: BIG BEN SPEAKS OUT Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger spoke publicly for the first time on June 1 since the embarrassing playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns in January. He told the media it was his decision to come to the team to reduce his salary for the 2021 season. He also said: “I didn’t play well enough at the end of the season. It’s not a secret, and I’ll be the first to point the thumb at myself. When the ball is in your hand every play, you have to make plays and play better football. If the quarterback, myself, isn’t playing good football, that—especially late in the season—is related to winning and losing.

“I will take that playoff and those games on me. Just feeling worn down and not playing good enough football at the end of the season.”

Heinz Endowments awards nearly $10 million to community development projects PITTSBURGH—Almost $10 million in grants to support key Pittsburgh community development initiatives was approved by the Heinz Endowments Board, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned according to a May 25 news release.

Funding includes more than $1.75 million to upgrade the historic New Granada Theater in the Hill District, another $1.7 million in continued support of the Hazelwood Green development and $750,000 to Bike Share Pittsburgh to assist its transition to electric-assist bicycles.

Additionally, among the nearly $30 million in total grants approved by the Endowments Board was COVID-relief support that includes a special $3 million fund to help the reopening of arts venues across the Pittsburgh region following closures and depleted revenues during the pandemic.

The community development funding is part of the Endowments’ ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life for all residents in the Pittsburgh region by supporting opportunities to address the health, safety

and economic wellbeing of local communities, regardless of zip code.

In the Hill District, the $1.75 million grant to the Hill Community Development Corporation will support the renovation and expansion of the New Granada Theater, which has been vacant for decades. The money will help leverage funding from other sources that will total $35 million to restore the structure and build an addition, anchoring the corner of Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie Street in the heart of the neighborhood.

The New Granada Theater was designed by noted Black architect Louis A.S. Bellinger and built by Black laborers in the 1920s.

During the community’s heyday from the 1920s through the 1950s, the Art Deco theater was a nationally recognized jazz center, hosting legendary performers such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Cab Calloway.

The building’s renovation together with construction of affordable artist housing nearby by another developer is expected to reclaim an entire block of Centre Ave-

nue and strengthen current revitalization efforts in the community.

As part of its role as one of three foundation owners of the Hazelwood Green development in the Hazelwood neighborhood, the Endowments is making a commitment of more than $1.7 million towards its continued funding of initiatives at the site.

Among them are improvements required by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to develop future access to the site, renovation of the former locomotive roundhouse, and development of public space known as Mill Plaza.

“Strengthening community development is core to building healthy neighborhoods, and improving quality of life for all, now and for future generations,” said Grant Oliphant, President of the Endowments, in a release. “This is a pivotal time that has further exposed areas of need and inequities in our communities that must be addressed if we are to move forward together in sharing in our region’s economic, social and cultural wellbeing.”

truly comfortable with calling plays from his wristband that from a playbook that he has scripted himself. In the world of cinema, actors with starring roles in a film know their lines and generally, except for certain parts of the script that calls for interaction between them, may pay little or no attention to the lines of the supporting cast.

However, the director of the film must be familiar with all of the lines.

Ben Roethlisberger seems to reflect the role of the leading man whereas Tom Brady seems to be more relative

to the role of film director. Tom Brady seems to be great at whatever he does; even when he was in the midst of cheating he seems to have even turned that activity of dark competition and skullduggery to an “art form.”

Now there is a new nexus regarding the 2021 success of the Steelers being connected to the future blood, sweat and tears of the Steelers 2021’ first-round draft pick Najee Harris, the running back from Alabama. On May 25, 2021 Steelers Depot reported that Harris signed an estimated four-year rookie deal worth around $13 million and for that tidy sum, Harris is expected to rekindle the less-thanfiery performance of the running attack that the Black and Gold exhibited during the 2020 season.

A rejuvenated running attack would put less pressure on the Steelers’ offensive philosophy generally, and Ben Roethlisberger specifically. Now hear this; it is estimated that Roethlisberger took a “pay cut” from approximately $19 million a year “down to” $14 million annually. Oh, many

pundits are continuing to crow that the young Mr. Harris has yet to prove himself. That may be true, but there are many aspects about the continuation and validation of Ben Roethlisberger’s career that must be proven as well. Sooooo…… if a rookie has to prove himself, shouldn’t a veteran player with multiple injuries and questionable ability be forced to step onto the proving ground as well? Where do we always hear that Americans have to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and carry their own weight? What player is more likely to be the albatross around the neck of the 2021 Pittsburgh Steelers that may drag the team down to the lower competitive depths of the NFL? Will it be the aging, veteran and well-paid Ben Roethlisberger with questionable ability? Or Najee Harris, the promising talented rookie running back from the land of the Crimson Tide?

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TRE TIPTON (Photo courtesy Pittsburgh Panthers)

Pitt’s Tre Tipton determined not to let anything slow him down Apollo-Ridge High School star battled depression, suicidal thoughts for 12 years

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

Thirty-five miles northeast of Pittsburgh, a football star was born.

But for Pitt’s Tre Tipton, it wasn’t always peaches and cream.

Serious bouts with depression. Twelve years of suicidal thoughts. Season-ending injuries.

However, on May 25, the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professions (N4A) named Tipton a recipient of the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award. The award honors student-athletes who have overcome great personal, academic and/ or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics.

Tipton was a three-sport star at Apollo-Ridge High School, but he wowed crowds as a quarterback, receiver and defensive back on the football field.

He came to Pitt in 2015, where injuries plagued much of his first few years. He played in 14 games in 2018 and the first three games in 2019 before he was sidelined again for the season due

to injury.

Last year, Tipton played in nine games, catching 11 passes for 104 yards.

Overall, Tipton has played in 39 games for Pitt, with 35 receptions for 369 yards and two touchdowns.

Tipton already earned his bachelor’s degree in communication, and is now pursuing graduate studies in Pitt’s School of Social Work. He was granted a sixth year of eligibility, and will play for the Panthers at wide receiver in the fall, known as a “super-senior.”

“Tre has never allowed adversity, on or off the field, to get in the way of his high aspirations,” Coach Pat Narduzzi said in a release from Pitt.

“His strength, courage and perseverance are an inspiration to our entire program. We are all incredibly proud of this recognition for Tre and know that he has even more great achievements in store for the future.”

Tipton has been very forthc omin g in his

previous battles with suicidal thoughts. In “The Story of Tre Tipton,” a video produced

by Pitt, Tipton described how he was seconds away from jumping off the Fort Duquesne bridge near Heinz Field following his first season-ending injury in 2015. “ N o w, the one t h i n g that I used to l o o k forward to, that u s e d to keep me sane (playing football), is now out of my hands and

gone. Then that’s when I started to look at myself and say I’m worthless,” Tipton said. “I was so deep in my own depression, there was no coming out. I ended up doing some things to myself and the people around me that I would never ever wish upon anybody. I felt so alone because nobody understood me and I didn’t expect anybody to understand me.

But the one thing I did understand is that I wanted the pain to stop. And then my final att e m p t was

TRE TIPTON

at a bridge, very close to Heinz Field, I was staring at the water, I was starting to move my feet, preparing myself to jump; I heard something say to me that you’re not ready yet. I took my shirt off, dropped it into the water, and I told myself that would be it, I wasn’t going to go back to that.

From this day forward I’m going to be somebody better than I’ve ever been, no matter what it takes.”

Tipton later founded L.O.V.E. (Living Out Victoriously Everyday), a program that helps “empower, provide hope and build a community for collegiate student-athletes who are dealing with mental, emotional, and physical struggles” through fellowship and access to professional help, the Pitt release said.

Tipton’s won other awards, too, such as the Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award.

He was named to the American Football Coach-

es Association’s Good Works Team, as well.

Tipton said he was “extremely blessed and thankful to receive such a prestigious award in honor of the great Wilma Rudolph.” Rudolph, a Black woman, was told as a child that she would never walk again after bouts with polio and scarlet fever. Growing up in Tennessee, Rudolph defied the odds, and at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, she won three gold medals as a sprinter in track and field, making her one of the most decorated champions in American history. She was later inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. In 1990, she became the first woman to receive the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Silver Anniversary Award.

She died in 1994 at age 54. Her alma mater, Tennessee State University, has an indoor track and residence center named after Rudolph.

“I hope that my story can help change the perspectives of people in their own lives,” Tipton added. “Adversity is a comma in the sentence of life, not a period.”

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Esther L. Bush to retire as President/CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh

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ESTHER L. BUSH has led the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh since 1994.

BUSH FROM A1

the slave castles in Ghana.

And people still talk glowingly about Pittsburgh’s hosting of the National Urban League Conference in 2013, Morial’s first national conference as president.

“I am extremely proud of not only the work of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh in sponsoring that conference, but I’m extremely proud of how the city came together,” Bush told the Courier. “It had been 50 years since Pittsburgh last hosted a National Urban League Conference. Our conference is still looked at as one of the best ever.”

Bush’s profile spans across the nation. In February 2013, Bush was one of 10 Americans recognized at the White House as a Champion of Change in the Educational Excellence for African Americans program. And she told the Courier she was especially proud to serve on the Pennsylvania State Board of Education. In fact, “Education and Youth Empowerment”

is the first of the five-point strategy that the Urban League uses in its overall mission to secure economic self-reliance, parity and power, and civil rights for African Americans.

Under Bush’s leadership, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh has received a “5 out of 5” top rating from the national chapter in its assessment of the Pittsburgh affiliate.

