“Mrs. Hamlin was looking for a pharmacist and they recommended me. She promised me 20 percent ownership in the pharma cy business, and I accept ed that. Her son was half Filipino; he went to phar macy school, but he didn’t want to be a pharmacist. He wanted to be a farmer,” CookThat’srecalled.when the draft came calling.
IT’S THE PROGRAM’S FOURTH COHORT.
struction from renowned academic and industry ex perts, professional coach ing, and executive men toring. It’s all in an effort to prepare Blacks who are currently in mid-level management positions for
“I had two draft defer ments being in college,” Cook said. “Shortly after that I passed the boards and I’m a registered phar macist, and my draft de ferment status ran out, so I got drafted, October 14, 1954, into the Army. I’m in Raleigh and I tell Mrs. Hamlin that I can’t accept 20 percent ownership be
Watch out, Pittsburgh.
For New Pittsburgh Courier
COLONEL KENNETH E. COOK, SEATED, WITH HIS FAMILY. THE CLAIRTON COMMUNITY RECOGNIZED COLONEL COOK EARLIER THIS YEAR PRIOR TO A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAME.
“Like every town in the re gion at the time, Clairton was home to hundreds of steel mill workers, who spent long, hard and in some ways dangerous hours toiling for the ar ray of steel mills,” recalled Cook, now 89, who current ly resides in Silver Spring, Md.The widowed father of three graduated from Clairton High School in 1950 and sought higher ed ucation at Howard Univer sity for pharmacy school, which he graduated from in 1954. Upon graduating
SEE COHORT A10
‘Representing Black excellence’ Latest cohort graduates from ‘Executive Leadership Academy’
THE ADVANCED LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE’S 2022 COHORT GRADUATING CLASS OF THE “EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY.”
The Advanced Leader ship Institute just gradu ated another cohort of Af rican Americans from its
SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 $1.00 Pittsburgh CourierPittsburgh Courier Vol. 113 No. 38 Two Sections Published Weekly NEW www.newpittsburghcourier.com America’s best weeklyAmerica’s best weekly thenewpittsburghcourier To subscribe, 412-481-8302callext.136 Pittsburgh CourierNEW Special Section Inside Get to know the Men of Excellence, Class of 2022! A LIFE WELL LIVED
executive positions within a company or organization, known as the “C-Suite.” Those 25 latest graduates now makes it 104 total graduates of the Executive
by Genea L. Webb
When Retired Army Col onel Kenneth E. Cook thinks about growing up on Chambers and Arch streets in the city of Clairton in the early to mid 1930s, the first word that comes to mind is, opportunity.That’swhere he learned the value of hard work.
SEE COOK A6
and passing his boards, on the recommendation of the Dean of Pharmacy, Cook went to Raleigh, N.C.
over.“It’s not only exciting, but it’s actually inspira tional to see the level of Black leadership we have in Pittsburgh,” expressed a joyous Evan Frazier, the president and CEO of
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
highly-acclaimed “Execu tive Leadership Academy” program.Whichmeans that as you look to your left, right, up or down, there could be an other African American in Pittsburgh ready to take
TALI.OnJuly 22, at the Car negie Mellon University Tepper Business School, 25 African Americans gradu ated from a seven-month program which included more than 100 hours of in
Clairton community honors Colonel Kenneth E. Cook for integration efforts
JOHN CONYERS
• SEPTEMBER 25
1907—The People’s Savings Bank is incorporated in Philadelphia by one of the nation’s early Black Congressman George H. White. White had been pretty much forced out of Congress as Jim Crow laws led to the increasing dis enfranchisement of Black voters after Reconstruction. After leaving Congress, he turned his attention to Black economic advancement. His bank helped thou sands of Blacks buy homes.
1961—The Interstate Commerce Com mission officially prohibits segregation in buses traveling in interstate com merce. It also banned segregated termi nal facilities even though the ruling was largely ignored in many Southern states. But during the mid-1960s civil rights activists would frequently cite the ruling as they integrated facilities throughout the South.
“I heard the chief mon arch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is final ly dying. May her pain be excruciating,” wrote Professor Uju Anya on twitter as news of the Queen’s death overtook the airways and social media.“Ifanyone expects me to express anything but disdain for the monarch who supervised a gov ernment that sponsored the genocide that mas sacred and displaced half my family and the consequences of which those alive today are still trying to overcome, you can keep wishing upon a star,” wrote Professor Anya added in a second message.Carnegie Mellon issued a relatively rare rebuke of a professor from an institution they’re em ployed at. Even rarer: Twitter removed Anya’s first message from the platform. Many ques tioned the precedent for that and wondered what twitter rule was violated.
This Week In Black A Courier Staple
• SEPTEMBER 24
“We do not condone the offensive and objection able messages posted by
1965—President Lyndon Johnson issues what is generally considered the nation’s first affirmative action order— Executive Order #11246. It required companies receiving federal construction contracts to ensure equality in the hiring of minorities. Despite a disastrous war in Vietnam that would eventually force his resignation, the Southern-born Johnson generally supported a host of legislative and executive efforts beneficial to Blacks.
PHOTOGRAPH OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II and Commonwealth lead ers, taken at the 1960 Commonwealth Conference, Windsor Castle. Front row: E. J. Cooray, Walter Nash, Jawaharlal Nehru, Elizabeth II, John Diefenbaker, Robert Menzies, Eric Louw. Back row: Tunku Abdul Rahman, Roy Welensky, Harold Macmillan, Mohammed Ayub Khan, Kwame Nkrumah. (Photo: John G. Diefenbaker Centre, Sas katoon, Canada / British Government)
JAMES MEREDITH
gie1867—MagL.Walker is born. She would become the most prominent
But for individuals whose families endured hardships under Brit ish colonial rule the moments around the Queen’s death could not pass without critique. Some viewed Elizabeth as a sovereign ruling over all of the decisions made by England, even before 1952 when Eliza beth took the throne.
JOHN COLTRANE
RAY CHARLES
But with Elizabeth’s death came a discussion around the meaning of the monarchy and wheth er history can separate the individual from what they represent in the po sition they hold. Many viewed Queen Elizabeth as a grandmotherly fig ure who transcended pol itics and was a symbol of continuity in a rapidly changing world.
music he recorded for Atlantic Records. He also contributed to the integration of country music, R&B and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his two Modern Sounds albums. While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first Black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.
ConyersJohn1872—Henry becomes the first studentBlackat the U.S. graduate.wasbeforeacademytoforcedharassmentoftenracismHowever,Academy.Navalandviolenthimleavetheheableto
1937—Blues great Bessie Smith dies of injuries sustained in an automobile accident near Clarksdale, Miss. Rumors spread that White medics refused to treat her. However, later information did cast doubt on the accuracy of those rumors.
History
GEN. COLIN POWELL
1930— er-performerSing Ray Charles is born on this day in Albany, Ga. Charles pio neered the soul music stylesR&Bbining1950sduringgenrethebycomblues,andgospelintothe
1950—Gwendolyn Brooks is award ed Pulitzer Prize for her book of poetry —“Annie Allen.” She was the first Black so honored. Brooks published her first poem in a children’s magazine, “American Childhood,” when she was 13 years old. By the time she was 16, she had com piled a portfolio of around 75 published poems and had her work critiqued by poet and novelist James Weldon John son. At 17, she started submitting her work to “Lights and Shadows,” the poetry column of the Chicago Defender, an African American newspaper. Her poems, many published while she attended Wil son Junior College, ranged in style from traditional ballads and sonnets to poems using blues rhythms in free verse.
“She meant different things to different peo ple,” said royal corre spondent Zain Asher, who is British Nigerian, on CNN during the ongo ing“Today,coverage.Ipaid my re
Washington, D.C., school board and played a major role in desegregating that city’s restaurants.
she would help establish the Lilly Black political party in part as a slap at the “Lilly White” political parties of the day.
1861—The Secretary of the Navy authorizes the enlistment of free Blacks and slaves as Union sailors in a bid to help the North win the Civil War against pro-slavery Southern Whites who had proven more difficult in battle than the North had originally expected.
• SEPTEMBER 26
• SEPTEMBER 21
by Lauren Victoria NNPABurkeNewswire Contributor
Uju Anya today on her personal social media account. Free expression is core to the mission of higher education, howev er, the views she shared absolutely do not rep resent the values of the institution, nor the stan dards of discourse we seek to “Today,foster.there is a great controversy for this statement for survivors of British colonial rule. Her university publicly chastised this statement. Benjamin Franklin re fused to address Brit ish demands for com pensation for American
1817—Hiram R. Revels is born free in Fayetteville, N.C. Revels becomes the first Black to serve in the United States Senate shortly after the Civil War.
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II at 96, tributes and reflection have been broadcast and written on. Her length of time in the spotlight was a contributing factor.
1926—Leg endary jazz great ColtraneJohnis born on this day in Hamlet, N.C. He is gen erally credited with ists.JazzgenerationsfollowedwouldpatternandmodernreshapingJazzsettingawhichbebyofsaxophon
• SEPTEMBER 23
NATIONALA2 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
ers in journalism, such as Zain Asher, blended commentary on the im pact of British colonial history, Elizabeth’s spe cific cultural connections and the complex issues around why some revere the monarchy while oth ers do not.
1876—Edward Mitchell Bannister upsets racist Whites who believe Blacks have no artistic skill by winning a bronze medal for a painting he displayed at the American Centennial Exposition in Phila delphia.
toBlackwaswomen.BlackseducationcatingactivistsleadingadvogreaterforandShethefirstpersonsitonthe
• SEPTEMBER 27
criticized for supporting what critics con sidered the government’s war-mongering policies. His generally positive reputation was damaged by his speaking before the United Nations and providing misinfor mation in 2003 in support of the Bush administration’s war in Iraq.
1905—The Atlanta Life Insurance Co. is established in Atlanta, Ga., and becomes one of the largest insurance companies in America serving a predomi nantly African American clientele.
Only time can tell whether Queen Eliz abeth ll’s son, King Charles III, will be able to successfully reconcile those issues as well.
1950—Ralph J. Bunch is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in mediating a conflict between Palestinians and the newly established Jewish state of Israel. Arabs had gone to war arguing the Jewish state had been established on land which rightfully belonged to the Palestinians.
THE NEW PUBLISHINGCOURIERPITTSBURGHCOMPANY Publication No.: USPS 381940 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Phone: 412-481-8302 Fax: 412-481-1360 The New Pittsburgh Courier is published weekly Periodicals paid at Pittsburgh, Pa. PRICE $1.00 (Payable in advance) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 6 9-Month21Months—$25Year—$45Years—$85SchoolRate $35
Tories recounting the atrocities of the British,” wrote economist William Spriggs on Sept. 8.
BlackadmittancedoorallyorderaBarnettsippiWhites,amongtenacitydemonstratinginstancestheofracismSouthernMissisGov.Rossdefiesfederalcourtandpersonstandsinthetoblocktheofastudent—
James Meredith to the University of Mississippi. Meredith would eventually be admitted and graduate. Historians now generally believe Ross’ “show” was primarily designed to curry favor among White voters not actually to stop deseg regation of the then-all-White university.
MARY CHURCH TERRELL
spects and signed a book of condolence at the British Embassy in Mogadishu—in memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. During this time of grieving, I extend my deepest sympathies to His Majesty King Charles III and the Roy al Family,” stated the Prime Minister of Soma lia Hamza Abdi Barre.
• SEPTEMBER 22
MAGGIE LENA WALKER
Church1863—MaryTerrell is born on this day in 1863. She became one of the na tion’s
Queen Elizabeth’s time as the reigning monarch of England was 70 years and 214 days. It was the longest reign of any Brit ish monarch. Elizabeth had become a fixture in popular culture and a constant in the lives of many in Great Britain, whether in the back ground or as a much seen figure in the news.
1984—Gen.ColinPowell becomes the first whileroleBlacksbywasleader,toptheStaff.ChiefsofchairmannamedAmericanAfricanastheJointofAsnation’smilitaryPowellpraisedsomeasamodelhewas
block the court ordered desegregation of the school claiming that Whites would be destroyed if they integrated with Blacks. But the confrontation settled the issue of whether states had to obey orders issued by federal courts.
1929—Ida Stephens Owens is born. She would become the nation’s first Black female bio-chemist.
1957—President Dwight Eisenhower orders federal troops into Little Rock, Ark., to prevent angry Whites from interfering with the integration of the city’s Central High School by nine Black students. The confrontation was one of the most dramatic during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. Governor Orval Faubus had vowed to go to jail to
As the days passed af ter the Queen’s death there appeared to be a general consensus that respect, historic analy sis and ceremony can go hand and hand. Several of the Black royal watch
Though there was dis cussion on many net works, starting with Ro land Martin’s BlackStar Network, by the mid dle of the week, many watching the ceremo nies as Elizabeth’s coffin traveled from Scotland to London reviewed her seven decades in the public eye differently.
of Queen Elizabeth ignites debate on British colonialism
AbankanfirstalsotheBlackofVa.,inbusinesswomanBlacktheRichmond,areaandonethewealthiestwomeninnation.ShebecametheBlackwomtoestablishainthenation.socialactivist,
Death
1962—In another one of those
ONLY TIME CAN TELL whether Queen Elizabeth ll’s son, King Charles III, will be able to successfully reconcile those issues as well. (Photo: Prince Phillip, Queen Mother, Cecilia Kadzamila, Queen Elizabeth, and Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, prime minister and later president of Malawi.)
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 A3
Divine Nine aims to save lives of Black women endangered by Roe v. Wade reversal
The campaign is a collec tive effort by the Divine Nine to empower the com munity to counteract the potentially disastrous ef fect of the repeal by urging Americans to contact the politicians who can make the most “Overturningdifference.Roev. Wade will not end abortion, it will only end safe abor tions and access to health care for millions of women —particularly poor women of color—and fuel a fullfledged public health crisis in this country,” Chris V. Rey, J.D., President of Phi Beta Sigma, a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, said in the news release.“We’re calling on the 2.5 million members of the Divine Nine to contact lawmakers to mitigate the impact of this egregious blow to the well-being of 10 million Black women of child-bearing age.”
Black women are also three times more likely to die from longcommunitiesed,bodiestheedthroughthat,Ninerights,advocateenthoodpresidentrights.tectrulestellcontactwood,”“Mothertherepeal,percentexpectedamongwhitecomplicationspregnancy-relatedthantheirpeers.ThismortalityrateBlackmothersistoincreaseby33inthewakeoftheofficialsstatedinrelease.Lewis,knownastheofBlackHollyurgesviewerstokeylawmakerstothemtorelaxfilibustersoCongresscanprowomen’shealthcareAlexisMcGillJohnson,ofPlannedParActionFund,anforreproductivesupportstheDivinecampaign,proclaimed“Whatwearelivingisanunprecedentpublichealthcrisis.”“TheseverityoflosingrighttogovernourowncannotbeoverstatespeciallyforBlackwhohavefelttheimpactofpol
“Thesaid.measure of a nation is how it treats its most vulnerable. It’s time to stand up together for those who cannot stand up for themselves.”
(For more information about the Tell Somebody campaign, visit org)www.TellSomebodyNow.http://
ALEXIS MCGILL JOHNSON
by iconic actor Jenifer Lew is (Black-ish, Strong Medi cine, Five, The Preacher’s Wife, Cars, What’s Love Got to Do with It) stark ly illustrates the circum stances that drive nearly four times more Black women to seek abortions versus their White peers, particularly sexual vio lence.According to the release, nearly half of Black women experience sexual coercion, and one in four will expe rience sexual abuse, by the age of 18. Thirty-five per cent will experience some form of sexual violence within their lifetime.
“Tell Somebody,” narrated
Are you trying to ‘Strive For Excellence?’ Read about it from our own ‘Man DamonExcellence,’ofCarr,onPageB1.
METROA4 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
She continued: “Creat ing medically unnecessary barriers to abortion only makes it harder for people to get the health care they need, and deeply affects communities that already face challenges within the health care system—com munities like ours.
“Tell Somebody” is pro duced by veteran broad caster Sybil Wilkes, “The Voice of Reason” on the Tom Joyner Morning Show and Executive Producer Yolanda Starks-White, co-founders of YoSy Media, a multi-media news, infor mation and Black culture platform.“Thisis a call to action.
“Despite the darkness we are living through, we must remember that we have the power to make a difference. As a member of a Divine Nine sorority, I know there is power in our stories and strength in our voices as we continue to push for freedom.”
iticians asserting power and control over our bod ies at the expense of our health, lives, and futures,” McGill Johnson said.
by Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire
The Divine Nine, the historically Black frater nities and sororities of the National Pan-Hellen ic Council led by Phi Beta Sigma, are joining forces to save the lives of Black women.Ina news release, the influential organization said it would launch “Tell Somebody,” a public service campaign emphasizing the profoundly dispropor tionate impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 decision to overturn near ly half a century of estab lished law under Roe v. Wade, on Black women.
Lives are on the line—the lives of those with the least access to medical, financial and social resources,” Wil kes
tory by winning the Pitts burgh mayoral election in Nov. 2021; Page Design, for the design of the Courier’s front page on Mayor Gain ey winning the election; and Health/Medical, for a story entitled, “A Ray of Hope—support growing for Black mothers who experi ence stillbirths.” The story focused on a Black family in Pittsburgh who lost a child due to a stillbirth, and how different Black women and organizations have teamed up to form a strong support group for Black mothers who have undergone a similar situ ation.The theme of PBMF’s 34th Vann Media Awards was, “No Walls.” It’s a re minder that access to in formation and truth allows journalists to report on government corruption, war on the defenseless, and crimes against hu manity. It is also a remind er that journalists must also be conscious to not erect or stay behind their own walls of implicit bias. They must continue to break down walls to gain knowledge and a deeper understanding of commu nities that are different than their own. This helps journalists to better report truth and gain trust in all of the communities they cover.Four special awards were also presented: To Jonas Chaney, who served for many years as the public affairs director and sports
The Courier’s Brian Cook Sr. won the top award in Sports Photog raphy for his photo of the Steelers’ Diontae Johnson making a tough catch in the end zone for a touch down during a game in 2021.The Courier’s Emmai Alaquiva won the top award in the Personality Profile Photo category for his photos of Ashley Battle and her lifelong journey as a professional basketball player and her post-bas ketballCouriercareer.managing edi tor Rob Taylor Jr. won three top awards: Spot/ Breaking News, for a story on Ed Gainey making his
EMMAI ALAQUIVA
MARIMBA MILLIONES, TRAILBLAZER AWARD WINNER (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
AWARD
fessionals through the Hill CDC fellowship program; and The International Free Expression Proj ect, founded and directed by journalist Greg Victor. The project uniquely re minds the world of the im portance of protecting free expression and supporting the marketplace of ideas and artists.
anchor at WPXI-TV Chan nel 11. His focus on com munity made it possible for scores of Black events and organizations to promote their programs and ini tiatives; The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI), an executive devel opment program that pre pares African Americans to contribute more broadly to their organizations and the community. It is an
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 A5METRO
MARTELLO)
The New Pittsburgh Cou rier took home six firstplace awards at the annual Pittsburgh Black Media Federation Vann Media Awards ceremony, held, Aug. 24, at the August Wil son African American Cul tural Center, Downtown. Longtime Courier sports columnist Aubrey Bruce won the top award in the sports category, for his sto ry, “Bill Nunn Jr. inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” Bill Nunn Jr. was the longtime Couri er sports editor who was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a scout for his astute knowledge of Black players from primarily Black colleges.
LEGACY
Courier wins 6 first-place Pittsburgh Black Media Federation Vann Awards
WINNER
innovation, spearheaded by founder Evan Frazier, that shares the message of the importance of diversity and inclusion to strength ening the community; Ma rimba Milliones, presi dent and CEO of the Hill Community Development Corporation, for innova tion in fostering commu nity uplift and cultivating the next generation of com munity development pro
COURIER MANAGING EDITOR ROB TAYLOR JR., COURIER SPORTS COLUMNIST AUBREY BRUCE, COURIER PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER BRIAN COOK SR. (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN)
JONAS CHANEY (PHOTO BY J.L.
METROA6 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Clairton community honors Colonel Kenneth E. Cook
But the numerous oppor tunities in the service kept him in.
“I was a platoon leader as a lieutenant, I was a company commander as a captain. I had a battalion equivalent as a major. I was not of the rank yet to have it, but by experience I was given that job,” Cook said. “Somewhere along the line—I don’t know
“They wanted to use (Clairton’s) Olympic-sized pool for the troops,” Cook recalled. “Keep in mind that this was before the
“My initial thoughts were: “I’ll do my two years and get the hell out,” Cook told the Courier.
COOK FROM A1
“We get in Louisville the next morning on an over night train,” Cook told the New Pittsburgh Courier.
COLONEL KENNETH E. COOK
He said, ‘no, sir.’ I said, ‘well, I’m in charge and we’ll just get on those bus es and go on to Fort Knox. We had dinner last night in Pittsburgh together, we’ll have our breakfast at Fort Knox.’ The station master said, ‘Sergeant, who does this boy think he
COLONEL COOK receives honors prior to a Clairton football game.
integration of the military forces, which did not occur until 1948. In any case, the city of Clairton finally gave in, and the pool was reopened to all. Dr. (Joseph A.) Randall (a lawyer who had previously fought to integrate the Clairton city pool) was hailed for his efforts by some and hated by others to the point of threats and cross burnings and the like. I do not recall my family being subjected to any direct threats al though I was considered a little local hero in the BlackWhencommunity.”Cookthinks of Clairton, he thinks of how
the city taught him how to recognize and accept op portunity. That’s the same advice Cook wants to give kids who are growing up in Clairton“Believetoday.and achieve,” Cook told the Courier. “Al ways treat people fairly, even those you don’t like. Don’t say anything bad about anybody and you’ll find out when you go, they won’t say anything bad about you. They may say they didn’t like you, but they won’t hate you. You don’t have to love every body. Just don’t hate any body.”
“‘Ok, Cook, you’re going to be in charge of this group until you get to Louisville, where you will turn them over to a commissioned officer. Got that?’ I said,
where—I get training in airborne and demolitions to include chemical trans porting and overseeing Ex plosive Ordinance Dispos al activities. Opportunity and good luck kept me in.” Cook, who, among oth ers, was honored prior to a Clairton High School foot ball game on Sept. 2, also played a part in breaking the color barrier in the Clairton city pool when he was a “Evenchild.though there were race and class distinctions in and around Pittsburgh, I had not lived the segregat ed experience that dogged my peers,” Cook said. “My neighborhood and school— the major landmarks of my youth—were integrated undistinguished by ethnic ity and nationality. But my home state still practiced separation of the races if not by force but by law. One stark and shameless example was Clairton’s Olympic-sized municipal pool. The indoor pool at the public high school had been integrated since its opening in 1931, but the city pool was for Whites only.”Attempts to integrate the pool failed early on, but the city pool was ordered closed “until such time that all persons would be admitted without regard to race.” In the summer of 1942, when Cook was 8 years old, the Army Air Corps had taken over the Allegheny County Airport, where they had set up an air base.
The station master comes out and says, ‘OK, all you colored boys go around to the side for y’all’s break fast. The rest of y’all line up by these double doors.
“We get off the train—307 scraggily guys, draftees.
‘Yeah, I got it.’ All the other draftees are probably 18 or 19. I am already 21. I am already a college graduate, so they put me in charge of theCookgroup.”took the instant re sponsibility seriously.
is? We got a contract with theThegovernment!’”stationmaster goes inside, Cook said, “and you can see him in the phone booth making a phone call. He comes back out and says, ‘Sergeant, can’t you do something?’ He leaves and makes another phone call and then comes back out and says, ‘Alright, dam mit, all y’all just go on in there.’”And with that, on the morning of October 15, 1954, the main dining room in Louisville, Ken tucky, became an integrat ed dining room.
Once at Fort Knox, Cook was greeted by the com manding officer, a major, “as the one who caused all the trouble this morning down in Louisville.”
“I said, ‘no sir, I did not cause any trouble. We ate last night together in Pittsburgh, and I was placed in charge, so I decid ed we would eat together today in Louisville or Fort Knox,’” Cook said.
The discussion was over. That act by Cook led to a 31-year career in the Unit ed States military.
cause I have to go, but I in tend to come back so I go home. I get to Downtown Pittsburgh. Three hun dred seven draftees from Western Maryland, south eastern Ohio, West Vir ginia and Pittsburgh are signing papers and given a boxed lunch and go down the street to a restaurant, then sent back to the feder al building to hurry up and wait, and then I hear, ‘Ken Cook. Where is Kenneth Cook?’ I said, ‘Right here.’ He said, ‘Cook, do you know the difference between a non-commissioned officer and a commissioned offi cer?’ I say, ‘yeah—non-com missioned officers are cor porals and sergeants and commissioned officers are lieutenants and captains.”
I said to the sergeant, ‘Are there any lieutenants around here, or captains?’
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 A7
The second half was a snoozer for Winston-Sa lem State University, and cause for celebration for Central State Universi ty. Kyles threw two sec ond-half touchdowns for the Marauders, and Aar on Kennebrew rushed in a score from two yards out. When the game was over, it was all Central State, winning, 41-21.
New Pittsburgh Courier traveled to Can ton, Ohio, to cover the third-annual Black Col lege Football Hall of Fame Classic, between Central State University (Ohio) and Winston-Salem State
University (North Caro lina), Sunday, Sept. 4, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, where the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located.TheMarauders of Cen tral State jumped out
Pitt and West Virgin ia hook up for their first “Backyard Brawl” in more than a decade, and Heinz...uh, Acrisure Sta dium is beyond sold out as the hatred between the two fan bases in the North Shore stadium was palpable.Butthere’s just some thing about a Black col lege football game that garners its own distinc tion.Ever since the first Black college football game in 1892 between Biddle College and Liv ingstone College, there simply is no tradition likeTheit.
The Rams responded by intercepting a Bran don Kyles pass and Jus tin Fleming took it to the endzone with two min utes remaining in the first quarter, making it a 14-7Winston-Salemcontest.
