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Once targeted by racists, Pa. housing worker now loses daughter

Generation NEXT: Carter Redwood, actor

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Council fights to uplift Wilkinsburg 30 of 36 homicides Black lives VOL. 106, NO. 22

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JUNE 3-9, 2015

by Paige Mitchell

For New Pittsburgh Courier

Before the May 19 election, African American women held four of the nine Wilkinsburg City Council seats. After the election, Blacks still have four seats, but one belongs to a male.

Michael Rose beat out Eugenia Moore and will replace her in January of 2016. Until then the four women will continue to fight to turn the decaying, blighted community around.

There are three council seats from each of Wilkinsburg’s three wards, while the council members elect a president and vice president from within.

The four African American women on the council are

VANESSA MCCARTHY-JOHNSON

PAIGE TRICE

MARITA GARRETT

EUGENIA MOORE

by Ashley Johnson Vanessa McCarthy-Johnson, Paige Trice, Marita Garrett and Eugenia Moore, who lost to Rose and will not be on the ballot in November. The other members

of council are three White males and two White females.

Rose said he is honored, and yet humbled by the opportunity to serve the Wilkinsburg com-

munity, and is looking forward to the upcoming election.

The current president of the SEE COUNCIL A4

Protesters want better medical care at jail

by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer

In response to recent Allegheny County Jail inmates’ deaths, allegedly caused by poor medical care, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced last month that the contract with Corizon Health to provide medical services at the jail would not be renewed and will expire in August.

That’s not soon enough for Tomi Lynn Harris who said her son Frank Smart, 39, died in January at UPMC after being denied seizure medication by jail medical staff.

“He told them he had seizures. He begged for his medicine,” she said. “They handcuffed him when he was spitting blood and peeing on himself. I don’t say he needed to be released, I say he needed to be alive.”

Harris joined more than a dozen protesters from New Voices Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County Health SEE PROTESTERS A7

Time to take a stand, ‘the stand’ to get killers off the streets

AT YOUR SERVICE—Police Commander Jason Lando cuts the cake for the kids. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

Courier Staff Writer

As the temperature rises, signaling summer is upon us, so have the homicides. With doubledigit totals for the month of May, homicides in Allegheny County total 36, with 30 of those being Black men and women; some even teens.

This time last year the total number of homicides in the county were the same—36—but the number of homicides that took place in May were much fewer, there were six.

Looking at the names on this month’s listing brings heartbreak—the senseless beating death of a grandmother and teen, a domestic dispute gone wrong and the killing of a 14-year-old who was fatally shot in front of a group of hundreds. Kelvin Lovelace’s story is reminiscent of the tragic death of “Baby Marcus,” the East Hills toddler who was innocently shot in May 2013 SEE HOMICIDES A7

Zone 5 opens to community

by Paige Mitchell For New Pittsburgh Courier

In a tense world between Blacks and police officers, the time has been way overdue to hold an event in the attempt to bring the community back together. Zone 5 Police Station held its first open house on May 28 in a continuing effort to improve police and community rela-

tions.

“Citizens, officers, their families, lawmakers, and anyone else were able to attend. We just want to give the community a chance to come down, meet our officers, see our station, see our equipment, and help bring the community and the police closer together,” Zone 5 Commander Jason Lando said.

The open house took place at the

Zone 5 Station located on Washington Boulevard. The event was free and food was served as well. The station was open to all residents, business owners and community leaders. Many families and community residents attended the open house.

Zone 5 covers the eastern portion SEE ZONE A6

Coalition to rally for fair school funding from state

by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer

Rally urges PPS to end school-to-prison pipeline Pittsburgh Public School parents, students, teachers and community activists came together to call for an end to, “Push-Out,” disciplinary policies that remove kids from the classrooms. A rally was organized for those of the community who were concerned over harsh school disciplinary policies that push youth out of school.

“The action was in response to the district administration dismissing the list of recommendations summarily and without discussion,” Jennifer England of

In three weeks, a coalition of corporations, nonprofits, faith organizations and education advocates from across the state will meet in Harrisburg to send a single message to legislators ahead of state budget negotiations: put a fair school funding formula in place.

The Campaign for Fair Education Funding includes more than 50 organizations all concerned with Pennsylvania’s dismal standing with respect to funding disparities among its school districts. Two recent reports place it last, or near last in the nation.

Allies for Children Executive Director Patrick Dowd, a former teacher, school board member and Pittsburgh councilman, said the scope of the coalition is unlike he’s seen but they are galvanized

SEE RALLY A4

SEE COALITION A4

by Paige Mitchell For New Pittsburgh Courier

PLUGGING THE PIPELINE—Activists call for an end to Pittsburgh Public Schools discipline practices that disproportionately expel Black into the “school to prison pipeline.” (Photo by J.L. Martello)

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Biblical soap opera enjoying ungodly success in Brazil

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JUNE 3-9, 2015

by Jenny Barchfield Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)— The actress agonizes on her deathbed, her hair and makeup impeccable, as the hunky male lead clutches her hand. Tears pour down his face while her eyelids flutter to a final close.

The scene oozes with overthe-top drama that makes Brazil’s prime-time soap operas as much of a national institution as soccer or Carnival. However, in this case, the actors aren’t playing wealthy sophisticates with complicated sex lives, but rather characters out of the Old Testament.

Set in ancient Egypt and loosely based on the story of Moses, “The Ten Commandments” is billed as Brazil’s first biblical soap opera.

Swathed in Egyptian robes and sporting lapis lazuli jewelry and Cleopatra wigs, some of the characters are based on biblical or other historic figures, while others are invented.

The soap is taking the country by storm. It’s helped propel the Rede Record television network, owned by the founder of Brazil’s main Pentecostal church, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, into a showdown with top broadcaster Globo, which for decades has had a lock on prime-time soaps, known as novelas.

Some suggest that the surprise success of “The Ten Commandments” lies in the show’s family-oriented script.

“There is a more conservative audience in Brazil that we’ve seen is quite strong,” said Bruno Dieguez, a communications professor at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University.

That audience includes a burgeoning evangelical community that now accounts for one-fifth of the population of around 200 million. In the world’s largest Catholic nation, members of that majority faith also tend to be social conservatives, especially in rural areas.

“They now feel they have an alternative (to Globo) and they’re tuning in,” Dieguez said.

Since its debut in March, “The Ten Commandments” has attracted about three times as many viewers as Record’s previous primetime offerings, boosting the network from its typical third-place standing into

Elaine Effort

This Week In Black History

INTERNATIONAL

POPULAR SHOW—In this May 13, photo, Brazilian actresses perform on the set of the Brazilian prime-time soap opera, “The Ten Commandments” at a RecNov studio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (AP Photo/Leo Correa) second place, network officials said.

In one recent episode, a male character based on the historic 13th century BC Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II held vigil over the deathbed of his fictitious wife, Maya, after she was poisoned by a jealous rival.

An earlier time slot for the program, which begins at 8:30 p.m. six nights a week and competes with Globo’s

“In my opinion, there should only be soaps like this one—to teach about the Bible, about family and values,” hairdresser Cristiana da Silva said, dividing her attention between the evening’s last customer and the action on screen.

“This is the best soap.” national news program, also seems to have helped the show’s success.

Globo’s “Babilonia,” a tale of female vengeance set in contemporary Rio de Janeiro, remains the most popular. It nevertheless has been panned by critics and subsequently had its run cut by three weeks.

“Babilonia” especially offended conservatives with a kiss between two of Brazil’s most famous actresses

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playing an elderly lesbian couple in its first episode.

Despite its international reputation as a sexually liberated, gay-friendly country, Brazil has many people who view homosexuality as immoral.

One day after the lesbian kiss on “Babilonia,” Brazil’s most influential Pentecostal pastor, Silas Malafaia of the Assemblies of God church, called the show “an instrument of moral rot” in a blog post he linked from his Twitter feed with nearly 900,000 followers.

He blasted Globo as “the biggest sponsor of immorality and homosexuality in Brazil.”

Malafaia and Record have denied involvement in an anonymous petition that later circulated on Facebook urging viewers to boycott “Babilonia.” But Record has nevertheless capitalized on the controversy.

Network brass gives most of the credit for the success of “The Ten Commandments” to the quality of its production. Each of its 150 episodes costs around $230,000 to produce with extravagant sets, on-location shoots in Chile and Egypt and special effects.

But Record officials also assert the family-friendly content has played a major role.

“Whether you like it or not, the public is still very traditional,” said Anderson Souza, who oversees soaps at Record. “Families want to be able to peacefully sit down in the living room and not worry about…being embarrassed.”

The network is now negotiating with Fox’s Spanishlanguage channel, MundoFox, to sell the U.S. rights, Souza said.

On a recent balmy night at a tiny hair salon in Rio’s Dona Marta slum, all eyes were glued to the television screen showing “The Ten Commandments,” as were customers in the bar and cafe across the street.

“In my opinion, there should only be soaps like this one—to teach about the Bible, about family and values,” hairdresser Cristiana da Silva said, dividing her attention between the evening’s last customer and the action on screen. “This is the best soap.”

(AP video journalist Renata Brito contributed to this report.)

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Week of June 3-9 June 3 1904—Dr. Charles R. Drew is born. He grows up to conduct a first of its kind research in blood transfusions and the creation of blood plasma.

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

1906—Entertainer Josephine Baker is born in St. Louis, Mo. At 16, she starred in the hit and controversial musical “Shuffle Along.” However, she did not achieve fame until she left the United States and moved to Paris, France, where her exotic dancCHARLES R. DREW ing and singing made her an international sensation. Baker was mixed race of African American and Native American parentage. She returned to the U.S. several times including in 1963 to speak at the Dr. Martin Luther King-led March on Washington for civil rights.

June 4 1922—Samuel L. Gravely is born. Gravely became the first African American admiral in the United States Navy and the first African American to command a U.S. warship. The Richmond, Va., native died in 2004 at the age of 82.

1972—College professor and activist Angela Davis is acquitted by a jury of charges that she assisted and conspired with the young men involved in a deadly 1970 shootout at the Marin County courthouse in California. The assault on the courthouse was an attempt to free imprisoned Black activist George Jackson. At least three people were killed during the JOSEPHINE BAKER escape attempt. Davis, a Birmingham, Ala., native who became a member of the Communist Party, spent 16 months in prison but on this day in 1972 she was found not guilty of all charges by an allWhite San Jose, Calif., jury.

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

June 5 1872—The Republican Party National Convention ANGELA DAVIS takes place in Philadelphia with substantial representation from former Black slaves. At least three Blacks addressed the national political gathering. At this point in history, the Republicans were the nation’s most progressive party and attracted the allegiance of African Americans. Blacks would remain loyal to the Republicans until the 1930s. But by 1945 with the Republicans becoming increasingly conservative and attracted to the New Deal programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the vast majority of Blacks had switched to the Democrats.

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

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

1956—Although the actual decision may have been reached the previous day, a federal district court hands down a ruling declaring that Alabama laws requiring racial segregation in public JOHN CARLOS and TOMMIE SMMITH transportation were unconstitutional. The decision, which was later confirmed by the United States Supreme Court, was the first major legal victory for the Civil Rights Movement.

It grew out of the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott sparked when Rosa Parks defied the law and custom by refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a White man. Although actually organized by Rev. E.D. Nixon, the Boycott would result in Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. becoming the nation’s most prominent civil rights leader.

June 6 1790—Jean Baptist Pointe Du Sable establishes a settlement which would eventually grow into the city of Chicago. The settlement would make the French-speaking, Santo Domingoborn Du Sable a wealthy man.

1958—Singer, musician and composer Prince was born on this day in Minneapolis, Minn. His full name is Prince Rogers Nelson.

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

1987—Dr. Mae Jemison is selected by NASA as the first Black woman to begin training as a space shuttle astronaut. Jemison actually become the first African-American woman to travel in space on Sept. 12, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor.

June 7 1868—This is generally recognized as the day Marie Laveau retired (or was forced out) as the most powerful Voo Doo priestess in the world. The New Orleans native had become powerful and wealthy catering to the superstitious beliefs of both Blacks and Whites throughout the South. The daughter of a slave and a French plantation owner, Laveau was raised as a Catholic but became inDR. MAE JEMISON trigued by stories of the city’s first Voo Doo priestess Sanite De De and by 1830 had built her own Voo Doo religious empire. She was replaced by one of her daughters but she would live until 1881 dying at the age of 98.