Very few affiliates receive a “5” rating, and Bush told the Courier that her staff plays a vital role in that top rating.

“My staff is awesome,” Bush said. “They not only got the ‘5’ ratings, but you talk about being mission-driven, because you cannot do this for the pay. I really do have mission-driven staff and I have mission-driven board members.”

Bush said the Urban League Board of Directors has supported her leadership, and “that is no small statement,” she said.

Television viewers have also been able to find Bush

on WQED-TV, as the station airs the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh’s “State of Black Pittsburgh” yearly report in visual form.

“We know that the African American community in Pittsburgh is far from where it should be,” Bush told the Courier.

Bush is unafraid to appear on radio and television programs in the city, holding corporations accountable, or even calling them out, for not committing to a more diverse workforce and other equity-related issues.

“After the George Floyd situation, I believe that there are many more people that are becoming more and more sensitive to just how unfair, unequal it is for Black folks to try to make it,” Bush told the Courier. “The African American community, I have always said; we make it in spite of, not because of. I appreciate every grant I get from the federal government to a local foundation to a corporation. But it’s not enough,

because we’re not treated equally. If we were treated equally, do you understand how awesome Pittsburgh would be? How awesome the United States would be?”

A nationwide search for Bush’s successor will be conducted. Trivilino, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Board Chair, said that Bush would continue to lead the organization and partner with the incoming CEO during the onboarding transition process.

As Bush steps away from the top chair at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, she told the Courier it was wonderful to have the opportunity, after joining the National Urban League in 1980, to lead the local affiliate in her hometown. The town where her

family moved to from Alabama in the early 1950s as her father searched for better work opportunities. She loved being a cheerleader for the Westinghouse Bulldogs in the late ‘60s, as she recalled how much of a powerhouse the football team was back then.

“I feel fulfilled,” Bush told the Courier exclusively. “I feel fulfilled in the work I have done with the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and everybody who’ve been our partners.”

Morial, the National Urban League President and CEO, added about Bush: “Her enthusiasm, expertise, positive energy, and record of success leave an indelible mark on Pittsburgh and the entire Urban League movement.”

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“After the George Floyd situation, I believe that there are many more people that are becoming more and more sensitive to just how unfair, unequal it is for Black folks to try to make it. The African American community, I have always said; we make it in spite of, not because of. I appreciate every grant I get from the federal government to a local foundation to a corporation. But it’s not enough, because we’re not treated equally. If we were treated equally, do you understand how awesome Pittsburgh would be? How awesome the United States would be?”

ESTHER L. BUSH President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh

“If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

- 2 Chronicles 7:14 REV. WALKER SAYS: Let’s focus on the first word ‘IF’ meaning we have a choice to do the following: humble ourselves, pray, seek the Lord, turn from our wicked ways; second, two words; My people, which are called by the Lord. We, the children of the Lord, will do the above. Then God will hear us, forgive our sin and heal our land. LET’S DO IT!!!

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Kevin Walker named President and CEO of Duquesne Light Company PITTSBURGH—The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that the Board of Directors of DQE Holdings LLC (DQE) has appointed Kevin Walker as the new President and CEO of Duquesne Light Company (DLC), Duquesne Light Holdings, Inc. and DQE. Walker succeeds Mark Kaplan, who had served in an interim role since January of this year. Kaplan has also served as chief financial officer and will retain that role throughout June, after which he will become special advisor to the company’s management and board of directors. Matthew Ankrum will assume the vice president, chief financial officer role on July 1.

“With more than 30 years of utility and leadership experience, Kevin has played an integral role at DLC over the past year in helping to navigate the complexities of the COVID pandemic,” said Joseph Guyaux, chairman

of the board of directors in a statement. “We have been impressed with Kevin’s business acumen, vision of the energy future and commitment to supporting employees, customers and the communities we serve.”

Prior to joining DLC as chief operating officer in April 2020, Walker served as senior vice president of customer and operations services and nuclear decommissioning at Southern California Edison. In that role, he oversaw customer experience for more than five million accounts; the services provided to the corporation through the Operational Services group, which included Supply Chain, Corporate Real Estate, Transportation Services and Corporate Environmental Services; and the on-site transfer of spent nuclear fuel

from wet to age. Ada l l y, held

dry

KEVIN WALKER

storditionh e

chief operations officer-level positions at both Iberdrola and American Electric Power.

As DLC’s first Black man and person of color to become president and CEO, he is a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, serving six years as a field artillery officer with a deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Desert Storm. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from West Point Academy and a Master’s of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves on the board of the American Association of Blacks in Energy and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

Walker resides in Marshall Township with his spouse John, 7-year-old twins

Grace and Max and two dogs Ellie and Henry. In his spare time, he enjoys biking, hiking and exploring Pittsburgh’s many trails and parks.

“It is my honor and privilege to lead the talented and dedicated employees of DLC, TEN and DQE Communications, and I’m looking forward to working with our business and community partners in Allegheny and Beaver counties,” said Walker. “I’ve been impressed with the company’s ability to provide excellent customer service to the people of the Pittsburgh region, and my goal is to continue to meet our customers’ changing energy needs.”

Over the next few months and beyond, DLC aims to remain focused on delivering safe, reliable and affordable power to the region while advancing clean energy practices through smart electrification and energy efficiency efforts.

How businesses can give back meaningfully without utilizing big bucks The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed some businesses’ ability to contribute to charitable causes. The crisis affected the bottom lines of U.S. small businesses in particular, many of them on a modest budget to begin with, preventing some of them from being philanthropic or as giving as they would like.

But there are ways to give back to the community and help those in need without breaking the bank, and those efforts are highly important at a challenging time in our history, says David Radlo (www.davidradlo.com), best-selling author of Principles of Cartel Disruption: Accelerate and Maximize Performance and an internationally-recognized expert in leadership, growth and innovation.

“As a leader or team member, it’s great to give back in a proactive, meaningful way to improve the world,” he says. “It combines the ideal use of people, process, and strategy towards transforming sustainably for a new and better world.”

“You can help make the world a bet-

ter place by first examining how you can contribute based on your skill set.

You don’t have to dish out millions to be of service. You have skills and other resources that people need. The key is having leadership and management walk the talk by making it a priority and part of the culture to give back with time, talents, and contacts in a systematic way.”

Radlo suggests ways companies can give back in impactful ways that don’t involve money: • Offer pro bono services or discounted products. One way for employees or business leaders can lift the disadvantaged is to offer their expertise or services at no charge, or provide products at a discount. “Whether they donate time to mentor, teach new job skills, or provide free services, they are helping people who otherwise might not have gotten the assistance they need,” Radlo says. “That’s making a real impact on people.”

• Hold volunteer days. “A company that truly wants to make giving back

part of their DNA and their brand recognition needs to devote company time to those causes,” Radlo says. “Consistency reveals sincerity to the public. An entire company or large representation of it showing up to help a community cause has a lasting impact, as long as it’s not a one-off.” Radlo also thinks it’s a positive for the work culture if the company offers employees paid time off for volunteerism. “If you’re going to present giving back as a highly-valued part of your business,” Radlo says, “then you need to show how important it is to everyone employed by you.”

• Organize office drives. An effective way to give back without giving up many hours on the job is generating an employee-run drive to collect food and clothes donations. “You need good organizational skills to plan and implement the steps to make it happen,” Radlo says. “You build a team in which you have people sorting donations, getting the word out on social media and making the distributions. Small businesses build tight bonds with the

communities they serve, and community-focused drives strengthen those connections.”

• Share your network of contacts.

Radlo says a successful professional’s well-constructed network can be a treasure trove for meeting others’ needs – by putting them in touch with your key contacts. “Most people view networking as a means toward their own personal gain—ways to increase their contacts and opportunities for career growth,” Radlo says. “But it offers a quick pipeline to solutions to a variety of needs. You know people with different specialties and you can be the facilitator, bringing a struggling person or group together with your contacts and making a difference.”

“Giving back in time, talents, and contacts is crucial to sustainably transforming the world,” Radlo says.

“There are many areas where you can make a difference, so get in the game.”

No-fail business model for dummies!

If you’re a regular reader of my column, you’d know that I spend a lot of time discussing ideas on how to create wiggle room in your budget. Living paycheck to paycheck indefinitely with no end in sight is stressful and a pathway to financial ruin.

Income doesn’t matter! You can be making $5,000 per year, $50,000 per year, or $5 million per year—you cannot get ahead financially if there’s no margin between your income and your expenses. There’s three ways to create wiggle room. Reduce expenses, increase your income, do a better job managing your money. The best method is to do all the above.

Benjamin Franklin, the guy whose face graces the $100 bill, said that a dollar saved is a dollar earned. It requires less sacrifice, time, blood, sweat, and tears to reduce expenses than it does to create additional income. As a result, I devote more time covering topics revolving around reducing expenses and reducing debt than I do the other two topics. I devote the second most time to topics that will help us do a better job of managing our money. I spend the least amount of time talking about topics that focus on “increasing your income.”

The reality is, I’ve yet to come across ANYONE who was content with their current income. Everyone with whom I’ve discussed the intimate details of personal finances welcomes the idea of bringing additional income into their household. People whose income level is low-to-moderate and are struggling to get ahead financially, the answer is obvious: You need to increase your household income. People whose income is good to great are oftentimes getting by but not getting ahead financially.