State president Dr. Jack Thomas proclaimed during an in-house in terview that the stadi um needed to prepare for a magical performance from the “Invincible Marching Marauders.”
The Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic
CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY CHEERLEADERS—MONET
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
to an early 14-0 lead on a Twon Hines 7-yard touchdown reception and an Anthony Mack 25-yard interception for a touchdown. The an nounced crowd of nearly 14,000 was primarily for
SANDERS, BREANNE LOVELACE, ZAHYNIA KELLY, DIAMANI RICE
Penn State University has more than 100,000 crazed fans wearing allwhite and waving white pom-poms, cheering their Nittany Lions on to vic tory...or in more recent years, a loss.
State then tied the interesting game in the second quar ter on a Richard Latim er-to-R.J. Mobley 25-yard hookup. Rams fans who made the trip dressed in Rams red were now the ones making all the noise.
MILLER, BRITTANY
METRO/SPORTSA8 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER THE COURIER TRAVELS TO CANTON TO CAPTURE...
But just before the end of the first half, Kaz Dina ran it in from three yards out to give Central State a 21-14 lead at halftime.
But as mentioned, Black College Football is more than just the game. There’s the pageantry, the battle of the bands,
Central State; its campus just outside of Dayton, Ohio, was only a threehour drive compared to the 6.5-hour drive for the team from the Carolinas. Midway through the first quarter, Central
Dr. Thomas was pumped that his university was up two touchdowns early, but the Winston-Salem State University Rams basically told Dr. Thomas to “hold your horse...”
CENTRAL STATE WINS, 41-21, IN CANTON, SEPT. 4. (PHOTO BY MIKE PATTON)
SEE HALL OF FAME CLASSIC A9
which gave students the opportunity to learn about and apply to more than 50 colleges and uni versities, including 25 HBCUs.AnOpen-Mic Poetry Night took place as well, which also featured jazz, food and fellowship. That event was held at the Metropolitan Event Cen ter, in Canton.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 A9 QUES AT THE CLASSIC—MYLES WILLIAMS, BRIAN TURNER, RANDY SMITH BLACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL—THE TRADITION, THE PAGEANTRY, THE BANDS
SOME OF THE WINSTON-SALEM STATE
Prior to kickoff, seven African Americans were inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame for 2022. They
THE PAGEANTRY AT THE BLACK COLLEGE HALL OF FAME CLASSIC (PHOTO BY MIKE PATTON)
On Saturday, Sept. 3, there was the “Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic Funfest,” in Downtown Canton. It featured local food and merchandise vendors, food trucks and live en tertainment all after noon. In the evening,
HALL OF FAME CLASSIC FROM A8
were; Ben Coates (TE, Livingstone College), Donald Driver (WR, Al corn State University), John “Big Train” Moody (RB, Morris Brown Col
the Divine Nine frater nities and sororities, and all of the events that take place in the days leading
there was a “Faith, Fam ily & Football” gospel concert, which featured Grammy award-winning artist Fred Hammond. And who could forget about the “Battle of the Bands.” Winston-Sa lem State’s “Red Sea of Sound” against Cen tral State’s “Invincible Marching Marauders.” Each band performed for 15 minutes at halftime, and both bands brought their “A” game. Never been to a Black College Football game? As coaches tell their play ers in the locker room for motivation, “The time is now.”
A TOUCHDOWN FOR
lege), Roscoe Nance (Contributor, Tuskegee University), Nate New ton (OL, Florida A&M University), William “Bil ly” Nicks (Coach, Morris Brown College, and Prai rie View A&M Univer sity), and Sammy White (WR, Grambling State University). The new in ductees joined with pre vious inductees such as Grambling State Univer sity great Doug Williams, as fans cheered the Black College Football icons to noThroughoutend.
Labor Day Weekend, Canton high school students and their families attended the “Classic College Fair,”
LOVING THE STEELERS AND HBCUS—UNIONTOWN NATIVES TIM MENDES, ROBERT HAIRSTON, SHERLEY HAIRSTON. WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY! (PHOTO BY MIKE PATTON) RAMS SQUAD
SPORTS
AT LEFT, IT’S SUPER BOWL GREAT DOUG WILLIAMS, THE FIRST BLACK STARTING QUARTERBACK TO WIN A SUPER BOWL, FOR WASHINGTON. AT RIGHT, A CENTRAL STATE FOOTBALL PLAYER AND A LITTLE ONE ENJOY THE TEAM’S VICTORY AT THE BLACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASSIC, SEPT. 4, IN CANTON, OHIO.
up to the game.
CHEERLEADING
“We’re seeing a signifi cant increase in the num ber of sponsors at every level,” Frazier told the Courier. “It really demon strates that they’re seeing this as a good thing to do, even the right thing to do.”
FROM A1
Latest cohort graduates from ‘Executive Leadership Academy’
COHORT
THE FOURTH COHORT OF TALI’S EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, from July 22; The men—Left-Right Back Row: Darryl E. Jones, Daillard Paris, Justin Denham, Clark Delanois. Left-Right Front Row: Lee E. Lewis Jr., Badel Mbanga, Frank Tunstall IV, Michael Watson
Black‘Representingexcellence’
THE FOURTH COHORT OF TALI’S EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, from July 22; The women—Left-Right Back Row: Karen P. Weiss, Tenecia Ross, Kuyba Washington, Ronelle Robinson, Caren Caldwell, Holly Cundieff, Traci Jackson, Alaine Allen, Dr. Tammi McMillan Marshall, Reneé M. Richardson. Left-Right Front Row: Cynthia Lester-Moody, Yarra Howze, Tija R. Hilton Phillips, Melissa Wade, Angela Williams, Chatón Turner, Ida Luchey-Ballard
Join our 8302,tion,ForWorshipPraisegrowingandChurchCommunity!rateinformacall412-481-ext.128. We want to feature positive youth from our Pitts burgh church commu nity. Please mail their bio and photo to: New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 emailor religion@newpittsburghcourier.us:com ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH 91 Crawford Street Pgh., PA 412-281-314115219SundayMass11AM www.sbtmparishpgh.com East Liberty Presbyterian Church Rev. Patrice Fowler-Searcy and Rev. HeatherPastorsSchoenewolf 412-441-3800SummerWorship.......10:00 a.m. Taize -Wednesdays.........7:00 p.m. Worship in person or Online on www.ELPC.churchFacebook/YouTube The Courieris THE VOICE of Pittsburgh.Black TELL CHURCHABOUTUSYOURNEXTEVENT! We want to place your event in our Church Circuit weekly calendar! Send info to: NewCourierPittsburgh 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh PA 15219 Rev. Thomas J. Burke- Pastor Rev. C. Matthew HawkinsParochial Vicar Rev. David H. TaylorSenior Parochial Vicar. Praise & Worship “You are the SALT of the earth: but if the SALT loses its saltiness, how can it be SALTED? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot of men.” - Matthew 5:13 NIV Quick view Bible/KJB REV. WALKER SAYS: As children of God, we are to make a difference in this world. We ARE SALT, WE GIVE FAVOR AND CHANGE TO SHOW THE LOVE OF GOD IN THIS WORLD. We are useable SALT, not like the slang “SALTY,” meaning hard to get along with or angry. RELIGION/METROA10 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
mark Inc.; Yarra How ze, Principal, Pittsburgh Public Schools; Darryl Jones, Chief of the Pitts burgh Bureau of Fire, City of Pittsburgh; Cynthia Lester-Moody, Director, Operations Delivery and Efficiency, United Con cordia Dental; Lee Lew is, Jr., Director, Supplier Diversity & Inclusion, Highmark Health; Ida Luchey-Ballard, Chemical Plant Manager; Koppers Performance Chemical Group; Tammi McMillan Marshall, Assistant Pro fessor/Program Director, Carlow University; Badel Mbanga, Senior Vice Pres ident, Data Science Group
for the Treasury, Man agement, PNC Financial Services Group; Daillard Paris, Director of Supply & Trading, Sheetz; Renee Richardson, Senior Man ager, Pharmacy Communi ty Relations, Giant Eagle; Ronelle Robinson, IT Di rector, Human Resources Business Partner, Giant Eagle; Tenecia Ross, Di rector of Human Resourc es, Mt. Lebanon School District; Frank Tunstall IV, Senior Vice President, Internal Audit Director, PNC Financial Services Group; Chatón Turner, Senior Associate Counsel and Vice President Risk Management and Dis
Leadership Program since the first cohort graduated in“What2019. we’re finding is that the bond that is created with this group (Pittsburgh, TALI, CMU) is very powerful, and the graduating cohort, they represent Black excel lence,” Frazier told the New Pittsburgh Courier, Sept. 15. “...It just really represents a real strength for Pittsburgh, and this group is not only again having an impact in their individual organizations, but the collective impact and the social connection and bonds that have been created have been really powerful.”Cohort graduate Traci Jackson doubled down on Frazier’s comment per taining to the social con nections being made. She told the Courier she felt it was the most valuable part of the “Althoughprogram.we’re very close (in Pittsburgh), you don’t always stumble across those folks,” she said, “so it’s nice to have that network of people who you maybe didn’t even know existed or didn’t know how to get in contact with, until you got into that cohort. So now I have 20 other peers who I can ask questions to, learn from and talk about my experience as a leader in myJacksonorganization.”isinher second year as Contact Center Director for Duquesne Light Company. She over sees 139 people who work in customer service, busi ness-to-business and oth er facets. Her department is the “front door of the company,” she said. Being part of the cohort has opened her eyes to the possibility of moving up even higher at Duquesne Light or another compa ny in the future, Jackson added.The other cohort grad uates are: Alaine Allen, Associate Dean for Diver sity, Equity, and Inclusion; Distinguished Service Professor; Engineering and Public Policy; Carne gie Mellon University, Col lege of Engineering; Caren Caldwell, Associate Vice President, Government Products, UPMC Health Plan; Holly Cundieff, Vice President Diversity, Eq uity and Inclusion, AR MADA; Clark Delanois, Managing Director, Head of Credit; Risk- Private Banking, BNY Mellon; Justin Denham, Direc tor, Information Security & Business Resiliency, Highmark Wholecare; Tija Hilton-Phillips, Director, Regulatory Affairs, High
abilities Services, UPMC; Melissa Wade, Director, Constituent Relations, Allegheny County Office of County Executive Rich Fitzgerald; Kuyba Wash ington, Director, Human Resources, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh; Michael Watson, Chief Compliance Officer/Chief Privacy Counsel, Wabtec Corporation; Karen Weiss, Director, Technology Solu tions, Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh; and Angela Williams, Director, Call Center Strategy, Por tal Administration, UPMC Health Plan.
The fifth cohort members are currently being final
ized. Frazier expects that cohort to begin in January ofFrazier2023. said companies are seeing the importance of investing in its Black employees. To get into the cohort, a company usually “sponsors” an employee by covering the expenses for the employee to partici pate in the academy.
mortar bank location.
I am Somebody!
Lending the charge in implementing some of these changes is none of the largest diversi fied financial services institutions in the Unit ed Pates, PNC, which is embarking on a multiyear conversion of its retail branch network in response to feedback and insights cleaned from its customers. Between May 2022 and the end of 2026, more than 60 percent of its 2,600 branches nationwide will convert to a new format. Basic financial transactions will begin to be completed using automated or self-service solutions, such as ATMs and video banking, freeing bankers’ time to hold more
checks and electronic pay ments when your balance is nearing negative territory.
“Sometimes people just need a little more time to cover important expenses,” says Overstrom. “And in these moments, they should have choices to make things right.”
Here are some of the best places to start a Black-owned business
Excellence BUSINESS www.newpittsburghcourier.com New Pittsburgh Courier B Classifieds Find what you need from jobs to cars to housingB5-7 The coach and the hoax J. Pharoah Doss Page B4 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 SEE BLACK-OWNED B2
Coach: We believe?
Coach: We play at one speed and that speed isPlayers:what!?
What you need to know about the future of in-person banking
I may have made mistakes, But I am Some body.My clothes are different, My face is differ ent,My hair is different, But I am Somebody.
(StatePoint)—When your bank account balance is low, life can be stressful. For ex ample, when it’s time to pay large expenses that can’t wait, like car loan payments or monthly rent, it’s all too easy to overdraft a bank ac count.Infact, U.S. consumers pay billions of dollars a year in overdraft fees for cover ing all types of purchases, both large and small.
Players: We can win!
Coach: We believe?
Atlanta, Georgia According to Nerd Wal
As a coach, I developed a chant of my own:
This level of control has demonstrated real results.
As a writer for the Courier, I often work these events. It’s very gratifying to observe men and women of the community being recognized by people from the community for the work they do in the community. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine me being recognized for this prestigious award. Here’s why: It’s easy to observe the positive impact that others have made on us and the community at-large. It’s hard to see and real ize the positive impact that we as individuals have made on others and the community atlarge. I’m both honored and humbled to be a recipient of this year’s Men of Excellence Award!Itismy goal to have a positive impact on those whom I’m able to reach. I’m thankful that the New Pittsburgh Courier and the community at-large recognize my efforts.
Hard!
Get a handle on overdraft fees
Entrepreneurship in the nation’s capital is booming, with more than a quar ter of the city’s business es forming just over the past three years, according to Smart Asset.
sources to help local busi nesses thrive.
PNC reports that 64 per cent of customers who have a negative-balance event cure their account in time to avoid incurring a fee.
As a child, I can recall my parents, teach ers, coaches and other adults always telling me and other adolescents to be the best that you can be. They’d say things like, “Strive for greatness.” “If the mind can conceive, and the heart can believe, you can achieve.” “It doesn’t matter what you do in life, be the best at it.” “Always put your best foot forward.” I grew up in an impoverished community. There were plenty of negative things I could have engaged in. I instead took to sports. My youth basketball coach used to make us re cite two things before and after every prac tice. The first was he’d ask us, “Who loves you!?” We’d shout back, “Mr. Arnold!!” The way this chant flowed sounded like we were singing a song. To this day when I run into friends of mine who played sports under Mr. Arnold’s guidance, we jokingly chant, “Who loves you!? Mr. Arnold!!” to each other. The other thing he had us recite before and after every practice was a poem titled, “I’m Somebody.” I didn’t know it then but this poem was made popular by Reverend Jesse Jackson. It reads as follows:
(PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES)
The ability to choose to overdraft can help consum ers avoid bigger repercus sions like credit impacts and loss of access to bank ing that unpaid bills or late payments can cause. Allow ing customers to make their critical payments—albeit for a small fee – sometimes makes a difference that helps allow them to stay in the banking system.
in-depth conversations and truly engage with customers in offering financial advice, exper tise, and solutions to help them meet their fi nancial goals.
just getting their footing. When looking at the largest metro areas in the U.S., key factors that play a role in Black entrepre neurial success include the number of existing Blackowned businesses, the av erage revenue per year for Black-owned businesses in the area, the average in come per Black household, and the overall survival rate of start-ups. Keep scrolling to find out some of the best places to start a Black business based on these factors and more.
I may be small, But I am Somebody.
I speak a different language, But I must be respected, protected, Never rejected. I am God’s child! I am Somebody.
As I take this journey on striving for excel lence, I’ve come to understand two things. 1. Excellence isn’t perfection. I’m still grow ing in knowledge and understanding. I’m still improving on various flaws and short comings. You can exhibit signs of excellence
(StatePoint)—From digital payments to vid eo banking, the way consumers conduct basic financial transactions had changed substan tially throughout the past decade, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the trend toward digital banking. However, brick-and-mortar bank branches continue to play an essential role for many consumers when it comes to important financial conver sations. Industry experts say more changes are coming down the pike to meet consumers’ evolving needs and to provide the right mix of digital tools and experiences, with more per sonalized human interactions at a brick-and-
As a youth and as an adult, I take great pride in my work. If my name is attached to a project, I want that project to be the best. If I’m compet ing in a contest of any kind, I want to win, be cause I’m striving to be the best. I still continue to hone my craft on a daily basis as a money coach/financial plan ner and as a financial writer in an effort to be the best that I can be. I firmly believe that if I can be the best that I can be at what I do, it will help me to bring out the best in others who rely on me for leadership, guidance, ad vice, and support.
On Sept. 22, the New Pittsburgh Couri er will be honoring the “Men of Excellence, Class of 2022.” This article was inspired by the upcoming celebration of great men.
The Atlanta Metropol itan Black Chamber of Commerce and Atlanta’s Minority Business Devel opment Agency provide re
tions.”Those who are less comfortable with the lat est technologies and who may be feeling anx ious about these changes can put their con cerns aside, according to McCann, who notes that bankers also will be available to spend time helping customers understand the digi tal tools available to them, within and outside of the branch.
Like Mr. Arnold, my mission as a youth basketball coach was bigger than basketball. I was teaching them that if they gave maxi mum effort, believed in themselves, and be lieved in each other, they could win in both the game of basketball and the game of life. I was conditioning them to strive for excel lence.
Excellence is defined as the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. Perfection is defined as the condition, state, or quality of being free from all flaws or defects.
At a time when both physical facilities and digital tools are critical to banking customers, a new way forward is emerging.
(Black Information Net work)—Location can play a key role in successful ly taking a business off the ground, especially for BlackAccordingentrepreneurs.toCensus Bu reau data, the number of Black-owned businesses in the U.S. has increased by more than 8 percent over the past two years, with over 2.5 million Black business owners across the country.Though more and more Black-owned businesses seem to be thriving across the nation, certain loca tions have proved more fa vorable for entrepreneurs
without being perfect. Excellence is an at tainable goal. Perfection isn’t.
“We remain committed to making a positive difference for our customers and communi ties, and to helping all mover forward finan cially” says Kevin McCann, retail growth and innovation executive for PNC. “We believe the balance we will be striking between physical and digital banking will allow us to meet our customers where they are by providing that sweet spot of convenient digital tools and meaningful side-by-side personal interac
Coach: Ball hard on three…..1.2.3
I may be on welfare, But I am Somebody.
2. When you’re making a positive impact on others, you are in fact excelling. We often confuse excellence with status. We marvel at various people because of their position in life without fully taking into consideration that they are held in such high regard not because of who they are but because of the profound impact they’ve had on countless people.
I may be young, But I am Somebody.
Unbeknownst to us, Mr. Arnold’s mission for us was bigger than basketball. He was teaching us that if we thought the entire world hated us, know that he, Mr. Arnold loved us. He was teaching us that no matter what your current status is in life, we are somebody. He was teaching us that we could be whatever we wanted to be. He was condition ing us to strive for excel lence.Asan adult, I find my self making the same statements to my chil dren and to the young athletes whom I had an opportunity to coach in basketball. I’d always say to them, always give it your all and do your best because you never know who’s watching you. Them performing their best in the classroom and on the bas ketball court could lead to an academic and/ or athletic scholarship.
Players: In ourselves!
To learn more about the evolution of branch banking, visit www.pnc.com.
Strive
For example, if you opt to pay your rent or car pay ment—and avoid a penalty or a negative impact to your credit score by simply pay ing an overdraft fee—then the option to overdraft has provided a “Removingvalue.the ability to overdraw an account doesn’t address the fact that many customers need to pay bills, even during temporary cash shortfalls,” says Alex Over strom, head of Retail Bank ing at PNC Bank. “The key is that the consumer should be making the decision to incur or avoid fees, not just the bank.”
There is no doubt that overdraft fees serve as a pain point for many con sumers, and as the issue of overdraft continues to be discussed and debated, several banks have taken different approaches in re sponse.Some have taken steps to address overdrafts, mostly by eliminating fees or elim inating the ability to over draftAlternatively,completely.PNC Bank now offers a solution that provides customers with greater control in these circumstances. Low Cash Mode, a tool that offers transparency and choices to help customers avoid fees by managing low-cash moments or mistimed pay ments, is a feature available in the PNC Virtual Wallet account through the PNC Bank Mobile app. The fea ture notifies you when your available balance is near or below zero and gives you at least 24 hours (and often more) to bring a neg ative balance to at least $0 through a deposit or funds transfer before incurring a fee. It also gives you the choice of whether to pay or return certain pending
Control Pays Off
Players: BALL HARD!!
The Value of Overdraft
Coach: We believe?
Players: In each other!
With its Black population nearly at 50 percent, D.C. is considered one of the best places for small businesses
In the website’s study, Black household income ranked second-highest of all metro areas at $77,813.
let, the state of Georgia has the third-largest Black consumer market in the nation, making it a great place to rack in revenue for a new Specificallybusiness.in Atlanta, the median Black house hold income ranks high er than most metro ar eas at $56,245 annually, per SmartAccordingAsset.tothe website’s study, the city also has one of the lowest Black employ ment rates at 5.9 percent.
I am Black, Brown, or White.
I never fully internal ized how those positive affirmation statements I’ve heard as a child were ingrained in me.
(Contact me, Damon Carr, Money Coach, at 412216-1013 or www.damonmoneycoach.com) For
Congratulations are in order for this year’s New Pittsburgh Courier Men of Excellence! May we always strive to put our best ef fort forward because we never know who’s watching. May we continue to excel at having a positive impact on others.
I may be poor, But I am Somebody.
Washington, D.C.
in Richmond increased by nearly 54 percent from 2017 to 2019.
RTM 360
nority community banks can say, “Hey, we need to raise $30 million in equity so we can So, theygrow.” pass the plate around to their friends and when the plate comes back, they have $30 million.
Memphis, Tennessee
“Black people are not dark-skinned White people” is a constant refrain that Roberts has borrowed from Tom Burrell, acknowledged as the father of Black ad vertising. “The point is that it isn’t lan guage that distinguishes connectivity with Blacks, but the ability to understand and acknowledge the Black experience and cultural nuances that authentically resonate,” Roberts said. “Black Americans have considerable pride in being Ameri cans. At Pitch Black, we are protective of cultural heritage and recognize the impor tance of sustaining traditions and symbols that strengthen the community.”
In the state of Louisiana, Blackowned businesses make up over 20 percent of all businesses.
The city also holds a comparative ly healthy economy, with the unem ployment rate sitting at 5.3 percent, per Nerd Wallet.
Durham, North Carolina
NEW NAME, SAME SOUL Real
(To learn more about the company, visit www.hellopitchblack.com.)
country, we have more loans with smaller loan sizes than our counterparts.”
Richmond, Virginia Deemed by many as the hub of Black capitalism, Richmond is one of the best places to find thriving Black business es.Its 1,700 Black-owned businesses make up 7 percent of all businesses, according to Smart Asset.
Much of the work done at Pitch Black is rooted in storytelling, even down to why September 13 was selected as a launch date. It is a nod to the Gloucester County Conspiracy of 1663. September 13, 1663, is often noted as the first recording of a planned slave insurrection in the country. While the planned uprising was thwart ed, Pitch Black pays homage to the date in reflection of its mission to ensure and maintain the integrity of its work.
That number is growing at a rapid rate. According to Census Bureau data, the number of Black-owned businesses
munications professional and a key exec utive of Pitch Black parent company Real Times Media, has led the organization since its inception in 2018. She is joined in this effort by cultural marketing veteran Eric Roberts, who serves as the compa ny’s executive vice president and brings a wealth of experience, having led multicul tural efforts for national brands such as McDonald’s, Amtrak, and Hartford Finan cial Services Group.
Mitchell said the funding will allow the institution to expand.
“We’ll use the capital to grow. We’ll use it to invest in our infrastructure and tech nology. The biggest thing is growth be cause the more we can grow, the more capital we will generate. It gives us the ability to make larger loans in our com munity, because truthfully, it costs the same amount to make a $100,000 loan as it does a $1 million loan,” Mitchell said.
“And like most Black banks around the
A Moment in Time
In addition to the capital funding, the Bank is making use of property it owns in Prince George’s County to create a Largo Innovation Campus. Office space has been consolidated so all operational and executive staff can be in the same lo cation. Since all the space was not needed, alliances were created.
According to Nerd Wallet, the city is an up-and-coming hub for technology startups, with several accelerators, co-working spaces, and entrepreneur ial meetups, making it a great place to consider starting your Black-owned business.
Go com/ forto https://www.industrial-bank.moreinfo.
Real Times Media has relaunched its cul tural marketing company, formerly known as RTM360°, as “Pitch Black.” Under the new name, the company will continue to help clients connect with Black audiences through a mix of culturally relevant brand communication and outreach initiatives. It currently supports a portfolio of 15-plus clients nationwide.
ERIC ROBERTS, JAMIE LYNN HACKNEY, TANISHA LEONARD, JILLIAN K. NATHAN, TONYA CORE, REGINALD BROWN. (PHOTO BY MONICA MORGAN) Times Media relaunches as ‘Pitch Black’
Real Times Media CEO Hiram E. Jack son said, “The heightened sensitivity for social justice and equity resulting from the 2020 tragedies of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor renewed focus for com panies around effective communications for Black communities. The unfortunate by-product of this is that now everyone claims to be an expert on connecting with Black people. That’s not what you get with Pitch Black. Its legacy is rooted in a centu ry-long history of being a part of the Black Press. We have been advocates of ampli fying Black voices and impacting commu nities long before it was the comfortable thing to do. This is our superpower.”
Per Nerd Wallet, the growth of Mont gomery’s Black population is outpac ing most other metro areas across the country.Its low unemployment rate and cost of living make the area a prime loca tion for Black entrepreneurs, as near ly a third of its businesses are Blackowned.Resources for small businesses can be found at the Alabama State Black Chamber of Commerce and the Mont gomery Chamber of Commerce’s Mi nority Business Development Advisory Task Force, the Nerd Wallet’s study notes.
Houston, Texas
to thrive, per Incfile.
Mitchell said the capital funding will also have a positive impact on the commu nity.“It’s a great opportunity for Black banks across the country. It gives us much more capacity to make an exponen tial impact in our community for individ uals, homeowners, potential homeown ers, businesses and other organizations in our community.”
“The purpose of the innovation center is to really bring global connectivity and outcomes to underrepresented communi ties around entrepreneurship. We’re try ing to do it in two ways with exposure to innovational technology for career readi ness for youth and young adults, and by helping entrepreneurs to explore the tech economy and build capacity in their ex isting businesses,” Lawrence said. “We’re truly a community-based space where we
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mark Lawrence, founder and manag ing partner of the consulting firm In ncuvate, has partnered with the Bank for an initiative that will train and devel op youth and assist entrepreneurs.