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

1930—Under pressure from early civil rights activists, the New York Times begins using the word “Negro” as the official designation for African Americans. It also agreed to capitalize the “N.” The decision by the Times gradually led to “Negro” becoming the official designation for Blacks nationwide and it would remain so until it was dethroned by “Black” in the 1960s. Positively, the rights advocates were attempting to build greater respect for African Americans but negatively, the selection of “Negro” also re- GWENDOLYN BROOKS flected a desire not to be referred to as “Blacks.”

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

June 8 1886—Homer A. Plessy, a light-complexioned Black man, refuses to leave the “White” section of a New Orleans railroad car and move to the “colored” section. His Rosa Parks type refusal sets in motion a legal case, which eventually reached the United States Supreme Court.

In its May 1896 ruling, the Court decided against Plessy and thus confirmed the segregationist doctrine of “separate but equal.” The ruling also had the effect of treating anyone with any “Black blood” as Black. The court never actually ruled on Plessy’s claim that he was 7/8 White and only 1/8 Black and thus should not be treated as “colored” under the laws of that day.

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

1982—One of the greatest athletes to ever play the game of baseball, Satchell Paige, dies in Kansas City, Mo. Paige had played in the old Negro Baseball Leagues and went unrecognized by Major League Baseball and the general public for decades. He was finally voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.

SATCHELL PAIGE June 9 1948—Oliver W. Hill becomes the first African American elected to the Richmond, Va., city council. He is best known for his work as a civil rights attorney helping bring down the segregationist doctrine of “separate but equal.” Hill was born in 1907.

1989—One of the “founding fathers” of the Congressional Black Caucus, Michigan Rep. John Conyers issues the first call for a Congressional investigation into paying African Americans reparations for the enslavement of their ancestors.

Once targeted by racists, Pa. housing worker now loses daughter

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

NATIONAL

JUNE 3-9, 2015

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by Michael Rubinkam

ALPHA HQ website on his public-access cable TV show, “White Forum,” and began sitAssociated Press Writer ting outside Jouhari’s office window for hours at a time, sometimes taking pictures.

Fair-housing advocate Bonnie Jouhari and Fearing for their lives, Jouhari and her her daughter spent years on the run from daughter fled to the Seattle area, beginning White supremacists who had launched a vian odyssey that would span more than a cious campaign of harassment and intimidozen moves and several states. dation in southeastern Pennsylvania. HopThey tried keeping a low profile, but the hascotching from state to state, Jouhari was rassment persisted. unable to return to the career she loved, “It would be OK for a couple of months, and and her teenage daughter, Dani, became they would find us again,” Jouhari said. deeply depressed. A judge handed them a The ordeal made Dani hypervigilant, withcivil judgment of more than $1.1 million, drawn and moody. A psychologist diagnosed which they couldn’t collect. her with severe post-traumatic stress disorDani never got over the trauma, Jouhari der, according to court documents. says, and sank into substance abuse and Jouhari’s former lawyer remembered Dani homelessness after serving as an Army as an intelligent, witty and promising girl medic. In February, shortly before her 33rd who battled demons that surfaced as a result birthday, Dani called her mother and said: of her unstable, fearful teenage years.

“You made this mess for me. Can’t you help “These events had an indelible negative efme get out of it?” fect on her life, and I can’t help but believe Jouhari could not, and, last week, found that at least a substantial part of her downherself burying her daughter. ward spiral came from the chaos that rePilar Danielle Horton-Garcia’s body was sulted from the intimidation that took place found last month in San Antonio, Texas, where police say she was shot in the head. VICTIM OF VIOLENCE—Pilar Danielle Horton-Garcia, 33, a Berks County native, was found shot to death back in Reading,” said Brian Levin, an attorney and hate crimes expert at California Police have made no arrests but said on April 30 near railroad tracks in a remote area of northeast San Antonio. (Courtesy Photo/KSAT 12) State University, San Bernardino.

May 29 that they continue to pursue leads.

A psychologist said Dani required years of intense counFor Jouhari, 59, and back in Pennsylvania after years seling, which a judge took into account when, in 2000, he away, Dani’s killing represents yet one more blow. ordered Wilson to pay Jouhari and her daughter more “She was so terribly angry at me,” Jouhari said. “This than $1.1 million. Frankhouser, meanwhile, agreed to give whole thing destroyed our relationship. She blamed me.” the pair 10 percent of his income each year for a decade.

Life was different in 1998. Jouhari, who is White, worked But neither man complied. at the Reading-Berks Human Relations Council, helping “We never got a dime during this entire thing from anypeople file complaints under the Fair Housing Act and body,” Jouhari said. serving as a tester to ensure landlords and sellers were Jouhari believes the U.S. attorney’s office in Philadelphia, complying with antidiscrimination laws. She also founded tasked with enforcing the judgment, should have done a hate crimes task force. more. A spokeswoman declined to comment on May 28.

Her daughter was a popular and motivated high school Dani was buried with military honors, May 26, at Washstudent, taking part in student government, the drama ington Crossing National Cemetery outside Philadelphia. club, volleyball and track. She wanted to study at Penn She leaves behind four daughters—three in Texas and a State University and become an athletic trainer. She and teenager who lives with Jouhari. her boyfriend planned to marry after high school.

Her mother said she has no doubt Dani would have But Jouhari’s fair-housing work had put her on the radar taken a different path if she hadn’t been so abruptly upscreen of Ryan Wilson, the leader of a neo-Nazi group BONNIE AND DANI JOUHARI (Courtesy Photo) rooted and forced to live her teenage years in hiding. called ALPHA HQ. Wilson posted a picture of her on the “The more I think about it, the angrier it makes me that group’s website, calling her a “race traitor” who would “be Soon after, Jouhari began receiving as many as 30 you can wreck a life,” Jouhari said. “I can’t go back and hung from the neck from the nearest tree or lamp post.” An animation showed Jouhari’s office being blown up; the threatening phone calls a day. A self-described “chaplain” undo any of it. ...Here she was, just barely 33, four chilto the Ku Klux Klan, Roy Frankhouser, broadcast the dren, and now gone.’ website described her biracial daughter as a “mongrel.”

Call to curb expansion of charter schools in Black communities

by Freddie Allen Senior Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON (NNPA)—Parents, students and advocates for strong neighborhood schools continue to pressure civic leaders to end the expansion of charter and contract schools in Black and Latino communities across the nation.

Jitu Brown, the national director of Journey for Justice Alliance, a coalition of community, youth and parent-led grassroots organizations in 21 cities, said that the fight for public education—which suffers with the expansion of charter and contract schools—is a human and a civil rights issue.

As voices from the community were increasingly drowned out by philanthropic groups seeking wholesale educational reform, the state takeover of schools, corporate charters and appointed school boards have become the status quo, Brown said.

According to Education Week, a magazine published by Editorial Projects in Education, a nonprofit that produces K-12 educational content in print and online, more than 60 percent of philanthropic donations funneled into education young people in the United States went to charter and contract schools in 2010. Less than 25 percent of funding went to those programs about 15 years ago.

“What would actually be revolutionary, brand new, and fresh is if community wisdom was listened to and [corporations] worked with the people who are directly impacted by the institutions that they have to live with everyday,” said Brown.

Brown described two separate and unequal sets of expectations, one for White and middle class children and another, lower set of expectations for Black and Latino children that often influence education policy. Those disparities will continue until society finds the courage to confront them.

“We want what our friends in other communities have, said Brown. “They don’t have contract schools, they don’t have charter schools in middle class White communities they have world-class neighborhood schools.”

Daniel del Pielago of Empower DC agreed.

As the education organizer for Empower DC, a grassroots group that supports low- and moderate-income District residents living in the nation’s capital, said that when communities work together, and when they’re given the chance to put together solutions that work, they find success that doesn’t require corporate intervention.

That success is embodied by the community school model championed by groups such as the Alliance.

According to the Coalition for Community Schools, a network of educational groups that provide support for youth development family and health services, community schools feature an “integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and community engagement” that promotes “student learning, stronger families and healthier communities.”

Helen Moore, the co-chairperson of the Keep the Vote/No Takeover Coalition in Detroit, Mich., said that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently working its way through a Republican-led Congress still at odds with President Barack Obama, should give communities the power to control the destinies of their children.

Moore said that neither “No Child Left Behind” Act, George W. Bush’s education initiative, nor President Obama’s “Race to Top” fulfilled what was supposed to really happen: giving Black and Brown school systems the power and resources they needed to implement high-quality educational programs for their children.

“What’s lost in the minutiae of school closures is the dismantling of good neighborhood schools,” said Brown.

“There were actually solid well-performing schools in our community that were receiving schools for students that

lost their schools due to closures.”

Two years later, Brown said, those schools often saw their test scores plummet, creating a cascading effect.

Overcrowded classrooms make it harder for teachers to do their jobs lowering morale and have a negative impact on an already stressful learning environment.

“One of the casualties of corporate education interventions is the removal of Black teachers a significant part of the Black middle class. And who are they replaced by?

They are replaced by newer, younger, Whiter and more transient teachers,” said Brown. “We are all for teaching diversity, but we also know that that is a civil rights issue.

Children have the right to look at their teachers and dream that they can be that they should be able to see themselves.”

Brown said, “We should have positive student development and discipline policies. That doesn’t mean that if a student brings a knife or a gun, we’re going to throw rose petals at the child. We need to treat our young people like discipline is supposed to teach a lesson and suspending children is not teaching them anything. What teaches them something is creating a culture where they learn how to be accountable for their actions.”

Although Brown said that he supports parents who seek innovative educational alternatives for their children, he called for a federal moratorium on all charter and contract school programs “What’s lost in the minutiae of school closures is the dismantling of good neighborhood schools that they were actually solid well-performing schools in our community that were receiving schools for students of school closings and you look two years later and their scores plummet,” said Brown.

“The prerequisite to choice is stability,” said Brown. “You can’t anchor a community with schools where people have contracts to run them. [School] privatization and community schools cannot coexist. They are like oil and water.”

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JUNE 3-9, 2015

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

METRO

DESTINEY JONES, 8 year old from the West End wears handcuffs to demonstrate against school to prison pipeline.

IN CHAINS—Aquia Chambers, 17 year old and Shakihya Ruffin, 16 year old, wear chains to rally against school to prison pipeline.

ONE OF THE MANY SPEAKERS—State Rep. Ed Gainey speaking at rally.

Rally urges PPS to end school-to-prison pipeline CONTINUED FROM A1

Pink Coat Communications said, The rally took place Tuesday, May 26, at 5 p.m. Followed by a Board Meeting at 6 p.m. at Pittsburgh Public Schools 341 S. Bellefield Avenue.

More than 50 people attended. There was a variety of speakers during the rally; parents, teachers, students, clergy, experts on educational discipline, and state representatives. For example; Rev. Fred White of Kingdom Life Fellowship Church, Melanie Turney, PPS teacher; Parent, Carmella Jones; College Professor Jeff Shook; Parent Marchs Garland; Parent Pam Harbin; incoming School Board Member Moira Kaleida; and state Rep Ed Gainey.

Organizers ACTION United and the Center for Third World Organizing, are calling on the board to support disciplinary policies that work to keep students in school, correct behavior, and foster long term student success rather than feed the school to prison pipeline.

These policy recommendations were endorsed by the Great Public Schools

Pittsburgh coalition, and were submitted to the administration on April 29.

The administration has not yet acted on the recommendations.

Pittsburgh Public Schools have been pushing a campaign for students to, “Be There!” Schools themselves have been pushing students out by disciplinary policies quick to suspend or expel students for even minor infractions.

Numerous schools have begun to work on reducing suspensions there is no cohesive, coherent, district wide effort at creating and implementing policies to specifically replace “Push-Out,” with a disciplinary policy focused on restoration measures.

Research studies show that harsh disciplinary codes and, “zero tolerance” policies reinforce bad behavior among students.

African American and Latino students are disproportionately targeted by “Push-Out” policies. During the 2013-2014 academic school year nearly 75 percent of student suspensions were students of color.

“Both the District Administration and The School Board has now promised to consider and discuss the

SUPERINTENDENT LINDA LANE listening to speakers at open hearing during school board meeting.

GPS recommendations. We will be following up with them at their June cementing. We would like to see new policies in place by the start of the 2015-2016 school year,” Jennifer England said.