They struggle because of their inability to consistently save money. The answer here is—if you want to save more money without reducing your expenses and/or changing your lifestyle, you need to increase your income. People who frown upon the

idea of budgeting, thinking a budget is restricting... I tell them, it’s not your budget that is restricting you, it’s your income. If you want to spend more, travel more, save more, have more, you need to increase your income.

How do you increase your income?

• Overtime? Sure! If it’s available.

• Job Promotion? Sure! If there’s an open slot.

• New Job? Sure! If you’re willing to give up tenure and you can command a higher wage elsewhere.

• Second Job? Sure! Especially if you’re a nurse, police officer, construction worker, or teacher. There’s plenty of part-time/second job opportunities available in these fields that pay a decent wage.

• Side Hustle? Sure!

If you have the talent, skill, work ethic, and knowhow to create consistent, bankable income.

• Open up your own business? Sure! If you have the start-up capital, talent, skill, work ethic, knowhow, and resources to create consistent, bankable income.

What if I shared an idea with you that allowed you to increase your income as well as: • Keep your current job • Own your own business • Startup cost under $50 • Work when you want to • Earn a respectable wage • No college degree required What I’m about to reveal to you isn’t anything new. Albeit, you may have overlooked it. I consider this dummy proof income generator to be “the great equalizer.” For you can use this income source to

patch any hole in your wallet. I view it as legally printing your own money. It’s stealing money. It’s akin to taking candy from a baby. No skill or talent required. Just a good work ethic.

In 2018 I had an opportunity to enroll my sons in a school in my hometown in Ohio.

I work from home. I can set up shop and work from anywhere. I decided to get an apartment in Austintown, Ohio, near the school. What that meant is I had a mortgage and all the household expenses associated with it in Pittsburgh. I had rent and all the household expenses associated with it in Austintown. I’m talking double utility bills, double cable and Internet. I ran the numbers before we made the move. It all worked out on paper. However, I forgot to include one important piece of detail on my back of the napkin math calculations. My wife was still living and working in Pittsburgh.

I had zero help with the kids. I got a glimpse of what it felt like to be a single parent. Single parents, I salute you! That required me to cook EVERYDAY among other daily parental tasks. Who got time for that? We ate out practically everyday. These newly-created expenses coupled with dining out daily made the budget tight.

I’m claustrophobic, both literally and figuratively. I don’t like tight spaces or tight wallets. I wasn’t about to change my lifestyle. I only needed an extra $500 per month to make it all flow smoothly. I had to find something that was flexible. It had to work around my busy work schedule, my kids school schedule and my kids after school activity schedule.

I had to take my own medicine and im-

plement the advice I’ve advised others to do. I entered the “Gig Economy.” I started doing Uber Eats after the kids went to sleep. Remember, I only needed an extra $500 per month. FIRST WEEK, I grossed $900 working four hours each night. I thought to myself, “This is a franchise business” with zero risk! I’ve created a couple of businesses from scratch. Never have I come across a ready-set-go, paint by the number, as easy as 1-2-3 business models as this. Let me explain. The two primary barriers to building and growing a business are “Startup cost” and “Marketing”— (generating business). Startup capital can be upwards of tens of thousands of dollars.

Marketing is a trial-and-error process that costs thousands of dollars. Even if your marketing is successful at getting potential buyers to your place of business, it doesn’t mean they’re going to buy.

With these “Gig Economy” business models such as Uber, Uber Eats, Lyft, DoorDash, Grubhub, and Instacart—startup cost is a tank of gas. Once you hit the go button, they’re sending you buyers who have already paid. They’ve already absorbed the marketing cost. You simply partner with them to provide a service to the end buyer.

I was looking for an extra $500 per month. That’s $6,000 over the course of a year. First year, I grossed nearly $40,000 doing Uber Eats. Second year, I did even more. All while maintaining my full-time job and attending all my kid’s activities. I did it when I had time. I did it when I wanted to, mainly while the family slept.

If you’re looking for a foolproof, no-fail, no stress way to earn some extra money and start your own business, consider something in the “Gig Economy.” Should you go the Uber or Uber Eats route, use my referral code DAMONC2788UE.

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

B2

BUSINESS

JUNE 2-8, 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

THE PERSONAL FINANCE WEBSITE LENDINGTREE.COM revealed that 60 percent of Americans who participated in a study in March faced medical debt. Approximately 53 percent reported the debt was more significant than $5,000, and 72 percent said it prevented them from pursuing key financial milestones, like buying a home or having a child. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

Wells Fargo anchors the Black Economic Alliance Foundation’s Entrepreneurs Fund

by BlackPressUSA Staff Report

(BlackPressUSA)—Washington, D.C.— The Black Economic Alliance Foundation (BEA), in collaboration with Wells Fargo, launched the Black Economic Alliance Entrepreneurs Fund (BEA Entrepreneurs Fund) to accelerate the growth of Black entrepreneurs and business owners. The $50 million evergreen fund will provide seed, start-up, and early-stage capital to businesses founded and led by Black entrepreneurs.

The launch of the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund is anchored by Wells Fargo with a $20 million commitment over five years to kick-start operations and investments, and to serve as a thought partner to the BEA Foundation in building this innovative investment vehicle.

The BEA Entrepreneurs Fund will recycle 100 percent of returns to support ongoing operations and additional investments in Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.

“Business ownership has been one of the best paths to multi-generational wealth creation for some Americans, but too few Black entrepreneurs have secured the financial resources necessary to launch and grow successful businesses. The Black Economic Alliance is proud to marshal resources to support more Black-owned businesses and founders, which will lever-

age hiring more Black workers and additional investment in Black businesses and communities,” said David Clunie, Executive Director of the Black Economic Alliance.

“We are thankful to Wells Fargo for providing $20 million in anchor funding to catalyze the launch of this important, long-term investment in Black entrepreneurs.”

Tony Coles, the Co-Chair of the Black Economic Alliance and Executive Chairman and CEO of Cerevel Therapeutics, added that the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund will invest in a new generation of Black business leaders and entrepreneurs.

“The evergreen fund will help close the opportunity gap by enabling access to capital that promising business ventures need to grow,” Coles stated.

“We are grateful to Wells Fargo for helping to jumpstart this game-changing investment fund that will catalyze a pipeline of Black talent.”

Charles Phillips, the Co-Chair of the Black Economic Alliance and Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Recognize, said too often, Black entrepreneurs struggle to access the capital they need to advance their businesses.

“The BEA Entrepreneurs Fund will allow Black business talent to strengthen their bottom line, which will reap other benefits such as hiring more Black employees, strengthening the communities

they serve,” stated Phillips, the former CEO of Infor.

Phillips said having financial partners who recognize the importance of our mission is key to catalyzing this fund.

“We are committed to advancing racial equity in the communities we serve and beyond,” remarked Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf.

“The Black Economic Alliance Foundation is well positioned to develop a strong pipeline of entrepreneurs who can accelerate Black-owned businesses and economic growth across the United States. We look forward to bringing our capital and expertise to this important collaboration.”

BEA Entrepreneurs Fund investments will be made in the form of equity via convertible debt, by providing an equity stake in exchange for the seed capital investment.

The Fund will also make straight loans to Black start-up businesses. All investments will be made available via a competitive application process, expected to begin later this year.

Once the BEA Fund begins investing, it will accept applications from all interested and eligible Black entrepreneurs across industries nationwide, including emerging business founders, alumni from historically Black colleges and universities, students, and participants in programs that focus on Black business development, among others.

The launch of the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund follows the announcement of the Center for Black Entrepreneurship (CBE), a joint venture among the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, Spelman College, and Morehouse College.

The CBE will be the first-ever academic center of its kind to produce, train, and support a new generation of Black entrepreneurial talent. A portion of the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund will be earmarked to invest in CBE participants.

“Black Americans are woefully underrepresented in receiving venture capital funding, and we know it isn’t due to a lack of talent, ambition or ideas,” said Tia Breakley, BEA Board Member and Chief Strategic Development Officer and Chief Governance Officer at Blue Meridian Partners.

“Creating new avenues of access to capital for Black entrepreneurs will help lower the barrier to entry in the business world and allow Black founders to shine. I look forward to seeing the real and lasting impact the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund will have on our communities and talent pool,” Breakley said.

To learn more about the BEA Entrepreneurs Fund or the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, please visit https:// foundation.blackeconomicalliance.org/ bea-entrepreneurs-fund/.

Medical debt: The other part of the pandemic’s fallout

by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—For Walter Coleman, an independent contractor in Washington, D.C., Samantha Robles, a hairstylist in Bethesda, Maryland, and Robin Pruitt, a loan officer who also lives in Bethesda, the coronavirus pandemic not only resulted in close calls, but the financial fallout may lead to bankruptcy.

Each says the medical bills resulting from their bouts with the virus have overwhelmed them.

In Coleman’s case, the more than $100,000 he owes to doctors, laboratories, and hospitals has him strongly considering a Chapter 7 filing.

“Don’t know what else to do,” Coleman remarked. “I did everything right. I didn’t want to get sick, and my health insurance didn’t cover a lot of things, but I guess even insurance companies were caught off guard by this pandemic,” he reasoned.

Robles and Pruitt said they have also considered their options in separate interviews, including borrowing from family and friends or filing bankruptcy to retire mounting medical debt.

“I just worry about spending the next ten years trying to rebuild my credit,” Robles stated.

“Before the pandemic, my credit score was 740, and now I don’t even want to look.”