Mitchell turned 60 in March. He says 60 is the new 35.
try to create these matching collisions be tween young people that consume technol ogy and adults that are in the technology field and people who just want to learn aboutLawrenceit. added that the campus will have specific programing and programing partners such as Metro Sports, which will do Esports and stem education program ing at the campus. In addition, a collabo ration will be formed with companies that focuses on youth and adult workforce de velopment initiatives.
“You don’t know anything yet. You’re smart, ok whatever. You don’t know any thing yet,” he said, adding that because of his humble parents, he was never full of himself. “A lot of times you come across 30-year-olds and they think that they have it all figured out. I will say cultivate your ideas, innovate, use tech nology, and don’t listen to anyone that thinks you can’t do something. Go inno vate but listen to people that have wisdom. How you combine those two and the suc cess that follows is up to each individual.”
Some of the best places to start a Black-owned business...
In June, the bank received $82 million from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Emergency Capital Investment Program. The program was established to encour age financial institutions in low- and mod erate-income communities to augment their efforts to support small businesses and consumers in their communities, ac cording to the Department of Treasury’s website.The program enables the Agency to pro vide up to $9 billion in capital directly to depository institutions that are certified Community Development Financial In stitutions or minority depository institu tions to provide loans, grants, and forbear ance for small businesses, minority-owned businesses, and consumers.
BUSINESSB2 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER BLACK-OWNED FROM B1
Across multiple studies, Memphis ranked the highest for the number of Black-owned businesses in the U.S. 43 percent of the city’s businesses are Black-owned.Witha lowcost of living and rich cul ture, Memphis could be the place for you to start your Black-owned busi ness.
“As RTM360 we have been able to do some great work on behalf of amazing clients around the country. But it felt like with the watershed times of the past few years, that branding no longer accurately reflected the heart of who we are as an or ganization,” said Tanisha Leonard, presi dent of Pitch Black. “Not that we’ve ever been anything but unapologetically Black, I feel the time is now for us to double down on that. I want our brand to reflect the soulful flare of the communities we serve, that savoir faire, the grit and resiliency of ‘you can’t outdo Black people’ energy. It’s critical that when we walk into a room, our customers know this…and that they can rely on our sensibilities when connect ing with Black audiences.” Leonard, a 20-year marketing and com
“Our banks can’t do that,” Mitchell said.
According to Smart Asset, Houston holds one of the highest early surviv al rates for start-ups at nearly 80 per cent.One can find over 4,000 Black-owned businesses in the city and out of its ex isting businesses, 30 percent of those are considered new, per Smart Asset’s study.
Montgomery, Alabama
Baton Rouge has a low cost of living index meaning consumers in the city have more funds to spend at local busi nesses, according to Nerd Wallet.
Not only has he celebrated a milestone birthday this year, but funding from the federal government and a community partnership may help to take the dis trict’s Black-owned bank to the next level.
If you’re searching for a place to start a Black-owned business, consider Ba ton Rouge as your destination.
U.S. Treasury funding gives Black-owned bank a boost
Echoing Leonard’s sentiment on why it was time for the company to evolve,
Mission-based Marketing “We’re not here to simply get our clients “invited to the cookout,” Leonard goes on to say. “Our mission is to create authen tic engagements and platforms mutually beneficial to brands and the communities they are looking to connect. Nothing we do is transactional. Our focus is on crafting communications that demonstrably build impact and brand durability for our cli ents among Black communities.” She further notes that her team prides
“I’m sticking to that,” he joked. Looking back, he says he has advice for his 30-year-old self.
themselves on being intentional about the language of Black Community versus Black“BlackCommunities.peopleare not a monolith. Yes, there is an underpinning of collective culture. But messaging that not only res onates but activates goes beyond that surface. Our strategies fiercely represent the culture and strike the delicate balance between the emotional & rational, but we aim to find the nuance, that ‘one thing’ that motivates an audience,” says Leon ard.
B. DOYLE MITCHELL JR
Mitchell said the capital funding is his toric.“Minority banks, typically African American banks, can’t go out to estab lished markets and raise capital. Non-mi
by Angela Swinson Lee Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Washington Informer (TriceEdneyWire.com)—The year 2022 has proven to be a big year for B. Doyle Mitchell Jr., president and CEO of Indus trial Bank, based in the nation’s capital.
The Durham metro area is filled with a plethora of consumers from its Re search Triangle Park, which includes Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University.
That was in my day. If only we had seen more people like us to encourage us to play in White spaces.
tending to the clay courts, his mother, a nurse, worked nights. It made the young Tiafoe sleep at the facility during the week. That’s how you fall in love with the game. It becomes part of your dreams.ButTiafoe is a young emerging phenom. The match that had people buzzing came last Friday, featuring Serena Williams, considered the best women’s player ever. Nearly 41-years old, a mother of a young child, Serena had announced her retirement. Friday would be her last match.
An example of one of the most lethal swords in the slaying of educational incentives is that of the student loan issue. One man, DW, is a 59-year-old male who accrued $79,000 in student loan debt. Over four decades he has paid back $175,000 and today still owes a balance of over $200,000!
There is a light at the end of the tunnel. President Joe Biden made a promise to provide student loan relief to millions of Americans. According to those who know, the rationale behind the initiative is that it will help the economy. If people can hold on to more of their money, they have more to spend, hence benefitting the American economy.
(Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader)
For her send off, Serena gave us plenty of fight and passion. After a second-round victory that stunned even her fans, Serena had people talking about her possibly winning the whole thing. In the third round match, she was down 5-1 in the final set. She’s overcome that kind of deficit before, but … would she? Could she? Now?
Allison
The lack of clean water in Jackson, MS, clearly illustrates the antipathy which fuels the disparate funding resources for a majority-minority city. For years, Jackson has suffered under the specter of failing (water) infrastructure. There is no justifi cation for a state capital or a city as large as Jackson to operate under a “Boil Water” order since July. Instead of addressing this problem which will
Antipathy against The Rule of Law is clear evidence of disdain for all of us who must live and abide by its guid ance. The recent rulings of (Federal) Judge Aileen Cannon discredit the
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David W. Marshall
But imagine growing up now watch ing the U.S. Open.
Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
In Maryland’s gubernatorial race, Wes Moore, the Democratic nominee, uses his military record and a pro-America agenda to remind voters that Re publicans don’t hold a monopoly on patriotism. As the favorite to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, Moore is a veteran of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division. As a captain and paratrooper, he led soldiers in combat while in Afghanistan. Moore grew up in a single-parent household and later joined the Army at 17. He received an associate degree from Valley Forge Military College and graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He earned a Rhodes scholarship and served as a White House Fellow in the Bush administration under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. If elected, Moore will be the first Black governor in Maryland. The Army combat veteran said he takes patriotism “very, very seriously.” I look
This week an African American from Maryland, 24-year-old Frances Tiafoe, ranked No. 22 in the world beat the No.2 seed of the tournament, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal, and became the youngest American to advance to the U.S. Open quarterfinals since Andy Roddick in 2006.
(Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commen tator.)
Commentary
Biden’s proposal stands to provide between $10,000 and $20,000 relief for people with stu dent loan debt who earn less than $125,000 per year. Admittedly this amount is merely a drop in the bucket. The effort is appreciated, but more needs to be done.
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The invaluable value of education
Rod Doss Editor &
It is not surprising that someone with a military background like Wes Moore has adopted “Leave Nobody Behind” as their military-inspired campaign slogan. When we have reports showing over 70 percent of our young Americans are unqualified to serve in the military, it weakens the potential workforce for businesses and national security. It takes the child, parent, teacher, administrator, and community to play a direct or indirect role in our youth’s physical, social, educational, emotional, and spiritual development. When we have American soldiers who are lost or left behind in battle, they are eventu ally designated as MIA, or “missing in action.” Today, far too many of our youth will be MIA when it comes to meeting the future military needs of our country.
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—I have always loved and believed in the power of words. In my youth I was amazed at the emotional response to our (socalled) “Negro” leaders. Orators like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., my friend Dick Gregory, and a myriad of others spoke messages of practical importance, in their day, which now serve to benefit us in the present with enduring relevance.
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And to think, Serena and her sister Venus, another great champion, all did it out of that tennis haven—Compton, Calif.When I saw them both play, I was al ready too old to play competitively. But I wasn’t too old to be motivated to pick up a racket and hit some balls. That’s how inspiring both Williams sisters have been for more than two decades.
For some reason, the idea that good spelling and grammar are a must seems lost on many people who fail to realize that the purpose of good litera cy skills is that of communication.
Tiafoe played with such joy, indicative of a love instilled in him by his father, an immigrant from Sierra Leone, who worked as a maintenance man at a tennis development facility in the DC area. While his dad worked late nights
Tennis, anyone? In my Mission Dis trict neighborhood growing up, we had courts. But us kids always chose the adjoining basketball court. And in the summer and fall, we chose the big patch of grass for baseball and football. They tried to get us to play tennis by giving us free rackets. But they were wooden, and we broke them at the handle easily. Besides, the famous players whose names graced the rackets were Rod Laver, Tony Trabert. White guys, not like any of us.
(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faithbased organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America. He can be reached at www.davidw marshallauthor.com.)
Even more horrifying is the fact that these two Republican governors have expressed presidential aspira tions. Like the last Republican to hold the office, they each wish to bring and infect the nation with their own brand of duplicity, disorder, disruption, and antipathy. They have accepted the belief that political power and control can best be sustained in a state or country in chaos. At least for the near future, we, the people, have the ability to resist. For the remainder of our lives and for the future of our children we must reject the hatred which will, if allowed, overwhelm us.
(H.E. Dr. E. Faye Williams, President of the Dick Gregory Society, United Nations gregorysociety.org)Ambassador. (drefayewilliams.com; thedickPeace
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—The Latin phrase “nemo resideo” or “leave no one behind” goes back centuries, almost as far back as warfare itself. It is a concept that still has roots throughout our modern-day armed services. Today, the phrase, adopted by several arms of the armed forces, is often attributed to the elite U.S. Army Rangers, who included the language as part of their creed: “I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy.” It rep resents how the U.S. military will go to extraordinary lengths to evacuate its wounded and recover its dead. It also illustrates how a soldier, while in their weakest and most vulnerable state, is still seen as a valuable team member and should never be forgotten. How the human life of a serviceman is valued on the battlefield is the example we all should follow throughout society.
stars, failing, then getting up to fight again.Thebeauty of that process? Some times you’ll fail well enough to win. Over and over again. That’s how Serena became such a dominant champion, winning 39 major titles—the most in history by man or woman in the open era. Among those laurels were 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles.
Now here comes a new generation of fresh stars half their age, Americans in the U.S. Open quarterfinals like the exuberantly physical Tiafoe and the screaming 18-year-old Coco Gauff.
Commentary
There’s some diverse tennis role models now if you want to work on your forehand.
entire judicial system and subvert con fidence in subsequent judgments. Re publican and Democratic legal analysts alike have characterized her rulings as favoring Trump in his classi fied document scandal and contradict ing the principle of “no one being above the law.” Moreover, national security has been subordinated to the needs/ interests of a failed president. Some consider SCOTUS’s overturn ing Roe v. Wade as simply an attack on women. Others understand the decision as expressing antipathy for the privacy rights of all. The of ten-heard term ‘slippery slope’ clearly describes what this decision has placed us on. We are well beyond an erosion of privacy rights and now face direct assaults upon them.
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only worsen with age, Jackson has been ignored while the interests of surrounding ‘White’ suburbs have been met with the use of available financial resources.Anegregious demonstration of antipathy is illustrated by the actions of two southern, Republican governors —Abbott of Texas and DeSantis of Florida. Each has decided to uncere moniously ship “undesirable” economic refugees to northern jurisdictions in what has been described as a major political stunt. Stunt or not, these actions have been taken with complete disregard for the ultimate welfare of the affected men, women and chil dren. I can only suggest that these two Bible-thumping governors refresh their understanding of the admonition in Matthew 25:40.
Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to
A recent report is out that says the academic performance levels of people in the United States have dropped. This is not a surprise to a lot of ed ucators, and others who are concerned about the value of education and its role in the preservation of our way of Unfortunately,life.the dominant conditions that most citizens face on a daily basis tend to reinforce the notion that education is not a necessity; that it is even a waste of money to pursue education, es pecially higher education. And when the cost of college is factored in, it provides more fuel to the anti-education firestorm for those unable to come up with the ridiculous amount of money that is re quired for a quality education.
Antipathy OPINION
at my history where I was willing to put my life on the line for this country, and I would do it all over again because I believe in what this country is and what this country can be for so many otherFollowingpeople.”the end of the military draft in 1973, the U.S. armed services depends on a constant flow of new volunteers each year. Unlike Wes Moore at age 17, most of today’s 17 to 24-yearolds are ineligible for military service. Lt. Gen. Xavier Brunson, the head of the Army’s I Corps, was blunt in his criticism about military-age Americans. “Only 23 percent of the people that are of age to serve are actually qualified,” Brunson said, highlighting the need to look at what is happening to our youth because the issues are much wider than just the Army. “Some of the challenges we have are obesity, we have pre-ex isting medical conditions, we have behavioral health problems, we have criminality, people with felonies, and drug use,” he said. “This is not an Army problem, this is an American problem.” Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve, a report by Mission: Readiness—a group of retired military and civilian leaders –found that 1 in 4 young people between the ages of 17 and 24 do not have a high school diploma. About 30 percent of those with a diploma still fail the Armed Forces Qualification Test, the
Ashley JohnsonRob Taylor
Another story describes a person who borrowed $20,000 in 1991, graduated in 1994, is not behind in payments today, and currently owes $59,000! Somehow during that period, the loans were switched from one lender to another. The new lender hasn’t provided a record of payment details and can’t verify how the current amount owed was determined!Inallfairness, at least one of the individuals iden tified above had brief bouts of unemployment and requested periods of forbearance due to a lack of income. Interest accrued during those periods, however, may have contributed to the outlandish amount owed today.
entrance exam required to join the U.S. military. Another 1 in 10 young people cannot serve because of past convictions for felonies or serious misdemeanors, states the report. A full 27 percent are simply too overweight to join the military. Nearly 32 percent have dis qualifying health problems, including asthma, eyesight or hearing problems, mental health issues, or recent at tention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treatment. According to the report, that leaves only 2 out of 10 American young people fully eligible to join the military without special waivers. “Imagine 10 young people walking into a recruiter’s office and seven of them getting turned away,” said former Under Secretary Joe Reeder in a press release. “We cannot allow today’s dropout crisis to become a national security crisis.”
by Emil Guillermo
A word for today’s discussion which captures the “soul” of events that are current to the US experience is AN TIPATHY. It is defined as (1) a strong feeling of dislike and (2) an object of aversion. Whether expressed by a disregard for the physical and/or emo tional welfare of a person or thing, or reflected by an overt assault, antipathy results in a negative outcome for the intended target. For ease of expla nation of description, I have always equated antipathy with the attitude of intense dislike (hatred) in concert with conduct and behavior which clearly demonstrates that disdain.
These people don’t realize that when the student loan issue is coupled with the badmouthing of ed ucation, the USA might end up being designated as a third world country, and everyone might suf fer. This is a distinct possibility if current attitudes don’t change. A Luta Continua.
The interesting thing about the student loan is sue is that an educated populace benefits soci ety. The more knowledge that people acquire, the more advanced the society becomes. When mem bers of a country lack knowledge, it can devolve to the level of a pre-literate culture. If one can use the quality of writing that is seen over social media sites as evidence, the decline in literacy becomes painfullyUnfortunately,evident.along with the low quality of liter acy, there is a growing trend wherein people are indignant and resent people pointing out gram matical errors in their social media posts, and a lot of people share this sentiment.
Most of today’s youth are unprepared for military service Inspiring tennis
Words are powerful. I often call them the weapons of the literate. An orator’s understanding of words and the ability to communicate their true, in-depth meaning to the masses has been the origin of many historical events. An ever-memorable example is Dr. King’s I Have A Dream speech.
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If people are not able to communicate properly, ideas they are trying to convey are totally lost. In addition, rules of grammar learned in school are skills necessary for employment. A person cannot even hold down a fast-food job if basic math and writing skills are absent.
If we think of the societal impediments to the ac quisition of formal education, it is possible to see why there may be a wave of opposition regarding a college education, especially when the cost of a degree is juxtaposed to the amount of money people make once they graduate. In other words, there are many people who are employed with a college degree who have student loan debt that far outstrips their salaries.
Sadly, there is a group of Republicans who seri ously resent the idea of student loan forgiveness and are rallying their forces to oppose Biden’s ini tiative. In addition to them, there is another group of Americans who feel that it is irresponsible to help people pay back their loans, and this is com ing from people who were able to pay off their own loans without help.
Serena fought off six match points be fore she meekly hit a final ball into the net that made her younger opponent Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, the victor. But we got what we needed. A life lesson. Serena in braids and a sparkly black tennis dress, showed the fire of never giving up. Six match points she battled. Commentator/former tennis champion Chris Evert described the Serena method as reaching for the
Mr. Erik Hooks, the Deputy Administra tor speaking to the students said, “Blacks are the communities that are on the frontlines of climate change and related extreme weather events.” Hooks also referenced an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report that said socially vulnerable populations, including Black and African American communities may be more exposed to the highest impacts of climate change. With the full knowl edge of how serious this matter is to the Black and African American communities in particular, one must ask why would FEMA and the Ad Council be addressing this issue with an ad campaign based on Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and college speeches with no dollars to ensure
Last month, Duke University’s women’s volleyball team visited Brigham Young University. After the match, Duke’s Ra chel Richardson, a Black woman, claimed she, along with her Black teammates, were bombarded with racial slurs which made them feel unsafe.
Jesse Jackson Sr.
J. Pharoah Doss
The coach and the hoax
Let
the targeted populations are reached? How can there be “equity” with no dollars when, in America, issues of public policy—without dollars—are meaning less? FEMA as an agency of the federal government has a budget for everything it does. If the Black Press, including Black Media, is the “Trusted Messenger” of our communities for more than 195 years, where are the dollars to support the cam paign? Let’slook at what FEMA is calling a ‘Readiness Campaign’ based on PSAs running nationwide in Spanish and English. The Ads for this campaign have been developed and provided by the Ad Council. The ads are both print and electronic. White Media can afford to run them for free and give the appearance of community service. But let’s take a look at the Ad Council itself. It was established as a nonprofit in1942; changed its name during World War II and raised monies for the War effort. It reverted to the name Ad Council as a nonprofit after the War, and today receives more than 1.8 billion dollars from Media among its 385 donors. The White Press writes off its donations to the Ad Council, which, in the past and perhaps still does today, provide print ads to small community newspapers which historically ran them for free when they had no paid ads to run. One of the large contract donors and par
Her commitment to her duties—how ever ceremonial—was praiseworthy. While as Queen in Britain her political opinions and preferences are by tradi tion masked, peoples across the world saw her as a source of solace and of concern. Even the reports of the racial tensions within the royal family did not disrupt that image.
(Dr. John E. Warren is Publisher of the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper)
Let It Be Known that the Black Press will be looking more closely at those who come to us in the name of equity with empty hands.
Of course, the mainstream media ran with the story.
Frank Robinson would have scolded Staley for not giving her players the op portunity to persevere and silence BYU’s crowd by beating them on their home court.ButStaley felt it was necessary to pro tect her players from racial slurs.
When head coach Staley was informed that BYU’s investigation found that the racial incident never occurred, Staley re plied, “I continue to stand by my position. After my personal research, I made a decision for the well-being of my team.” Staley’s over-eager and overprotective response to a racial incident that she “wanted to be true” was unnecessary, but doubling down on her over-reaction was unreasonable.Onlythereporter that interviewed Frank Robinson in 2005 would under stand why Staley won’t apologize for her haste.It’sa demonstration of her “silent dig nity.”
canceled. Staley said, “As head coach, my job is to do what’s best for my players and staff … And I don’t feel that this is the right time for us to engage in this series.”
The BritishofpassingtheEmpire
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Truth is a threat to authoritarianism. Reading is a path to truth. That’s why the freedom to read is essential to the freedom to learn. And that’s why the freedom to learn is often attacked by those who abuse power and those who cling to it.
(Ben Jealous serves as president of People For the American Way and Professor of the Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.)
Books targeted in the current war on truth include a memoir by Ruby Bridg es, which tells the true story about her walking through angry mobs when she was a six-year-old who became the first Black student to attend a New Orleans elementary school that had previously been off-limits to non-White students. This is an important part of our history. We cannot build a future together if we are not willing to honestly face the truth about our past and our present.
Ben Jealous Commentary
Commentary
compared it to the racial taunts Jesse Owens endured during the 1936 Olym pics held in Nazi Germany, and then said, “But we should take note of the grace, the courage, and the dignity of Rachael Richardson and her teammates [when compared] to the ugliness of the fan (apparently there was only one person) and the moral incompetence of the BYU officials, coach, and leadership.”
Imperial nostalgia paints this as a pic ture of “White man’s burden,” the civ ilizing force of Britain benignly ruling over its subjects. In fact, 65 countries have to date claimed independence from Britain—and many of these only after brutal resistance from the Brit ish. The first of the many revolutions against the empire was that of the American colonies. Our Declaration of Independence declared independence from the British crown, after detailing “a history of repeated injuries and usur pations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.” Our independence was achieved only by force of arms.
In Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus, Yemen, Nigeria, Ireland and more, popular in dependence movements were met with violent suppression, mass arrests and often torture. In many cases, Britain in vented the tactics that Americans grew to know—from counter-insurgency campaigns to detention camps, to sys tematic torture.
ticipants with the Ad Council on various campaigns is the federal government. The same federal government that, according to a General Accounting Office report, in recent years spent less dollars with the Black Press than its contracts with the Ad Council. Now FEMA, on behalf of the federal government, is calling for “equity” without spending “equitable” dollars with the Black Press. We should “Let It Be Known” that mentioning the word “equity” does not in and of itself produce equitable participation in the programs and policies around us. We applaud the disaster relief efforts of FEMA, the agency’s efforts and its continued impact in making the differ ence between life and death for so many everyday.With1.8 billion dollars in Media con tributions, the Ad Council could have provided dollars by itself for a paid media campaign for the local and community newspapers like the Black Press. Let us not forget the multi-billion dollar advertis ing agencies who also contribute to the Ad Council with write offs while too often con trolling the trickle down dollars reaching smaller media like the Black Press.
Brooks compared the environment at a BYU volleyball game to Nazi Germany. Brooks must have forgotten that when Jesse Owens won his 4 Olympic gold medals in Germany, he did so with Hitler inBYU’sattendance.Athletic Department issued an apology.BYUactually banned a person iden tified by Duke players from all of its athletic events. This person wasn’t a BYU student or The Führer. He was a mentally challenged fan that approached a Duke player, but the Duke players claimed his voice matched the voice shouting racial slurs. (But he wasn’t even seated in the section the players claimed the slurs came from.)
Even with the Queen presiding over the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 states largely former territories of the British Empire, a slow reckoning of this past has begun. In 2013, Kenyan vic tims of torture won a lawsuit providing them with damages. In 2019, survivors from Cyprus achieved the same. Calls for reparations or for at least official in vestigation and apology for the horrors abound.Justas U.S. school boards and legisla tures struggle with how to deal with its legacy of slavery—in textbooks, in offi cial statutes, in public monuments—so too Britain now wrestles with how to think about and teach its history. Just as there has been a fierce reaction here, so too in Britain, xenophobes demand a continued whitewashing of the history of violence, oppression and economic ex ploitation.Infact,coming to grips with the re ality of the past is part and partial of changing to meet the challenges of the modern day. The Britain that once ruled much of the world now struggles to rule itself. With Brexit, it has left the Europe an Union. With the growing movement toward Scottish independence, it faces dissolution within. It is heading into the worst economic crisis in decades—even as inequality reaches ever more obscene extremes, yet its financial center—the City of London—looks abroad not at home for its investments. Demagogues call upon the mythic past while failing to deal with the current grim realities. What is needed is a politics that brings people together in a national project of renewal. Imperial nostalgia, global ad venture, the dominance of the financial elite stand in the way.
That’s why the annual celebration of the freedom to read that is Banned Books Week is especially meaningful this year. In addition to the librarians, authors, booksellers, teachers, and other anti-cen sorship activists who lead Banned Book Week activities, all of us have a role to play in ensuring the voices of our commu nities are not silenced.
In our day, attacking the freedom to read is once again a political strategy for those seeking to take and keep power. And once again, Black people are a pri maryStatetarget.legislators and governors are making it illegal to teach honestly about the history and reality of racism in our country. Far-right activists are trying to purge schools and libraries of books that feature Black people, LGBTQ people, and others they deem unworthy of students’ attention.TheMAGA movement’s attacks on teaching about racism and sexuality have led to what the American Library Asso
After BYU’s full investigation into the incident, they found no video evidence that substantiated the Duke volleyball team’sESPN’sclaim.Stephen A. Smith condemned BYU at first, but after the investigation he said racism still exists, it’s something that needs to be completely eradicated, but we’re not doing ourselves any favors if we bring it up and broach it when it doesn’t exist.
Books by and about Black people and other people of color—and by and about LGBTQ people—dominate the ALA’s annual list of most frequently challenged books. This year’s honorary chairman, George Johnson, is an award-winning Black author whose “All Boys Aren’t Blue” is high on the list of books most challenged last year, along with others dealing with racism, racial identity, and sexuality.“Thisis a fight for the truth that has always existed even if it rarely gets told,” Johnson says. “When the youth are empowered with stories about the experiences of others, they become adults who understand the necessity for equity and equality and have the tools to build a world the likes of which we have never
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Queen Eliz abeth II’s death at 96 has occasioned an outpouring of tributes and grieving across the world. Heads of state, includ ing Joe Biden, mourn her passing. Com mon citizens have built mountains of flowers at her gate. The British football league even postponed its games for a weekend in her honor.