“ACTION United and GPS will continue to work to make sure that new disciplinary policies are created and implemented. We plan on following up with the board during their June meeting,” Carmella Jones, Regional Leader for ACTION United said. “I am organizing with others and working hard to change policies in the school district that pushes our students out of the educational system and into the juvenile criminal system. We demand that the school that the school district implement the recommendations developed by GPS and continue to work with us to improve the district schools’ culture and climate.

“We need to work together to make sure each student is not only academically prepared for school, but socially. That takes us all working together building trusting relationships with administrators, teachers, parents, and students.”

REGINA HOLLY listening to speakers during open hearing at school board meeting.

Coalition to rally for fair school funding CONTINUED FROM A1

by the issue of improving educational equity for children across the state.

“We don’t believe money fixes everything,” he said. “But if you have children that are already challenged by poverty and give them less money—that definitely doesn’t work.”

That, according to studies published by the Education Trust and the National Forum on Educational Statistics is exactly what Pennsylvania has been doing.

The lack of a funding formula, Dowd noted, coupled with the heavy reliance on local property taxes have resulted in a 33 percent funding disparity between the wealthiest and poorest districts in the state, ranging from $8,000 per student to $24,000 per student. This, the studies say, has led to: •93 percent of school districts reducing staff; •50 percent furloughing teachers or other staff; •74 percent cutting or reducing at least one academic program, and •57 percent increasing class size.

Dowd said a new system needs to be put in place, and his organization has developed one that can address the current funding disparities. But it won’t happen overnight.

“This an old problem. We don’t expect resolution in one year or with one piece of legislation,” he said. “But we could put something in place that moves in that direction—a student-based system.”

The formula would multiply a dollar amount by number of students in a district

and weight it according to factors that challenge performance such as deep or moderate poverty, non-English speakers, homelessness, etc.

“We also suggest using sparcity, the population per area and the number of charters schools. Then determine state and local funding percentage,” he said. “If state did that, it would become one of the best in the country—because it starts with the students and their needs.”

Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Esther Bush, herself a former teacher, will be making the trip also, and is excited to be part of the initiative.

“This is a big deal. We have civil rights groups, religious groups, educators public and charter school advocates from across the state all coming together on behalf of our children,” she said. “It’s evolutionary and revolutionary, and I’m proud to be a part of it. But Individuals need to know they have a roll in this too, and elected officials need to see that people care about this” That’s why she, Dowd and coalition members like A+ Schools Executive Director Carey Harris, Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network President Rev. Richard Freeman, and attorney Cheryl Kleinman of the Education Law Center are urging individuals to join them in Harrisburg.

For information on buses leaving for the rally, contact Mara Christy 412-586-0880 ext.

2 or email mara.christy@alliesforchildren.org.

(Send comments row@newpittsburghcourier.com.)

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Council fights to uplift Wilkinsburg

PRISON BARS—Kids sit inside a makeshift jail handcuffed. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

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council is McCarthy-Johnson, and the vice president is Moore.

“Wilkinsburg has a high number of African Americans as residents, and they are long time residents,” McCarthy-Johnson said. “This is their community and there should be representation on council that looks and lives like them.”

The role of the council is to serve as civilian oversight of all activities of the Borough. Council is responsible for making policy, passing ordinances, voting appropriations, approving all personnel decisions, and establishing and maintaining the Borough‘s budget.”

McCarthy-Johnson was elected to serve her first term on Council in 2008, and was re-elected in 2011. She is currently the chair of several council committees including the Special Events and Administration Committees. She formerly served on Public Safety and was a member of the Economic Development Committee. She has worked on Art in the Park, a summer concert series that runs from June to August and highlights local bands, artists and food trucks. She has also chaired Wilkinsburg Community Days and established the annual Wilkinsburg Toy Drive and Giveaway. McCarthy-Johnson is an active member of the community, and has been devoted to the community for years.

She is also a graduate of Wilkinsburg High School.

Council Vice President Moore has been a resident of Wilkinsburg for 20 years.

Moore is also the former Council President, while she served as president in 2007-2011.

Trice was elected to serve her first term on Council in 2008 and was re-elected in 2011. She formerly served as Chair of the Personnel Committee, and is a member of the Hiring Committee. Trice has volunteered for many community clean-ups and has worked tirelessly beautifying the neighborhoods. Trice is a former member of the Wilkinsburg Planning Commission, Wilkinsburg Intra-Community Network, and the Wilkinsburg Weed & Seed TALL Team. She is a life long resident of the Borough, graduate of Wilkinsburg, and has raised her children and grandchild in Wilkinsburg Council Member Garrett has worked in community and outreach development for several years. She serves as the Outreach Coordinator with the University of Pittsburgh, and has done so for seven years.

Garret is a homeowner in the First Ward and a member of the Blackridge Civic Association.

“Working with different groups has contributed to my interpersonal groups and allowed me to be flexible, yet committed,” Garret said. “When I learned more about the hardships in my community, the Lord put it upon my heart to step up and run for office to make sure our community would move forward.”

She plans to serve on the Wilkinsburg

Council for years to come.

“I see my time and experience serving on Wilkinsburg Board Council as a great foundation to continue servitude as an elected official,” Garret said.

“I have already served two terms and have ran for another four year term. I was the only one on the ballot in May, which means I won the primary and will be alone on the ballot in November for the second ward of Wilkinsburg. I plan to stay for at least the next four years to help continue to move Wilkinsburg forward.

Current Council has worked very hard to make forward moving ideas and keep Wilkinsburg on the positive oath forward,” McCarthy-Johnson said.

In the future the Council would like to stabilize the infrastructure and follow the steps from the Comprehensive Plan.

Council also plans to use a strategic planning session to create long term and short-term goals. One of the goals Council already is planning to work on is to create attractive gateways that welcome civilians to the Borough. Council committees have been created, that have been assigned specific jobs, and this allows for residents to become involved and be a part of the solution. The Council is looking for ways to help more people become homeowners in Wilkinsburg, and is interested in adding revenue to keep from raising mileage. In which these tasks have not been done by Council for more than 10 years.

“I personally would like to see the Borough become a more green and sustainable community,” McCarthy-Johnson said. “We are looking at changing street lights to LED; which will be a huge electric cost savings over the long run. We do not want to add additional burdens to our residents, but make the Borough a safe, clean, and green community.”

The Wilkinsburg Council is planning to strive for a better neighborhood, and is dedicated to serving the residents of the community. While also redeveloping the Borough, reducing blight and abandoned properties, increased community engagement, and showing everyone how Wilkinsburg is good all over.

Because Wilkinsburg has a 65 percent Black population it is crucial Council reflects a diverse and inclusive population, she said.

“Being a part of Council has become a big part of who I am because I spend many hours working to make this community better. I am a person that wants to see Wilkinsburg flourish and become a viable community that people want to move to and start businesses here. I have an opportunity to help do this by being on Council and representing Wilkinsburg residents,” McCarthy-Johnson.

Council meets the first, second, and third Wednesday’s of the month, plus many committee meetings. All are open for the public except for the Personnel and Hiring Committee.

YWCA honors 7 trailblazers at Leadership Luncheon NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JUNE 3-9, 2015

METRO

by Ashley Johnson Courier Staff Writer

Seven women who have diligently advanced the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh’s ideals of eliminating racism and empowering women in their workplace and within their communities were honored at the organization’s 33rd Annual Tribute to Women Leadership Awards Luncheon held at the Westin Convention Center Hotel on May 21.

The event honored women from various facets of the community. Through their dedicated efforts, these women continue to pave the way for young women who come behind them.

“These are all remarkable, accomplished women,” YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh CEO Magdeline E. Jensen said during her remarks. She went on to say that as these women are celebrated, “We will keep working so that future local women who walk in the paths of these women are paid equitably and fairly.”

Award recipients for the afternoon’s program, which was guided along by the mistress of ceremonies, WPXI News Anchor Peggy Finnegan, were Young Leader awardee Ayisha A. Morgan Lee, founder, CEO and artistic director of the Hill Dance Academy Theatre; Carmen Anderson, senior program officer of the Heinz Endowments’ Children, Youth & Families Program, who received the Civic and Community Service Award; Janet L. McCall, executive director of the Society for Contemporary Crafts, who received the Creative Arts Award;

HONOREES—Standing, from left: Janet L. McCall, Ayisha A. Morgan-Lee, Rosa Davis and Erin Dalton. Seated, from left: Ruth O’Block Grant, Doris Brevard and Carmen Anderson. (Photos by J.L. Martello) Business and Professional Services awardee Ruth O’Block Grant, former president of Louis A. Grant Inc.; Rosa Davis, executive director of POWER, the recovery program for women, who received the Health and Human Services Award; and Science & Technology awardee Erin Dalton, deputy director of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Office of Analysis, Research and Evaluation.

The top honor, the distinguished Allerton Lifetime Achievement Award, was

MAGDELINE JENSEN Executive director, YWCA of Greater Pgh

bestowed upon retired Vann Elementary School educator, Doris Brevard, who gave more than 50 years to teaching and grooming young African Americans into successful leaders. Brevard’s award presentation included a video featuring herself along with several of her former students who shared special memories and messages of thanks to the life changer.

“She was influential on many of us in my class, but (especially) on young ladies because while she was the

MARSHA JONES President, YWCA of Greater Pgh board of directors

excellent teacher, she taught you to be a lady, “ said President & CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania Doris Carson Williams.

Brevard was also described as not only making an impact on the students, but the parents and the surrounding community as well. Other guest appearances made in the video in-

cluded local leaders, Tim Stevens, Laurence Glasco, Rev. Barbara Gunn, Chentis Pettigrew Jr. and retired administrator Harry Clark.

While she has made many accomplishments throughout her career, such as improving standardized test scores and developing a method of education that was so successful that many would travel from around the

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country to learn, Brevard said her greatest achievement is “when I see one of my students and they thank me for what they have been able to do because I helped them in elementary school.”

While the recipients were excited about receiving their awards, during their remarks, many spoke of the work still left to do and their hopes for the future.

“While this day, is a day to pause for celebration, I’m reminded of the work yet to be done. My hope going forward is that we have the insight, courage and inspiration to react to the injustices in both mind and deed,” said Anderson.

“That we not grow weary in advocating on behalf of those who have no voice or those who have not the power to stand up for themselves.”

Along with the celebrating the honorees, Jensen also recognized several of the YWCA’s recent accomplishments, which include extending their STEM Stars program to 11 more local middle schools in the fall and the first place win in a local video competition of a team of their STEM Stars from Woodland Hills Junior High School.

Support for the event included major sponsors, the Eden Hall Foundation, Huntington Bank, Highmark and the Heinz Endowment, along with several other achievement sponsors.

(For more information on the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh and its programs, visit www.ywcapgh.org.)

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JUNE 3-9, 2015

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Gainey holds Town Hall meeting on budget Zone 5 Police Station opens to community CONTINUED FROM A1

of the city, which includes Homewood, Larimer, Friendship, Highland Park, and Garfield. The relationship between some in these neighborhoods and the police has been strained and rigid over the years, due to the many police brutality cases and fatalities that have taken place.

The idea for holding an open house came from community feedback that was received at several public meetings. The community felt it necessary to start holding meetings to inter-

act and get to know those who are here to protect the civilians.

“They want to get to know the officers, the people that patrol their neighborhoods,” Lando said. “And we thought, what a great idea to just open our station and invite people down, and just make a nice evening out of it.”

“Holding an open house was a good idea, and a creative way to bring the community together and remind us that the police do care. I appreciated this, and would like to thank Zone 5 for putting this together,”

Keyshawna Lewis, of Garfield, said.

Lando also stated that the event was enjoyable, and an opportunity to show a side that is not often seen.

The open house featured Zone 5 equipment and specialty vehicles borrowed from the special deployment division. Representatives were present from specialty units—SWAT, Bomb Squad and Motorcycle Division.

Zone 5 is pleased to announce that this will be a first in a series of open houses to come.

ADDRESSING EDUCATION—A town hall meeting to discuss Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget plan was held hosted by state Rep. Ed Gainey on May 28 at the Union Project, on Negley Avenue, in East Liberty.

Also present were state Rep. Jake Wheatley, state Rep. George Dunbar and state Sen. Wayne Fontana.

Pictured above, state Rep. Ed Gainey addresses a question from the community. In the background are Sen. Jay Costa, Sen. Wayne Fontana, Rep. Jake Wheatley and Rep. George Dunbar. (Photo by Gail Manker)

Burgess celebrates victory at Nazarene Church

REV. RICKY BURGESS thanking supporters that came out in support of him after his City Council victory, May 19.