Pruitt said family mem-

ONCE THE BUILDING EQUITY AND ALIGNMENT FOR IMPACT FUND begins investing, it will accept applications from all interested and eligible Black entrepreneurs across industries nationwide, including emerging business founders, alumni from historically Black colleges and universities, students, and participants in programs that focus on Black business development, among others. (Photo: iStockphoto /NNPA) bers have pitched in, but she’s wary of asking for more assistance.

“Everyone is fighting it, going through a financial pitch,” Pruitt said. “I just refuse to become a burden on anyone.”

According to the personal finance and credit monitoring company Credit Karma, medical debt continues to soar.

Debt among those signed up at Credit Karma has skyrocketed by nearly $3

billion from May 2000 to March 2021.

The number of people with past-due medical debt rose during the same period to 21.4 million from 19.6 million.

“If you’re considering bankruptcy as a solution for medical debt, you’re not alone. Unmanageable medical care debt and the hardships that often come along with it—like loss of work or reduced access to credit—can be a recipe

for financial ruin,” Sarah C. Brady, a San Francisco-based financial consultant, wrote for Credit Karma.

Brady warned that filing for bankruptcy isn’t always an ideal solution.

“Although bankruptcy can help you manage or eliminate medical debt, it’s not possible to limit your claim to only one kind of debt during the process,” she wrote.

“Plus, bankruptcy has a

long-term negative impact on your credit and can put your assets in jeopardy.”

The personal finance website LendingTree.com revealed that 60 percent of Americans who participated in a study in March faced medical debt.

Approximately 53 percent reported the debt was more significant than $5,000, and 72 percent said it prevented them from pursuing key financial milestones, like buy-

ing a home or having a child.

The Lending Tree researchers reported that the coronavirus is responsible for one in every ten patients with medical debt.

Interestingly, even physicians and healthcare workers have fallen prey to medical debt because of the pandemic.

Dr. Elliot Anavim, medical director at Rejuve Clinics in Sherman Oaks, Calif., said many healthcare workers live in debt.

“From physical therapists to dental hygienists, to someone like me, a naturopathic physician,” Anavim stated.

“Many of us spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to become professional healthcare workers, yet there are many cases in which we don’t have the means of paying off that debt because of how selective and limiting the field can be.”

Aside from the medical debt that stemmed from the coronavirus treatment, Coleman, Robles, and Pruitt each shared one other thing in common.

Each was adamant that they didn’t want their loved ones to shoulder their debt.

“I just can’t allow my parents to spend their retirement savings on paying my bills,” Pruitt said.

(Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent.)

OPINION

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JUNE 2-8, 2021

B3

Tulsa

Guest Editorial

Pa. vote on emergency powers is short-sighted In the state primary on May 18, Gov. Tom Wolf encouraged Pennsylvanians to vote “No” on two state constitutional amendments limiting the governor’s emergency declaration powers.

The questions asked voters to end a governor’s emergency disaster declaration after 21 days and to give lawmakers the sole authority to extend it or end it at any time with a simple majority vote.

Before Election Day, the constitution required a two-thirds majority vote by lawmakers to end a governor’s disaster declaration and, legally, the governor could issue an emergency declaration for up to 90 days and extend it without limit.

Unfortunately voters sided with Republican lawmakers angry over Wolf’s handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. Voters made Pennsylvania the first state in the nation to curb their governor’s emergency powers.

The vote came as Republican lawmakers across the country have sought to roll back the emergency powers governors wielded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some Republicans see the referendum as a victory with strong political overtones, as the state gears up for a wide-open governor’s race in 2022 and Wolf leaving office after two terms. That may be reading too much into the vote on the ballot questions.

Still, Republicans in the state Legislature and those aiming to replace him in 2023 are likely to continue to make Wolf their top political target and are expected to repeatedly attack his stewardship during the pandemic, including his orders shuttering businesses, sending students home for online schooling and ordering that masks be worn outside the home.

“Last night, Pennsylvanians voted to reject Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf’s overreach of executive powers after his failed COVID response—a clear sign of accountability coming in 2022,” Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel tweeted Wednesday morning.

The two questions led with almost 54 percent of the vote, with 75 percent of precincts reporting.

More than 2 million ballots were cast, still less than a quarter of the state’s 8.7 million registered voters.

But was the vote a rejection of Wolf or a reflection of the difficulty of defeating a ballot question. The last time voters rejected a ballot question was in 1993.

The amendments cannot take effect until the state certifies the election result, which could take until early June.

Republicans have falsely accused Wolf of fear-mongering. But Republicans are playing politics with the governor’s reasonable response to a pandemic.

Wolf and his emergency disaster director are right to call the emergency disaster proposals reckless and a threat to a functioning society that could prevent a fast and wide-ranging response to increasingly complicated disasters.

But the courts rejected repeated attempts to end the governor’s disaster declaration or lift his orders, and Democratic lawmakers largely stuck with Wolf, leaving Republicans without a large enough majority to override his actions.

Restricting the governor’s authority to make a disaster declaration in a crisis is shortsighted.

Republicans claim the governor cannot order shutdowns without an emergency declaration in effect. Wolf disagrees, saying a governor’s authority during a public health emergency rests on separate public health law and is unaffected by the ballot questions. As a result the issue may end up in court.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

Founded 1910

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

Rob Taylor Jr.

Jeff Marion

Office Manager

Managing Editor

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John. H. Sengstacke

Editor & Publisher Emeritus (1912-1997)

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” – Carter G. Woodson These words, from one of the most renown and impactful African American historians, were not specific to the city of Tulsa, but accurately describe how many African Americans related to Tulsa, at least until HBO’s limited series Watchmen. Absent the superhero and science-fiction aspects, Watchmen introduced the brutal history of the Tulsa Race Massacre to significant numbers of Americans—both Black and White.

Far too few African Americans knew/ know that, before 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma, was the center of a thriving cultural and financial Black community. Prosperity was so widespread that Tulsa was known as the “Black Wall Street.” That prosperity came to a dramatic end on May 31 and June 1, 1921 when White Tulsa attacked Black Tulsa—residential and business —with a ground assault and bombing from private aircraft. The attack left 35 square blocks burned or destroyed, and uninhabitable to about 10,000 of its former residents, about 6,000 Blacks were interned in large facilities, 800+ people hospitalized, and estimates of 300 Black people killed. Property damage was estimated at more than $1.5 million in real estate and $750,000 in personal property (equivalent to $32.65 million in 2020).

In 1996, 75 years after the massa-

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

Commentary cre, the Oklahoma Commission to Study the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 was formed. The commission’s final report, published in 2001, states that the city had conspired with the mob of White citizens against Black citizens.

It is appropriate to mourn the victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre, but, more importantly, its Centennial Observance gives us the opportunity to honor and celebrate the strength and resilience of our survivors. “I am here seeking justice,” said Mother Viola Fletcher, one of the oldest living survivors of the massacre. Fletcher said. “I am here asking my country to acknowledge what happened in Tulsa in 1921.” Tulsa survivors Mother Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis testified to members of Congress. Ms. Lessie Randle, 106, also testified virtually.

Fletcher said, “I hear the screams. I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history, but I cannot.” said Mother Viola Fletcher. “I will never forget the violence of the White mob when we left our home. I still see Black men being

shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams. I have lived through the massacre every day.”

Proudly, on June 1, 2021, I’ll join celebrities, organizational leaders, and concerned citizens from over the world visiting historic Tulsa sites. We will celebrate the resilience of the people and the legacy of the few remaining survivors.

I will represent the National Congress of Black Women and present an award to Ms. Lelia Foley-Davis, the first Black woman mayor in the nation. She remains a long-time leader in Oklahoma. We will also recognize Ms. Fletcher. It was a blessing to witness the strength of her testimony before Congress.

Pastor Robert Turner of the historic Vernon A.M.E Church and I serve on the National African American Reparations Commission. His church still stands after 100 years, but Black Tulsa has never really recovered from the devastation. The massacre is another clear example of Black wealth stolen by racism and racist violence.

Despite these challenges, “We have a wonderful history behind us. ... If you are unable to demonstrate to the world that you have this record, the world will say to you, ‘You are not worthy to enjoy the blessings of democracy or anything else’.” – Carter G. Woodson (Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women.)

Recognizing the Centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (BlackPressUSA)—As a former history teacher, I often quote George Santayana’s admonition that, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But one cannot remember that which one does not know. And that is the case for too many people regarding the Tulsa Race Massacre. And for good reason.

The more interactions I have with folks in Washington and around the country, the more appreciative I am of Ernestine Walker, Marybelle Howe, William Howell, Rosa Harris and many other teachers, and some of the other students they taught, and with whom I studied and debated on the campus of that little HBCU (historically Black college and university)— South Carolina State—in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

I was blessed with integral knowledge of Tulsa, Rosewood (Florida), Hamburg (South Carolina) any many other historic—and horrific—events that were “whitewashed” by newspapers and left out of history books. I still remember the one-on-one session I had with Ernestine Walker discussing Tulsa native John Hope Franklin’s outstanding book “From Slavery to Freedom” as a blessed experience. And it was a blessing to have had a one-on-one with John Hope himself when he chaired the “race committee” for President Bill Clinton. I still wonder whatever happened to the product that committee produced. I was also blessed by Tulsa native Alfre Woodard, who wrote the foreword to my memoir, “Blessed Experiences.”

The Tulsa Race Massacre is a prime example of inflaming issues and ignoring history. They both significantly lead to the inability and failure to learn the real lessons that true history can teach

Congressman Jim Clyburn

Commentary us. It was the inflammatory reporting of the chance encounter of a young Black man, Dick Rowland; and a young White elevator operator, Sarah Page, that ignited one of the deadliest episodes of racial violence in our nation’s history.