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These efforts have a long and dishonor ableBeforehistory.the Civil War, many slave states made it a crime to teach enslaved people to read. Slaveholders feared that being able to read might help enslaved people gain their freedom or organize rebellions. In Virginia, a judge could order that any slave or free person of color caught learn ing to read or write be whipped.
But Robinson disagreed and replied, “He wasn’t strong. He went home. He didn’t pursue what he wanted to do in life. He let a barrier prevent him from doing that.”Inother words, “silent dignity” was an excuse for the lack of perseverance.
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Yet while we mourn the passing of the Queen, we should not mourn, as Har vard historian Maya Jasanoff has writ ten, the passing of the British Empire. “The sun never sets on the British Empire” was once literally true. At its height in the early 1900s, the tiny Brit ish island ruled over 412 million people, nearly one-fourth of the world’s popula tion at the time, and over 13.7 million square miles of territory, nearly onefourth of the world’s territory.
Britain’s empire included many settler nations—like South Africa and Austra lia—that savaged indigenous popula tions to take their lands, their minerals and jewels, and too often their people.
ciation’s Office of Intellectual Freedom has called an “astronomical” increase in challenges to books.
seen.”Butfar-right activists tell parents that words like “equity” are code for Marxism and something they should fight. Trump Republicans are encouraging MAGA activists to take over their school boards by running propaganda campaigns about “critical race theory.” Trumpish state legislators are introducing laws to make it illegal to teach anything that might make White students experience “dis comfort.” One Texas lawmaker demanded information from schools on 850 books he thought were suspect; his list included works on history and human rights. In Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin set up an email hotline for people to report teachers suspected of “divisive” practices.
Book bans are an attack on the freedom to read, teach and learn it be known: FEMA and the Ad Council
All of this hysteria prompted Dawn Staley, head coach of women’s basketball at the University of South Carolina, to cancel the basketball team’s home-andhome series with BYU. That means South Carolina’s Nov. 7 season opener against BYU and next season’s game at BYU are
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A group of South Carolina republican legislators sent a letter to the University of South Carolina complaining that their athletic department “rushed to appease the loudest voices of the far-left by ‘can celing’ BYU literally and figuratively.”
CNN’s Jim Acosta spoke with former NAACP president, Cornell William Brooks, about the incident. Acosta began, “We are 75 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. Why are [Black] athletes still having to deal withAcostathis?”basically said “the color barri er” or systemic racism was the same as name-calling.Brookscalled the incident disturbing,
Banned Books Week is a good time to commit ourselves to defending the free dom to read, teach, and learn about our history—and to opposing those who want to make it illegal to teach about that history or make it impossible for educa tors to do so without being smeared and harassed.
Queen Elizabeth II garners praise for her grace, her discipline, her com mitment. Her passing should mark not only the end of an age, but the end of a delusion. Britain will not be made great again by looking backward, but only by understanding the reality of its past, and creating a new future.
Crowned queen in 1953 at age 25 in the wake of World War II, Queen Eliza beth II served as the face of the British Empire, the head of not just a nation but a global empire which devolved into a global commonwealth. From her cor gi dogs to her wardrobe choices to the family squabbles and scandals, Queen Elizabeth was a fixture—a symbol of stability in times of trouble.
Home run legend Frank Robinson made his major league debut nine years after Jackie Robinson, no relation, broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947. Frank Robinson was a pioneer in his own right. He became the first Black manager of a Major League Baseball team in 1975.
by Dr. John E. Warren
Needless to say, Frank Robinson en countered unthinkable racism, but he always said, “Jackie taught us the way to beat the hate was to beat them on the field.”In2005 a reporter asked Frank Robin son about a Black player that left Major League Baseball in the 1960s because of “racist abuse”. The reporter thought this Black player demonstrated “silent digni ty” by leaving the sport.
Recently the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), spoke to stu dents at Howard University as a part of a new “Ready Campaign” aimed at African American communities to encourage advanced preparedness for storms and all natural disasters The Deputy Adminis trator told the students that FEMA was there to reaffirm its commitment to equity and to say loud and clear that every community deserves to be protected from hazards. After all, September is Disaster Preparedness month.
Every year, the American Library Association and partner organizations observe Banned Books Week to highlight and push back against these threats. This year’s Banned Books Week runs from September 18-24 amidst a wave of book bans and other attempts to restrict what people can learn.
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Estate of DEBORAH J. PROBST, Deceased, of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Estate No. 02-22-05737, Carol Steele, Administrator, 103 Longmount Drive, PIttsburgh, PA 15214 or to AUBREY H. GLOVER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC. 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017
Contract Compliance Specialist
This Contract Services may be funded, in part, by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The proposal process and the performance of the requested services will be in accordance with guidelines and regulations of the FTA “Third Party Contracting Guidelines”, FTA Circular 4220.1F, as amended, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
LYNN ANN LABUN, deceased, of Aspinwall, PA. No. 05419 of 2022, Allegheny County. Lance C. Labun, Extr, 1342 E. Louis Way, Tempe, AZ 85284 or to Judith A. Lehnowsky, Esq., 102 Penbryn Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals
Office Clerk Greeting clients; Answers the telephone, responds to inquiries, or routes phone calls and takes messages for office staff; Operates office machines such as photocopies and scanners; Performs data entry; Scans documents into document control system; Completes other administrative tasks as necessary. Must be proficient in Microsoft Windows and Office Suite.
An Information Meeting for interested parties will be held at 9:30 a.m., prevailing time, October 5, 2022 via Microsoft Teams video conference and/or conference call to answer any questions regarding this RFP.
In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphan’s Court Division, Estate of LUCILLE ROBINSON deceased, Case No. 5990 of 2017: Notice is hereby given that on August 1, 2022 a Petition was filed by Peggie P. Smith to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Lucille Robinson in the real estate located at 5442 Rosetta Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 and determine that fee simple title is vested in Peggie P. Smith. Attorney Peter B. Lewis, 928 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, (412) 586-6153.
, deceased of Pittsburgh, PA No. 3399 of 2022. Gilbert Broxie, Admr. 10 Hearthstone Dr. Pittsburgh, PA 15235 or Robert C. Watson, Esq. 1239 W North Ave, PITTSBURGH, PA 15233
A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available on or after September 19, 2022 and can be obtained by registering at the Port Authority ebusiness website: http://ebusiness.rideprt.org and following the directions listed on the website. Please note that Proposers must register under the ebusiness categories for this RFP:
LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 22-05
DepartmentINCLUSIONOverview: The Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (MWDBE) Program provides maximum opportunities for Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged business enterprises (MBEs, WBEs and DBEs) to participate in county contracts. The department certifies business enterpris es as disadvantaged (per Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Section 49: Parts 23 & 26) and provide services and resources to help them grow their business.
Aurora Innovation, Inc. seeks positions in Pittsburgh, PA Software Eng II to develop motion-planning algorithms for self-driving vehicles. Req. travel. Ref# 00240 Software Eng II build and maintain data processing systems and pipelines. Ref# 00270. Email resumes to Mary Ellen Mahoney at jobs@aurora.tech using ref#.
Bids will be publicly opened at 9:00 A.M. EST on October 3, 2022 in the Community Building, 545 Hamilton Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices
LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals
Applicants must possess and maintain a valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License throughout employment.
Veterans’ Preference: Will be awarded to eligible candidates.
seeks
ALLEGHENY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EQUITY AND
Port Authority of Allegheny County, in compliance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26 as amended, implements positive affirmative action procedures to ensure that all Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“DBEs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed, in whole or in part, with federal funds, if any, provided under or for the proposed Agreement. In this regard, all recipients or contractors shall take all necessary and reasonable steps in accordance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services.
Residency: Must become a resident of Allegheny County within one (1) year of appointment.
Further, proposers and the Contractor shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sex, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts or subcontracts for these Contract Services
has multiple openings for Software Engineer, Mobile Applications in Pittsburgh, PA to perform the following duties: (i) under supervision, triage/resolve violations of mobile application distribution service guidelines; (ii) monitor mobile application platform release notes to find backward compatibility issues or new opportunities for features or improvements; (iii) implement user interfaces that adapt to a variety of mobile devices; (iv) manage mobile application release process; (v) analyze software application requirements to determine the feasibility of design within time & cost constraints; (vi) design test plans, scenarios, scripts, &/or procedures & run A/B testing on new/changed application features, & analyze data structures; (vii) identify, analyze, & document software application defects, changes, & implementations; (viii) write & present summaries of data analysis of features to team; (ix) submit code to be reviewed by superiors, & review coding of peers & contractors; & (x) submit finished projects to quality assurance team. Reqs: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science or related field. Must have knowledge of (i) Algorithms; (ii) Data Structure; (iii) Programming languages (Python & Java); (iv) Linear Algebra; (v) Probability; and (vi) PSPACE. Email resume to: jobs@duolingo.com with Job No. SoftEngMobile2022 and title “Software Engineer, Mobile Applications” in subject line.
MANAGEMENT & PROGRAM MANAGEMENT SERVICES
PPG Industries, Inc. seeks Director, AI/ML in Pittsburgh, PA to be responsible for building & executing an Artificial Intel./Machine Learning & Digital Analytics roadmap acrss all PPG bus. & functions as well as dvlpng & applying creative solutions to bus. prblms. Must be willing & able to travel to client locations up to 25%. Apply online at ppg.com
is seeking a Part-time Grants Coordinator who will support the annual grantmaking on July 2, 2022, with respect to a nonprofit corporation, HILL DISTRICT COLLABORATIVE, which has been incorporated under the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988.
Superintendent to work in Pittsburgh, PA, & unanticipated locations thruout U.S. (relocation req’d) w/incidental travel up to 25% as req’d. Will manage team of structural steel erection employees. Specific duties incl. overseeing: deck removal; suspended span removal; & removal of Cantilever Spans. Apply online at https://www.americanbridge.net/.ARTS,EQUITY,&EDUCATIONFUND
Proposers may also register in other categories for any future RFPs issued by Port Authority. If you have specific questions regarding this RFP, please contact Jeff Faddis at (412) 566-5315 or via email jfaddis@rideprt.org.
Dorothy S. Falk
While it is currently the Authority’s intention to enter into agreements with a pool of three firms for each category, this number may be adjusted up or down, at Authority’s sole discretion, based upon the number of proposals received and Authority’s evaluation of same in relation to its Construction Management and Program Management services needs in each of the categories.
BROXIE,15233MARGARET
CLASSIFIED SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 www.newpittsburghcourier.com New Pittsburgh Courier 4 6 1 9 3 0 3 7 SONNY BOY 6 B5
Sealed proposals will be received by the Borough of Thornburg, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in c/o Borough Secretary, 545 Hamilton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 until 9:00 A.M EST on Monday, October 3, 2022 for the collection and removal of garbage, rubbish, and recyclables from the Borough commencing January 1, 2023.
Port Authority of Allegheny County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA
The work under the proposed Agreement(s) consists of Construction Management and Program Management Services (CM/PM Services) include, but are not limited to, construction contract administration, construction compliance with contract documents, construction reports and progress meetings, construction inspection, construction quality assurance & control, construction coordination, construction management & communication with project stakeholders, and program management of projects in design through completion of construction. Services are being requested in the following categories: A- Bridges, Heavy & Highway; B - Garages & Facilities; C - Rail & Systems; and D - Program Management.
DICKEY, THOMAS, JR. deceased of Pittsburgh, PA No. 6701 of 2021. Leslie Dickey, Admrx. 3507 O’Neil Blvd. McKeesport, PA 15132 or Robert C. Watson, Esq. 1239 W North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA
LEGAL ADVERTISING Articles of Incorporation
Electronic proposals must be both received, and time stamped by a representative of the Purchasing and Materials Management Department through Authority’s Ebusiness website at or before 2:00 p.m., prevailing time, October 31, 2022, at http:/ebusiness.rideprt.org. Proposals received or time stamped by a Purchasing and Materials Management Department representative through Authority’s Ebusiness website after the advertised time for the submission of proposals shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for award. Each Proposer shall be solely responsible for assuring that its proposal is timely received and time stamped in accordance with the requirements herein. Please note that a sealed Summary of Costs should NOT be submitted with the Proposal, but will be submitted at a later date as requested by Port Authority.
Duolingo,www.alleghenycounty.us/careersSOFTWAREENGINEER,MOBILEAPPLICATIONSInc.
The Contract Compliance Specialist will monitor contracts to ensure that MWDBEs are provided the maximum opportunity to obtain and perform on county contracts while in compliance with Allegheny County’s goals. The specialist will also provide outreach and technical assistance to the business community. In addition, the Contract Compliance Specialist will review and vet prime contractors’ MWDBE inclusion plans for various types of contracts (i.e., construction, services, supplies, etc.) . The specialist will monitor MWDBE commitments and utilization through contract completion, address, and monitor MWDBE concerns and assist in conflict resolution if necessary.
In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny, Orphan’s Court Division, Estate of Doris Louise Worthy, deceased, Case No. 4994 of 2022: Notice is hereby given that on August 1, 2022 a Petition was filed by Michelle R. Worthy to terminate the interests of the heirs and devisees of Lucille Robinson in the real estate located at 1311 Grotto Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206and determine that fee simple title is vested in Michelle R. Worthy . Attorney Peter B. Lewis, 928 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, (412) 586-6153.
The Agreements will be for a 3-year period with the option to extend the term of the Agreements up to 2 additional years at the sole discretion of Authority.
The required services will be issued on a work order basis as they are approved to proceed by Authority.
ENGINEERING Engineering ENGCM Engineering- Construction Management ENGENV Engineering- Environmental ENGGAE Engineering -General Architectural/Engineering ENGINS Engineering- Construction Inspection ENGPM Engineering- Project Management ENGSC Engineering- Systems/ Communications
Port Authority of Allegheny County, in compliance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, as may be amended, also requires that certified Diverse Businesses, (“DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontract for, the Contract Services. In this regard, all Proposers, and the Contractor, shall make good faith efforts, in accordance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, to ensure that DBs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services.
The proposals sought request alternate bids of 1, 2 and 3 years and must remain firm for sixty days. The bids must be accompanied by a certified check or bid bond in the amount of ten (10%) percent of the bid, made payable to the Borough of Thornburg. Thornburg Borough Council reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.
BoroughSecretary/TreasurerofThornburg
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
SOFTWARE ENGINEER Duolingo, Inc. has multiple openings for Software Engineer in Pittsburgh, PA to perform software engineering tasks on Duolingo’s language education software. Duties: (i) under supervision, research, design, & develop software in conjunction w/language educ. product design; (ii) collaborate on full-stack software projects; (iii) analyze & plan implementation of specs from design team to change/ add features of mobile application; (iv) work within a team to determine deadlines & time frames; (v) apply principles & techniques of comp. sci., eng., & mathematical analysis to analyze software application requirements to determine feasibility of design within time/cost constraints; (vi) design test plans, scenarios, scripts, &/or procedures & run A/B testing on new/changed features of application, & use statistical analysis/ techniques to analyze test data; (vii) identify, analyze, & document software application defects, changes, & implementations; (viii) write & present summaries of statistical analysis of features to team; (ix) submit code to be reviewed by superiors, & review coding of peers & contractors; & (x) submit finished projects to quality assurance team. Reqs: Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science or related field. Must have knowledge of (i) Java or Python; (ii) full-stack engineering; & (iii) statistical modeling. Email resume to: jobs@duolingo.com with Job No. SoftEng2022 and title “Software Engineer” in subject line.
Help Wanted
The15205.specifications in contract form and bid forms may be obtained from the Borough Secretary listed at the above address or e-mail (thornburg.secretary@gmail.com) or by leaving a message on the Borough answering machine (412-921-3713).
process, grantee relations, and develop internal and external communications. Complete job description and directions on how to apply can be found at: employment-opportunitieshttps://www.aeefund.org/ SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking a HIGH SCHOOL MAIN OFFICE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Complete job description is available at: Deadlinewww.southfayette.org4:00PM,September 26, 2022EOE SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION PERMANENT SUBSTITUTE TEACHER Deadline 4:00 PM, September 29, 2022 Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT is seeking SUBSTITUTE DeadlinePERMANENTINTERMEDIATETEACHERS:SCHOOLSUBSTITUTETEACHER-GRADE4,4:00PM,September23,2022HIGHSCHOOLMATHSUBSTITUTETEACHERDeadline4:00PM,September22,2022 Complete job description and directions on how to apply are available at: FOODSOUTHwww.southfayette.orgFAYETTETWP.SCHOOLDISTRICTSERVICEPOSITIONS Complete job descriptions and directions on how to apply are available at: www.southfayette.org Applications must be received by 4:00 PM September 23, 2022, or until positions are filled PENN 2800SeptFridayESTATEHILLSSALEandSaturday23-24(8am-Noon).GrahamBlvd,15235 Contemporary & Antique Furniture. Natuzzi Leather Sectional, Bedroom Furniture, Table/Floor Lamps. Patio Sets, Flat Screen TV. Womens Designer Clothing Size 12, St John, Lafayette Quilting Fabrics (Mink Coat, Leather Jackets). CASH & CARRY SAME DAY ONLY! NO HOLDS! MASK MANDATORY! Map App Code - 254023 ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION NONPROFIT CORPORATION Jay Arthur Gilmer, Esq., 7246 Campania Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Notice is hereby given that Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
JOB OPPORTUNITIES Help Wanted
Carnegie Mellon University seeks Machine Learning Research Engineer in Pittsburgh, PA responsible for providing Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center’s Artificial Intelligence and Big Data (AI&BD) Group w/research/ end-user support. Spec. job duties incl. researching potential of innovative, emerging hrdwr & sftwr technologies for scientific AI apps to advance NSF-funded Neocortex, Open Compass & Bridges-2 projects. Apply online at
LEGAL NOTICE BOROUGH OF THORNBURG
The Courier is THE VOICE of Black Pittsburgh. ESTATE SALE
To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: 412-927-0245 United States, Pittsburgh Phone Conference ID: 674 337 005#
To join by Microsoft Team video conference: https://bit.ly/3wf521w
Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (Authority) is requesting proposals for the performance of the following services (“Contract Services”):CONSTRUCTION
CLASSIFIEDSB6 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SONNY BOY COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS! LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals To place a display ad in the NewCourierPittsburgh call 412-481-8302ext.128 LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals America’s Best Weekly 315 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 136 E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com ScheduleDeadline/Closing/Cancellationforcopy,corrections,andcancellations:FridaynoonprecedingWednesdaypublication LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals BestAmerica’sWeekly 315 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 136 E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com WednesdayFridayCancellationDeadline/Closing/Scheduleforcopy,corrections,andcancellations:noonprecedingpublication COURIER CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS! ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA September 14, 2022 The Office of the County Controller of Allegheny County, Room 104, Court House, Pittsburgh, PA., will receive separate and sealed Bids until 11:00 A.M. prevailing local time, Wednesday, October 12, 2022 , and a representative of the Department of Public Works will open and read the Proposals in Conference Room 1, Court House, Pittsburgh, PA., one-half hour later, 11:30 A.M., for the following: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS SUPERSTRUCTURE REPLACEMENT OF PUCKETA CREEK BRIDGE NO. 5 WITHIN PLUM BOROUGH AND UPPER BURRELL TOWNSHIP COUNTY PROJECT NO: PO05-3711
Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by Pittsburgh Regional Transit within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations.
4 B22-09-78A
Corey O’Connor CountyControllerofAllegheny
Cisco Wi-Fi and Switching Equipment
QUESTION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE Friday, October 28, 2022, 12:00 PM
DOCUMENTS: Bid documents & specifications for review, will
CONTRACT CONDITIONS: In accordance with the provisions of the “Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act” of August 15, 1961, P.L. 987, as Department of Labor and Industry, the prevailing minimum wage predetermination requirements as set forth in the Attachments apply to this Project. For technical questions, contact Brian Lichwala, Project Manager, at 412350-2480. For contract related questions, contact Charles Gurtler, Con tract Manager, at 412-350-2325. Project completion is to occur by October 31, 2023
3 B22-09-77
BIDDING REQUIREMENTS: The County requires prequalification of bidders, including subcontractors, as specified in Section 102. 01 of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Specifications Publication 408, 2020 Edition, Change No, 4, Effective April 1, 2022 on this Submitproject. bid on the supplied Bid Forms in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders and General and Supplementary Conditions; include the following documents with the Bid Form, ALONG WITH ONE COMPLETE PHOTOCOPIED SET OF PROPOSAL:
2(noha.internationaleprocurement.com“www”).
To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number:
• 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll)
PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE: Thursday, October 13, 2022, 10:00 AM: If you have any questions regarding this IFB or any of the documents, use the “Question and Answer area in the eProcurement Housing Marketplace Website.
REGIONAL CONVEYANCE
The Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) is accepting Letters of Interest and Statements of Qualifications from Professional Companies who wish to be considered for the following:
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PROPOSAL SUBMITAL RETURN & *Thursday,DEADLINENovember 10, 2022, 10:00 AM ET 301 Chartiers Ave, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 (The proposed costs must be entered within the aforementioned eProcurement Marketplace and the “hard copy” documentation must be received in-hand and time-stamped by the Agency by no later than 10:00 AM ET on this date).
Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.rideprt.org).
• List of Subcontractors
is seeking experienced firms to provide the Authority with Engineering Services for the Regional Conveyance Valve Replacement. This procurement is described in greater detail in the RFQ located at with-us/planned-and-active-bids.https://www.alcosan.org/workAn informational meeting will be held September 28, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. in the ALCOSAN Operations and Maintenance Building, Room 106 at 3300 Preble Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15233 to clarify the goals and purpose of this Request for Qualifi cations. The information meeting is not mandatory; however, interested parties are strongly encouraged to Oneattend.electronic copy must be received via email no later than 2:00 PM on November 1, 2022, at by the ALCOSAN Procurement officer.
THE COUNTY WILL REJECT BIDS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE THE EXECUTED DOCUMENTS SPECIFIED ABOVE WITH THE BID FORM. You may not withdraw your bid for a period of Sixty (60) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The County Manager reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.
ACHA-1687, DWELLING UNIT PAINTING SERVICE
HOWET
The Authority encourages responses from §3 business concerns, small firms, minority firms and firms that have not previously performed work for the ACHA. The Allegheny County Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.
• MBE/WBE Subcontractor and Supplier Solicitation Sheet
1 B22-08-64
No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 am September 22, 2022, as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference.
Exchange,
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. Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.
Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on October 12, 2022 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, at Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Heinz location (345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527) as well as through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following:
8 B22-09-82A
Maintenance, Inspection, Testing and Certification of Fire Protection Systems
To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: 412-927-0245 United State, Pittsburgh (Toll) Conference ID: 746 826 1514#
Allegheny County Sanitary Authority Attention: Suzanne Thomas, Procurement Officer suzanne.thomas@alcosan.org
Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) is seeking Bids from qualified vendors to provide Dwelling Unit Painting Service on an as needed basis, per specifications in the IFB. ACHA is now conducting all competitive solicitation on an internet-based eProcurement Housing Marketplace. ACHA is paying for all costs for the use of the Marketplace so, there will be no additional charges for your company to use the Marketplace to download documents or submit responses to ACHA.
available on/after
The County of Allegheny County hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, minority business enterprises / women business enterprises [MBE/WBE] will be afforded the full opportunity to submit bids on the grounds of race, sex, color or national origin in consideration for an award. It is a condition of the bidding process/contract that all responsive bidders/contractors shall follow the minority business enterprises/women’s business enterprises [MBE/WBE] procedures set forth in the project manual/contract documents.
REQUEST
• Work Sheet Required Amount Performed by Contractor (Non-Federal Project)
On-Call Tree Cutting Service
Director of ConveyanceRegional
SANITARYALLEGHENYQUALIFICATIONSFORCOUNTYAUTHORITYPUBLICNOTICE
AGENCY CONTACT PERSON: Guy Phillips, Purchasing Manager Telephone: (412)402-2435, E-mail: HOWgphillips@achsng.com.TOOBTAINTHE IFB DOCUMENTS ON THE EPROCUREMENT MARKETPLACE:
VALVE
On-Call Plumbing Services
ALCOSANCONTRACTSREPLACEMENTPROJECTS-470
ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities, disadvantaged and women’s busi ness enterprises to submit qualifi cation statements or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to the selected Consultant/Firm. The Party selected shall be required to utilize minority, disadvantaged, and women’s business enterprises to the fullest extent possible. The goals of the ALCOSAN’s Minority and Women Business Policy are listed on the ALCOSAN website at www.alcosan.org.MichaelLichte, PE
4. If you have any problems in accessing or registering on the eProcurement Marketplace, please call customer support at (866)526-9266.
PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY D/B/A/ PITTSBURGH REGIONAL TRANSIT (PRT)
Prospective bidders may request to have their bid documents mailed. An additional fee of $16.05 for handling costs for each requested proposal must be paid in advance. The fee must be received at the office of the Contract Manager prior to mailing of any documents.
Bid Number
5 B22-09-79A
• MBE/WBE Subcontractor and Supplier Commitment Sheet
PRE-BID INFORMATION: View the Proposal, Specifications and Drawings at the Office of the Contract Manager, Room 504, County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA. The non-refundable charge for the Proposal and a disc containing the Specifications and Drawings is $107.00 including sales tax. The Contract Manager will accept only check or money order to the “COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY” in that amount and WILL NOT ACCEPT CASH OR EXTEND CREDIT.
All questions shall be submitted, in writing, to Ms. Thomas. It is Consultant’s responsibility to ensure the documents have been received. Late submittals will not be considered. ALCOSAN intends to award the services to one firm to perform these services.
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LEGAL INVITATIONADVERTISEMENTFORBIDS:The Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) is requesting bids from qualified contractors for CONCRETE BALCONY REPAIRS at CORBETT APARTMENTS CONTRACT: ACHA-1681 CONCRETE BALCONY REPAIRS - CORBETT APARTMENTS,
Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.rideprt.org)
2 B22-09-76 Diesel Engine Oil
TO FULLY RESPOND TO THIS IFB BY SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL:
Bid Name
• Statement of Joint Venture Participation
Crossarm Insulator Assemblies
• Bid Security - certified check or surety company bond on County’s form to the order of/or running to the County of Allegheny in the amount of five (5%) percent of the Bid as evidence that you, the Bidder, will accept and carry out the conditions of the Contract in case of award. The County will accept only bonds written by Surety Companies acceptable on Federal Bonds per the current Federal Register Circular 570. Federal Register Circular 570 is available for inspection in the Contract Office, Room 504, County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.