The victory celebration was held in the basement of the Nazarene Baptist Church. (Photo by J.L. Martello)

USE OF HANDCUFFS—Pittsburgh Police Officer Jeffrey Crawford lets kids check out the handcuffs and explains why officers need to use them. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

DANCING TOGETHER—Officers enjoy line dancing with members of the community.

CREATING BETTER RELATIONS—A S.W.A.T. officer shows Nyjorae Noeo, 10, and Hustone Featherstone, 12, both from Lincoln, how to put on a S.W.A.T. vest which can weigh up to 90 pounds.

Community Calendar Walter Allen Memorial Seminar JUNE 4—The Alzheimer Outreach Center of the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer Disease Research Center, along with the Alzheimer Association, Greater PA Chapter will host the Walter Allen Memorial Seminar Series at 2 p.m. at the Hill House Kaufmann Center, 1835 Centre Ave., Hill District. The topic is “Does Physical Activity Help Your Brain?” Kirk I. Erickson, PhD and a professor at Pitt, will be the guest speaker. Reservations are required by May 28. For more information, call Marita Garrett at 412-692-2722.

SisStars Weekend Retreat JUNE 5—SisStars Gather will host its Weekend Retreat at East End Cooperative Ministries, 6140 Station St., East Liberty.

The three-day event, with the theme “Keeping the Magic Alive: The Alchemical Element of Fire,” gives women of all circles an opportunity to gather and unite together to inspire, strengthen, share and nurture each other.

There will be various workshops, speakers and more to take place throughout the weekend. For more information, visit www.sisstarsgather.com.

Bedford Hill Community Day

PBMF Summer Mixer

JUNE 6—The Bedford Hill Community Day Committee will host the Bedford Hill Apartments 2015 Community Day “Back-inthe-Day Old School Spring Event” at 11 a.m. at the Bedford Hill Apartments, 2129 Bedford Ave., Hill District. The theme is “Families—Going Back to the Good Old Days.” There will be old school games, music, food, vendors, raffles and more. There will also be a “Walk Down Memory Lane” at the corner of Memory Lane and Bedford Avenue.

The dress code is old school.

For more information, call 412281-5895, 412-338-0208 or email Deborah.holt@mccormackbaron.com.

JUNE 11—The Pittsburgh Black Media Federation will host its Summer Mixer from 5:30-9 p.m. at Savoy Restaurant, 2623 Penn Ave., Strip District. Individuals are invited to join members of the PBMF as well as other professionals for an evening of fun. Reservations are required.

For more information, visit www.pbmf.org.

Unity in the Community JUNE 6—Seshemet Community Council & Sankofa Community Empowerment Inc. will host its annual “A Day of Unity in the Community 2015” at 5 p.m. at the Homewood Coliseum, 7310 Frankstown Ave., Homewood.

The theme is “Uniting Black Men & Black Women & Strengthening the Black Family.” The event will feature guest Shahrazad Ali. There will also be a pre-event.

For more information, email sankofaunited@gmail.com.

Sickle Cell Walk JUNE 14—The Children’s Sickle Cell Foundation Inc. will host its 6th Annual “Living Well with Sickle Cell” Walk at Kennywood Amusement Park, 4800 Kennywood Blvd., West Mifflin. This fundraiser is to support the essential programs that directly affect the lives of children and adults with sickle cell disease. Individuals are encouraged to create a team.

There will be weekly prizes given away. Also, on June 18, there will be an Applebee’s Dining to Donate event at the Edgewood location only. For more information, visit www.cscfkids.org.

(To have items listed on Community Calendar, send information at least two weeks in advance to: 315 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219; Fax: 412-481-1360 or email: newsroom@newpittsburghcourier.com.)

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JUNE 3-9, 2015

METRO

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Protesters call for better medical care at county jail CONTINUED FROM A1

Justice Project at the jail May 29 calling for the immediate termination of the Corizon contract and the appointment of a new medical director and team.

Carrying signs with the names of other inmates who died in jail custody this year—Timothy Melvin Haskell, Timothy Leininger and Monty Crawford—the protesters also called for Warden Orlando Harper to resign.

“All of them died because of neglect and a lack of compassion from county officials and staff at this jail,” said organizer Julia Johnson. “People here died because they were not given medicine they begged for.”

Corizon has been under fire since being hired by the county Sept. 1, 2013. Since then the death rate at the jail has been nearly twice the national average. Two inmates, Crawford, 23, and Leininger, 27, both died there May 21. Haskell died in Jail custody in April.

Fitzgerald announced his decision terminating Corizon May 22, saying, “In light of what happened this week, we think it’s important to make this announcement publicly.”

Johnson said waiting until August to replace

Corizon is unacceptable, and following the rally out-

side the jail, the protesters led a march to the county

courthouse where they restated their demands.

NOT ONE MORE—Tomi Lynn Harris carries a poster of her late son, Frank Smart, as she joins protesters demanding an immediate change in medical providers at the Allegheny County Jail. (Photo courtesy ACJ Health Justice Project Facebook page)

“We have mothers who’ve lost children,” she said. “We demand the county hire an interim director for the Allegheny County Jail within the next 30 days, who will be held accountable to the county executive; public input and oversight in selecting a new health care provider, and the immediate removal of Warden Orlando Harper.”

In response, county spokesperson Amie Downs said she had no response beyond what had previously been said.

“We will not extend the contract with Corizon and have jointly agreed to end our existing relationship at the end of the term on August 31, 2015,” she said.

“We will be bringing Jail Medical in house, working with partners to provide the specialized services. We will make further announcements moving forward.”

Harris isn’t satisfied.

“I never even got a call from the jail when he died.

I called to talk to him and they say, ‘Oh, he died,’” she said. “He was killed. Warden Harper signed my son’s death certificate.”

(Send comments to cmorrow@newpittsburghcourier.com.)

30 of 36 homicides Black lives—Time to take a stand CONTINUED FROM A1

while attending a community picnic with his family. Like that of Lovelace, there was a large crowd gathered when the shooting occurred. All these witnesses and yet these killers continue to roam free.

While authorities do need cooperation from the community to solve these senseless killings and get these shooters off the streets, Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety Public Information Officer Sonya Toler said, cooperating goes beyond just telling what one saw. “Where justice happens is in the courtroom.” Individuals have to be willing to go through the whole process.

How can we ask for the police and the district attorneys to do their job and hold them accountable, if we’re not willing to do our part and hold ourselves, as a community, accountable? While there are far more individuals willing to stand up and speak out than there are who are willing to remain silent; even one person’s silence is deadly.

By not cooperating through the entire process, these killers get off and become free to continue taking the lives of more innocent people. It’s time to not only take “a stand,” but take “the stand.”

As part of an ongoing effort to heighten awareness about the effects of murder in Black communities, the New Pittsburgh Courier will compile a list of homicides in the County each month. It is our hope that as the list of victims grows, so will a true understanding of how these lost lives affect the mental health, economic well being and self-images of the region’s Black neighborhoods.

Out of the 36 murders, thus far, in 2015— 30 were Black and 27 were Black men.

May Homicides (10) MAY 7—Valerie Crumpton, a 72-yearold Black female from East Hills, was found beaten to death in her home in the 500 block of Karl Street in East Hills. Her granddaughter, Tionna Banks, was also found dead. Authorities found the two while conducting a wellness check that was requested after Banks did not report to a social service appointment. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

(Identified as Valorie Crumpton by the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner.)

MAY 7—Tionna Banks, a 19-year-old from East Hills, was found beaten to death, along with her grandmother, Valerie Crumpton, in Crumpton’s Karl Street home in East Hills. The two were found when authorities conducted a wellness check after receiving reports that Banks did not show up for a social service appointment. Banks had recently been threatened by her estranged boyfriend, the father of her then-2month-old child. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

MAY 10—Jamar Thomas, a 20-year-old Black male from Hazelwood, was fatally shot outside an apartment building, in the 500 block of Collins Avenue in East Liberty, where he had been visiting. He reportedly had gotten into an altercation with Brett Terry prior to the shooting. Terry is charged with criminal homicide along with other charges. He is awaiting trial.

MAY 13—Christopher Katchur, a 52year-old White male from McKeesport, was fatally shot in the back in his McKeesport home in the 3100 block of Orchard Street.

He reportedly had just obtained an emergency protection from abuse order against his wife, Patricia Katchur. She allegedly had entered the home through a window, fell asleep, woke up when her husband came home and got into a dispute. Patricia Katchur is charged with criminal homicide.

She is awaiting trial.

MAY 15—Mikal Francis, a 32-year-old Black male from New Jersey, was found

shot multiple times in the 7100 block of Idlewild Street in Homewood. He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

MAY 16—Darius Williams, a 40-yearold Black male from Jefferson Hills, was fatally shot in his Roberts Drive home, in Jefferson Hills, during a dispute with the man his female live-in companion had brought home. The woman reportedly picked up Trenton Knight, brought him to the home, and an altercation ensued when Williams returned home. Knight had allegedly been hiding in a bedroom and fired shots when Williams opened the door. Knight is charged with criminal homicide and firearm violation.

MAY 16—Deontay Hamilton, a 34year-old Black male from Braddock, was fatally stabbed at a home in the 500 block of Pine Way in Braddock during a domestic dispute with his girlfriend. Hamilton was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital where he later died. It is unknown if the woman has been charged.

MAY 17—Kelvin Lovelace, a 14-yearold Black male from Wilkinsburg, was fatally shot while attending a party in the East Hills Housing Complex on East Hills Drive. Reportedly, a group of hundreds were standing outside when a car drove up and fired shots into the crowd. Lovelace was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing. (Identified as Kevin Lovelace by the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner.)

MAY 20—Jaymon Gandy, a 21-year-old Black male from Homestead, was shot to death while walking down Mifflin Street in Homestead. He reportedly had been walking when a car drove up and several individuals got out of the car and fired multiple shots. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

MAY 20—Harrison Shaffer, a 68-yearold White male from Forward Township, was fatally shot in his home on Pine Avenue in Forward Township. His nephew, Billy Joe Richter, had allegedly entered his home looking for money. Shaffer called the police. Richter was arrested after a standoff that lasted for hours ended. Richter is charged with homicide, burglary, aggravated assault and more. He is awaiting trial.

April Homicides (8) APRIL 4—Isaac Cameron, a 23-year-old Black male from West Mifflin, was shot multiple times during a home invasion on Maple Avenue in West Mifflin. Cameron, who lived at the residence with his mother, died at the scene. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

APRIL 5—Christopher Richardson, a 20-year-old Black male from West Oakland, was shot in the torso while driving a vehicle with two other passengers on Dinwiddie Street in the Hill District. He was found near the scene, in an alley. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

APRIL 12—John Stefano, a 23-year-old from Turtle Creek, was fatally shot in an apartment in the Northern Pike Garden Apartment complex located in the 3900 block of Monroeville Boulevard. He was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital; where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

APRIL 21—Trula Dobbins, a 35-year-old Black male from Hill District, was shot in the chest and torso while at a bar in the 2400 block of Webster Avenue, in the Hill District, after an argument erupted. He was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

APRIL 23—Dion Turner, a 21-year-old Black male from Swissvale, was found fatally shot on the sidewalk in the 3000 block of Ward Street in South Oakland. Another man was also injured. Turner was pronounced dead at the scene. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

APRIL 24—Derrick Owens, a 30-year-old Black male from Pittsburgh, was fatally shot in the 1300 block of Columbus Avenue, in Manchester, while standing outside of his vehicle talking to passengers inside when a man walked up, shot him and continued on. Owens reportedly got back into the vehicle where he was found by authorities. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Rayshawn Austin is charged with homicide and gun violations. He is awaiting trial.

APRIL 25—Justin Ballard, a 26-year-old White male from McKees Rocks, was fatally shot in the back while in the Third Street Park near Third and Amelia Streets in McKees Rocks. He was taken to Allegheny Hospital where he died hours later. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

APRIL 26—Robert Sellmon II, a 63-year-old Black male from Braddock Hills, was found dead with multiple stab wounds in the bedroom of his home on Illinois Avenue in Braddock Hills. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Sellmon was allegedly stabbed by Darrell Carter, his cousin’s ex-lover who was reportedly upset that his ex had left him and moved in with Sellmon. Other reports state that authorities found Carter nearby with bloody clothes and knife in his pocket. Carter is charged with homicide, burglary and more. He is currently in Allegheny County Jail awaiting his trial.