On May 31st, 1921, the Tulsa Tribune newspaper printed the headline; “Nab Negro for Attacking Girl in Elevator,” and the same edition included a report of a White mob’s plan to lynch Rowland. The newspaper account was based on false claims that Mr. Rowland sexually assaulted Ms. Page, a White woman; and is cited as the spark that incited a mob to burn and loot 35 blocks in the Black Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa and kill an estimated 300 people.

It was later determined that the event was fabricated, in other words, “a big lie.” Mr. Rowland was later vindicated, but the damage to the Tulsa community and the loss of life could not be undone.

Today, we are experiencing a modern day “big lie” that seems to be tearing at the fabric of this country. Hopefully we have learned lessons from the Tulsa Race Massacre that will help maintain the greatness of our fragile democracy.

Greenwood was known at the time as “Black Wall Street” due to its status as one of the most prosperous African American communities in the country.

The devastation wrought by the mob,

many of whom had been deputized and armed by local officials, took the lives and livelihoods of many in the Greenwood community. It caused irreparable damage to hundreds of Black families, who never received justice for their losses.

I, like many of you, am old enough to remember those little bank books that were issued when you opened a bank account. Those little books were not fireproof and many survivors of the massacre whose only proof of their bank accounts were burned up with their other possessions, never got their money and were never compensated for their losses.

This horrific incident was erased from collective memory when the Tulsa Tribune destroyed all original copies of the May 31, 1921 edition of the newspaper and removed it from any archival copies.

Scholars later discovered that police and state militia archives about the riot were missing as well. We cannot overcome the issues of race that have troubled our nation since its inception by ignoring the failings of our past.

I often quote Alexis De Tocqueville’s notion that America’s greatness lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather because it has always been able to repair its faults. To repair our faults, our country must acknowledge past mistakes and work to ensure we don’t repeat them.

I believe this anniversary gives us the opportunity to remember this dark past and recommit ourselves to finding ways to address racial inequities by taking steps that are necessary to repair the faults of our past. Working together, with informed acknowledgements and our eyes wide open, we can make significant strides in our “pursuit of a more perfect union.”

One year after George Floyd: America and the police

by Dr. John E. Warren It appears that two important things have happened since the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis, Minnesota: (1) police continue to kill Black men and women either by shooting them or physically killing them by hand. One would think that with the repeated airing of the video of Mr. Floyd being murdered by police officers kneeling on his neck and body, that everyone in uniform would know that such actions can lead to death. Well, here in San Diego and other places around the country, the police are still not only kneeling in multiple numbers on singularly pinned to the ground Black individuals, but also still punching them with their fist while the person being arrested is still laying face down with officers on their back.

When questioned repeatedly about this practice, a Black Assistant Chief could only say the practice was “consistent with the department policy of using “distraction” blows while affecting an arrest. Clearly this individual, who obviously rose to the rank of his position on the backs of other Blacks who came before him, could not see the problem.

Perhaps he is one of those “surplus” Assistant Chiefs” we really don’t need and those dollars could be better spent helping others. We will continue to raise this issue until we hear there is a policy

change.

(2) One year after the murder of George Floyd, America has seen an agitated change in those who have been police victims, along with their friends and neighbors who have taken to the streets in protest. This is in spite of the pandemic. The result has been a fear on the part of those who have agreed with police practices and behavior against people of color. That fear was fed by the tremendous voter turnout in the November election where people, Black, White and others, stood in long lines for hours in order to vote. One Black woman in the South said, “I am waiting to vote like my life depends on it, and it does.”

Conservative “White” America’s response can be seen in the actions of the Republican side of the U.S. Senate that refuses to take up the George Floyd Policing Act which has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives, but needs passage in the Senate to become law for the President to sign. Conservative “White” America has also responded with 47 states proposing, and in a growing number of states, passing “Voter Suppression Acts”. That will make it more difficult for people to vote, especially people of color. Such actions are aimed at nullifying those sections of the U.S. Constitutions such as the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments guaranteeing equal protection under law. The idea is that if it becomes difficult for people

of color to produce voter identification, or provide them with fewer voting precincts and hours to vote that interfere with employment or too few voting machines at those places left to vote, then only conservative White people of shared views on race and police violence against people of color, will vote. This means that democracy as we know it will be dead and this country will have moved backwards over 100 years.

The good news is that if we the masses were not being successful in challenging the police and those who support them, the massive voter suppression effort would not be under way. So when we fight the San Diego Police punching a man that they already have on the ground; when we rise up against the police murdering of Mr. Brown in Elizabeth City, N.C. as he attempted to drive away from them in his car; when we see the Police hide for two years their body camera film of them murdering Mr. Ronald Greene after a police stop and hearing him apologize and crying as they murdered him, then we know that we can not let up for a moment.

Each police action of brutality must be exposed and resisted. We must let “White” America and the Police know that we will not yield to either their fear or their hate. The struggle does indeed continue.

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

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JUNE 2-8, 2021

Why one scholar says White supremacy and racism hasn’t risen, but it’s omnipresent (NNPA)—For Dr. Richard M. Cooper, White supremacy remains a constant in America.

“It is omnipresent. White supremacy exists in the institutional structures and the social systems of the United States. It has since and even before the birth of the United States,” stated Dr. Cooper, the co-coordinator of African American Studies and faculty in the Social Work department at Widener University.

Dr. Cooper counted among several scholars to share his thoughts with the Black Press on the rise of White supremacy in America.

“Counting incidences of overt racist behavior is not the only method of quantifying and analyzing the hundreds of years old structures that continue to produce acts of overt White supremacy in America,” Dr. Cooper said.

The consequences of overt racism experienced by Black and Brown people often remains unidentified and under-examined by the so-called mainstream systems, he noted further.

“But like the annual seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter, racism does not have to be quantified

by Whites to exist and ultimately to kill and harm Blacks,” Dr. Cooper continued.

“White racism is simply an aspect of an American cycle of hatred. White supremacy is an actual system of oppression that presently cannot be killed in this country in the 21st century. The late sociologist Dr. W.E.B Dubois defined it as the color line in the 20th century. That was over 100 years ago in 1881.”

Dr. Cooper remarked that the recently ascribed national victory expressed in the form of the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd is mistakenly being touted as evidence of more significant moral change in America.

He said some present it as evidence of systemic change in the misguided policing of Black people.

“In my experience, one limited verdict is simply inaccurate and at best a platitude in a racist swamp of needed reform throughout the criminal justice system in America,” Dr. Cooper demurred.

He said much of this perspective is documented in the 2010 bestseller, ‘The New Jim Crow’ by Michelle Alexander, who illuminates a historical and ongoing system of oppression by design.

This system of oppression also is captured in Dr.

Stacy Brown

Commentary Molefe Asante’s, book 2003, “Erasing Racism: The Survival of the American Nation,” Dr. Cooper noted.

“There are far too many historical examples of White supremacy as a constant to try to capture it thematically here. In reality, even when the 1954 Supreme Court case referred to as Brown vs. the Board of Education was won, that did not dismantle systematic nationwide segregation in schools which still exists throughout the country today,” he determined.

“The key difference is the word legalized. Legalized segregation is seemingly not allowed. Segregation still exists today,” Dr. Cooper uttered.

Segregated schools originally were an outgrowth of the systematic hatred of enslaved and other socalled non-White people to continue their disenfranchisement, he noted further.

While often cloaked in the language of educational disparity, White racism is the building block of these educational structures historically and at present. Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s 1933 “The Miseducation of the Negro” provides similar insights.

“And Jonathan Kozol, 1991 in his book, ‘Savage Inequalities’ simply illuminates this thesis and adds more contemporary socio-economic data,” Dr. Cooper said.

He continued: “The often-automatic White racist response, ‘All Lives Matter’ to the Black Lives Matter movement, and to its founders, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Collins, and Opal Tomeli, underscore my point. It is not a rise per se but simply a constant manifestation of White supremacy.

“There is an unwillingness for many Whites to consider Black humanity even when the loss of life via chokeholds is being squeezed out of Black and Brown people. Simply stated, retorts by Whites to ‘I can’t breathe’ makes my point even better.”

Dr. Cooper noted the actions of the NBA and NFL, offering that a few years ago, racism existed in both leagues’ hierarchy.

He noted the work of Colin Kaepernick and periods where the NFL and other sports leagues forbade Black participation.

“Again, I am not presenting an argument that addresses the rise of White supremacy; I pose it as a constant,” Dr. Cooper said.

“White structures often define and validate reality for everyone. So, if White structures do not validate a phenomenon, it does not matter and does not get adopted into the lexicon of reality. It simply speaks to where power is located and who holds it still: Whites in America.”

During the 2016 Presidential election, the rise of populism and voters of certain demographic archetypes voting for Donald Trump called a “basket of deplorables” by Hillary Clinton was simply either latent or ungalvanized racist voters, said Cooper.

But given the moniker Clinton used and the political backlash she received, she had to retract her remarks, he said.

“In hindsight years later, when the Capitol was stormed, it appears Hillary Clinton may have accurately identified a variant form of racist populism.

The problem is it took years to confirm Clinton’s observations,” Dr. Cooper remarked.

“I suggest using terms of latency, awareness, and even hybrid forms of White supremacy to illuminate its constant existence. And then to consider addressing the changing aspects or strains of it that continue and will continue to plague this society.”

(Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent)

FORUM

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

The ‘Rabble-rouser Effect’ Rabble-rouser (noun), a person who speaks with intentions of inflaming the emotions of a crowd of people, typically for political reasons.

After fatal police encounters involving African Americans during the last decade, American cities experienced rioting that was reminiscent of the 1960s.

But the 21st century actually began with a riot that has been forgotten.

In 2001, rioting erupted after an unarmed Black man was fatally shot by the police in Cincinnati.

This incident was the largest civil disturbance since the 1992 riots in Los Angeles, which took place after four White police officers were acquitted for beating Black motorist Rodney King.

The rallying cry of Cincinnati protesters was “Stop Killing Us.” There were other fatal shootings of Black men by the Cincinnati police which built tension and made the violent response by residents inevitable.

The relationship between the Black residents and the Cincinnati police was so bad that activists didn’t want any police presence in the Black community.

The Cincinnati police obliged and withdrew.

Two months later, crime rates skyrocketed. There were 60 shootings, 78 people were wounded, compared with 9 shootings the previous year during the same time period.

The rabble-rousers who didn’t want any police presence turned around and claimed that the non-police presence in the Black community was unethical and illegal.

In 2014 a Black teenager named Michael Brown was shot and killed

J. Pharoah Doss

Check It Out by a White police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, after a tussle over the officer’s gun. However, the press initially reported that Brown put his hands up and begged the officer not to shoot. This false narrative led to the Ferguson riot and gave national prominence to a protest movement called Black Lives Matter.

This was when the rabble-rousers of Black Lives Matter first told the press they advocated defunding the police.

After Ferguson, the national media became fixated on covering every fatal police encounter that involved a White officer and a Black person.

The fixation wasn’t on police brutality, it was on the new group of young rabble-rousers decrying systemic racism, and each fatal police encounter led to more demonstrations and more violence.

Since urban police departments were under the microscope and portrayed as the clearest example of systemic racism in America, police departments began to pull back from “pro-active” policing. Over time statistics began to reflect an uptick in crime rates in major cities across America, and the concept of “police withdrawal resulting in crime increases” became known as “The Ferguson Effect.”

However, “The Ferguson Effect”

was dismissed.

Critics claimed there were spikes in crime, but there was no evidence the spikes correlated to “The Ferguson Effect.” Then the critics promoted data that indicated crime rates were at a historic low if the spikes were excluded. Obviously, these same critics forgot about the 2001 Cincinnati riots and how crime increased after the police withdrew.

In 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a White police officer in Minneapolis. Riots and Black Lives Matter protests broke out all across the nation. From May 25 to July 31, 2020, there were 8,700 protests; 574 of them were riots. All of this transpired because Floyd was killed in barbaric fashion, and it was captured on video for the world to witness.

During these events, national Black Lives Matter spokespersons along with local activists and a host of other prominent people demanded for city councils to defund the police.

Some city councils obliged.

A year later, the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, publicly admitted that defunding the police led to a spike in crime in his city. Former Los Angeles and New York City police chief Bill Bratton explained that cities that have embraced defunding the police are now acknowledging the “unintended negative consequences” of their reforms as crime rates surged in their respective cities.

Defunding the police has consequences and the crime surges that result should be called: The Rabble-rouser Effect.

A century later, Tulsa massacre exemplifies America’s reluctance to confront its legacy of White supremacism (TriceEdneyWire.com)—“I will never forget the violence of the White mob when we left our home.

I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned.

I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams,” she said.

“I have lived through the massacre every day. Our country may forget this history but I cannot.”—107year-old Viola Fletcher, survivor of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre They killed an estimated 300 people. They inflicted serious injury on more than 800 people. They burned more than 1,250 homes to the ground, along with every church, school and business. They left 10,000 people homeless, and wreaked about $200 million in property damage in today’s dollars.

Not a single one of the murderous White mob that obliterated the affluent Black neighborhood of Greenwood, Oklahoma, ever was prosecuted. Every insurance claim filed by a Black property owner was denied.

Though it was covered extensively in newspapers at the time, the Tulsa race massacre, which happened 100 years ago this week, was nearly lost to history. Someone ripped an article about the arrest that triggered the massacre, along with half the editorial page, from the only copy of the May 31 Tulsa Tribune to be microfilmed. Even most Black residents of Tulsa never heard about the massacre when they were growing up. Oklahoma school began including it in their curriculums only last year.

A century later, the Tulsa massacre is one of history’s clearest examples of America’s deep-seated reluctance to confront the legacy of White supremacism, and of the intense, enduring economic scars Black Americans bear to this day.

The effort to suppress history that makes White Americans uncomfortable didn’t begin or end with the Tulsa massacre. The Jim Crow south of my childhood was steeped in the mythology of the Lost Cause —the erroneous claim that the Civil War was not fought over slavery, but against the encroachment of Federal power.

A more recent manifestation is the alarmist backlash against the 1619 Project, the New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize-winning examination of slavery’s role in shaping the American present. The University of North Carolina board of trustees went so far as to defy the recommendation of the university’s dean, chancellor, and faculty and deny tenure to Nicole Hanna-Jones, the journalist who conceived the project.

Critical race theory, a decades-old academic concept which suggests that racism is embedded in American law and public policy, is White

Marc H. Morial

To Be Equal supremacy’s latest bugbear. The idea that America’s social and economic inequities are the result of deliberate policy choices—rather than differences in effort and ability—is a dangerous one for those invested in preserving the status quo. As Adam Serwer writes in The Atlantic, it suggests that different policy choices could produce a more equitable society.

It may be this fear, rather than the more commonly-cited factor of shame, that motivated suppression of the Tulsa race massacre.

To acknowledge that the wealth of Greenwood was taken by force is to acknowledge that a massive debt is owed.

The violence that raged for 24 hours in Greenwood ostensibly was triggered by an accusation—likely false, according to the 2001 report of the Tulsa Race Massacre Commission—that a 19-year-old Black shoeshiner assaulted a 17-year-old White elevator operator. But many observers at the time suggested that White resentment of Black prosperity was the primary cause of the attack.

The Chicago Defender reported in June 1921: Letters had been sent to prominent men of the Race demanding that they stop extending the bounds of the district within which they were segregated. A rumor has been extant for some time to the effect that it was the desire of White industry or of private citizens to appropriate the lands which the Race had gained possession of. Since the area had become a segregated district to

them, the value had increased and White speculators saw a chance for immense profits if they could only drive the inhabitants out.

According to the 2001 Commission report, “At the time, many said that this was no spontaneous eruption of the rabble; it was planned and executed by the elite. Quite a few people—including some members of this commission—have since studied the question and are persuaded that this is so, that the Tulsa race riot was the result of a conspiracy. This is a serious position and a provable position—if one looks at certain evidence in certain ways.”

Whatever the true motivation, White Tulsans moved quickly to exploit the economic devastation and terror of Greenwood residents, swooping up their land for a pittance. A city committee proposed converting the land to commercial use, emphasizing the desirable racial segregation that would result: We further believe that the two races being divided by an industrial section will draw more distinctive lines between them and thereby eliminate the intermingling of the lower elements of the two races, which in our opinion is the root of the evil which should not exist.

In its 2001 report, the Commission recommended payment of reparations to survivors and descendants of survivors but 20 years later they have not been paid.

Hughes Van Ellis, who was an infant at the time of the massacre, testified before a House Judiciary Subcommittee earlier this month.

“We were made to feel that our struggle was unworthy of justice, that we were less than the Whites, that we weren’t fully Americans,” he said. “We were shown that in the United States, not all men were equal under the law. We were shown that when Black voices called out for justice, no one cared.

“Please, do not let me leave this Earth without justice.”

New Pittsburgh Courier

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JUNE 2-8, 2021

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Help Wanted

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SOFTWARE DEVELOPER LEAD (MULTIPLE OPENINGS) The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. has multiple openings for Software Developer Lead in Pittsburgh, PA. Participate in all aspects of the Asset Management Group (AMG) MIS activities. Specific duties include (i) participate in all phases of software development lifecycle including business requirements collection, analysis, sizing, design, development, testing, deployment and production support; (ii) be responsible for application development using Angular, Enterprise Java, CSS and work closely with the agile team; (iii) work with Product owner, scrum masters and agile crew in writing detailed user stories and technical design documents; (iv) perform unit, integration, system testing of the new digital platforms in web and mobile; (v) work under tight deadlines to deliver high quality of software for AMG’s new digital applications; (vi) work with various testing teams in close collaboration to learn and validate the business user scenarios for functional, systems integrated and user acceptance testing; (vii) work with the performance testing team to ensure all aspects, user interfaces, integrations and user scenarios of the developed applications can be performance and load tested before actual implementation; (viii) create detailed design documentation based on technical and business requirements; and (xi) collaborate with process architects to document and create test plans.

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering or Computer Science plus 3 years of experience in position(s) utilizing Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) to design and develop digital and mobile applications is required. Must have experience with the following: (i) Enterprise Java; (ii) Angular; (iii) HTML5; (iv) CSS3; (v) Javascript, TypeScript, Bootstrap, NodeJS, Dojo, JQuery; (vi) designing and developing responsive web applications; (vii) DevOps CI/CD, GIT, Bitbucket, Artifactory, Jenkins, Gradle; (viii) working closely with product owner(s) to recommend and implement process improvements; and (ix) interacting with Enterprise Architecture and technology vendors and influencing solution design adhering to industry standard.