Oil Fuel & Antifreeze Analysis Services
LRV Batteries
Complete
• Conference ID: 717 565 074#
1. Access
. Click on the “Login” button in the upper left side.
As a prospective bidder please note the following general Project information regarding Pre-Bid Information, Bidding Requirements, and Contract Conditions. See the Project Manual and Drawings for detailed information, responsibilities, and instructions.
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3. Follow the listed directions.
To join by Microsoft Team video conference: bit.ly/3B6xaa8
7 B22-09-81
• Bidder Certification of Pre-Qualification, Classification and Work Capacity.
1. As directed within Section 3.2.1 of the IFB document, submit proposed pricing, where provided for, within the eProcurement Marketplace.
• MBE and WBE Goals Attainment Certification - (ONLY NECESSARY IF YOU CAN NOT MEET THE SPECIFIED MBE AND WBE GOALS)
To join by Microsoft Team video conference: • bit.ly/3pZUuQu
2. As instructed within Section 3.0 of the IFB document, submit One (1) Original copy of your “hard copy” proposal to the Agency Administrative Office.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY Frank ExecutiveAggazio,Director 175 Corbett Court, Ross Twp., PA 15237 be September 26, 2022 on the Pittsburgh Builder’s or the McGraw-Hill websites. IFB Documents
Fire Alarm System Testing and Certification Service
with Bid Package may be obtained from the Allegheny County Housing Authority, 301 Chartiers Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136, or by contacting Dean Allen, Modernization Manager dallen@achsng.com or 412-402-2469 FEE: No Charge for Emailed / Electronic Transfer documents. NON-MANDATORY PRE-BID CONFERENCE SITE WALK THRU: Thursday, September 29, 2022, at 10:00AM EST at Corbett Apartments, 175 Corbett Court, Ross Twp., PA 15237 QUESTION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE: Friday, October 7, 2022, at 3:00PM BIDSEST DUE: Friday, October 14, 2022 at 2:00 PM EST at the ACHA Central Office, 301 Chartiers Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 Section 3 Businesses, MWDBE, VOSB are encouraged to respond. Frank ExecutiveAggazioDirectorAlleghenyCountyHousingAuthority The Courier is THE VOICE of Black Pittsburgh. Read us online! www.newpittsburghcourier.comat...
Graphic Film and Pre-masking Tape
The Board of Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a/ Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
The documents will be available no later than September 12, 2022 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 10:00 AM on October 4, 2022
Bid Documents will be available for public inspection and may be obtained on or after September 21, 2022 at Authority’s offices at the following address (If you are picking up bid documents, please call Cindy Denner at (412) 566-5117 prior to arriving at this location - all participants must provide and wear a mask at all times and practice minimum social distancing of 6 feet between other individuals):
email to: Port
9:00 AM Conference will be
must be
INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR ROOFING
hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s):
Combustion and Hot Water Services Authority IFB#300-22-22Wide
The Work of this Project includes, but is not limited to, the demolition of three existing crossdraft paint booths, installation of one new crossdraft paint booth, paint mixing room, open-face booth, structural steel platforms, an interior body shop, and new HVAC and Electrical equipment to serve this area, along with the refurbishment of an existing blowdown booth and upgrades to the HVAC and electrical equipment serving it.
Attn:
AUTHORITYSERVICESWIDEIFB#300-23-22
Roofing Services Authority Wide IFB#300-23-22
A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on September 22, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below:
Questions or inquiries should be directed to:
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation.
to view and download IFB/
HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order RFPs
Pre-Bid
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 October 4, 2022 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 Parties15219.
thedocumentation.CasterD.Binion,ExecutiveDirectorHousingAuthorityofCityofPittsburgh 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. Subscribe to 412-481-8302,todayCourierthebycallingext.136.SupportthepublicationthatisALWAYSfocusedonPittsburgh’sAfricanAmericancommunity.
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH
activities
attention is directed
Questions or inquiries should be directed to:
Port Authority of Allegheny County Purchasing and Materials Management Department Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527
Join Zoom
Bid Documents are available for purchase as follows: Bid Documents are available in an electronic form on a USB drive upon payment of ($15.00) per USB Drive. Payment shall be by check or money order (NO CASH), payable to “Port Authority of Allegheny County.” No refunds of payment will be made. Upon request, Bid Documents can be mailed upon receipt of payment in full. Should the purchaser wish to have the Bid Documents delivered via special delivery, such as UPS or Federal Express, the purchaser shall provide its appropriate account numbers for such special delivery methods.
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The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) hereby requests bids from qualified Firms or Individuals capable of providing the following service(s):
PN2RSUHg4a09seDRlRHdQdz0989421462190?pwd=YjA1SUFhttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/MeetingMeetingID:89421462190Passcode:752227+13017158592US(WashingtonD.C) The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh strongly encourages certified minority business enterprises and women business enterprises to respond to this solicitation. HACP has revised their website. As part of those revisions, vendors must now register and log-in, in order to view and download IFB/ RFPs
Join Zoom
CLASSIFIEDSNEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 B7 COURIER CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS…COURIERTHEONLYWAYTOGO! LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals GETCLASSIFIEDSCOURIERRESULTS! COURIER CLASSIFIEDS LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302ext.136 LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals THE COURIER ISN’T JUST A NEWSPAPER. IT’S BLACK HISTORY. PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY ADVERTISEMENT Separate sealed Bids for the Work as listed hereinafter will be received at the Purchasing and Materials Management Department of Port Authority of Allegheny County (Authority) Heinz 57 Center, 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222-2527 until 1:30 p.m. on October 21, 2022 (Please call Cindy Denner at (412) 566-5117 prior to arriving at this location - all participants must provide and wear a mask at all times and practice minimum social distancing of 6 feet between other individuals) and will be opened and read at 2:00 p.m. via teleconference at: (toll free phone number: 1-855-453-6957 and conference ID #4485786). Each Bidder shall be solely responsible for assuring that its Bid is both received and time stamped by a representative of the Purchasing and Materials Management Department at or before the advertised time for submission of Bids. Bidders submitting bids via FedEx, UPS, USPS or other carrier must immediately provide tracking information to the assigned contract specialist via e-mail. Upon delivery, bidder will notify the assigned contract specialist with an e-mailed receipt. Bids received or time stamped in the Purchasing and Materials Management Department after the advertised time for the submission of Bids shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for Award.
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Mr. James Harris Housing Authority of the City of ProcurementPittsburghDepartment 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2915
Bid:
CONTRACT
email:
preparation
and
Mr. James Harris Housing Authority of the City of ProcurementPittsburghDepartment 100 Ross Street 2nd Floor, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-643-2915
A pre-submission meeting will be held via Zoom meeting; on September 22, 2022 at 9:00 A.M. Please see meeting information below:
This Project may be funded, in part, by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and/or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Authority, in compliance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, as may be amended, require that certified Diverse Businesses (“DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts for this Project. In this regard, all Bidders shall make good faith efforts in accordance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, to ensure that DBs have the maximum opportunity to compete for and perform contracts. Bidders shall also not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts for this Project. If aid is required to involve DBs in the Work, Bidders are to contact Authority’s Director of Employee Relations and OEO at (412) 566-5262.
The Bidder’s attention is directed to the following contacts for Bidder’s questions: Procedural Questions Regarding Bidding: Cindy Denner –cdenner@portauthority.orgAuthority(412)566-5117
conducted via teleconference at: September 30, 2022 Toll free phone number: 1-855-453-6957 Conference ID #4485786 (Attendance is not mandatory, but strongly recommended) 9:00 AM Pre-Bid Site Tour October 3, 2022 Contractors to initially meet at: South Hills Village Rail Center Maintenance Building 1000 Village Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15241 All participants must provide and wear safety vests and appropriate footwear; all participants must provide and wear a mask at all times and practice minimum social distancing of 6feet between other individuals. Tours will be conducted in limited group sizes and in the order of which bidders sign-in atthe site. (Attendance is not mandatory, but strongly recommended.) 1:30 p.m. Bids Due October 21, 2022 Purchasing and Materials Management Department Please call Cindy Denner at (412) 566-5117 prior to arriving at the Heinz 57 locationall participants must provide and wear a mask at all times and practice minimum social distancing of 6 feet between other individuals.Bidssubmitted via Fed Ex, UPS, USPS or other carrier are subject to the notification requirements indicated above. Bid Opening will be conducted @ 2:00 p.m. via teleconference at: Toll free phone number: 1-855-453-6957 Conference ID #4485786 Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Bids
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh will only be accepting physical bids dropped off in person from 8:00 AM until the closing time of 10:00 AM on October 4, 2022 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 Parties15219. or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org.
or individuals interested in responding may download a copy of the Solicitation from the Business Opportunities page of www.HACP.org.
lOL3psQVVJV0NZeHd1aVF6dz09/82661405115?pwd=YjRmUThttps://us06web.zoom.us/jMeetingMeetingID:82661405115Passcode:803177+13017158592US(WashingtonD.C)
SOUTH HILLS VILLAGE RAIL CENTER MAINTENANCE BUILDING PAINT BOOTH UPGRADES NO. SHV-22-06 NO. SHV-22-06 NO. SHV-22-06 NO. SHV-22-06 E
The documents will be available no later than September 12, 2022 and signed, sealed bids will be accepted until 9:00 AM on October 4, 2022
In addition, the Bidder ’s to the following schedule of for of its
thedocumentation.CasterD.Binion,ExecutiveDirectorHousingAuthorityofCityofPittsburgh
H CONTRACT
All other questions relating to the Bid Documents submitted by or Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 Cindy Denner cdenner@Portauthority.org
HACP conducts business in accordance with all federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including but not limited to Title VII, the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, The PA Human Relations Act, etc. and does not discriminate against any individuals protected by these statutes. HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR COMBUSTION AND HOT WATER ofTheCombustionAUTHORITYSERVICESWIDEIFB#300-22-22andHotWaterServicesAuthorityWideHousingAuthorityoftheCityPittsburgh(HACP)
Bengals, but against the Patriots without Watt on the other end, he had just three tackles including a tackle for loss. Matter of fact, the Steelers record ed zero sacks against New England and three hits on Mac Jones. Everyone sees the difference on defense when Watt is off the field. The corners are merely av erage, and there is a total lack of depth on the defen siveBackroster.tothe offense. Sure they have young players with Pro Bowl and All-Pro potential in Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth, Chase Claypool, George Pickens, and Diontae Johnson, but they have the worst of fensive line because they hoped Dan Moore, Ken drick Green, and Kevin Dotson would make the next step in their devel opment, then went to try to get a quick fix in get ting mediocre Mason Cole and James Daniels in free agency, and they overpaid to keep Chukwuma Okora for. “Chucks” got $9 million per year when he would never get that in the open market.Theissue with the Steel ers is that the “standard” has been slipping in the or ganization for a long time,
ise. You mean to tell me you can’t beat a Bradyless New England team? At home? No wonder the owner gets to go to the “Japanese Stress House”...
What really is the ‘standard’ these days for the Steelers?
SPORTSB8 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER
Canada needs to go; Pickett needs to start
:06—You go from 99 sacks last week, okay, sev en to zero sacks, a bagel, this week. T.J. Watt can’t be that good... Is he???
:03—Happy to report that one of Pittsburgh’s and Westinghouse’s finest
‘We have problems...and they are many!’
If you keep starting Tru bisky and have Canada call plays, the Steelers will be lucky to be 9-8, and that is if you have heroic efforts on defense like they had in
11.Put this in perspective; two weeks ago, the Steelers were plus-five in the turn over department, recorded seven sacks, and won at the gun in overtime, and that was after Minkah Fitzpat rick blocked an extra point that would have won Cin cinnati the game. That is not a sign of a good team, and they do not have an exceptionally good overall roster. T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Fitz patrick, and Myles Jack are elite-caliber players, but what do they have be sides that on defense?
:07—All summer long you told us George Pick ens was the second coming of Jerry Rice. Well, if you don’t throw him the ball he’s going to be the second coming of Rice-A-Roni!
:10—That would be a quote from the Legendary Emperor Charles Henry Noll... That’s Chuck Noll to you. And trust me on two things...#1—I don’t pre tend to know more than Coach Mike Tomlin and staff. #2—But as my “Pops” would say, “I don’t know much, but I know what I know!” So here’s what I know and we’re gonna log this in as part of the Countdown...
whether the organization realizes it or not. Trubisky is starting right now over Pickett because that gives them the opportunity to get to 9-8 and hopefully backdoor their way into the playoffs just to get blown out by an AFC heavyweight like the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs. Since when is just merely having a winning record the stan dard for Steelers football?
know who you are, cried repeatedly about Ben not being able to throw the ball downfield anymore. Now you have a guy who can and they won’t let him throw it downfield!!! C’mon man!
wait, what? You heard me! And don’t worry, you’ll get it about midnight tonight.
Just that friendly remind er for you if you don’t know by now, your only Blackowned and Black-operated sports talk show is up and running and global. “Soul Take—Champions Live” sports and entertainment talk show streaming live every Tuesday, 6 to 8 p.m. starring Kevin Cameron and yours truly, Bill Neal. Tune in at http://www. pghdsn.com and you can also call in get in on the conversation at 412-2138995 and 412-889-8319, or text us at 412-218-3888.
:05—Last thing, I prom
quick fixes just to extend the streak on non-losing seasons; but who cares be cause they have not been to a Super Bowl since 2010 and have not won a playoff game since 2016? How is starting an MalikerspicksteamballlessFivefiedmanquarterbackaverage-at-bestandlettingathatisbarelyqualitocallplaysataPowerCollegelevel,muchintheNationalFootLeague,benefitthethisyear?Howistrading2023draftforaverageplay(AhkilloWitherspoon,Reed,JessieDavis)
In the Pittsburgh Steel ers’ 17-14 loss to the New England Patriots on Sun day afternoon, Sept. 18, there were fans on Twitter, in the stands, and fellow pundits in the media call ing for them to fire offen sive coordinator Matt Can ada and bench quarterback Mitch Trubisky in favor of rookie Kenny Pickett. Tru bisky did not push the ball down the field as he should, they should not have wait ed until the fourth quarter to go uptempo on offense, and the play-calling was questionable to say the veryAndleast.you know what, Steeler fans, I agree that there needs to be a change at offensive coordinator and quarterback. The rea son is that the Steelers need to face the reality that they do not have a good team right now, and you need to see what you have in Pickett and take this as a rebuilding year for the Steelers.Iknowthe Steelers do not “rebuild,” but the Steelers need to take two steps back to take four steps forward, and maybe going 5-12 or 6-11 could get you a foun dational piece that is need ed for the Steelers to get out of this quagmire of me
diocrity that they are stuck in right now.
help you in the future? The Steelers are making short-sighted decisions when it comes to person nel decisions. That is why, if I must rate the Steelers’ 53-man roster, they are be tween 20-25 among the 32 NFL
:04—Back to Basics—
men will be inducted into the Westinghouse High School Wall of Fame, Mr. Franklin Duck. Couldn’t happen to a better man or a better athlete. “The House... The House... The House will never fall!” :02—698 and counting. 58, 59 and counting. This past weekend Albert Pu jols launched #698 Friday, Sept. 16, and is now two away from having hit 700 home runs, the 4th man all-time to achieve that hallowed number. Not to be outdone, Aaron Judge crushed #’s 58 and 59 Sun day, Sept. 18, and is two away from tying Roger
Maris for the most home runs ever hit in the Amer ican League. And the most home runs ever hit by a steroid-free hitter. Here’s hoping both men achieve their illustrious goal this upcoming week and then go beyond to even more legendary numbers. Also of note, your battling Bucs tied a major league record Sunday, Sept. 18, by strik ing out 20 times in one game. Yeah.
SHOULD HE STAY THE STARTER?—Mitch Trubisky didn’t turn too many heads in the Steelers’ loss to the New England Patriots, 17-14, Sept. 18. (Photo by Courier photographer Marlon Martin)
Alex Highsmith had three sacks against the
I’M ‘ALL THE WAY UP’—The Steelers’ Najee Harris leaps over the Patriots’ Devin McCourty in the 2022 home opener at Acrisure Stadium, Sept. 18. The Steelers lost, 17-14. (Photo by Courier photographer Marlon Martin)
:08—Some of you, you
:01—Listen—You must go see Academy Award/Os car winner Viola Davis in “The Woman King.” That’s all I can tell ya! :00—GAME OVER.
Last time I checked, Su per Bowls are the standard, and it seems like the Steel ers have gone away from that because they look for
Theteams.Steelers need to rip the Band-Aid off and real ize that what they did on Sunday, Sept. 18, did not work and will not work. Let’s see if Pickett can one day help the Steelers get back to the Super Bowlor-bust standard that they had in the past.
Week 1 against the Cincin nati Bengals back on Sept.
:09—If your O-line can’t pick up a measly one yard in two downs you proba bly need to get rid of all of them. I am just saying.
2 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
Johnnie Rev.KeltonRogerStephanBurtonDavisDerrickDavisW.Davis,Ed.D.LutherJ.DupreeJr.Edmonds,Ph.D.VincentD.ElliottGeorgeFlemingAllanFrancetteRobertB.FultonEricGibsonDamonGivnerClyburnHalleyChrisHowardBrentJerniganElijhaDavidKingTayonMitchellAltonMitchellKellyE.MorrisseyJustinNwokejiShabakaPerkinsAnthonyW.PipkinMichaelPotterJaceRansomCharlesJ.ReevesChristopherW.RobinsonRonaldB.SaundersLelandScalesRyanS.ScottWilliamSimmons,M.D.TerrySmithGeorgeC.SpencerSr.MarkStuckeyDanielTaylorShawnThomasChesterD.Thompson,DSc.CurtisUpsherJr.RobertD.WalkerThomasWashingtonJr.JohnC.Welch,Ph.D.Rep.JakeWheatleyJr.BrandonWhiteMarlinWoods,CPCDanteWorks
ROD DOSS
Byron
Allen MichaelStanleyBarnesBell
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 3MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
Once again, the New Pittsburgh Courier is pleased to present an array of outstanding indi viduals—the “Men of Excellence, Class of 2022.” They join the distinguished list of previous hon orees that have left an indelible mark of achieve ment, service and sacrifice on the fabric of our community. They are resplendent in deed, unself ish in commitment and courageous in purpose. Their individual accomplishments have lifted this city and its people to new heights. These are the men we honor, acknowledging the distinctive contributions made by African American men; each of whom has made an impact on Pittsburgh and the region during the past year, furthering our city’s greatness and pride in our community. As always, it would not have been possible to compile this list of talented men without the help of the Courier readers and past honorees, which submitted the names of those who met the nomi nation criteria. The extensive list of submissions stands as a testament to the broad array of gifted personalities who work and serve in our commu nity.These extraordinary “Men of Excellence” now appear in the pages of this special tribute publi cation, each a shining example of how hard work, integrity and determination lead to success. We trust their achievements will inspire others to pursue excellence in their chosen fields of en deavor.Wethank our sponsors and advertisers for their support in making this special publication and awards presentation possible. This special edi tion stands as a record of accomplishment and a landmark of achievement for those in our com munity. We encourage you to share it with others, especially our youths that they, too, may pursue theirCongratulationsdreams. to the “Men of Excellence, Class of 2022.”
Message froM the editor and Publisher
LEGACY HONOREE Bishop Loran E. Mann HONOREES T.
Thomas
Class of Honorees2021
Roy Blankenship Jr. Burley
Stevens received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Politi cal Science with a minor in Sociology in 1967, and a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) from the University of Pitts burgh’s Graduate School of Public & Interna tional Affairs (GSPIA) in 1974.
Between November 2011 and May 2013, Stevens facilitated setting the foundation for the creation of the Corporate Equity & Inclusion Roundtable (CEIR), host ed by Allegheny County
Stevens also serves as the co-convener of the Coalition Against Violence (CAV), which he helped initiate on February 8, 2007, along with B-PEP Plan ning Council Vice Chair Valerie Dixon. CAV’s 142-page “Strategies for Change: Building More Peaceful Communities” document has been hailed by National Urban League President Marc Morial as one of the most comprehen sive anti-violence documents
gerald,ExecutiveformerPittsburghMayorLukeRavenstahlandtheBlackPoliticalEmpowermentProject
Stevens has been privileged to receive vari ous community awards over the years, includ ing the New Pittsburgh Courier recognition as one of the “Men of Excellence” in 2007, “Bea con of Hope Neighborhood Development Award” from Hill House Association (2007), the CCAC Vanguard Diversity Award (2009), the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Ron Brown Life time Achievement Award for Community Ser vice (2012), the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh Racial Justice Community Engagement Award (2012), the Honorary Lifetime Member of the Board of the ACLU (2013) and the Homer S. Brown Award from the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch at its 100th anniversary (2016). Ste vens was also honored in a previous year by the Homer S. Brown Law Association as its “Drum Major for Justice Award.”
For Pittsburgh’s Juneteenth celebration in 2017, Stevens was selected, along with Rev. J. Van Alfred Winsett and Bev Smith, as the hon orees for that year’s citywide celebration.
4 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
On July 14, 2018, Stevens was introduced to the attendees of that day’s Pittsburgh Pirates game as part of its Heritage Weekend, as Pitts burgh’s “Community All Star.”
Stevens is honored to have much of his history on file in a University of Pittsburgh archive.
Stevens is the proud father of Marcus Kenne dy Andrade Stevens.
Stevens was elected Presi dent of the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch in November 1994, and provided the organization with a decade of leadership. In Stevens’ last year as NAACP Pittsburgh Branch President, it was noted as No. 2 in the nation with regard to pro gram activities. In 1996, as president, Ste vens brokered the meeting with then-Mayor Tom Murphy to lay the groundwork for what is now the August Wilson African Ameri can Cultural Center. Also in 1996, Stevens founded the “Black & White Reunion” which, earlier this year, hosted the 24th Annual Racial Justice Summit. In 2006, Stevens iniated “B-PEP JAZZ” which has become B-PEP’s primary annual fundraiser and hosts more than 60 area jazz artists, the largest event of its kind.
TIM STEVENS Chairman & CEO of The Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP); Co-convener of the Greater Pittsburgh Coalition Against Violence (CAV) THE LEGACY HONOREE
in partnership with leaders of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and area agencies and organizations. Its inaugural historic event of May 13, 2013, was hailed by former Director of the Pittsburgh Office of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, George Simmons, as the most powerful event of its kind in 40 years. The Roundtable’s mission is to create breakthroughs in diversity, equity and inclusion for African Americans and peo ple of color throughout the Pittsburgh region in the areas of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. Stevens continues to serve as the facilitator for the CEIR working group.
Americans “VOTE in EACH and EVERY Elec tion.” Stevens has been the project’s only chair
WILL ANDERSON
While attending high school, Chapman was involved in numerous activities and clubs and held several pag eant and scholarship program titles, includ ing 1998 Lawrence County Junior Miss. Chapman was the first African American to
hold the title of Law rence County Junior Miss and the first per son to win the talent portion doing martial arts. Chapman has been the only person to win Lawrence County Junior Miss, Pennsyl vania’s Homecoming Queen and place in America’s Homecom ing Queen in the same year. Chapman enjoys en gaging in the commu nity by visiting schools and universities to talk to students about jour nalism. She has been involved in Circles in Columbus, which is part of a nation al movement to end poverty and Girls Inc, which is an organiza tion that helps young women, especially ones who come from low-in come households. She volunteers to host and judge programs from national organizations to local studyingoldwhenceivedwasTaechance.wheneverpracticingcomedywatchingjoysroom,ple25namedMagazineattentionChapmanonevolunteerismchurches. HerwasalsoofthereasonsgrabbedtheofPittsburghandwasoneoftheTopMostBeautifulPeointhepublication.OutsideofthenewsChapmanencooking,traveling,mysteryandmoviesandmartialartsshegetsaShe’sbeenstudyingKwonDosinceshe6yearsoldandreherblackbeltshewas9yearsandiscurrentlyTangSooDo.
Before coming back to her home state, Chap man was a morning anchor and consumer reporter for WTVM-TV in Columbus, Ga.
winningMulti-nationalCelebrityCHAPMANHostawardwinningandmulti-Emmyawardanchor/reporterforPittsburgh’sActionNews
the area working at the station that helped her get started in the industry. She enjoyed producing and learn ing all aspects of the business, but Cham pan yearned to be a re porter.Soit was off to Youngstown, where she was a producer/re porter.Chapman also worked in Steubenville, at WTOV-TV, where she was a full-time report er and had the oppor tunity to fill-in as an anchor. Then she de cided to go to Myrtle Beach, S.C., where she anchored several news casts, learned to shoot and edit. She was on the investigative team and was an education reporter.
Chandi
CHANDI
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 5MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
excitedducedmentworkedPittsburgh.atgreefinishinginworkingtiesassignmenting,ducing,trypositionslencerier’sNewty. SheingciationstateAssociatedhasthefightracesthatAwardSaluteofNationalTVmaleAfricancityproclamationPa.,workedskillsnityfocusedsines.hinderinginequalityschools,confrontingtheweather,ed breakingtionswinsMid-AtlanticChapman’sEmmyandnominahavehighlightnews,combatingheroinepidemic,bullyinginfightingracialanduncovtheculturebeourfavoritecuiTheyhavealsoonhercommuserviceandherasawriter.WhenChapmaninAllentown,shewasgivenafromtheforbeingthefirstAmericanfeanchoratWFMZ-andearnedtwoAssociationBlackJournaliststoExcellenceonherstoryillustratedhowallcametogethertodiscriminationin1940s.ChapmanwonnumerousPressandbroadcastassoawards,includBestTVPersonaliwasoneofthePittsburghCouWomenofExcelin2021. Chapmanhasheldintheindusthatincludeproediting,shootwebproducing,deskduandmanaging.ChapmanstartedatWTAE-TVPittsburghwhileupherdeincommunicationtheUniversityofTheresheontheassigndeskandpronewscasts.She’stobebackin
4
Owner, Black Caucus ENTREPRENEUR
Pittsburghs Finest Auto Body; Chair, Allegheny County Democratic
Chapman said the best part of being a journalist is “affecting others in a positive way and being able to find out valuable infor mation and give that knowledge to those who would otherwise not have the chance to learn from it.”