March Homicides MARCH 3—John Scaine, a 23-year-old Black male from Braddock, was shot multiple times, including in the head, while walking near the intersection of Upland Street and North Lang Avenue in Homewood. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

MARCH 5—Garrick Marshman, a 19-year-old Black male from North Braddock, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in the backseat of a vehicle in the 3200 block of Mt. Lebanon Church Road in West Mifflin. He had been riding with three other individuals.

Deandre Smith, one of the passengers, allegedly shot Marshman and is charged with homicide and weapons violations. He is awaiting trial.

MARCH 21—Jacquelyn Bush, a 25-year-old Black female from Bellevue, was found dead in the basement of a home she was visiting on Courtright Street in Marshall-Shadeland. She had a gunshot wound to the buttocks. Charles Miles is charged with homicide. He is awaiting trial.

MARCH 23—Justin Clark, a 16-year-old Black male from Penn Hills, was fatally shot on Trefoil Court in Monroeville. He was taken to Forbes Hospital where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

MARCH 26—Isaiah Coleman, a 19-year-old Black male from Wilmerding, was fatally shot in the chest while at a home on Airbrake Avenue in Wilmerding. Coleman was at the home when he got into an altercation with Chaz White. He was pronounced dead at the scene. White allegedly shot Coleman and is charged with criminal homicide and carrying a firearm without a license. Another man is charged with weapons violation and tampering with evidence in connection with Coleman’s death. They are both awaiting their trial.

February Homicides FEB. 7—William Jeffries, a 50-year-old Black male from Penn Hills, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds in his Frankstown Road home in Penn Hills. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

FEB. 17—Deion Nesbitt, a 24-year-old Black male from East Liberty, was fatally shot during an altercation at the Rendezvous Phase III bar, located at 7232 Hamilton Ave., in Homewood. Nesbitt had been working as a security guard when he got into an altercation with a patron who had a gun. Three other individuals got involved and Nesbitt was shot.

An unknown female security guard was shot as well. Nesbitt died upon arriving at a local hospital.

Harvey Scott Jr., the alleged shooter, along with Tiqwan Green, Eric McGuire and Kevin Ford are charged with criminal homicide and a host of other charges.

FEB. 20—Brandon Barley, a 60-year-old Black male from McKeesport, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the trunk in an alley near the 3900 block of Jennylind Street in McKeesport. Two people were seen leaving the scene. No one has been

charged; the investigation is ongoing.

January Homicides JAN. 2—Davonte Stevenson, a 19-year-old Black male from the North Side, was found lying in the street near the intersection of Manhattan Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, in Manchester, with a gunshot wound to the chest. Stevenson had been walking when a vehicle pulled up and shots rang out. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

JAN. 4—Joseph Adu-Marfo, a 22-year-old Black male from McKees Rocks, died from a fatal shot to the lower extremities after being shot in the 3100 block of McClure Street in the North Side. He had shown up at Allegheny General Hospital where he later died. No one has been charged, the investigation is ongoing.

JAN. 6—Leslie Sapp, a 47-year-old Black male from Knoxville, was fatally shot by officers who were at his Redlyn Street home in Knoxville, to arrest him on charges of rape, Statutory sex, and more. He allegedly confronted officers with an air gun that looked real upon their entry. It has been reported that officers did not know the gun was not real. No charges have been filed.

JAN. 13—Nicholas Grant, a 16-year-old White male from Carrick, died days after being choked and beaten with a vacuum during a fight at Circle C Youth and Family Services group home on Noblestown Road in Carrick. On Jan 10, teens Yusuf Shepard and Malik Crosby allegedly put Grant in a chokehold while the other beat him with the vacuum. Grant was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital where he died days later. The two were charged as adults with homicide and aggravated assault, among other things. They are awaiting trial.

JAN. 20—-Thomas McClelland, a 56-year-old Black male from East Liberty, was fatally shot multiple times outside of Shuman Market near Frankstown and North Homewood Avenues in Homewood. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

JAN. 20—William Doyle, a 24-year-old White male from McKeesport, was found dead after a shooting on Brownlee Street in the Crawford Village Housing Complex in McKeesport. Doyle was chased by two men who opened fire on him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have charged Jonathan Coles and Roman Jones with homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault and more. Jones is awaiting trial and Coles is still at large.

JAN. 23—Edwin Hammond, a 33-year-old Black male from Penn Hills was found fatally shot multiple times inside his home on Joan Drive in Penn Hills.

He was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital where he later died. No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

JAN. 27—Anthony Garland, a 31-year-old Black male from Wilkinsburg, was shot to death and robbed in his Wilkinsburg Apartment on Kelly Avenue. Two males reportedly told Garland they were there to purchase marijuana, but actually intended to rob him. They allegedly shot him, took the drugs and a gaming console. Troy Miller and James Meek, who lives in Garland’s building, have been charged with homicide, robbery, conspiracy and more. They are awaiting trial.

JAN. 29—Stephon Reed, a 29-year-old Black male from East Liberty, was found shot to death in the backseat of a vehicle near Route 51. Reed and four other individuals had been in the vehicle when someone began firing shots into it. Authorities reportedly were answering a call to shots fired when they saw the vehicle with Reed speeding away and began to chase it. When the vehicle stopped that’s when officers found Reed. It’s believed the individuals were trying to take him to a nearby hospital.

No one has been charged; the investigation is ongoing.

JAN. 29—Chalaiai Chaihirunkarn, a 26-year-old Asian female from North Oakland, was found shot to death in the bedroom of her North Oakland apartment at 230 N. Craig Street. She had multiple gunshot wounds to her head and chest and was found by authorities that were conducting a well-being check. It’s believed her boyfriend, Bryan Springer, killed her and then himself. He was also found dead in the apartment. The incident has been ruled a murder-suicide.

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JUNE 3-9, 2015

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

OPINION

Some good, some bad from recent election

Guest Editorial

Police reform plans lack accountability Once again, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a plan on how to reform a city’s police department after police-involved deaths of unarmed African Americans.

Last week the Justice Department announced an agreement with the city of Cleveland.

The agreement, which outlines how to reform the city’s troubled police department, is creating an organization that is more accountable and engaged with the people it serves.

The 105-page agreement filed Tuesday in federal court called for community policing, improved training and policies concerning the use of force and more sensitivity in dealing with the mentally. A judge must now approve the settlement as well as the city’s selection of an independent monitor who will oversee reforms.

The agreement calls for the creation of a community police commission consisting of 10 residents and three police union officials that will make recommendations on practices aimed at making policing free of bias, accountable and transparent. The agreement is aimed at easing longstanding tensions between police and residents, especially in the Black community, which makes up more than half of Cleveland’s population.

The Justice Department in December issued a scathing report accusing Cleveland police of using excessive force and violating people’s civil rights. The worst examples in the report involved officers endangering lives by shooting at suspects and cars, hitting people over the head with guns and using stun guns on handcuffed suspects.

The agreement was announced just three days after a White Cleveland patrolman was acquitted of manslaughter for his role in a 137-shot barrage of police gunfire that killed two unarmed Black suspects in 2012.

A judge found Officer Michael Brelo, who jumped on the hood of a car to empty his clip into a windshield, was found not guilty on charges related to the death of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. In his decision, the judge ruled the state had not sufficiently proven Brelo’s bullets were the ones that killed Russell and Williams.

Meanwhile, Cleveland is still awaiting decisions on whether officers will be prosecuted in the deaths of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black boy killed by a White rookie officer while playing with what turned out to be a pellet gun, and 37-year-old Tanisha Anderson, a mentally ill Black woman who suffocated after officers put her on the ground and handcuffed her. Both deaths occurred eight days apart in November.

Cleveland is not an aberration.

The Justice Department has launched broad investigations into the practices of more than 20 police departments in the past five years, including agencies in Ferguson, Mo., and, most recently, in Baltimore. In both cities rioting and looting were sparked over the police-involved deaths of Black men.

Then U.S. Attorney Eric Holder said in December that the Justice Department had intervened in 15 police departments in the country, including eight that are operating under court-ordered consent decrees.

While the Justice Department recommendations are welcomed they provide a baseline of how police officers should conduct themselves. In the Justice Department in Ferguson and Cleveland and others there were widespread reports of police abuse and misconduct followed by recommendations of urgently needed reform.

Many of these recommendations are not new and there appears to be no mention of any reforms of the disciplinary process that would make it easier to fire bad police officers. In the end if no one is held accountable for police involved deaths of unarmed citizens the problem will continue.

(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)

Pittsburgh Courier NEW

Founded 1910

Rod Doss

Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher

Allison Palm

Eric Gaines

Office Manager

Advertising Manager

Ulish Carter

Ashley Johnson Associate Editor

Managing Editor

Jeff Marion Circulation Consultant

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

The state primary elections are over and congratulations go out to all the winners and even bigger congratulations go out to all that voted, win or lose.

There were three big disappointments in the elections and two gigantic victories in races most of us overlooked.

The big losers were Judge Dwayne Woodruff and Judge Cheryl Allen each falling just short on the Democratic and Republican side. It’s a shame because they are both highly qualified and would have been great assets to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that has no Blacks.

Also losing was Attorney Rosemary Crawford in her bid to become a judge on the Court of Common Pleas.

But the big winners were the three young Black men in McKeesport, and the city of Wilkinsburg.

Wilkinsburg had five Black women on council before the election and was able to keep five Blacks on a nine member Council but one of the women lost out to a Black male.

In McKeesport, thanks to the effort of Councilwoman V. Fawn WalkerMontgomery, James Brown, Tim Brown, and Corry Sanders won seats on the McKeesport city council, and school board.

All have vowed to work to pull these two declining cities back to prosperity.

Even though I’m not a native Pittsburgher, I remember when I looked forward to going to McKeesport and especially Wilkinsburg with all its food places. These were the places where well-to-do Blacks moved, but something happened and almost overnight, it seemed, these cities reversed into poverty-blighted cities that people, who could, escaped as fast as they could.

Hopefully with the new and old faces on council things will reverse in these two Boroughs.

In the highly contested and highly publicized District 9 City Council race Rev. Ricky Burgess won easily as just about everyone expected. And even though I think he and Twanda Carlisle were heads and shoulders the best candidates, Twanda had too much baggage she had to overcome. I

Ulish Carter

Just Sayin’

dark ages or what? And I don’t even drink, anymore.

Breaking News. Black communities can support multiple businesses.

There is a Dollar Tree opening on Brighton Road right outside Manchester. They should be finished renovating the old Family Dollar building soon. That’s not the breaking news.

Family Dollar is still in the community. Right down the street within a block where the old Keystone Plumbing used to be. But that’s not all. There is a Rite Aid right in between them and a Quick-It Chicken right next door to the Rite Aid. Wow. I’m just happy to see all the community people with jobs. And I’m even happier that I really don’t have to leave my community to get just about anything I want. There’s a Giant Eagle not far in one direction and a Kuhn’s in the other direction.

Why I’m so happy, this is a far cry from when I moved into Manchester.

There was the 7-Eleven with very little. But now add McDonalds, Wendy’s, Subway, and Taco Bell, and then add the Western Avenue strip in which there are several restaurants of various cultures.

I see all this as community jobs, and community convenience. Hopefully the community will support them because the need was there. I just hope they all have good managers. The Rite Aid is great, but Family Dollar seems to be going through managers like water and the long lines at the counter tells the story. We’ll see how the Dollar Tree fairs. They put a lot of money in completely renovating the building and parking lot. So they are serious. Don’t know when the grand opening is yet.

Changing the subject again to sports.

I pick the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA championship behind LeBron James. It would be so nice to see Cleveland win a championship. OK Steelers fan, we know the Browns will never beat out the Steelers for a championship, and since Pittsburgh doesn’t have an NBA franchise, let’s give Cleveland something.

hope she doesn’t give up because the Black community needs her leadership.

And even though I still have a great problem with Rev. Burgess dropping out of the community debates because of the actions of a candidate, I still think his heart is in the right place and that he will provide the leadership to pull Homewood, Larimer and the rest of District 9 back from the dark ages and back into prosperity again. Or at least set the foundation.

He’s moving in the right direction.