40 hours/week, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Interested individuals apply online at www.pnc.com using keyword R059417. 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.

DIGITAL SKILLS INSTRUCTOR POSITION Our Digital Skills Instructor is responsible for leading Literacy Pittsburgh digital skills classes as assigned utilizing the Northstar curriculum and working in support of agency priorities. The Digital Skills Instructor ensures a high-quality experience for students by providing excellent student instruction and support to advance student learning and goal attainment. For more information follow this link: https://www.literacypittsburgh.org/ digital-skills-instructor/

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER LEAD The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. seeks a Software Developer Lead in Pittsburgh, PA, to participate in all aspects of PNC’s Corporate and Institutional Banking’s Systems Engineering Group activities.

Specific duties include: (i) lead the technical design and development of software solutions; (ii) analyze current business processes, define and develop different tasks, and workflows; (iii) create business and technical designs for assigned processes, tasks, workflows, create requirement definition, technical specifications; (iv) develop solutions from technical specifications to do the unit testing of the modules and deploy it into Non-Production and Production; and (v) provide technical training to team members and guide the team in solving technical issues.

Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication, Electronics Engineering, Computer Applications, Computer Information Systems, MIS or Computer Science/Engineering plus 3 years of experience in RPA (Robotics Process Automation), ML (Machine Learning) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) Chabot software development is required. Must have experience with: (i) developing, testing, deploying business processes using RPA; (ii) developing AI Chatbot using Natural language Processing (NLP) engine; (iii) developing ML models; (iv) working with Agile Scrum team for Process design, development, testing and integration of RPA, ML and AI solutions with other tools and perform complex problem resolution; (v) providing technical training to team members and providing guidance to the team to solve technical issues; (vi) developing in multiple environments (RND, UAT, QA and Prod); (vii) working with APIs; (viii) full project lifecycle, including analysis, design, development, testing, implementation, support and enhancement; and (ix) programming with Automation Anywhere, WorkFusion, IBM UrbanCode Deploy (UDeploy), JFrog Artifactory, C#, .NET, Oracle, SQL, PL/SQL, Python, SharePoint, Visual Basic, MS Access and Macros.

40 hours/week, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Interested individuals apply online at www.pnc.com using keyword R058588. 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.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING ENROLLMENT AND PLACEMENT COORDINATOR POSITION Our English Language Learning (ELL) Enrollment and Placement Coordinator is responsible for leading Literacy Pittsburgh’s ELL enrollment, and placement process for the downtown center. The position coordinates classroom-based services for students to create better lives through learning. The coordinator works with the ELL team to ensure that the enrollment, testing, and placement process is a high-quality experience for students. For more information follow this link: https://www.literacypittsburgh.org/ english-language-learningenrollment-coordinator/ SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HEAD VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER COACH Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Deadline 4:00 PM June 11, 2021 EOE SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION SUBSTITUTE TEACHER for the 2021-2022 school year.

Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Deadline 4:00 PM June 11, 2021 EOE SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a MIDDLE SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION PERMANENT SUBSTITUTE TEACHER for one semester during the 2021-2022 school year.

Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Deadline 4:00 PM June 11, 2021 EOE SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER POSITION for the 2021-2022 school year.

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HOME FOR SALE 2633 Brackenridge St Pgh Pa 15219 2Br 1Br row house Living/Dining/ Kitchen and Sun Room with washer dryer hook up in basement.

Asking $60,000 Call 412-883-9337 LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

Estate of UJAZDOWSKI CATHERINE A., Deceased of Glenshaw, Estate No. 03122 of 2021, David R. Ujazdowski, 6 Triple Oak Trail, Gibsonia, PA 15044, Exec. or to MICHAEL J. SALDAMARCO, ESQ., STE 100, 908 PERRY HWY, PITTSBURGH, PA 15229 Estate of MARY ANN LANDRY, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 022103133 of 2021 Kimberly Kennedy, Extr. or to Matthew J. Beam, Esquire, Scolieri Law Group, P.C. , Atty; 1207 Fifth Avenue, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Estate of EDWARD A. BRENNAN SR., Deceased of South Fayette Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Estate No. 02-2104096, Edward A. Brennan, Jr. Executor, 5035 Sherwood Court, Burlington, WI 53105, or to ROBIN L. RARIE, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017 NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of MARY P. CORTAZZO, deceased, Case No. 3341 of 2021: Notice is hereby given that on May 6, 2021, a Petition was filed by Jennifer L. Cortazzo to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Mary P. Cortazzo, deceased, in the real estate located at 345 Lecanto Avenue, East McKeesport, PA 15035 and determine that fee simple title is in Jennifer L. Cortazzo.

If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 30 days, Jennifer L. Cortazzo will seek an Order adjudging that Mary P. Cortazzo’s title is in Jennifer L. Cortazzo.

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Legal Notices

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Cour t Division, Estate of WILLIAM J. KEARNS, deceased, Case No. 3340 of 2021: Notice is hereby given that on May 6, 2021, a Petition was filed by Connie E. Kearns to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of William J. Kearns, deceased, in the real estate located at 41 Solar Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 and determine that fee simple title is in Connie E. Kearns.

If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 30 days, Connie E. Kearns will seek an Order adjudging that William J. Kearns’ title is in Connie E. Kearns.

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphans’ Court Division, Estate of SARAH A. LUBAWSKI, deceased, Case No. 3342 of 2021: Notice is hereby given that on May 6, 2021, a Petition was filed by Christine D. Lubawski to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Sarah A. Lubawski, deceased, in the real estate located at 716 Excelsior Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15210 and determine that fee simple title is in Christine D. Lubawski. If no exceptions to the Petition are filed within 30 days, Christine D. Lubawski will seek an Order adjudging that Sarah A. Lubawski ‘s title is in Christine D. Lubawski.

LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR JANITORIAL SERVICES FOR VARIOUS HACP LOCATIONS RESIDENT OWNED BUSINESSES ONLY IFB#250-23-21 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s): Janitorial Services for Various HACP Locations Resident Owned Businesses Only IFB#250-23-21 The documents will be available no later than June 1, 2021 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 AM on June 24, 2021 The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 9:00 AM on June 24, 2021 in the lobby of 100 Ross St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Bids may be uploaded to the Authority’s online submission site, the link is accessible via the HACP website and within the IFB. Sealed bids may still be mailed via USPS at which time they will be Time and Date Stamped at 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

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

Questions or inquiries should be directed to: Mr. Kim Detrick Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2832 A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on June 14, 2021 at 9:00 AM. Please see meeting information below: Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 977 9294 5418 Passcode: 752340 +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C) The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.

HACP’s has revised their website.

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

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

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

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

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 a.m. on June 17, 2021 and will be read at 11:15 a.m., the same day, at Port Authority’s Heinz location (Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information for the Bid Opening), for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

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Bid Number B210535A B210538A B210539A

Bid Name Reman/New/Exchange Turbochargers - Cummins Engines Portable Toilet Rental Service VMware Horizon Support

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

Bid Number B210537A B210318AR

Bid Name Solid Waste Removal & Disposal Printing of Public Timetables

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

A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 a.m. on May 27, 2021. Please contact the respective Contract Specialist for Tele-Conference dial-in information. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening.

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

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

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

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

DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The Allegheny County Airport Authority will be receiving scanned PDF proposals through Submittable and a submission link will be sent to each registered plan holder. Submissions are to be submitted via Submittable by 1:00 p.m. prevailing local time on June 30, 2021, and bids will be opened by the Airport Authority and results will be emailed by end of business day of bid opening for the following project: ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PROJECT NUMBER 21G1-21 (GENERAL) EAST GATE AT TOWER ROAD EAST GATE ACCESS UPGRADE PROJECT AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT A pre-bid conference will be held at 9:30 a.m., on June 9, 2021 in Conference Room E at Pittsburgh International Airport Landside Terminal, 4th Floor Mezz, Pittsburgh, PA 15231. Anyone attending the pre-bid conference must call 412-472-5578 for access to Conference Room E. Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages, as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, must be paid on these projects.

Proposals must be made on the Authority’s form and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”’.The non-refundable charge of $150.00 for the Bid Documents and the Plans, and Specifications through the bidding platform Submittable at https://www.acaacapitalprograms.submittable.com .

Please note that Submittable does not support Internet Explorer 11. Submittable recommends the following browsers: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari.

This project has DBE participation goals; DBE firms must be certified with the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program) (PA UCP). Firms must be certified prior to award of contract. A searchable database of DBE firms can be found on the PA UCP web site: https://paucp.dbesystem.com/ The Airport Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.

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

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

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NATIONAL

B6 JUNE 2-8, 2021

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Black Press of America making impact and progress

by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—Two years ago, the National Newspaper Publishers Association enthusiastically elected a new National Chair and an Executive Committee with the promise of moving the organization to new heights and re-invigorating the Black Press of America as the trusted voice of Black communities across the nation.

Less than a year into their two-year term, the world was confronted with the first global pandemic in 100 years— COVID-19.

Businesses shuttered, tens of millions of individuals fell ill, and nearly 4 million died.

Black businesses, in particular, were decimated.

Throughout the 81-year history of the NNPA and 194 years of the Black Press of America, African Americans have remained strong, executing steadfast resilience in the face of adversity and racism.

Thanks to an experienced and dedicated all-women Executive Committee who ascended to lead the national trade association, the NNPA has enjoyed perhaps two of the most successful and productive years in its history.