William D. Anderson, fondly known by his peers as “Lil Mann,” was born on Septem ber 27, 1972 in Home wood. Anderson is the middle child of three raised by his mother, Carena M. Pope, and was politically influ enced by his grand mother, the Honorable Evelyn D. Richardson, the longest serving member of the Demo cratic National Com mittee. Anderson lost both his mother and grandmother within three months in 2015. He graduated from Perry Traditional Academy in 1991 in the top 10 percent of his class with a skill-cen tered degree in car pentry. Anderson went on to Penn State Uni versity where he stud ied business adminis tration and minored in psychology. He is the proud parent of 29 and 17 year old daugh ters and a offoundsioncratsedAmericanwasU.S.PittsburghcampaignspoliticalunteeringmainhascommunitydeavorsWesternfiedonlyoverDetailingFinestoperatedsongrandparents,icsworkgranddaughter.4-year-oldHoldingtruetothevaluesandethofhismotherandAnderhasownedandPittsburgh’sAutoBodyandShopfor28years.It’stheMWDBE-certiautobodyshopinPa.HisentomaintainapresencecausedhimtorecommittedtovolinvariousactivitiesandthroughoutandtheIn2000,AndersonthefirstAfricanmaleelecttotheYoungDemoofPennsylvania.HispoliticalpashasdrivenhimtothePACoalitionYoungDemocrats,a Democratic United,olence,CoalitionAchievementAfricanChecks,edtonAmerica,Youngocratsocrats,CountyPaRandolphAssociation,NAACP,MasonicationsandinwisewhoofmotesfoundingDNCbeenwhosepoliticalCommittee-charteredNationalorganization,charterhassignedbyeveryChairsinceitsandthatprotheinvolvementyoungminoritieswouldnototherbecomeinvolvedthepoliticalprocess.Anderson’ssocialcommunityaffiliinclude;B-PEP,Lodge168,BlackBaptistA.PhillipInstitute,Society,AlleghenyYoungDemCollegeDemofAmerica,DemocratsofThomasMerCenter,PaUnitforBackgroundUrbanLeagueAmericanTrust,AgainstViPittsburghandFairDistrictsPa.Whetheritistheblightinourcommunities,theinequalityamongminoritiesinourlegalsystem,thelackofprogramsforouryouth,descentaffordablehousingforfamiliesoremploymentopportunitiesatalivingwage…“WillWorks4You!Fulltime!”
CHANDI CHAPMAN
Michael and Lateresa exemplify the scripture, Genesis 1:28: “To be Fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth,” not only within their own family but in the lives of ALL the youth they serve in their commu nity.As a Black man in his career, from the early ‘70s, Michael Blackewll has overcome many challenges to now have this op portunity to stand humbled, to be recognized amongst some of Pittsburgh’s finest me.
ROBERTQUINTINKENYONHAROLDJOHNALEXANDERAYERSBARATABEYL.BLYER.BONNERFREDBROWNB.BULLOCK,DDSBRIANBURLEYKEVINCARTERLLOYDCHEATOMBRANDOND.CONEYCHRISTOPHEREDMONDSFREDDIEFIELDSREV.DR.WILLIAMR.GLAZEDONTAGREENPHILIPGREENEJR.(JON)HAIRSTONANTHONYHAMLET,EDDLEONARDHAMMONDSIIRAHMONHART,EDDJERRYHARVEYRICHARDL.HATCHERIICARLTONHEYWOODTODDJ.HOLLIS,ESQ.JEROMEJACKSONROBERTJAMESDONNIEKYTEGABRIELMEDLEYRICKYMOODYDAVIDL.MOTLEYVICTORMUSGROVEDAVIDI.ODOMEMIOLAJAYORIOLAKYLEPERDUEROBERTJ.POWELLDWAYNERANKINRICHARDA.STEWARTJR.JAMESE.TAYLOR,PHDJOSHTAYLORTERRELLTHOMASDARRYLT.WILEYPHILLIPK.WOODS,EDDJAMALWOODSONAYODEJIYOUNG
Class of Honorees2019
“I would have never thought it would be me, but God!”
Class of
Elder, chef, visionary, storyteller are just a few words that describe Michael Blackwell. From starting his career as a graduate from cu linary school in the old Allegheny Club in Three Rivers Stadium as an Executive Chef at the tender age of 17 years old, the first Black Executive Chef of this establish ment, then obeying the call on his life with the many years of expe rience, to open his own restau rant in 2014, eight years with his lovely wife, Lateresa. Then after two years in the business, taking a leap of faith in 2016, driven by a strong conviction to pay it for ward by pouring into the lives of our youth in his community, teaching, mentoring those who look like him, the skills of hospi tality and job readiness. Black well now invests in the lives of those who are less fortunate, the at-risk youth through the non profit organization, Kitchen of Grace.Blackwell’s mantra is: “In order to keep what you have you gotta give it Blackwellaway.”says he’s compelled to give back to the youth, teaching
Georin Aquila grew up in East Liberty and at tended Imani Christian Academy. After graduating college with a degree in Engineering, he realized acting was his true calling. As a SAG-AFTRA ac tor, he’s appeared in series like “American Rust” on Showtime and “Absolved,” which was accepted into the South Korean Seoul Festival and most recent ly “Mayor of Kingstown,” which is being filmed in Pittsburgh. He’s passionate about giving back to the community and supports organizations like Ur ban Impact, Gwen’s Girls and Partners for Quality. His motto is, “Live life to the fullest and be great.”
GEORIN AQUILA ENTERTAINMENTSAG-AFTRAActor
AARON ALDRICH KEVIN ALTON
ANTHONY REV.REV.BISHOPANTHONYISAIAHBRANDONWAHADANDERSONANSARIBAKEREDDIEBELLCRESENTBEYPASTORNEVILLEA.BROOKSREV.DR.DARRYLT.CANADYCARLISLE,PHDDONALDO.CLAYJR.HARVEYCOLEJR.PARRISHDAVENPORTAUSTINA.DAVISCHARLESDESHAZER,MDDONALDGRAYIIICHARLESGREERSR.AKIL“ESOON”GRIFFINDEAVONHAMMONDSBARNETTHARRISSR.DR.JAMESH.HARRISSR.NELSONE.HARRISON,PHDLENHAWKINSCAINHAYESDENNISHENDERSONLEONARDHOLTERICHOWZEREV.JAMESE.HUNTANTHONYJEFFERSONTORREYO.JOHNSONWAYNEJONESROBERTM.JONESJR.SHANNONLAWHORNJEFFMALLORYGORDONMANKERBROTHERMARLONMARTINJOHNNIEMIOTTWILLIAMMITCHELLSR.BRANDONPHILLIPSDARELLEA.PORTERORONDESHARIFJEROMETAYLOR,PHDBERNARDTAYLORJR.,EDDADAMC.WALKERDARRELLL.WARDENMARKWEIRERICL.WELLSANTHONYWILLIAMSDOUGLASWILLIAMSSR.RYAND.WOOTEN Honorees2017
ENTREPRENEUR
“Freely God has given it to me, freely I must give it away,” Black wellBlackwellsays. is the proud husband to Lateresa Blackwell, father of six, grandfather of 22, great grandfather of six.
Co-owner, Cafe on the Corner; President, Kitchen of Grace
LEGACY HONOREE WILLIAM E. STRICKLAND JR. HONOREES
6 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022 LEGACY HONOREE LOUIS ‘HOP’ KENDRICK HONOREES JOEL ACIE VERNARD
MICHAEL JEFFERY BLACKWELL
and mentoring to them that life has more to offer you than what your community or society classi fieds you. Blackwell’s story is one of remarkable courage, strong faith and commitment to the call on his Blackwelllife. is an Elder at New Hope Church, where pastor, Dr. Andrew Cooper, presides. Blackwell is compelled to serve those least around him, giving every person a chance.
Yardon Brantley is the president and founder of SHAPE Training.
YARDON BRANTLEY President & Founder SHAPE Training, PHYSICALLLCFITNESS
Awards. He also won a Vann Award from the Pittsburgh Black Me dia Federation for jour nalism in 2019. He was the writer in residence at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., and in 2021, his book, “Punch Me Up to the Gods,” was the winner of the Kirkus Prize for non-fiction, the Publishing Triangle Award for nonfiction, and the Lambda Prize for Nonfiction. His film, “Garbage,” won the Au dience Choice Award at the Cortada Short Film Festival and was a semi-finalist in the Port land Short Fest.
He has 18 years of experience in the fitness industry. He has owned and op
Beyond the sales success, Brantley is an adept leader and has spearheaded SHAPE Training’s coach development program that has provided young or inexperienced coaches platforms to im pact people, earn steady income, and create independence.
Brian Broome, a col umnist for the Washing ton Post and screenwrit er, was the K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and instructor in the writing program at the University of Pitts
Broome is currently an Assistant Professor of English at West Virginia University.
burgh. He has been a finalist in The Moth storytelling competi tion and won the grand prize in Carnegie Mel lon University’s Martin Luther King Writing
erated his own training businesses in various stops while he played profes sional football from 2005-2009. In 2010, Brantley began working as a Training Director for Urban Active Fitness and quickly led that team to the top of the company in personal training sales with over $2 million a year in PT Sales.
BRIAN E. BROOME Assistant Professor of English West Virginia EDUCATIONUniversity
In 2013, Brantley moved on to Com pel Fitness and revived a Gold’s Gym franchise’s personal training sales from $15,000 monthly to $40,000 in just six months.
Brantley founded SHAPE Training in late 2013 and grew the business from a two-man, in-home training business to what it is today, a 25-coach training team that coaches over 450 PT sessions per week along with 30+ group classes per week.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 7MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
DAVID
JOHN M. BURWELL
Mayor, Homestead Borough; Community Program Specialist, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh PUBLIC SERVICE
COVID-19 pandemic, he worked with Omega Psi Phi and other local chefs to form the Chefs Out reach Association, which served meals to Pittsburgh residents who were economically impact ed by the global health crisis. He leads by example, encouraging his students to join him in volun teer“Chefservice.Keith” has performed cooking demonstrations on The Stephanie Smith Show and WQED Cooks, and for numerous businesses and organizations. He is the creator of the Face book group Pittsburgh Chefs and Foodies Unite, which offers its members a platform for net working, recipe sharing and job searching in the food industry. He is also the owner and Executive Chef of Hannah’s Catering and is the proud father of one daughter, Hannah Howard.
LOUIS T. ALEXANDER D. ANDERSON SR. J. ATKINS
HONORABLEJOHNSONLIVINGSTONEJOHNSON HONOREES EMMAI
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In addition, he is a teaching in structor at the “Center for Biblical Ministry” where he has taught on various aspects of “Church Music in the African American Church” for more than 15 years. He also was a full-time substitute teacher
LEGACY
KEITH BUTLER
lege of Allegheny County, “Chef Keith’s” training began during high school, when he worked for his mentor and uncle, the late Robert “Dr. Bob” McCall, a wellknown local restauranteur. Un der his uncle’s tutelage, Butler not only learned how to cook, ca ter, and run a successful business, but also the importance of service to the community.
Mayor Burwell pursued higher education at the age of 33, and received his Associate’s Degree, Liberal Arts in 1996 from CCAC. He went on to receive his Bache lor of Arts, Elementary Education in 1998 from Point Park Univer sity. He also holds a certificate (Pennsylvania Family Develop ment Credential) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
LARRY
grandsons and four granddaugh ters.Mayor Burwell is devoted to ed ucating anyone who crosses his path. He believes “many oppor tunities are teachable moments.”
Chef Instructor, Bidwell Training Center; President, Chefs Outreach Association CULINARY
LEGACY HONOREE
John M. Burwell is the first Black mayor of Homestead, where the Burwell family has called home since 1901. He is in his first term as mayor and plans to be a voice and advocate for the community. While celebrating Homestead’s long history of steel making, the borough is also in the process of building a stronger in clusive and diverse neighborhood through economic development.
For 20 years, Mayor Burwell has been the Choir Director for the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Gos pel Music Workshop of America. Along with his duties and respon sibilities as director, he serves as the Assistant Chapter Represen tative.After running from the call on his life to preach the gospel, he preached his initial sermon on June of 2008 at Second Baptist Church. He is the husband of An ginette Turner Burwell, and the father of Tyler, Terrell and Travis. He also is the grandfather of four
AARON A. WALTON
HONOREES
HONORABLE
8 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
A member of 100 Black Men Teen Mentoring and the Pitts burgh Public Schools Adviso ry Culinary Arts Board, “Chef Keith” has volunteered for nu merous organizations. The Com munity Liver Alliance, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., are but a few that have benefitted from his de sire to give back. Participating in Ebenezer’s Outreach Ministries Culinary and Kitchen Training Program affords him another op portunity to reach those in need of career training. During the
CHARLESCOACHTYYRONEBOLDINGBROOKSARCHIEL.BROWNWILLIAMBROWNTONYBYERSPHDWILLIAMM.CARTERJR.JONASCHANEYCHARLESCOOKFREDERICKB.CRAWFORDWAVERLYDUCKERVINDYERERICEWELLBISHOPJOSEPHL.GARLINGTONSR.PHDJUANGARRETTPASTORGREGORYGREENESTEVENGRIFFINSTANLEYHOLBROOKCDR.ERICHOLMESRODNEYK.HOPSONPHDELLIOTHOWSIE,ESQ.CALVINL.JACKSONJR.BRANDONR.JENNINGSVINCENTO.JOHNSONCHIEFCHARLESR.JONESJR.FREDRICKO.KENDRICKPHDJOHNR.LAYMONJR.REV.DR.LAMARD.LEEJR.BRACES.LOWEFREDERICKAMASSEYJR.DARRENMCCORMICKJESSEJAMESMCLEANJR.LINWOODMITCHELLLARRYC.PICKETTM.POWELLSR.JULIUSLEEREDDFREDERICKREDMONDLARRYS.SMEDLEYHARVEYJAMESSMITHJR.KERRYASTITHWILLTHOMPKINSDR.ROBERTL.THOMPSONDR.MORRISE.TURNEREUSTACEUKUCHRISTOPHASWALKERRICARDOJ.WILLIAMSDAVIDA.YOUNG HONOREES JUSTIN M.
Keith Butler is a Chef Instruc tor for the Culinary Arts program at Bidwell Training Center, a reerjoinedtrainingthestaffinyearswithburghSchoolsteacheringhouselinarygraduatemunity
KEVIN
Class of Honorees2014
in the Pittsburgh Public Schools system, teaching math and sci ence.Mayor Burwell is currently a Community Program Specialist for UPMC Children’s Hospital Family Care Connection, a po sition he’s held for the past 16 years. Mayor Burwell is a pianist and choir director for more than 40 years. He is presently the Min ister of Music for Second Baptist Church of Homestead, a title he’s held for more than 15 years.
Class of Honorees2012
Many would record on their tape decks, fortunate to have a double dual player, to catch his overnight radio show, skipping the commercials only to make sure to include that iconic phrase, “you’re in the mix with Sly Jock...”
Sly Jock will always be known as a leg end to Pittsburgh.
Sly Jock was one of the first DJs in Pitts burgh to play hip-hop on the radio. Lead ing the pack of many fellow DJs whom he personally or professionally mentored like Nick Nice, Blakk Steel, Kode Wred,
Tee Jay, Brother Marlon and many more. Sly Jock got us on our feet at many of the old school concerts here in the Steel City, from Parliament Funkadelic, Kool & The Gang, Rick James, and many more. His love for community was strong as people enjoyed him hosting community days and parades and supporting vari ous programs in and around the city. The energy he gave Pittsburghers was un matched. SlyJock is currently enjoying his retire ment, but still serves his community as a member of MAD DADS, which he really enjoys. Hestill embraces his love for music at home, which he shares with his wife, Re nee for over 35 years and watching his daughter Ki Ki Brown follow in her dad’s footsteps in radio.
CLIFFORD
‘SLY JOCK’ RetiredCHARLTONDJand On-Air ENTERTAINMENTPersonality
Carr enjoys reading, watching sports, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Clifford Charlton, better known of course as “Sly Jock,” is a Homewood na tive, Westinghouse High School graduate and a legend in music that many genera tions have grown to enjoy in the clubs like Judy’s Banquet Hall, the Pyramid, Name of the Game, and Small World. And what about the high school reunions, birthday parties, community days and on the air waves where he dominated the morning and night shifts on the original “106 Jamz WAMO!” We knew it was time to go to bed when he would end his show with a song only fitting for him, “When Sly Calls,” by Michael Franks.
Damon Carr is perhaps best known as the author of “The Carr Report’’ which is featured weekly in the New Pittsburgh Courier. Carr’s column is where you can find time ly, insightful, entertaining, educa tional financial advice.
Carr has worked in the financial services industry his entire work ing career. He’s worked for wellknown companies such as Bank of New York Mellon, First United Mortgage, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, H&R Block, and PNC Bank. He’s held various positions includ ing corporate loan specialist, loan officer, tax preparer, negotiator, an alyst, and manager. He’s the owner of ACE Financial, a financial plan ning and tax preparation company where he helps everyday people “Get A Grip On Their Money!”
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 9MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022 DAMON CARR Owner, ACE Financial; Money Coach & Personal Finance Columnist FINANCE
Carr is a graduate of Sawyer Busi ness School where he obtained a gegree in Business Administration. He’s a graduate of The American College where he obtained a certifi cation in financial planning. He’s a graduate of H&R Block Tax School and a registered tax professional with the Internal Revenue Service.
Who doesn’t know “Sly Jock,” one of the most iconic DJs in hip-hop history!?
ERIC W. SPRINGER ESQ. HONOREES
IN MEMORIAM JOHN ADAMS DAVE ARMONEPPERSONGILLIAMELGRAYNATESMITH LEGACY HONOREES WENDELL G. FREELAND ESQ. ROBERT L. PITTS ROBERT R. (POSTHUMOUSLY)LAVELLE
For the past four years, Cofield has also
Cofield has also served on the Executive Board of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, where he has served as the “Power of Laughter” Heart Disease Awareness Committee Chairperson and was awarded the 2014 Vol unteerism Award. Cofield is a member of the Triumph Church Missionary team where he has traveled to Haiti in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Cofield strives dai ly to be a role model, community advocate and leader in the Pittsburgh community.
served as the co-director of the Faith-Based Health Collaborative (FBHC), Faith-based churches addressing the social determi nants of health to develop pathways and opportunities to build and sustain healthy communities. In July of this year, Cofield also joined Allen Place Community Services Inc., as the executive director.
LEGACY HONOREE
Passionate about his commitment to community service, Cofield participates in various civic and community outreach efforts in the Pittsburgh community. He is a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., and has been on the Board of Directors of the Kap pa Scholarship Endowment Fund (KSEF) for the past seven years. Cofield has chaired the KSEF schol arship luncheon, launch ing the Healthy Kappa challenge: Biggest Loser Challenge and 5K Run/ walk events.
Class of Honorees2010
THEODORECHARLESFRANKCARLOSMARIOSCOTTBLOUNTL.BROWNC.BROWNEKIRKM.BRUCET.CARTERG.CHESTERGREGORYJAMESCOLLIERSR.JAMAALCRAIGT.CURRYPHDLEEDAVISFREDERICKDOUGLASSR.BARON‘B.B.’FLENORYJOHNL.FORDSR.AARONGIBSONKEVINGIBSON,MDREV.GLENNG.GRAYSONSR.EDWARDJ.GREENEL.C.GREENWOODUHURUHOTEPED.D.ROGERHUMPHRIESKENNETHL.HUSTONCHRISIVEYSTEFFANR.JOHNSONW.JOHNSONHERBERTV.R.P.JONESPHDJOSEPHJ.KENNEDYIVANDREWM.LEEALBERTMERRITTTYMILLERKENNETHJ.NESBITSAIHOUOMARNJIEPAULONZAMBIGRADYROBERTSJR.PHDANTHONYG.ROBINSPHDROBERT‘ROCK’ROBINSONHON.WILLIAMRUSSELLROBINSONHOWARDA.RUSSELLJR.PASTORTIMSMITHMARKCLAYTONSOUTHERSRICHARDW.TAYLORESQ.JOEWILLIAMTROTTERJR.DWANB.WALKERKEVINWATSONGEORGEA.WEBBSR.CHARLESWHITEJOHNWILSONIIIRICHARDWITHERSPOONJASIRIX
CURTIS AIKEN KEVIN AMOS JAMES J.
COMMUNITYUPMC SERVICE
10 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
KENNY BLAKE MEL
HONOREES DARRENANDREWKEVINJOHNESQ.BARNESBETTISIIIT.RASHADBYRDSONGW.CAMERONCHEESEBOROJOHNJ.CLARKRYANCLARKROBINCOLECLARENCEF.CURRYERICDICKERSONTHOMASW.DOUGLASDARNELLDREWERYDR.STEVENEVANSCARLOANTONFONTENOTEDWARDGAINEYLOUISM.GOMEZHAROLDHAYESTERRANCEHAYESNEDDIEC.HOLLISMSW,LCSWSHELDONL.INGRAMREEDD.KIMBROUGHELIEKIHONIAROBERTKINDREDR.DANIELLAVELLEREV.DR.LORANE.MANNALEXMATTHEWSDWIGHTMAYOA.FULTONMEACHEMJR.MAXF.MILLERTHOMASA.MOTLEYTONYNORMANLEOND.PAMPHILEPHDK.PARRESQ.ALAND.PERRYJAMESL.RICEVICTORA.ROQUEWILLIAMT.SIMMONESQ.WINSTONM.SIMMONDSTERRYM.SMITHLYNNSWANNJOHNTATEFRANKL.TORBERTJR.JOHNM.WALLACEJR.PHDLOUISE.WALLERIIIROBWILSON
The Mission Continues Pittsburgh COFIELD Manager of Clinical Analytics
During his time at Duquesne, Clark was very in strumental in founding what is now The Neighbor hood Academy in Pittsburgh. After graduating col lege, Clark moved to California where he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Clark served for four years and did two tours in support of Operation Iraqi Free dom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) campaigns. After two successful tours, Clark was honorably discharged and returned home to focus on his Whilefamily.backin Pittsburgh, Clark has been involved with several veterans organizations: The Mission Continues, Wounded Warrior Project, and Oper ation Troop Appreciation, just to name a few. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Lawrenceville VFW Post #214 also honored him for his military and community service.
DERRICK LYNDELL CLARK SR. Platoon Leader
Class of Honorees2011
Derrick Lyndell Clark Sr. was born and raised in Pittsburgh. In his early years, he left Westinghouse High School to attend Kiski Preparatory High School where he graduated with honors. He went on to attend Duquesne University in Pittsburgh where he majored in Political Science. While at Duquesne, Clark realized his passion for helping inner-city “at-risk” youth who were struggling with the woes of poverty, crime-infested neighborhoods, broken homes, and a weak public school system.
Clark is also a graduate of the Civic Leadership Course for Veterans (CLCV5) through Leadership Pittsburgh, Black Men of Excellence (BME), and in 2018 he received the Celebrated Image Award from Neighborhood Allies. Clark has also been featured in several newspapers, radio broadcasts, and podcasts across the country for his outstanding work in the community outreach/volunteer arena. He currently serves as the 2nd Platoon Leader (Homewood) for The Mission Continues, a national non-profit con sisting of veterans across the country who come back to their communities to serve as volunteers, partaking in various service projects throughout in ner-city neighborhoods.
COMMUNITY SERVICE ERIC
Project
Eric Cofield is a Project manager for UP MC-Clinical Analytics team. A self-motivated leader with superior data analytical, com munity leadership, and project manage ment expertise spanning more than 20 years, Cofield holds a Bachelor of Sci ence in Information Science and a Mas ter of Business Administration.
PUBLIC
Judge Kevin E. Cooper Jr. is a Pitts burgh native. He is the proud husband to Monica Cooper and father to Adrienne J. Cooper and Emerie J. Cooper. Judge Cooper is the older of two children and he grew up in a household which had firm beliefs in morals, integrity and a strong work ethic.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 11MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
In closing, Judge Cooper attributes his success to having a great support group of family, friends, and most importantly putting God at the forefront of his life, which has given him the confidence in being able to obtain anything he puts his mind to.
CHRIS CURD
development consultant for organiza tions with marketing and branding needs. He and his lovely wife, Sharae, currently reside in Pittsburgh with their three daughters.
Judge Cooper also has a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching from Trinity Uni versity. He has had the opportunity to teach kids from all age levels in Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, and Pittsburgh. He spent the majority of his teaching years in Washington, D.C. with Center City Public Charter School.
HON. KEVIN E. COOPER, JR. Magisterial District Judge Commonwealth of Pennsylvania SERVICE
District Judge. Judge Cooper comes from a family with a strong foundation in the legal field, which consists of lawyers and a father, Kevin E Cooper Sr., who was the former Magisterial District Judge in the seat Mr. Cooper currently holds.
Judge Cooper, a product of Pittsburgh Public Schools, understands the impor tance of education and has acquired various skills to help him advance in his professional career. For his undergrad uate education, Judge Cooper attended Lincoln University where he received a B.A. in Business Administration.
Judge Cooper never knew that the ed ucation profession was molding him for the next phase in his life, which is work ing in the judicial system as Magisterial
Founder and League Commissioner Pittsburgh Flag Football League SPORTS
As the Founder and Commissioner of the Pittsburgh Flag Football League (PFFL), Chris Curd brings 12 years of experience in league operations and brand strategy to the flag football landscape. Under his leadership, the NFL Flag program has been thrusted into a fast track for growth in West ern Pennsylvania in the recreational, interscholastic and competitive lev els. Through the efforts of a dedicated staff, various strategic partnerships and diligence with respect to market ing, the PFFL is widely recognized as a leader in flag football.