I was hoping this race would create more unity among Rev. Burgess and other forces in the city and his district to help force a more united front, because I see very little leadership coming from the churches, organizations or individuals from this district. (The CEA and the Kingsley House are exceptions.) And Rev. Burgess skipping the African American Chamber, B-PEP and the Black Political Front debates didn’t really endear him to the very influential and devoted individuals who are members of these groups.

In the County Executive race, Rich Fitzgerald had no competition for the top position but the people he endorsed all went down in defeat. Especially the battle between he and County Controller Chelsea Wagner, in which the people stated with their vote “we love you Rich Fitzgerald as the County Executive, but we want a balance of power.” I know that is what I was saying.

It was good to see Wilkinsburg and Bellevue move back into the 20th Century. Oh, I’m sorry, back into the 21st Century by allowing liquor, alcohol, to (Ulish Carter is managing editor of the New be sold in these Boroughs. Wow this is 2015. Are these people living in the Pittsburgh Courier.)

Blacks need major league baseball (NNPA)—A video of Chris Rock has made the rounds in which he offers a critique of Major League baseball and its relationship to Black America. The monologue is funny, sad and very profound. He attempts to explain the distance that has emerged between Black America and a sport that it actually helped to build.

I have watched the Chris Rock video several times, usually showing it to someone who has yet to view it. Each time, I find myself thinking about his final comments, i.e., that Black people do not need baseball, but baseball needs Black people. I think that I would humbly rephrase that statement. It is without question that, over the long term, Major League Baseball needs Black America as its current fan-base ages out and as younger people grow intolerant of the pace and culture of the game. On the other hand, I actually do think that Black America needs baseball, though it does not necessarily need Major League Baseball, at least major league baseball as we currently know it.

What has struck me in reading and hearing about the period of the Negro Leagues, or the period of the desegre-

Bill Fletcher Jr.

Commentary gation of baseball (roughly 19471975), is that baseball, and its progeny, e.g., softball; stickball, were community sports. It was not just that teams represented communities, but that the sport itself seemed to knit communities together.

In basketball, even street basketball, there is little space for mixed talent, especially when one is playing full court. The game truly is for the best and while some members of the community who are not the best—people such as me—could occasionally play, it was in baseball, softball and stickball that you always sensed that chance for excitement and greatness, even for those who were not the most talented.

Perhaps it is that baseball truly is a team sport. Yes, you can be an out-

standing hitter or pitcher, but there is no question that you cannot win the game by yourself or even you and one other person. Baseball, softball and stickball really taught me about collective action in a manner unlike any other experience during my childhood, a theme which would become central to who I became as an adult.

In this sense, I strongly believe that Black America needs baseball. I do not mean that we need the Major Leagues, as such, nor do I mean that baseball will be the route out of poverty for the bulk of Black America.

Rather, the baseball that we need is the culture that surrounds the actual sport. We need the sense of the team, including the reality of unevenness.

We also need to regain the sense that the game does not end with a single play nor, necessarily, when the gong sounds. Sometimes the end is drawn out, necessitating that the team is prepared for a protracted struggle in which victory is never guaranteed.

(Bill Fletcher Jr. is the host of The Global African on Telesur-English. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice activist and writer. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.)

Letter To The Editor

Response to the letter from G. Toby Gaines Dear Editor: I read Mr. Gaines’s letter to you with a sense of incredulity. I am a former board chair and current board treasurer of Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania, the local affiliate of the Planned Parenthood Federation.

While I am not going to defend Margaret Sanger’s early writings, in her later life she worked with, for example, W.E.B. DuBois in an effort to bring birth control methods to African Americans living in the south. Also working on this project were Mary McLeod Bethune and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. In 1966, Planned Parenthood Federation gave Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. its highest award, the Margaret Sanger Award. In accepting this award on behalf of her husband, Coretta Scott King stated “There is a striking kinship between our movement and Margaret Sanger’s early efforts…Our sure beginning in the struggle for equality by non-violent

action may not have been so resolute without the tradition established by Margaret Sanger and people like her.”

I will let these examples and a multitude of other positive examples of Planned Parenthood’s work with the African American community speak for themselves. If one is to accept Mr. Gaines’s argument that the Pittsburgh Public School Board should not work with Planned Parenthood because of Margaret Sanger’s early writings, then no African Americans should live in the American south because the southern states embraced slavery and bigotry.

However I do agree with Mr. Gaines on one point: look at the School Board minutes from the February 25 meeting. The memorandum of understanding with Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania was in support of Planned Parenthood getting a grant to teach “It’s Your Game: Keep It Simple” in the public schools. This program is listed in the US Department of Health and Human Services list of evidence-

based interventions shown to reduce risk behaviors that cause teen pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted behaviors. The Board approved the memorandum of understanding by a 6–1 vote.

The program to be offered by Planned Parenthood is an education program. The program does not offer abortion services or contraceptive services. The program fills a void that school age children have concerning pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Perhaps Mr. Gaines fills that void by educating his children in these matters but I can assure you that other parents do not.

I commend the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board for recognizing this void and seeking trained, professional educators with a proven program to fill that void.

To Mr. Gaines, I say Don’t stand too close to that millstone when you throw it into the sea.

James E. Abraham Pittsburgh

Letters to the editor for publication The New Pittsburgh Courier welcomes all responsible viewpoints for publication. All letters should be typewritten and contain writer’s address and phone number for verification. All letters will be edited for clarity and length. Address all letters to: Letters to the Editor, New Pittsburgh Courier, 315 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219 You may fax your letter to 412-481-1360, or via e-mail to letters@newpittsburghcourier.com.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

Courier readers inspire my Black guys do more than run continuation of ‘Tell The Truth’ (NNPA)—I recently attended my grandson Austin Ragland’s graduation from preschool in Buford, Ga. Yes, you read correctly—pre-school. It’s never too soon to begin celebrating academic achievement, as his graduation from pre-school attests.

So, PaPa was excited about going to Austin’s graduation ceremony and seeing him don a cap and gown for the first time to receive his “diploma.”

In addition to wanting to support every significant event in Austin’s life, PaPa realizes, to borrow a phrase from Jesse Jackson, that he has more yesterdays than tomorrows. I don’t know how many such celebrations I’ll be around for, so the sooner we begin celebrating, the better.

At 5 years old, Austin is extremely smart.

He read more books than anyone else in his age-group and thanks to his parents, learning is fun to him. He frequently wants to practice his site words, even on weekends, without being asked and loves reading to Grammy.

I was expecting to hear some reference to Austin’s quickly developing intellect at his graduation, but was I ever disappointed.

Miffed is a more accurate description.

Naw, I was pissed.

When it was Austin’s turn to receive his diploma, he had been instructed to run to the front of the room, which he did.

“Austin Ragland — as you can see, he’s our best boy runner,” the presiding teacher said. “He’s really fast. Give me a hug.”

I said beneath my breath, “He does more than run.” And the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.

Let’s be clear: Austin’s pre-school has done a wonderful job providing him with a firm educational foundation. I believe his teachers are good-hearted, caring individuals who have Austin’s best interests at

George E. Curry

Commentary heart. Still, I find it troubling that of all the things they could have said about Austin, they chose to focus on his speed.

To be fair, they did the same things to some of Austin’s White classmates—one boy was praised for his athletic skills. So, I don’t view it as conscious racism. But I don’t know Austin’s White classmates, I know him. And I know how critical it is to highlight brain over brawn.

Fortunately, Austin is a good athlete—he plays basketball and soccer—and he’s an excellent student. But his parents and grandparents want him to know that what he does academically is far more important than what he does on the basketball court or soccer field. In my grandson’s case, he will definitely get that reinforcement from his family. But I fear some of his friends might not receive the message. And that’s why it’s so important that educators be aware of the messages they are consciously and unconsciously transmitting to young Black boys in particular.

As education consultant and prolific author Jawanza Kunjufu observes, “Visit a kindergarten class and observe Black boys in action. They’re eager, they sit in the front, they’re on task. They love learning.”

But by the time they are in the 9th grade, they have absorbed a different message, one where academics are not valued as much as they should be.

Kunjufu explained, “Boys don’t drop out in the 12th grade. They physically drop out in the ninth grade, but they emotionally and academically drop out in the fourth grade.”

A contributing factor, according to Kunjufu, is the composition of the teaching force.

“Can you imagine African Americans may be the only group expecting someone else to educate their children?” he wrote.

“White female teachers constitute 83 percent of the U.S. elementary teaching force.

African American students are 17 percent of public school students nationwide, but represent only 6 percent of the teachers.

“Unfortunately, African American males constitute only 1 percent of the teaching population. There are schools without one African American male academic teacher.

They are employed as custodians, security guards, and P.E. teachers. Often schools will hire an African American male to be assistant principal which translates into being in charge of all male behavioral problems.”

Make no mistake about it, Black girls, who are suspended or expelled from school at higher rates than White girls, also deserve special attention and should not be ignored in the rush to create new programs and opportunities for Black boys and men. Still, visit any college campus and you’ll notice the severe underrepresentation of Black males.

After the graduation ceremony, one of the administrators told Grammy that Austin will be attending a challenging kindergarten in the fall and volunteered, “He’ll probably be placed in the gifted class.”

To me, sharing that with the audience would have been much better than merely proclaiming that he was the fastest student in the class. He was also one of the smartest and that should not have been overlooked.

(George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine, is editor-in-chief of the NNPA and BlackPressUSA.com. He can be reached through his Web site, www.georgecurry.com.)

JUNE 3-9, 2015

FORUM

All of my adult life I dren are our future. have been driven to I have written Louis ‘Hop’ Kendrick improve the quality of columns about the billife of Black people. It lions of dollars of conhas not always been struction ongoing in an easy journey, but I the City of Pittsburgh never lost faith. There with the inclusion of have been times that I tax dollars and Blacks have been disgusted, being denied their fair discouraged, disillushare. The City of sioned, disappointed, Pittsburgh and Alangry and even mad. There have been a legheny County political leaders have ignumber of times that I reached the point of nored the situation. They don’t believe that asking myself do the most unusual Blacks in we care and until we stand up and speak out America—Pittsburgh Blacks—really care? nothing will change. I have always chalThen you the readers of the New Pittsburgh lenged anyone who would state that PittsCourier surface in the grocery store, gas sta- burgh Blacks were still caught up in slavery tion, church, school, voting polls, lottery stamentality, but now in 2015 it has become aptions and uplift me by saying, “We read the parent to me that Pittsburgh Blacks are the Courier every week, keep on keeping on” and most docile. They have adopted the mindset it reenergizes me. that it can’t be changed, I got mine, I work This week’s column will focus on the overfor Mayor Bill Peduto or County Executive whelming importance of Blacks doing subRich Fitzgerald and I need my job. There stantially more to improve and help ourwill be no positive change for the betterment selves. There are over 300 Black religious in- of Blacks in this city until you and I get sick stitutions in Allegheny County. They are dif- and tired of being sick and tired. There are ferent denominations, but they all pray to persons of color who continue to state publithe same God. There are Black sororities, cally that the contracts include 40 to 50 perfraternities, social clubs, and other organiza- cent of Blacks. They will be required in the tions that must number over 100, and founvery near future to publically verify those dations or local politicians do not fund the contractors, and the truth will be made majority of them. To those who brag about known. they are doing well and their children are My thanks to the readers of the New Pittsdoing well, they must also be concerned burgh Courier.

(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a weekly contributor to the about their grandchildren, their neighbor’s Forum Page.) children and children everywhere. The chil-

To Tell The Truth

Suicide and the poverty of purpose I was the only Black When poverty was J. Pharoah Doss student in my sociolmentioned I rememogy discussion group. bered it was disUnfortunately that missed as a leading was the same year cause of suicide in my The Bell Curve was sociology discussion published. (A sciengroup. Then that distific study that cussion turned into claimed Blacks had the causes of depreslower IQ’s than sion for the wealthy.

Whites.) Most of my As my classmates classmates were appalled by the study. But toyed with the concept that wealth doesn’t they never disagreed with the premise they purchase happiness, and other text book just blamed the results on poverty and theories, I had my first out of text book exracism. perience. I wondered if social science was Then we discussed suicide. actually science. What made me wonder?

My classmates assumed the highest suiTheories for suicide can’t be tested and decide rates existed among poor depressed pression can’t be dissected in a laboratory. people. (And they assumed racism in Then I wondered if there was a definition America made Blacks poor and depressed.) of poverty outside of the field of economics.