“Despite the pandemic, the Black Press of America is moving forward, and I’m so thankful that we have these Black women leaders who each stand for the elegance, integrity, vision, and success that Black America is known for,” NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. exclaimed.

“This is the best executive team the NNPA has had in years. The organization is probably in a better financial situation in 2021 than we have been in the last three decades,” Dr. Chavis added.

The NNPA’s executive includes: National Chair Karen Carter Richards of the Houston Forward Times, First ViceChair Janis Ware of the Atlanta Voice, Second Vice Chair Fran Farrer of the County News in Charlotte, National Secretary Jackie Hampton of the Mississippi Link in Jackson, MS and National Treasurer Brenda Andrews of the New Journal & Guide in Norfolk, VA. “The NNPA is a big part of my life,” Richards explained.

“I didn’t join the NNPA. I was born into the NNPA.” “I’ve been serving the NNPA for 40 years, right after I finished college and my father sent me to the first conference,” Ware recalled. “It was so impressive to see so many African American business owners in one place. I couldn’t be happier that I made that decision and commitment to the NNPA.” Hampton remarked that it had been her greatest honor to serve as NNPA secretary, a comment echoed by Fran Farrer, the second vice-chair.

“I was so happy to be a part of this organization, and I have learned so much,” Hampton stated.

“It’s been my greatest honor to set aside the time necessary to give back to an organization

THANKS TO AN EXPERIENCED and dedicated all-women Executive Committee who ascended to lead the national trade association, the NNPA has enjoyed perhaps two of the most successful and productive years in its history. that has done so much for me,” she said.

Added Farrer: “The strength of the Black women in leadership and in other areas can never be underestimated and I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish as the Executive Committee.”

While 2020 proved challenging for Brenda Andrews and the New Journal & Guide, she noted how she and her team managed to overcome some of the most challenging times the world has seen.

“We were able to re-establish ourselves, and we were also able to recruit and solicit new advertising based around the pandemic and the health crisis,” Andrews stated.

While about 37,000 workers were laid off or furloughed at media companies like the Los Angeles Times, Condé Nast, The Dallas Morning News, Gannett, McClatchy, National Public Radio, and VOX, the NNPA added staff and expanded services to NNPA member publishers across the nation.

Buoyed by Dr. Chavis’ special on-camera interview in Charleston, South Carolina, with then Presidential candidate Joe Biden, the NNPA embarked on nationally televised livestreams.

Each week, the NNPA reached tens of thousands of viewers as it introduced the world to its publishers and business owners during the broadcasts.

The NNPA livestream broadcasts reached another level when its senior national correspondent recruited A-list superstars to appear on the social media channels of the Black Press.

An interview with Reggae superstar Ziggy Marley garnered a live audience of more than 168,000 and reached several million overall at Facebook. com/BlackPressUSA/Videos, and YouTube.com/c/BlackPressUSATV.

Temptations founder Otis Williams, songstress Stephanie Mills, hip-hop icons Ice Cube, Chuck D, LL Cool J, and Russell Simmons also made appearances.

Members of Congress and the Senate made appearances, including then-Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), then-Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Basketball legends Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Attorney Joey Jackson, Rapper DMC, comedian Sinbad, and boxing icon Sugar Ray Leonard also joined the livestreams for interviews and shout outs to the NNPA during its annual conference.

Some of the appearances the NNPA’s senior national correspondent recruited, like that of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, led to direct business and advertising sales for some members of the NNPA. The following is a list that highlights the outstanding NNPA progress and accomplishments during the past two years: • In January 2020, the NNPA hosted a high-tech consultation at the NNPA national office that included executives of Google, Local Media Association (LMA), and Association of Alternative News (AAN) that resulted in the over $1 million ad buys from Google for NNPA member publications to date, college student internships for NNPA member publications, and 18 NNPA member newspapers selected for Google News Initiative (GNI) “Google Ad Lab Transformation Program” Phase One in 2021.

Phase Two will be in 2022 for the Google GNI that will extend more opportunities for NNPA member publications.

• Also, in January 2020, the NNPA established a partnership with Facebook that resulted in the sponsorship of NNPA conferences, grant funding of training programs for the NNPA Fund for $140,000 in 2021, and a limited NNPA ad buy for member publications.

Currently, the NNPA is negotiating with Facebook about increasing its ad buys with NNPA member publications in 2021 and 2022.

• In 2020, for the first time in the organization’s history, NNPA-negotiated print corporate sponsorships and advertising buys for NNPA member publications exceeded $20 million.

This includes ad buys from the U.S. Census and political ads.

• The NNPA Executive Committee and other NNPA member publishers in March 2020 participated in the historic NNPA in-person exclusive live televised interview with former Vice President Joe Biden in Charleston, South Carolina on the eve of the 2020 South Carolina Presidential Primary Election where Biden pledged to support the Black Press of America as the next President of the United States • For the first time in the history of the NNPA, the NNPA’s public news portal, http:// www.blackpressusa.com delivered achieved the milestone of 3 million pageviews per month in January of 2020 • NNPA’s Digital Network increased delivery of digital advertising opportunities, generating additional revenue for NNPA member publications in each of the NNPA’s five regions in 2020 • In 2020, the NNPA established and has maintained the NNPA COVID-19 Pandemic Task Force and was the first national news association to declare, based on the available scientific data, that COVID was an “airborne infectious disease” that was dispropor-

tionately deadly impacting Black America • The Virtual NNPA 2020 Annual National Convention in July 2020 hit a record 100,000 pageviews a dramatic increase over the number of in-person attendees that have comprised the audience when the event was held in physical locations • The Virtual NNPA 2020 National Leadership Awards Reception in September 2020 had an additional 351,000 pageviews • In January 2021, the NNPA launched a daily, Monday through Friday, early morning livestream video news show, “Let It Be Known” hosted

by Stacy Brown, NNPA Senior National News Correspondent at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time that attracts a growing national and international audience and engagement on behalf of the Black Press of America • NNPA’s national membership has today increased from 200 to 230 Black-owned newspapers and media companies in 2021 • In 2021, a record number of 122 NNPA publishers paid their annual membership dues in the first two quarters of the year • The NNPA in 2021 became an official member of The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) • The NNPA in 2021 has negotiated a “strategic alliance” with the U.S. Department of Commerce Small Business Association (SBA) to strengthen African American-owned businesses and to help member newspapers and other African American-owned businesses recover from the negative impact of COVID-19. The SBA will be a presenter at the Virtual NNPA 2021 Annual National Convention • The NNPA in 2021 has negotiated a “strategic alliance” with the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) to assist in the national dissemination of accurate and factual information about COVID-19 to Black America and to other communities of color. The CDC will also be presenting at the Virtual NNPA 2021 Annual National Convention.

“The NNPA has made unprecedented progress under the leadership of Chair Karen Carter Richards and the NNPA Executive Committee, as well as with the dedication of all 17 members of the NNPA Board of Directors,” Dr. Chavis stated.

“As our nation and world continue to struggle to end the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the truth is there are more opportunities today for the advancement of the Black Press of America via the NNPA than ever before.”

Dr. Chavis continued: “It continues to be my honor to work directly with the dynamic group of African American women publisher-leaders who currently serve in the important executive board leadership positions. My prayer is that God will continue to bless the Black Press with success, sustainability, and experienced leadership.”

NAACP president discusses Biden administration appointees and the impact of COVID on Black Americans

by Stacy M. Brown For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)—Derrick Johnson, the president and CEO of the NAACP, the nation’s largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization, said the group has continued to seek to ensure that communities of color remain informed.

The NAACP’s mission is that everyone receives the facts they need to make the best decisions for their families and communities while the fight against the pandemic goes forward, the president added.

Johnson appeared for a live interview with the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s morning news program, “Let It Be Known.”

He discussed the launch of “COVID. KNOW.MORE,” a campaign conceived with the intent of providing to Black Americans the most comprehensive suite of relevant information and resources on COVID-19 available, curated specifically for them.

“With the country showing increasing signs of reopening each day, the tendency exists among some to forget

the most devastating impacts of COVID-19,” said Johnson.

“In many of our most vulnerable communities, the battle against the disease continues to rage on as Americans contend with not just high infection rates, but also the pandemic’s long term health implications and unprecedented economic setbacks.”

The mainstay of the NAACP’s ‘COVID. KNOW MORE’ effort is a now live, multifaceted online information hub housing a broad array of features designed to empower African Americans’ deci-

sion-making as they navigate the pandemic—at their convenience.

The hub, found at naacp.org/covidknowmore, exists as a user-friendly, central place for individuals, community groups, partners, and NAACP branches alike to see the latest news and information, research, resources, science-based guidance, and updates from medical experts.

The platform further reinforces the NAACP as the most visible and trusted resource for African Americans on the health crisis. “ T h e NAACP is

DERRICK JOHNSON is the President and CEO of the NAACP, the nation’s largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization.

continuing its work to help our most vulnerable citizens and communities safely navigate back to normalcy while countering the ongoing devastation of COVID-19,” notes Johnson.

“Through our pioneering ‘COVID Unmasked’ virtual town hall series, local mask distributions, and other COVID education efforts, the NAACP has been dedicated to fighting this pandemic from the outset. COVID. KNOW MORE is the natural evolution to continue to expand not only the information provided to our communities but also to address the long-term implications and impacts of the pandemic and systemic disparities.”

Johnson also discussed the importance of the Biden-Harris administration’s appointments of Black women like Kristen Clarke and Marcia Fudge to key posts.

“Highly-qualified individuals,” Johnson concluded.

(Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent.)