Curd is a graduate of the Universi ty of Pittsburgh and four-year letter man and scholarship member of the football team. Post-college, he was fortunate enough to have a brief stint in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons along with numerous AFL teams throughout his professional playing career. With seven years of experience in the technology startup community and an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business, Curd currently serves as a
JAMES C. DIGGS
TIMOTHY H. JOHNSON
Richard A. Eanes is the Deputy Chief Operating Officer—Maintenance at Pittsburgh Reginal Tran sit. Eanes has been with PRT since December of 2002. He started as the Assistant Manager of Main tenance at the East Liberty Division and was pro moted to manager in 2007 at the now-closed Har mar Division. He has been the manager at both the Collier (twice) and Ross Division and twice at East
He is also the president of PRT’s Veteran’s Em ployee Resource Group (ERG) with approximately 1,888 veterans. Eanes is married to Sherry L. Vance for 28 years and they have a daughter and three sons (Rikki, Mayson, Kory, Myles).
As a senior at Westinghouse, Class of 1981, Edwell was voted most likely to succeed. During the tough years, he was motivat ed by the confidence his classmates had
NEAL A. BARCLAY
DR. LARRY E. DAVIS
12 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
DWAYNE DOLPHIN
Suffragan Bishop James Edwell is not only the pastor and founder of New Life Family Worship Center, but also a leader in the legal services in dustry as manager of the Northeast U.S. Region at Consilio, LLC.
Class of Honorees2008
ROBERT HILL
Liberty. He was promoted to his present position as Deputy Chief in May 2021. His responsibilities are for the 728 buses, which include 8 Battery Electric Buses and 81 Light Rail Vehicles, and six managers and their staffs at five locations totaling approxi mately 521 personnel.
F. DAVID COLEMAN
DR. ALEXANDER JOHNSON
Eanes was born on the North Side (Allegheny Dwellings—Fineview) and graduated from Allegh eny High School. He attended both Duquesne Uni versity and the University of Pittsburgh. Before graduating, he joined the United States Marine Corps as a heavy equipment mechanic. After earn ing the rank of Staff Sergeant, he applied for and was accepted into the Marine Corps Warrant Offi cer selection program. During his tour of duty, he earned his Bachelor’s Degree of Science from the University of Maryland-University College. He re tired after 20 years of honorable service at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer—Engineer Officer.
MARK A. BRENTLEY SR. OLIVER W. BYRD
RICHARD
ROBERT O. AGBEDE
Suffragan Bishop, New Life Family Worship Center
THEODORECHRISTOPHERGLENNJERRYLEWISLOPESMAHONE,ESQ.ERICK.MANNGEORGEL.MILESJR.T.MOORETHADDEUSMOSLEYALEXANDERNICHOLSJR.SYLVESTERPACEROBERTSJR.VINCESIMSCHAUNCEYW.SMITHGREGORYR.SPENCERKENNETHSPRUILLSAMUELJ.STEPHENSONTIMSTEVENSANDREWSTOCKEYWILLIAMSTRICKLANDMIKETOMLINSALAUDINJWWALLACEAARONA.WALTONDeWITTWALTONALONZOW.WEBBJR.DWIGHTWHITE (POSTHUMOUSLY)
Raised by a single mother, Dr. Bernice Edwell (with his support ive sister, Sheila), who insisted upon church rather than the streets, Edwell followed that path. He was confirmed as a Suffragan Bishop of the Pentecostal Churches of the Apostolic Faith Inter national and is a member of the Executive Office of the Presiding Bishop. In this role, he is responsible for Denominational and Pasto ral Growth and Development.
Growing up fatherless, Edwell looked to strong men for mentorship and direction. These men—Bishop George Russell, Bishop Gerald Lloyd, Bishop John Leslie, and Bishop Lam bert Gates—are owed a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.
Ultimately, “Pastor James,” as he is affectionate ly called, just wants to help people. At New Life, his message of love has led people of all ages to Christ while also providing school supplies and gift cards for needy families at the annual back-
RELIGION
ADAMS DAVID ALLEN ROBERT ALLEN JR. TODD ALLEN DAVID ANDERSON ERIC DR.PASTORJEFFREYANDERSONANDERSONTONYATWATERRANDALLBACONJOSEPHBAILEYSR.JASONBARRJR.WILLIAMBATESROBERTBOULWARERANDOLPHBROCKINGTONRUSSELLBYNUMFLOYDCEPHASRODERICKCRAIGHEADREXCRAWLEYREV.WILLIAMCURTISEVANFRAZIERRICHARDGARLANDWILLIAMGENERETTJR.SEANGIBSONCHARLESGLADNEYLAURENCEGLASCOREV.MARCUSHARVEYWILLIAMHAWTHORNEDAVIDHOPKINSDAVIEHUDDLESTONRONALDHUNTMICHAELJASPERJAMESJOHNSONJR.RODNEYJONESERICKELLY (Posthumous) MARK LEWIS MARC LITTLE WILLIAM NEAL SR. EDMUND NELSON RONALD PORTER REP. JOSEPH PRESTON JR. MILTON JUDGECHARLESRAMONRAIFORDRUSTINSANDERSLUTHERSEWELLHOWARDSLAUGHTERJR.WALTERSMITHJR.DEETHOMPSONIRVINWILLIAMSOSCARWORTHYJOSEPHWILLIAMS III
JOHN M. WILDS DWAYNE D.
Thirty-eight wonderful years of marriage to Dianne has produced three children (Janelle, James, III, Jonathan) and three grand daughters (Jaelyn, Ga-Nya, Kendyl).Bythe grace of God, he continues to succeed both professionally and spiritu ally, as a Business Man of God.
LEON HAYNES III
TRANSPORTATIONTransitJAMESEDWELLJR.ManagerofU.S.Sales,Northeast
SAMUEL W. BLACK
Class of Honorees2009
EDMUND D. EFFORT, DDS
CLYDE B. JONES III
TY ALEXANDER
CHIEF NATHAN HARPER
Pittsburgh
ROBERT D. JONES
WOODRUFF
FRANCO HARRIS
TERRY COLLIER
JUDGE
Region, Consilio, LLC
He graduated from Westinghouse High School and Point Park University (Sum ma Cum Laude). After years of uncer tainty due to some early life challeng es, Edwell, determined to succeed, received a paralegal certificate and started a legal career as a paralegal that eventually led to his current po sition at Consilio.
Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Maintenance Regional
DR. CHRISTOPHER ALLEN MALIK BANKSTON
RICHARD A. EANES
RILEY DAVIS
REV. DR. HAROLD T.
at the University of Wisconsin.
He was married for 20 years to the late Carol L. Baker-Ford (Jones Fu
FellowFictionDjerassiwasWorkshop;fromfororsversityfromturer.distinguishedlecturer,sor,adjunctadmissions,collegeanprofesavisitingandalecHegraduatedWesleyanUniwithhighhonandthreeawardsfiction;gothisMFAtheIowaWriters’andtheCarl
His writing about race, sports, and societal issues have appeared in various publications, including The Chronicle of Higher Educa tion, Defector, Sports Illus trated, and The Root. He is concurrently finish ing his first novel and a collection of essays.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 13MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
Jason England was born and raised in New York City, where he spent his youth between a welfare hotel for the homeless in Times Square and a Harlem hous ing project. He has been a soda salesperson, a parking lot atten dant, a waiter, a bartender, a civil rights activist, a dean of
JASON ENGLAND Assistant Professor of English Carnegie Mellon EDUCATIONUniversity
neral Home) and is the father of one son, Randal Peyton Ford, who is a junior at Pine Richland High School, and an aspiring baseball player. Con sidered a caring and giving person, his motto at Exurbia Home Healthcare is, “We don’t care how much you know, until we know how much you care.”
RANDY K. FORD CEO and Co-Founder Exurbia Home Healthcare HEALTH CARE
Randy K. Ford is CEO and Co-Found er of Exurbia Home Healthcare, a non-medical home care agency that provides assistance in daily living ac tivities for the elderly and/or disabled. He and his partner, Robert D. Walker, founded Exurbia in 2015. They have since started two other companies, Ex urbia Medical Solutions and Airbourne Roofing, LLC. His company employs over 100 full- and part-time employ ees, and services numerous counties throughout Western Pennsylvania. He attended the University of South western Louisiana where he studied business management. Before starting Exurbia he worked in the non-profit sector with FamilyLinks Inc., and Ada gio Health as a network administra tor. After that, he worked with Urban Settlement Services as an operations manager. He is a member of Macedo nia Church of Pittsburgh and spends countless hours mentoring and encour aging the youth on the importance of education and respect for the elders.
Richard L. Ford III is the owner of RLF Enterprises. Mr. Ford focuses on redevel oping real estate properties in Clairton to put homes back on the tax roll. He is also the former owner of Clairton’s Fish ‘n More. He is also creating a legacy and generational wealth for his family through his endeavors.
Gilmer is the STOP the Violence Coor dinator for the City of Pittsburgh Depart ment of Public Safety. In this capacity, he works to connect people, resources and systems to change the culture of violence in the city. He came to the Department of Public Safety in 2009 to begin the Pitts burgh Initiative to Reduce Crime. He also uses his legal skills to help small busi nesses, and faith-based and community groups.A1983 graduate of New York Univer sity’s School of Law, Gilmer started his career at the Buchanan Ingersoll law firm, spent three years as Vice Presi dent & General Counsel of Diet Center Inc., then bought and operated a small business. Prior to joining the city, he was project manager for 5C’s FaithWorks, a non-profit funded by Allegheny County to assist community serving churches and non-profit organizations.
“I am so thankful to Christ for my family. It’s my greatest bless ing! I am blessed with a wonderful wife, brilliant children, and delightful grandchildren that fill my life with unspeakable joy. My favorite 3 names are, ‘honey, dad, and pap!’”
Gill received his Bache lor of Arts and Science in Accounting and Business Management. He has successfultwoandbeautifulmarrieddaughters.
JAY A. GILMER, ESQ. STOP The Violence Coordinator City of Pittsburgh Department of Public PUBLICSafety SERVICE
His work with FVI via Triumph’s 501(C3) in cludes Rites of Passage and Princess Within programs, which teach STEAM and cyber sys tems.He has served with Robert Morris Universi
14 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
Ford is a retired Electrical Journeyman from the position of Union Stewart and Foreman of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local #5 (IBEW Lo cal #5). He was Vice President of Black Construction Coalition. He was one of the founders of the Black Electricians Social izing Together (B.E.S.T.), which is an or ganization formed to help Blacks become
a part of unions.
Jay Arthur Gilmer, Esq., is an attorney and Christ follower who strives to use his gifts to help his community and improve the lives of people around him. He is most proud of his wife, Cynthia, Director of Secondary Curriculum at Environmen tal Charter School, two children, Sarah, Director of Community Engagement for Pittsburgh’s Equity Impact Center and, James, a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and step-son Corey, IT Engineer at Edge Case Soft
SAMUEL L. GILL Administrator of
PUBLICAliquippaSERVICE
ware. His grandfather graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School Of Pharmacy in 1919 and the Howard Uni versity School of Medicine in 1925.
Senior Pastor, Triumph Church; CEO, Faith Vision Inc. RELIGION
Ford has been a Deacon at Morning Star Baptist Church for almost 30 years. He has been married to his lovely wife, Georgia, for over 50 years. They have five children, 10 grandchildren, and 11
Ford’s volunteer career has been greatly influenced by his father, Richard Ford Jr., who was active in politics. Learning from him, Ford has taken several steps further in fighting to make a difference for peo ple, especially marginalized individuals and people of color. Ford recently retired from the Clairton City Council where he served in the role of Deputy Mayor during his tenure.
Rev. Craig Giles served as senior pastor of Tri umph Church since 1986. He has been a pillar of support in the tri-coun ty area over 36 years. Through Triumph and as CEO of Faith Vision Inc., he has worked to posi tively touch lives through transformational pro gramming, mentoring, counseling and advanced models to train youth with positive academic, life skills and behavioral practices.Hehas assisted count less individuals either directly or by designing services that address and strengthen individu als and families through education, health, nutri tion, financial literacy, and fitness, both mental ly and physically.
timately involved in assessing and re searching the county’s early childhood education services needs in writing grants. BCHS/ECE grew to a budget of over $8 million, employed 150 employ ees and served over 800 young children in the entire Beaver County area up to 5 years of age by 2006. Along the way, he was active in organizations such as Western Pennsylvania Head Start Or ganizations (WPHSO) serving as pres ident, vice-president, and treasurer; Pennsylvania Child Care Association in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh Association for Education of Young Children, Mister Rogers Neighborhood Initiative, Carnegie Head Start Early Learning Foun dation, and various other civic organizations.
REV. CRAIG L. GILES
RICHARD L. FORD III
As one of a family of six siblings, raised by a strong single parent moth er, whose father deceased at an early age, like the deaths of young men you read about in the today’s news, Samuel Gill began his journey helping fami lies while working in social ser vices agencies in finance and management. This calling became a career when he became the Chief Finan cial Officer of the Bea ver County Head Start Early Childhood Edu cation Agency Services (BCHS/ECE). When Gill began working at BCHS/ECE, they had enrollment of 149 students, employed 22 employees, and bud get of $187,000 serv ing the Aliquippa com munity in 1986. As the steel in dustry de clined in the county of Beaver, he was in
City
He also worked as a Management Consultant for various HHS Federal contractors in manage ment design, fiscal review and monitoring federally funded early childhood ed ucations programs.
ENTREPRENEURRLFOwnerEnterprises
City
Gilmer also uses his gifts to serve as President of Foundation of HOPE and Dorothy Day Apartments, as board member for MAD DADS, Pittsburgh Urban Christian School and Melting Pot Ministries, and as a member of NO BLE (National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives), Alpha Phi Al pha Fraternity and Mt. Ararat Baptist Church.Gilmer encourages anyone who wants to get involved to reach out to him.
great-grandchildren.Fordacknowledges that God is respon sible for everything he has accomplished.
Ford has served for over 15 years as Vice President of Clairton NAACP. He served as Vice President on the Board of Com munity Economic Development Corpora tion of Clairton (CEDCC), which was re sponsible for building 44 new homes and rehabilitating for resale over 35 homes.
ty for approximately 20 years, in various capaci ties including president of the Campus Ministry. With the membership of Triumph, Pastor Giles led in the building of a new worship campus on a 10-acre site in Ohio Township in 2013. His life’s theme is: “Be the change you want to see in theHeworld!”ismarried to Ronita, 42 years with children Jordan and Jillian, and daughter and son in law Angel, and Mitchell. They have three grandchil dren: Kennedi, Karter, and Jacob.
DEXTER HAIRSTON Director Kingsley
Executive
In Mark Hutchinson’s current role, RVP Network Engineering Comcast, he leads the region’s construction and network maintenance organizations. Hutchinson brings 25 years of lead ership experience in cable and tele communications, spanning customer care, service delivery, engineering, and network and field operations. He most recently served as the Comcast West Division’s Director of Project Man agement, where he served engineer ing and technical operations teams launching strategic projects.
DONNYTRANSPORTATIONE.HAMILTON, JR. Chief Strategy Officer Pittsburgh Regional Transit
Hamilton received his master’s degree in Business Administration from Wil liam Woods University, master’s degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Nebraska, and bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning from Alabama Agriculture & Mechani cal University.
Hutchinson is a corporate entrepre neur fixated on applying customer ex
capital programs, procurement services, strategic planning, and small and disad vantaged business utilization.
ViceMARKCORPORATEAssociationENTREPRENEURHUTCHINSONPresidentofNetworkEngineering,Comcast
Hutchinson’s experience includes regional, national, and international roles and includes networks and em ployees in the U.S., Canada, India, and Europe. He has a proven record of transforming organizations and establishing and maintaining opera tional excellence. His experience has led him to be a decisive and purpose ful leader with strong analytical and team-building skills. He has an ex tensive background in strategic exe cution, portfolio/project management, operations planning, customer care, and leadership development.
He enjoys traveling with wife, Jenn, and son, Drew, as well as play ing golf. His latest passion is travel ing to high school football games on Friday nights to support his son and the reigning WPIAL 2A Champion Serra Catholic Eagles.
Hairston operates his own LLC, DH Education Solutions, which specializes in partnering with local schools to create programming and academic opportunities. Hairston is trained as a Conflict Resolution pre senter and certified in Facilitation Skills training.
Educated at Regis University as a Business Technology major minoring in Public Administration, Hutchinson effectively blends winning the hearts and minds of employees with academ ic designed thinking philosophies to achieved and exceed company objec tives.
Hairston is from Teaneck, N.J., and attended Teaneck High School. He was inducted into the Teaneck High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He spent 13 years in public edu cation working with middle school special education students. Hair ston has 20 years of coaching expe rience in a wide variety of sports as well. He also wrote sports editorials for the South Hills Record for four years. He currently mentors young professionals in Pittsburgh, Boston, andHairstonOklahoma.currently serves on three boards, illustrating his commitment to service and support to community. He attended the University of Pittsburgh on a full football scholar ship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.
Dexter Hairston is the Executive Director of the Kingsley Association and is in his 15th year as a CEO/ Executive Director in the non-profit sector. He has a genuine passion for youth/teens with over 30 years of ex perience in the field.
Keystone Region
Prior to joining PRT, Hamilton spent 17 years in various leadership roles within the U.S. Department of Transpor tation (USDOT), where he oversaw the execution of the Federal Highway Ad ministration’s largest finance program ($5B annually) in Texas; managed a $22 billion multimodal project portfolio with the Build America Bureau; and founded USDOT’s first recognized African Amer ican Employee Resource Group.
Donny Hamilton Jr. is a committed husband, father, son, brother, friend, and most importantly, follower of Christ. Hamilton’s approach to life is based in the value of servant leadership. His life is purposed in seeking to add val ue, empowerment, inspiration and joy to the life of each person he encounters. Hamilton’s most important role in life is helping raise his two sons with his beautiful wife, Latifa. He is a fierce advo cate and champion for Infant Stillbirth Awareness, as a result of suffering the devastating loss of their first child and daughter, Taylor Morgan Hamilton, at 36 weeks of pregnancy. Hamilton takes great pride in supporting his wife, who is the prime founder and CEO of the Taylor Morgan Hamilton Foundation, to help raise research dollars, support grieving families, promote national awareness, and shape maternal health legislation for those who experience infant loss due toInstillbirths.aprofessional capacity, Hamilton serves as the Chief Strategy Officer for Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT). He provides executive oversight for finan cial planning and budgets, grants and
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 15MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
perience practices for operational suc cess. A creative and analytical mind, Hutchinson consistently exceeds cor porate objectives and strategic goals.
SOCIAL SERVICES
JASONFINANCES.
Pastor Andrew Jackson currently serves as the Senior Pastor at the Web ster Avenue Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Pittsburgh. Pastor Jackson is an anointed, appointed, dy namic deliverer of the word of God. Rev. Jackson also founded Abun dant Mercy Ministries, an outreach/
16 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
Mark C. Johnson has served as an Al legheny County School-Based Proba tion Officer for the Court of Common Pleas Family division for 26 years. He has worked primarily in two schools, Pittsburgh King and Pittsburgh Ar senal. As a school probation officer, he has supported 1,600 students in four districts. As their probation officer, Johnson has helped identify services to help make good decisions and avoid violent acts in the community and in school. Additionally, he makes certain students have all academic supports and insists students attend school regularly. He has helped the students to exit the probation program with a higher level of competency.
Jones is very active in the communi ty in Pittsburgh, serving on the board for Homewood Children’s Village, In vest PGH’s Micro Loan Committee, The Forbes Funds, Healthy Start and The Mentorship Partnership Pitts burgh. He was named as one of Top 20 Bankers to know in 2021 by Pitts burgh Business Times, Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 in 2019, and Pitts burgh’s 40 Under 40 in 2017. He holds a M.S. in Strategic Leadership and B.S. in Organizational Leadership from Mountain State University.
TRACY KELLY, JR. HR AuberleGeneralist
Kelly graduated Summa Cum Laude from Indiana University of Pa., with his M.A. in Human Resources and Em ployment Relations, as well as earning the Carter G. Woodson Outstanding Graduate Student Award. This was a major win for Kelly, as he understands the importance of education and has taught his children, Devonte (Junior at RMU), Tyree (Freshman at Penn State), and Arissa (a seventh-grader and a high honors student) the value of education. Kelly has also earned a Master of Business Administration as well as a B.S. in Technical Manage ment with a concentration in Sales and Marketing.
REV.RELIGIONANDREW JACKSON
Johnson is the local president of Al pha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporat ed-Alpha Omicron Lambda chapter.
Vice President of Community Development Market Management Citizen’s Bank
Jason Jones joined the Citizens Bank team in March 2020 as Vice President of Community Development Market Management. In his role at Citizens, Jones oversees Community Rein vestment Act activities and oversees small business, affordable housing, and revitalization and stabilization in low-to-moderate income areas through responsible lending, financial literacy, and grants. He also currently teaches business courses at Commu nity College of Allegheny County and consults with area nonprofits pertain ing to Jonesfinances.hasover 19 years experience in banking, management, investment, and Community Development Finan cial Institutions (CDFIs). Prior to Idea Foundry, Jones was the Community Development Relationships Manager at Woodforest National Bank, where he oversaw Community Reinvestment Act requirements for 40 branches and was also a Regional Manager (VP), overseeing six states. Jones worked at Bridgeway Capital, serving under served, underbanked, smaller busi nesses.
SOCIAL SERVICES MARK C. JOHNSON Probation AlleghenyOfficerCounty Court of Common Pleas
Johnson is the proud father of two, Lauren and Mark, which have provid ed him with the greatest gift of rear ing children.
Services, Ward Home & My Best Self, and Learning Innovations. In efforts to help expand Auberle’s initiatives, Kelly has been working diligently with the Behavioral Health Depart ment to staff the new Family Healing Center, set to open later this year. Kel ly is a member of the Sanctuary and DEI committees at Auberle, taking pride in helping to drive more employ ee engagement, client outcomes, and welcoming everyone with a sense of belonging. Due to the collective efforts of Kelly and the committee, Auberle’s DEI efforts were assessed by Vibrant Pittsburgh, finding that their index score increased from 7.1 to 9.4, in less than a year.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Pastor Jackson has a BPS degree in Christian Leadership from Geneva College. He is currently enrolled at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, pursuing the M.Div. degree in Biblical Counseling.
He retired from University of Pitts burgh as a facilities management supervisor and also retired as the Di rector of Support Services for the Re formed Presbyterian Theological Sem inary. Currently, Rev. Jackson holds the position of Community Liaison where he acts as advisor to the Semi nary President on all matters relating to the goals and objectives of the Afri can American church.
Pastor Jackson certainly agrees with the psalmist: “I delight to do thy will O my God, yea thy law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:8
Arts degree in counseling psychology inIn2004.addition to his career as a Pro bation Officer, Johnson is the CEO of MAWATU, LLC, an organization de veloped by Johnson and two business partners that supports youth through development of career/college aware ness and social emotional skills.
evangelistic ministry. Rev. Jackson established youth work programs, in stituting men’s ministries for sever al churches, free food programs, and nursing home ministries.
Pastor Jackson started a non-profit ministry called, “The Marriage Works For the Better,” whose goal is to effect positive change in family life and im prove the overall wellbeing of couples and children in the Upper Hill.
WebsterPastor Avenue C.M.A. Church
Johnson is a graduate of Westing house High School. There, he was a scholar athlete and an all-city football player. Johnson attended Edinboro University and received his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice in 1993. He also attended Chatham Univer sity and graduated with a Master of
JONES
Pastor Jackson has been happily married to Rev. Helen Jackson for 32 years. They have 5 children, 12 grand children, and one great grandchild.
Tracy Kelly Jr. is a human resourc es professional. Currently, he is the HR Generalist at Auberle, located in McKeesport. His responsibilities in clude onboarding new hires, facilitat ing new employee orientation, manag ing employee compliance records, and recruitment. Kelly represents about 200 personnel consisting of Behav ioral Health, Foster Care, 412 Youth Zone, Employment Institute, Housing
Owen “OJ” Macklin has made his mark in Pittsburgh as a certified person al trainer and owner of OJ Macklin Fit ness, an independent gym that specializ es in weight loss, strength training, and conditioning for everyday trainees and athletes. “OJ” meets the physical quali fications as he was an all-state football athlete at Perry Traditional Academy and moved on to attend Lane College, a notable HBCU. However, it is his per sonal journey that led him to embark on a career in health and fitness. After a short college stay, he was incarcerat ed. During his incarceration, he fell in love with books, exercise, nutrition, as well as developing a deep affection for understanding how the body works. In turn, “OJ” studied anatomy and received his associate’s degree in business man agement and certification as a personal trainer.Asan owner of Club Elevation and Circulate Studios, Macklin has received many accolades, including a proclama tion from Pittsburgh City Council mak ing Dec. 12, 2017 as “Club Elevation Day.”“OJ” is most proud of helping to drop
4,000 pounds of weight off our city’s youth and seniors through his tried and tested methodologies. With much more to accomplish, whether it’s in the gym or on the field coaching the Lincoln Rams little league football team, “OJ” contin ues to change the lives of everyone he encounters through fitness.
ADAMINSTRUCTOR‘DJBLAKKSTEEL’ LEWIS
Co-owner, Digital Analog Radio; Co-Founder, The Union DJs
thirds of his life.
Born, bred, raised, and residing in Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District, Adam “Blakk Steel” Lewis has been in front of the public for nearly two-
From getting into college radio during his days of being a Univer sity of Pittsburgh student, to be ing a television host and producer for Underground Hip-Hop Video Magazine, to being recruited by WAMO-FM on many occasions, to co-owning an online Urban Adult Contemporary radio station named Digital Analog Radio, all while DJ’ing in the field for 32 years as DJ Blakk Steel of The Union DJs, Lewis has always wanted to keep a strong connection to the communi ty, using entertainment as the ice breaker. Nowadays, he’s added on the hat of being an instructor, to give any and all that wish to learn the art and craft of DJ’ing, an open-door oppor tunity.... to further lower the walls and barriers, and strengthen com munity bonds and relationships.