But they were shocked to discover that sui- As my classmates babbled on about happicide rates were low among Blacks and the ness I wondered if there was such a thing highest rates were among the affluent. as the poverty of purpose. (It wasn’t in the But something alarming has changed in text book.) the past two decades.

Now if one’s purpose from childhood was A recent study (Suicide Trends among Ele- to attain the lifestyle associated with the mentary School-Age Children in the United American dream and once that is achieved States published by JAMA Pediatrics 5-18as an adult what’s left? Is this when peo15) revealed that suicide is the leading ple seriously seek answers to the ageless cause of death among children younger question: Why am I here? than 12, and the number of Black children Is this what children under 12 have in (mostly boys) under 12 that have committed common with the affluent? Neither are suicide doubled from 1993 to 2012. preoccupied with making a living, which The study stated: To our knowledge, this seems to give purpose to everyone else. Is is the first national study to observe higher it possible that the affluent return to unansuicide rates among US Black individuals swered questions of their childhood before compared with White individuals. (In other they got preoccupied? If that’s the case words this is a historic first.) then maybe it’s important to determine at Why has this happened now? what age children begin to question the The study stated Black children may expurpose of life. perience disproportionate exposure to vioBut a co-author of the suicide study said, lence, traumatic stress, and aggressive “I want pediatricians to start asking about school discipline. Black children are also suicide.” more likely to experience an early onset of The co-author also suggested ways parpuberty, which increases the risk of suients could bring up the topic. The parent cide…Black youth are also less likely to could say, “I really care about your safety. seek help for depression… Nevertheless, it Sometimes when kids get sad, they think remains unclear if any of these factors are about killing themselves. Are you feeling related to increasing suicide rates. like that today?”

And since it remains unclear other exInstead of this overdramatic line of quesperts have been consulted for clarification. tioning wouldn’t it be better to ask chilOne expert suggested warning signs disdren, especially Black boys, their thoughts, played by Black boys may go unnoticed be- if any, on the purpose of life. Because when cause their depression is mischaracterized measured against eternity a single life as anger and, of course, another expert au- span is an eye blink, and if eyes are wintomatically mentioned poverty. (Condition dows to the soul, when Black boys between where people’s basic need for food, clothing, the ages of 5-11 look into the mirror what and shelter are not being met, and accorddoes their reflection ask of them?

(J. Pharoah Doss is a contributor to the New Pittsing to this definition, combined with a global perspective, one would have to ask is burgh Courier. He blogs at jpharoahdoss.blogspot.com) there poverty in America?)

Commentary

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Julianne Malveaux

Commentary

Justice is not blind (NNPA)—When racist attitudes, either conscious or subconscious, are combined with the discretionary powers that law enforcement officers have, the result is a differential outcome, with African Americans more likely to be the targets of “blind justice.”

Most of our politicians and leaders are exploiting subconscious racism, and pandering to explicit racial fears. Even worse, they are rewarded when they say they are “tough on crime.”

Soledad O’Brien documented some of these attitudes in her most recent “Black In America” series.

Included was an interview with a young Black man who was stopped more than 100 times as he stood outside his college. Of course, he’d done nothing wrong, but police officers, “doing their duty,” felt free to harass him.

In a more telling segment, two young men, one Black and one White, staged the “stealing” of a bike to show how members of the public responded to watching the apparent theft. The young men were dressed similarly—T-shirts, casual pants, caps. People walked by as the White guy did everything he could to break the lock on the bike, including using a chain cutter. One even offered to help him take “his” bike, even though he acknowledged it was not his.

Within moments of the Black man approaching the bike, White people, one or two of whom called 911, surrounded him. As opposed to the benign response the White guy got, the Black guy was simply assumed to be a criminal.

How does this play out on the streets and with officers of the law?

Police officers use their discretion selectively. A Black man (Eric Garner) selling loose cigarettes is manhandled, arrested, and dies when he is choked and cannot breathe. Most have seen the video by now, and wonder why Daniel Pantaleo was not charged with any crime, even though he used an illegal chokehold on Garner.

Pantaleo could have told Garner to move on, or he would risk arrest. Instead, Pantaleo and his posse of lawless cowboys chose to kill the man.

Would a White man be similarly treated, or did unconscious racism play into the callous way Eric Garner was treated?

During the late 1990s, Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s “stop and frisk” policies resulted in African American men being stopped more than five times as frequently as Caucasians, even though these frisks led to nothing more than the humiliation of Black men, some simply coming off the subway or walking down the street.

Hispanic men were stopped about three times as often as Caucasians.

White men were stopped and frisked less frequently than others.

Unconscious racism? Discretion?

The law sanctions both.

Stop and frisk incidents increased dramatically with no concomitant increase in crime. However, since New York Mayor Bill Blasio took office, the number of stop and frisk incidents has dropped by almost three quarters, again with no increase in crime. It appears that whether stop and frisk occurrences are aggressive or gentle; the incidence of crime does not increase.

There are many occurrences where police can make discretionary decisions. First, they can decide whom to stop. Then, when they stop they don’t have to arrest or frisk. A simple conversation that explains the reason for the stop will yield a more favorable outcome than wrestling someone to the ground, knee in his or her back, or handcuffing someone without explaining why.

Police resistance to the use of body cameras suggests these officers know that they are out of order in dealing with the public. Once someone is arrested, the police have the right to charge him or her with a minor crime or let them go. Finally, prosecutors can decline to bring charges. All of these decisions can be minimized or maximized, based on discretion.

Justice is not blind when police officers use discretion to stop one segment of the population to harshly mistreat and let the other population slide. If police officers wonder why there is antipathy and distrust toward them in the African American community, somebody needs to tell them that their use of discretion suggests that justice is hardly blind.

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

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JUNE 3-9, 2015

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Debbie Norrell

Lifestyles Report Sidebar to the Charms Last year Pittsburgh Charms President Harriette Meriwether made a trip to Johannesburg, South Africa.

This was not your typical trip. Meriwether, along with three other local artists, were among 43 quilters who paid tribute in textiles to Nelson Mandela during a quilt exhibition at the International Quilt Convention Africa, July 24- 26, 2014.

The four artists from Pittsburgh who created a quilt for the exhibition included Mayota Hill, Meriwether, Elmira Sizemore and Pamela George-Valone.

The exhibition featured a total of 81 quilts created by artist from the Women of Color Quilters Network organization based in the United States, and quilting artist from South Africa, who came together to share their quilts in the exhibition, “Conscience of the Human Spirit: The Life of Nelson Mandela.”

Artists from around the world have long made quilts in tribute to those like Mandela, in support of the principles they stand for. So, when the planners of this exhibition said, “it was the South Africans and African Americans that made quilts in tribute to Mandela have special meaning,” it was true. Each expressed their delight in having this opportunity to showcase their work, share techniques, exchange contact information and be involved in similar future endeavors.

These diverse and powerful pieces reflect the way in which this remarkable man touched individual lives; how he changed the way a nation interacts with it’s people; and how he touched the conscience of many, throughout the world. The exhibition is said to be one of the largest of its kind anywhere, and brings together many talented and inspirational artist from around the universe.

Over 70 individuals (quilters, family and friends) from the United States traveled to South Africa to see the exhibition and tour many sites that included the home where Mandela grew-up, the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hall, The Nelson Mandela Museum, Robben Island Prison, an African Safari, Cape Town, and much, much more. Those who traveled to South Africa from Pittsburgh included June Green, Marlene GaryHogan, Charlese McKinney, Helen Anderson, Charles and Cynthia Franklin, and Harriette A. Meriwether.

A publication with the title listed above, also accompanies the exhibition that is sponsored by Michigan State University Museum, under the direction of professor Marsha MacDowell, PhD, and researcher, historian and founding director of WCQN, Carolyn Mazloomi, PhD. The 51 quilts made by the U.S. quilt artists are now featured in a traveling exhibition. These diverse and powerful pieces can now be seen by many in this country.

Below is the schedule, at this time, for the display.

Both of these locations are just a road trip away and you now have plenty of notice to put this in your travel plans.

•The Kentucky Museum, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Ky. Sept. 8–Jan. 31, 2016; and •National Afro American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio April 7–Oct. 7, 2016.

CHARMS—Nancy Connor and Harriette Meriwether, Pittsburgh Charms president.

CHARMERS—Harry Lee Sr. and Harry Lee Jr.

CHARMS—Jacqueline Williams and Allison Lee Mann

Charms hold Sixth Annual Soul Line Dance Luncheon

by Debbie Norrell Courier Staff Writer

One of the most popular modes of dancing is line dancing and for six years in a row, the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Charms Inc. have held their Annual Soul Line Dance Luncheon.

On May 9, at the Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg, the Charms, friends and a few Charmers enjoyed a tasty lunch and an afternoon of line dancing with line dance instructor extraordinaire Stella Hopewell, who made the steps easy to follow.

Latoya Carter and her 80-year-old aunt, Lexine Dent, even joined the group. It appeared that Dent was showing her young niece what to do.

During the luncheon, two ladies recognized each other from many years ago.

Thirty years ago Josie Wright and Leegrace Jones went to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania together. They had not seen each other since that time and they ran into each other at the luncheon. They have vowed to stay in touch.

Music was provided by Alonzo-Big Daddy

LINE DANCERS

Entertainment.

LaVera Edwards Hord organized the Charms in 1950 and the majority of the group was new brides and young mothers because they generally gathered late in the evening; they called t h e m s e l v e s FRIENDSHIP REUNION—Josie Wright and Leethe Mid- grace Jones nighters.

They became the Squaws in the ’60s and were a very popular social group.

In 1997, they officially became the Charms.

There are more than a dozen chapters of the Charms in the United States.

The proceeds of the luncheon are used to recognize the dedication of community service organiJUST FOLLOW ME—Latoya Carter follows her aunt, Lexine Dent zations.

CHARMS SUPPORTERS—Roxanne Jones, Diana Moore and Felicia Lane Savage

HOPEWELL LEADS THE WAY—Dressed in black and white stripes. (Photos by Debbie Norrell)

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JUNE 3-9, 2015

Praise & Worship HILLCREST SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH 2340 Wylie Ave., Pgh., PA 15219 412-391-4334 412-566-8757

“Be Encouraged”

Elder Christopher C. Thompson Power Hour Sabbath..............8:15 A.M. Sabbath School.......................9:00 A.M. Divine Worship.....................11:00 A.M. AYS One Hour Before Sunset Prayer Meeting Wednesday....7:30 P.M.

ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR CATHOLIC CHURCH Crawford & Centre Ave. Pgh., PA 15219 412-281-3141 Mass Sunday 9:00 A.M. & 12 P.M. Sunday (Gospel Choir Mass) 12:00 P.M. www.stbtmchurch.org

METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH 22 Sampsonia Street, Northside Pittsburgh., PA 15212 412-231-2554 FAX 412-231-6395 Rev. Lacy F. Richardson, Ph.D., Pastor Church School.....................................9:30 A.M. Worship Service.....................8:00 & 10:45 A.M. Bible Study/ Prayer Wednesday.......................6:30/7:30 P.M. www.metropolitanbaptistchurchpgh.com metropolitanbaptist2224@gmail.com

SIXTH MOUNT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH 6556 Shetland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 (412) 441-7839 Church School 9:00 a.m.

Worship Service 10:15 a.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study 6:00 p.m.

East Liberty PresbyterianChurch Rev. Dr. Randy Bush, Senior Pastor 412-441-3800 116 S. Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206 www.cathedralofhope.org

Journey Worship.........8:45 a.m.

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

Join our growing Praise and Worship Church Community For rate information, call 412481-8302, ext 40.

We are looking to

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

RELIGION

The ‘Gunn’ that cannot be silenced!

Mt. Carmel celebrates Rev. Barbara Gunn

by Karen Harris Brooks For New Pittsburgh Courier

The African American community prays for the silencing of guns that are rampant in our neighborhoods. However, there is a “Gunn” that needs to be heard by both men and women, young and old, and Black and White. Reverend Barbara Gunn possesses a voice full of the comfort and wisdom that touches the souls of thousands of people.

It is the teaching, preaching, evangelistic voice of the pastor of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, located in North Versailles, Pa. The anointed messenger of God was honored for 30 years of pastoral care and devotion to God’s people. Services throughout the weekend were rendered

by Rev. Charles Mock of the Community Baptist Church, Erie, Pa; Rev. Dr. Ralph Johnson, St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Johnstown, Pa; and Rev. Johnnie Arvie of the Law Street Baptist Church in New Orleans.