From the Hill to the world, he loves to show the best of Pittsburgh, and his community.
“OJ” is committed to providing a space that thrives on the improvement of one’s mental health and knowledge as it per tains to the health of our bodies within his community.
PHYSICAL FITNESS
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 17MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022 DJ
OWEN J. MACKLIN, SR. Owner and CEO
OJ Macklin Fitness
Nowlin is responsible for developing senior management relationships with companies of all sizes across south western Pennsylvania, particularly aligning strategic C-suite goals with the PBGH mission—enabling those companies to engage in improved health care opportunities and to fur ther strengthen and optimize their investment in health care. Nowlin is also responsible for managing various marketing and business development initiatives on behalf of PBGH, partic ularly those that intersect with orga nizations across the region seeking to drive change in the way health care is delivered and funded.
Mr. Nowlin also serves as the found
company’s “Good Apple Award” for his outstanding community service histo ry in the greater Pittsburgh area.
In 1987, McCain was chosen as part of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s “Fab ulous Five” Team for his college bas ketball performance, where he com peted in the Junior College National Tournament.McCainlater went on to volunteer for 15 years, mentoring Homestead youth in various positive and uplifting programs and donating fresh fruits and vegetables to the annual Christ mas Toy McCainGiveaway.isagraduate of CCAC Boyce and the University of Pittsburgh of Johnstown, where he earned his fi nance degree. He enjoys a vast array of sports and adventurous activities, from horseback riding to tennis to rowing.
18 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022 COMMUNITY SERVICE
NOWLIN Business Relationship Director Pittsburgh Business Group on Health
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Ronald Moncrief is one of the best character-building coaches in the Pittsburgh area. He is a graduate of Robert Morris University, where he attained a B.S./B.A. in Sports Man agement and pledged Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
Currently, Coach Moncrief is the Athletic Director and Head Varsity Girls Basketball Coach at Mohawk Area High School, located minutes from Bessemer, Pa.
Malcolm E. Nowlin serves as the Business Relationship Director for the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health, the region’s only non-profit solely fo cused on improving and advocating for more health care access, quality and transparency for small, medium and large employers and their employees.
Beginning in 1997 and continuing each year, McCain created the Gloves/ Socks/Hats Winter Program Give away, delivering thousands of pieces of winter clothing to the Pittsburgh homeless community. In 2013, Mc Cain added to his winter outreach programs by creating his annual Christmas Holiday Food Boxes of Love Giveaway. The giveaway program ben efits over 87,000 family members in 22 local communities. For the first six years of the program, the retail value of the food given to local families to taled over $1 million.
Purchasing & Sales Consumer Fresh Produce Inc.
As part of his role at Consumers Fresh Produce, McCain is responsible for consistently supplying global food service companies with high-quality fresh produce. In 2017, he received the
Joseph McCain has dedicated his life to addressing challenges in his community to make a meaningful and lasting impact for his local and global community members.
Coach Moncrief enjoys adding val ue to other people’s lives and using athletics to teach life lessons. He has a daughter, Arianna Moncrief, enjoys being a father and every thing that comes with fatherhood.
NELSON NYIRONGO Journey DuquesneLineworkerLightCompany
Nyirongo enjoys traveling, complet ing various “do-it-yourself” projects around his home and working on sports cars. Originally from Lusaka, Zambia, Nyirongo now lives in Bethel Park with his wife and two children.
Nowlin was a vocal performance ma jor at Duquesne University and cur rently resides in Penn Hills, with his wife, Wanda, and their four children. He is active in a number of communi ty initiatives, including FamilyLinks, where he teaches financial literacy and assists in youth development ef forts. He is also a Board of Trustees Member at the Urban Academy of Greater Pittsburgh charter school.
Moncrief is a co-author of “Coach ing from the Heart: The Greatest Untold Stories.” He is also a John Maxwell certified coach, teach er, trainer and speaker as well as
a Master Level Certified Trainer through Ganon Baker Basketball.
Prior to joining DLC, Nyirongo worked as an electrician for five years after graduating from the Dean In stitute of Technology in 2009. While
As a journey lineworker for Duquesne Light Company (DLC), Nelson Nyirongo plays a vital role in maintaining the grid that powers the greater Pittsburgh region. Since join ing DLC in 2015, Nyirongo’s role has continued to evolve. After completing DLC’s Apprentice Program in 2019, he now acts as a mentor to new partici pants as they work their way through the program to become highly trained, qualified utility workers. Most impor tantly, Nyirongo exemplifies safety, efficiency and excellent customer ser vice in his approach to mentoring ris ingWhenapprentices.he’snot mentoring young pro fessionals, Nyirongo’s day-to-day re sponsibilities include restoring power; repairing downed wires and broken utility poles; and performing routine maintenance across thousands of miles of power lines.
working as an electrician, Nyirongo sought to learn more about the utility industry before joining DLC.
HEALTH CARE ACCESS E.
MohawkAthleticRONALDSPORTSMONCRIEFDirectorAreaSchoolDistrict
JOSEPH MCCAIN
MALCOLM
er – CEO for the M Nowlin Enterprise, LLC. Under his enterprise he is a keynote speaker, Master of Ceremony, host, moderator, and author.
In 2005, Coach Moncrief began coaching at Vincentian Academy as a Girls Basketball Assistant Coach and became Head Girls Basketball Coach in the 2006-2007 season. He experienced tremendous success while at Vincentian Academy as shown through eight section cham pionships from 2011-2018 and win ning seven WPIAL District 7 cham pionships. In 2014-2015, Coach Moncrief’s teams won back-to-back PIAA (A) state championships.
Finance for Triumph Church’s rights of passage program. He also serves as a trustee of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Endowment.
EL III
REV.RELIGIONTHEODORE E. PUGH, SR.
CURTISFINANCERANDLE
Private Wealth Advisor Randle El Wealth Advisors, LLC
years.Pastor Pugh is married to Rev. Car rie Pugh and is the father of four chil dren; Ebony, Theodore Jr., Minister Tanya Pugh, and Tamie Palmer, and is the grandfather of nine.
Rev. Pugh was called as Pastor to Jerusalem Baptist Church, West End, where he has served as Pastor for 12
Pastor Theodore Pugh is a man of vast experience that prepared him for God’s calling on his life. Rev. Pugh is a retired Port Authority bus driver. In the years of his retirement, he went on to become a certified teacher for the National Foundation for Teach ing Entrepreneurship; Youth and Family Services Specialist for A Sec ond Chance Inc.; Supervisor at Three Rivers Center for Independent Living, Youth and Family; and Coordinator for Western Penn Hills Community Action, among others.
Curtis Randle El III is a full service private wealth advisor and owner of Randle El Wealth Advisors, LLC, an independent financial services firm designed to service the money man agement needs of small business own ers, retirees, corporate executives and professional athletes. Randle El began his career at the Pittsburgh-based firm Hefren-Tillotson before taking a leadership role at PNC Bank’s corpo rate headquarters. Randle El is now the sole owner of Randle El Wealth Advisors, where he currently holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst designation (AIFA®,) award ed by F.I. 360. He holds the financial industries Series 7, Series 66 and Life, Health and Accident Licenses. He has over 18 years of experience as a finan cial advisor and his firm now services clients throughout the U.S.
JerusalemPastor Baptist Church
Curtis Randle El is a graduate of In diana University-Bloomington with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. While at In diana University-Bloomington, he was a Division I football scholarship ath lete while earning a four-year letter winner at cornerback on the Hoosiers football team, where he was awarded All-Big Ten Conference honors.
Rev. Pugh received his license at First Baptist Penn Hills on May 20, 1990, and was ordained on Aug. 19, 1991. While under the leadership of Pastor James E. Hunt, Rev. Pugh served as the Youth Minister and a member of the Male Chorus, Evange lism Team, and Sunday School Teach
He completed his graduate degree in the law program at the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Uni versity of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business. Curtis Randle El is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
ers. He continued in training at Just Right Ministry under Pastor Michael Thomas. Pastor Thomas saw the call ing on his life and assigned him as his Assistant Pastor.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 19MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
Randle El has dedicated his time and energy to developing the com munity in which he lives. He and his brother, Antwaan Randle El (former ly of the Pittsburgh Steelers) are the co-founders of “The Antwaan Randle El Foundation” at www.theELFounda tion.com. Curtis Randle El serves as the Chairman of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Diversity, Equity and In clusion board. He also teaches Biblical
from Trinity School for Ministry. DIM was launched on Nov. 15, 2001, with the mission of “teaching the peo ple of God their purpose in God to ful fill the will of God which brings glory to God.” Pastor Mike was born, raised, and was a negative product of the streets of Homewood. His life changed in 1993 after he found Jesus and a wonderful church, Petra International Ministries, whose mission was to help others like himself transform their lives into positive and productive citi zens. His purpose and passion in life is to bond with those individuals whom Jesus described as “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine” and to teach, encourage, and help them pos itively transform their lives.
In Smiley’s free time, you can find him out with his kids going to local festivals, swimming in the summer, and always hitting up lo cal ice cream shops. Smiley likes to hit up the gym and go for runs and bike rides when he has person al time. He is always up for trying new types of exercises and he likes to use social media to talk about his adventures. Right now Smiley is trying to navigate the world of TikTok with a shared account with his girlfriend that showcases both their separate lives and that of their kids.
For seven years now, Western Pennsylvania has invited Ron Smi ley into their homes each morning during the work week to bring them their weather forecast. No matter if it’s sunny or raining, flooding or icy, many know Smiley for giving detailed and accurate forecasts and
Pastor Mike is the father of one son and married to Dr. Camille ClarkeSmith, Ed.D., M.S., and together they use their individual talents, skills, and gifts to help heal a broken community of people.
CBS-KDKAMeteorologistRONMEDIASMILEY
SOCIAL SERVICES
Carl Redwood Jr. is a social worker and has participated in various community organizing efforts on the local, na tional, and internation al levels. He has been a part time faculty mem ber at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work for many years.Redwood was a union organizer for faculty unionization at Pitts burgh universities as part of the Academic Workers Association of theRedwoodSteelworkers.isactive with the Hill District Con sensus Group, working to build the leadership and power of low-income and working-class res idents of the Hill Dis trict to advance racial and economic justice in
nowcasts no matter what Mother Nature throws at him. What most don’t realize is that Smiley is also a single father of two young girls. When there are school delays he’s on the phone, behind the scenes, making sure the girls’ “nanny” can still get them to school.
PASTORRELIGIONMICHAEL H. SMITH
RoxamoreCEOLEONENTERTAINMENTU.ROCKYMORE&FounderSports&Entertainment
which became a critical bridge to fam ilies who lost loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CARL REDWOOD, JR.
20 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
Leon Rockymore is the founder and CEO of Roxamore Sports & Entertain ment Empire, which provides video, photography, and streaming services to jubilant brides and grooms, family gathers, and celebrations throughout the east Rockymorecoast.is also at the helm of a bereavement service, Grieve From Home, which fills an unfillable gap— connecting bereaved loved ones across the miles during unbearable times,
Senior Pastor and Founder, Destiny International Ministries; President of Noblemen
In addition, Rockymore is also the founder of the Roxamore Sports Net work, which provides youth and teens exposure to the college experience, em powering them to open their minds to the advantages of higher education; to the positivity of steering their passion towards a brighter future; and to the possibility of scholarships. Further more, the network’s live streaming events provide opportunities for fami lies to be a part of their student ath lete’s experience, and to preserve cher ished memories and performances for posterity.Rockymore has been involved in the Stop the Violence rallies and produces a multitude of programs on the Rox amore Network including The Rock Comedy Show, with the aim to fight depression through laughter and com edy. Rockymore is a father of four, and resides in Penn Hills with his wife, Shaquanna, and their children.
Project PittsburghDirectorBlack Worker Center
Center, a public interest law firm inspired by the struggle of political and politicized prisoners and organized for the pur pose of abolishing class and race-based mass in carceration in the U.S. Redwood currently serves as the Project Di rector of the Pittsburgh Black Worker Center.
our neighborhoods, our schools and our city. Red wood serves on the board of Pittsburgh United, a coalition of community, labor, faith, and environ mental organizations committed to advancing the vision of a commu nity and economy that works for all people. He is also a board member of The Abolitionist Law
Michael H. Smith is the founder and Senior Pastor of Destiny Internation al Ministries (DIM), a non-denomina tional church located in the East End with church and offices located in Lin coln-Lemington and Homewood. Pas tor Mike, as he is affectionately called, has been in full-time ministry since 1994 and holds a Master’s in Religion
E. TATE II
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 21MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
MORTGAGE SERVICE
Reverend Geoffrey E. Tate II serves as pastor of Park Place AME Church in Homestead. He is an ordained Itinerant Elder in the African Methodist Episco pal Church. Prior to serving in Home stead, he pastored churches in Marys ville, Ohio, Wilkinsburg, Farrell, Pa., Connellsville, Pa. and McKeesport. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh Housing Development
LaMarcus Thurman is the new Vice President of Community Lending at Howard Hanna Mort gage Services (HHMS). This novel role focuses on the community lending efforts for HHMS and its affiliated mortgage com panies across Pennsyl vania, New York, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, Indiana, and Michigan. Thurman has more than a decade of experience in the banking and mortgage industry.
REV.RELIGIONGEOFFREY
LAMARCUS THURMAN
Association (PHDA) and the House of Glory non-profit organization. Rev. Tate has served as a Trauma Response Team Coordinator with the Neighborhood Re silience Project. In this role, he helped minister to communities throughout Al legheny County affected by gun violence. Currently, he serves as the Trauma Re sponse Team In-School Coordinator for the Neighborhood Resilience Project.
One of his favorite passages of scrip ture is taken from Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
lending program as an overarching arm of How ard Hanna Mortgage that will be available to anyone who needs help getting a mortgage. Thurman will also work with communi ty organizations through out the Howard Hanna footprint to establish out reach programs to educate homebuyers and borrow ers on financial matters. He and his new team are sponsoring and creating workshops focusing on homeownership, credit, economic awareness, and, ultimately, the availability of affordable lending op portunities.Thurman has been hap pily married to his wife, Robin, for 15 years. They have two children, Mia Beatrice and LaMarcus Jr. For many years, LaMar cus Thurman has regular ly served as a mentor to youth in his community, volunteering his time to support and counsel those in underserved commu nities. He is also an avid sports fan and enjoys volunteering with youth sports organizations.
Vice President of Community Lending Howard Hanna Mortgage Services
At HHMS, Thurman is responsible for building relationships, awareness, and education through out the urban and under served markets. Under his leadership, HHMS is con structing new products, programs, and policies to serve the underprivileged by building a team of lend ers to help underserved communities. Efforts are underway to develop and market the community
Originally from Louisi ana, LaMarcus Thurman is a graduate with a B.A. in Managerial Economics from Allegheny College. He has held roles at PNC, Fifth Third Bank, Citizens Bank, and his most recent position as Assistant Vice President in the South west Region at Northwest Bank.
Pastor, Park Place A.M.E. Church; In-School Coordinator, Neighborhood Resilience Project
A native of Washington, D.C., Rev. Tate was educated in the D.C. Public Schools system and is a graduate of the Duke El lington School of the Arts. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with a con centration in Vocal Performance, from Howard University, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Payne Theological Seminary. Currently, he is pursuing a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in Ethical and Creative Leadership from Union Institute and University.Heismarried to Rev. Aisha Tate, the pastor of Brown Chapel AME Church lo cated on the North Side. They have three beautiful daughters; Ciara, Ayesha, and Nya. They also have five grandchildren; Nevaeh, Cameron, Jhaysun, Mia, and Noah, whom they love and cherish.
Mike Warfield was born and raised in Aliquippa, graduating from Aliquippa High School in 1987. Upon graduating, Warfield earned a full football scholar ship and attended Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., where he graduated in December 1991 with his Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Sociology and Politi calInScience.1993,Warfield was accepted and en tered the Pennsylvania State Police Acad emy, graduating in March 1994. During his time as a Pennsylvania State Trooper, Warfield spent 20 years in the Pennsylva nia State Police Bureau of Drug Law Di vision, serving 18 of those years as a Drug Enforcement Administration Federally Deputized Task Force Officer. During his time with PSP/DEA and his work in the field of drug law investigations, Warfield earned numerous awards. In 2018, after 25 years of service, Warfield retired from the Pennsylvania State Police. In 2019, then-United States Attorney Scott Brady appointed Warfield as the Department of
and commercial devel opment by “bridging the (real estate and opportunity) gap(s)” in a community. In order to achieve this goal, BTG develops a variety of projects in cluding multifamily affordable housing, historic marketmixed-incomepreservation,andraterentaland
Common Pleas Juvenile Probation; Coach, Garfield Gators
Law Enforcement Coordinator, Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, WDPA; Head Football Coach, Aliquippa High School
Donald C. Walker III is a three-term Councilman of the City of Aliquippa since 2010 and since 2015 has been board chair of the Aliquippa Economic Development Corporation. He earned his Bachelor’s in Communication Media Productions from then-Robert Morris College, certificates of high honors in psychology/social work from Stratford Career Institute, and most recently, along with his twin broth er, Mayor Dwan Walker, they were honored by their alma mater, Robert Morris University with a Doctorate Degree in Humane Letter and got to address the graduating class. He is employed by Private Industry Council of Head Start of Beaver Coun ty as a Parent, Family, and Communi ty Engagement Manager for the past year.Councilman Walker has overcome many challenges in his life starting with the loss from the senseless mur der in September 2009 of his late sister, Diedre Walker, and along with
PUBLIC SERVICE DONALD C. WALKER III Councilman, City of Aliquippa; Board Chair, City of Aliquippa Economic Development Corp.
SOCIAL SeniorANTHONYSERVICES/SPORTS‘TONE’WALLSMonitor,AlleghenyCountyCourt of
homeownership prop erties, community and cultural space as well as commercial real es tate. BTG also has over 250 new units slated for new construction in 2022-2023.Arecent major ac complishment was completing a new construction 36-unit LIHTC affordable housing project in the historic Hill District. Not only was this an amazing development that Tillman built, but it also included an in novative supportive services program that focuses on “building the people” that reside there.Atthe age of 41, Till man looks forward to a bright future. A strong Tillman says, “I’ve learned to be patient and I’m cognizant that GOD is in control and has used many life ex periences to prepare me for this moment and to strengthen my faith.”
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Bridging the Gap De velopment, LLC (BTG), founded in 2006, is a diversified real es tate development firm based in Pittsburgh. Derrick L. Tillman, Founder and Presi dent of BTG, leads the company’s mission to rebuild healthy, sus tainable communities through residential
BridgingPresidentDERRICKENTREPRENEURL.TILLMAN&CEOtheGapDevelopment, LLC
some health challenges he has turned it to good. Now he uses his time to equip others and tell the youth in his community that they too can over come.Councilman Walker has been mar ried to his loving and devoted wife, Amy, for over 23 years and he is a proud father to three children; Sha nia, age 24, Alijah, age 22, and Arison, age 15. All are thriving students and future community leaders.
“Tone” has been employed by the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas Juvenile Probation CISP Program for the past 11 years where he helps young men who made poor decisions in their past make great decisions in theirWallsfuture.isa prevention/conflict res olution specialist and has mediated thousands of youth conflicts and is sues. He has changed and saved thou sands of lives for over 30 years. He is someone that all youth look up to and come to for help and advice. “Tone” has a true passion to help others and does it effortlessly and makes it look so easy. “Tone” Walls is truly one of the best in our area at what he does.
Coach for the Garfield Gators football organization since 1994. His team has appeared in 25 championships games over the last 28 years and has played in the championship game the last 16 years in a row. He received the Bloom field-Garfield Corporation Pioneer of The Year Award in 2013 for winning 69 games in a row—a streak of six straight undefeated seasons.
Justice, Law Enforcement Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
In 2018, Warfield was hired and became the first African American head football coach for his alma-mater, the Aliquippa Quips. In his first year, Warfield became only the third coach in WPIAL history to win both a WPIAL and PIAA State Championship in his first year. This past year, Warfield led the Quips to his Second WPIAL and PIAA State Champi onship. However, as Warfield continues to stress, “I’m more concerned about our student-athletes wins and losses off the field.”Warfield has been married to Victoria Warfield for 23 years. They have three children; Deja’, Jocelyn, and Isiah.
MIKE WARFIELD
22 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
“Tone” Walls was born and raised in Garfield, where he still resides. He is a great leader and mentor to many youth in the city and throughout Al legheny County. Walls is a devoted father and grandfather and loves his family endlessly. He has been a volunteer/vice president and Head
Association of Western Pennsylvania. He serves on the Board of Directors as well as an adjunct faculty member at the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry, and a mem ber of the Advisory Board for the Metro Urban Institute of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He serves as an adjunct facul ty for Geneva College, Duquesne Univer sity, Seton Hill University, and Communi ty College of Allegheny County.
DR.EDUCATIONJOHNATHAN JEVON WHITE Teaching Professor-History/Black Studies State
JAMAREDUCATIONWHITE, MBA Business Advisor
Through The Black Economist Foun dation, White has founded Commu nity Wealth Building, which serves minorities and teaches how to build wealth and the importance of spend ing currency within your own commu nity. This program has transformed into speaking engagements with var ious local and national community or ganizations as well as youth offender programs. White has served on many non-profit boards as treasurer as well as creating nonprofits for others. Each year under the foundation, White and his daughter, Jamara, deliver hats, gloves, socks, masks, and various toi
events, but now Brotha Ash Produc tions Media Publication is a full-ser vice advertising agency and enter tainment news company. In 2004, his website was launched to showcase his trips and events and soon the pub lic wanted their events and business showcased on www.BrothaAshProduc tions.com as well. His company and clientele grew and in 2014, Brotha Ash Productions Magazine was launched with his Uncle Timothy Myles and Donny Kyte on the cover. Currently, Brotha Ash is still covering events, in terviewing national and local celebri ties, and sharing the stories that often get overlooked. Charles “Teenie” Har ris, Rod Doss, Mark Clayton Southers, and Kenneth Neely are his mentors, but he gives God the glory for all his success and the rest is Black history.
NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 23MEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
Dr. Johnathan Je Von White was born in Norfolk, VA. He graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a B.A. in Politi cal Science. He earned his doctorate from the University of Pitts burgh, specializing in
UnityPastorWINGFIELDBaptistChurch
Pastor Wingfield is married to the love of his life, best friend and confidant, the former Vanessa Clifton, and they are the proud parents of three adult children and three grandchildren.
PublicationBrothaCEOASHLEYENTREPRENEURG.WOODSON&FounderAshProductionsMedia
At The Black Economist Inc., White serves as advisor, accountant, and mentor for numerous for-profit and nonprofit businesses in the Pittsburgh area and beyond.
He started his company in Septem ber 2001. “Brotha Ash” always wanted to be the next Michael Jackson, but re alized he was better behind the scenes than on stage. He is a member of the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP), Hill District Neighborhood Advisory Council and a proud mem ber of Calvary Baptist Church. His company started off as an event-ori ented company with his own trips and
modern U.S. and Afri can American history. His dissertation exam ined the labor union of Pittsburgh’s Black jazz musicians before and after integration, and how collective memory re-imagines the past.
Penn
REV.RELIGIONDR.RICHARD
White’s favorite quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
The Black Economist Inc. W. of Braddock
word.Dr. White is a board member of the Langston Hughes Po etry Society. In addi tion, he served as lead instructor of the Full Armor Institute, men toring young Black men at Mt. Olive Bap tist church. Lastly, he has conducted Black history workshops and seminars on living a vibrant lifestyle that synthesizes faith and the pursuit of social justice.
Pastor Wingfield received his public education from the Farrell Area School District. Upon his call to the ministry, he attended the Southern Bible Institute of Dallas, Texas. He holds the Associate of Arts degree from Geneva College at the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry, where he has the distinction of being the first official graduate, the Bachelor of Sci ence degree in Community Ministry from Geneva College, Beaver Falls. He is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Sem inary with the Master of Divinity degree and the Doctor of Ministry. He is current ly pursuing the Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric from Duquesne University.
Jamar White is a Business Consul tant and an Economics Professor at CCAC. He has earned an Associate in Applied Science, Bachelor of Applied Mathematics and Master of Business Administration. Before working for CCAC, White taught mathematics for Pittsburgh Public Schools. Prior to having a teaching career, White served in the Air Force Reserves as an Aircraft Technician. Currently, White is pursuing a Doctorate in Econom ics based on the relationship between Economics and Crime Reduction.
Ashley G. Woodson, also known as “Brotha Ash,” comes from a proud fam ily of Black-owned business in the Hill District and learned early on that God blesses the child that’s got his own. He was a dancer who performed on stages with his brothers Bryan and Anthony Dixon as the Mini-Globe Steppers at Herron Hill Middle School and went on to become a solo artist. He joined the U.S. Army in 1985, 13 Bravo Field Artillery, and received his honorable discharge in 1993. In 1999, he became a proud graduate of Bidwell Training Center Inc., and student at the Uni versity of Pittsburgh in 2001.
Associate
Pastor Wingfield has served congrega tions in Wichita Falls, Texas, Donora and Braddock. He is the immediate past mod erator of the Allegheny Union Baptist
Pastor Richard W. Wingfield is a na tive of Western Pennsylvania. With more than 40 years in the ministry, he serves as the visionary and pastor of the Unity Baptist Church of Braddock.
letries to homeless individuals around the Pittsburgh area. Annually, along with One Northside, they host a nocost seminar on financial issues facing individuals and businesses.
Greater Allegheny
Dr. White is an As sociate Teaching Pro fessor at Penn State Greater Allegheny. He has taught cours es in history, African American studies, Black arts, and leader ship development. He co-founded the Study of Hip-Hop Conference and the Stewart and Jones Scholar Lead ership Program. He is a founding mem ber of the Crossing Bridges committee, which serves the sur rounding community. In addition, he chairs
the Anti-Racism task force at PSUGA. He is also creator of the Black Woman Reaf firmed video project. His upcoming album, Love Algorithms, is an eclectic mix of poetry, hip-hop, and spoken
24 SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2022 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIERMEN OF EXCELLENCE 2022