“A Milestone Celebration“ banquet, honoring the missionary’s 30 years of preaching and 25 years of pastoring was held at the Double Tree by Hilton in Monroeville. Reverend Dr. J.V.A. Winsett, the man who Rev. Gunn calls “my pastor,” served as the banquet’s guest preacher.

Licensed in 1989 under Rev. Winsett, Gunn became the first woman to lead an established Baptist church in western Pennsylvania.

When asked about her reception as a woman within the Christian denomination, the self-assured minister calmly said, “If there was opposition, I did not know it.” Following the “order of God and convinced that His plan on my life was being fulfilled,” she found her position within the Baptist community to be one of amenable acceptance.

Well known for setting up evangelism ministries and classes throughout Pittsburgh and beyond, the accomplished teacher has achieved many other “firsts.”

She has served as the first female director of Evangelism for the Pittsburgh Baptist Minister’s Conference and the first woman deputy executive secretary for the Allegheny Union Baptist Association. Her abilities have been instrumental as an instructor for the American Baptist College, faculty member of the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education and Treasurer for the Pennsylvania State Baptist Convention, to name a few of her achievements.

Reverend Gunn’s first love is, without a doubt, evangelism.

With a humbled confidence, she said, “I am an evangelistic teacher, preacher, pastor. Everything I do has an evangelistic theme.”

The unassuming powerful lady, who can easily be identified as a pastor’s pastor, has molded her ministry for 30 years. It all began for her at the First Baptist Church in Vandergrift, Pa., in 1989, where she led the congregation for 11 years.

Fifteen years ago, the compassionate reverend ac-

Church Circuit Kingdom Conference 2015 JUNE 3—Northside Institutional COGIC, 302 W. North Ave., North Side, will host the Kingdom Conference 2015 “Building a Holistic Community” at 7 p.m. The three-night event will include guest speakers Rev. Brenda Gregg, Rev. Brian Edmonds and Minister Corey Lankford along with Praise & Worship Teams from Eastminster Presbyterian Church and Missionary Temple. There will also be community presentations by Terri Clark and Dr. Marcia Sturdivant. For more information, call 412-231-5683.

Revival

FAMILY SUPPORT—From left: granddaughters Jule McDaniel and Faith McDaniel, Rev. Barbara Gunn and daughter Kelly McDaniel. (Photos by J L. Martello)

JUNE 5—New Beginnings Ministries Inc., 705 Shaw Ave., McKeesport, will host a Men & Women’s Revival. The three-day event will include Evangelist Michelle Vanall-Lopez and Elder Narsisus Short. For more information, call 412-8724930.

Judah Ministries

REV. WILLIAM BAKER Worship leader cepted the call to grace the pulpit of Mt. Carmel. When asked about the ceaseless amount of time required to fulfill her calling, she was quick to point out that she is “really blessed by the leaders and membership of her church. They understand the purpose of my ministry as well as my community outreach.”

Given the spirit of Christ that emanates from her and gently transmits to anyone in her presence, it is no surprise that she has no limits. She explained it simply: “If our salvation and determination is our focus, we will live Christ in our lives. In spite of “experiencing difficulties and controversy, our center is the keeping power of the Holy Spirit that is always there.”

A native of the Hill District, Rev. Gunn graduated from the Pittsburgh public

MENTOR—From left: Jacqueline and Rev. Dr. J.V.A. Winsett, and Rev. Barbara Gunn. school system, Allegheny Community College and the University of Pittsburgh. She received her theological training at the American Baptist College and the Geneva College for Urban Ministry.

The religious scholar further obtained her master’s degree in theological studies from Pittsburgh’s Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Always on the move, the former corporate manager would also like to pursue a doctorate in counseling.

“Life is not really life unless governed by God,” she said without hesitation.

“Nurture your relationship with God because the best friend you will ever have in life is the Lord. You will never be as happy or effective as when you seek God’s face. Your ultimate definition is your relationship with the Lord. Wherever

you are in life, look forward...don’t look back.

What is important to God is what is in front of you and not behind you.”

A widow and proud mother of daughter, Kelly McDaniels, Rev. Gunn stated her greatest accomplishment is her amazing daughter and her two beautiful granddaughters, Jule and Faith.

This amazing woman of faith not only embodies the love of Christ but lives and shares that love with the world. Reverend Gunn radiates an assured happiness that comes directly from the center of her heart. There is an honesty, a calmness and a deeprooted compassion that touches the souls of so many. Therefore, the sound of this “Gunn” must continue to be heard...reaching men and women, young and old, and Black and White.

JUNE 6—Judah Ministries International Worship Center, 252 Market St., McKeesport, will host A Special Night With The King at 6 p.m. The evening will include the Judah Ministries Praise Team with special guest saxophonist George Furlow. Also, on June 7, after years of holding powerful Saturday evening services, the church will introduce its new Sunday Morning Service at 10 a.m. There will be a free spaghetti dinner after this inaugural service.

For more information, call 412-672-6000.

Strawberry Festival JUNE 12—Shadyside Presbyterian Church, 5121 Westminster Place, Shadyside, will host its 22nd Strawberry Festival from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The festival will celebrate the impending arrival of summer and proceeds will support the nonprofit organization, Sojourner House MOMS program. The event will include a menu of items that will include fresh strawberries, baked goods, children’s crafts, other activities and more. For more information, call 412-6824300 or visit www.shadysidepres.org.

Youth Weekends JUNE 12—The Youth Choir of Park Place AME Church, 215 E. Tenth Ave., Homestead, will host its 4th Annual Youth Weekend 2015. The theme is “I’ve Still Got Purpose.” The two-day event will include a Youth Revival on June 12 at 7:30 p.m. with guest speaker Mychal Royal and a Youth Luncheon on June 13 at 1 p.m. at the Rankin Christian Center. For more information, call 412-4615238.

Pastoral Anniversary

THE DINNER COMMITTEE—From left: Najla Sayles, Yawatta Sayles, Sonia Harris, Barbara Jones, Marva Acie, Karen Claggett and Rennette Goodnight.

JUNE 14—Second Baptist Church of Penn Hills, 49 Banfield St., Penn Hills, will host its 19th Pastoral Anniversary Celebration at 11 a.m. The celebration is in honor of Rev. McMahan L. Gray, the senior pastor.

The guest preacher will be Rev. Dr. Stephen R. Russell Jr. of Baltimore, Md. A repass will take place immediately following the morning service. For more information, email Rev. Validia Giddens at damselv@aol.com.

Car Show/Dinner JUNE 14—St. James Church, 306 St. James Lane, New Alexandria, Pa., will host its 3rd Annual Car Show and Spaghetti Dinner from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

The first 150 cars will receive dash plaques and trophies will be awarded.

The event will also include a basket raffle, instant bingo, a 50/50 drawing and a DJ. This event will take place rain or shine and the public is invited.

For more information, call 7247-539-1951.

feature our positive youth in the church communities. You can e-mail, fax or mail their bios and photo to:

New Pittsburgh Courier 315 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Fax: 412-481-1360 e-mail:

egaines@newpittsburghcourier.com

THE HEAD TABLE—From left: Johnathan Wilson, Charmanie Odom, David Omin, Rev. Earlene Coleman, Keith Coleman, Rev. Barbara Gunn, Michael Owens, Vesea Bivins, Deacon Frank Bivins, Rev. William Baker and Devaughn Baker.

(To have items listed on the Church Circuit, send information at least two weeks in advance to: 315 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219; Fax: 412-481-1360 or email: newsroom@newpittsburghcourier.com.)

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

JUNE 3-9, 2015

PEOPLE

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Generation NEXT: Carter Redwood, actor

CARTER REDWOOD (Photo by Jackie McDonald for the New Pittsburgh Courier)

by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier

Charismatic energy and infectious enthusiasm exude from Carter Redwood, 23, when he talks of being able to live in New York City as he pursues his acting career.

It’s with that same enthusiasm that the Hill District native discusses the significant accomplishments he made during his time at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. When he entered CMU on a four-year scholarship in 2010, his first goal was to be the recipient of the university’s top senior acting award.

“I realized as I sat there watching that if this was the top acting award, I wanted it,” he said.

That is exactly what happened— at age 21, when Redwood attended that same award ceremony as a senior, his name was called as the winner.

Redwood had several goals for his college years.

“I wanted the top acting award, I wanted to graduate with honors, I wanted to keep doing community theater—and still be able to travel to New York for auditions, since by now I was an (Actors’ Equity Association) actor and had an agent,” he said. “I felt these were achievements I had to accomplish, not just for myself, but for my family and also for the ‘village’ that helped me get this far.”

Redwood reached his goals and beyond. He graduated cum laude from CMU in 2014, won the John Arthur Kennedy Senior Acting Award, was the speaker at the drama school commencement and was recognized in a leadership ceremony for seniors who have shown outstanding presence in the broader community. Most significantly, he was named an Andrew Carnegie Scholar, a prestigious honor awarded to approximately 40 seniors out of his class of 650.

Redwood was raised in the Hill District by his parents, Carl and Tawnya Redwood. He attended Pittsburgh Public Schools—Madison Elementary, the former Frick International Studies Academy, Schenley and CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts) high schools.

All the while, as he was pursuing his theatrical endeavors, he made straight “As” through eighth grade, played sports and participated in

“I wanted the top acting award, I wanted to graduate with honors, I wanted to keep doing community theater—and still be able to travel to New York for auditions, since by now I was an (Actors’ Equity Association) actor and had an agent. I felt these were achievements I had to accomplish, not just for myself, but for my family and also for the ‘village’ that helped me get this far.”

CARTER REDWOOD

youth programming at Grace Memorial Presbyterian Church, along with his brother, Maurice. Before turning 16, young Redwood was already a veteran actor, performing in more than 17 productions.

Wayne Walters, former principal of Frick, remembers Redwood well.

“The scope of Carter’s talent, along with the passion and commitment he brings to every project, are the components of excellence—he has a bright future,” Walters said.

At age 13, Redwood made his debut as a director with two-act plays for the Pittsburgh Playwright Company and a one-act play for the Pittsburgh New Works Theater Company. As a sixthgrader, he won first place in the Pittsburgh Public Theater Shakespeare monologue competition for “Othello.” He would win this competition again between 2004 and 2009.

In 2009, he took his first trip out of the United States, traveling to Katowice, Poland, to participate in the Festival of Americas, where he performed in a stage production of “Angry Black Man Poetry.”

One might say that Redwood easily walked into many opportunities.

The real story here, however, is his clear commitment to excellence, his early understanding of what it took to be successful and his willingness to execute.

Redwood’s parents were adamant with both their sons about what their options would be in terms of “hanging out.” There would be none.

They understood, too, the importance of creating viable alternatives and building a village/network that supported their approach to parenting.

“Our system of structure was a huge and varied ‘village’ that included Grace Church; values-based community centers/professional organizations such as Hill House Association, Kingsley Association and 100 Black Men; schools that provided a solid education and safe social and recreation activities; and family and friends,” Tawnya Redwood said.

“Our sons were told early and regularly by their father, with support from me, that ‘hanging out’ was not an option for them. As parents, we understood that alternatives have to be in place to deter what is popular or promoted by society.”

Each month in the New Pittsburgh Courier, McAuley Ministries will sponsor an article highlighting the positive contributions of an African American youth—male or female. We welcome community members to suggest a young person to feature in this monthly column.

Criteria include: • Youth and young adults, ages 12-23 • Documented evidence of leadership or achievement in community service/volunteerism; leadership or achievement in their classroom/school; creativity as an artist, musician, dancer or filmmaker; success as an entrepreneur; leadership in advocating for social justice and equity; and/or achievement in corporate or nonprofit arenas • A resident of Allegheny County.

Readers who would like to suggest a youth for this feature should email GenNext@pmhs.org.

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JUNE 3-9, 2015

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

PEOPLE

Brashear students take local project to national competition STUDENTS IN ACTION—Student group participants and competition winners being recognized at a Brashear High School assembly. (Photos by J.L. Martello)

by Shanna Smail

For New Pittsburgh Courier

Stereotypes about Black males and police, along with current events such as the Ferguson and Baltimore riots caught the attention of seven Brashear High School students. In order to ensure that Pittsburgh would not be the next city in turmoil, those students who are apart of Brashear’s Students in Action group created a project that focused on building relationships and positive interactions between community and police.

SIA is a part of The Jefferson Awards Foundation, and is a program whose goal is to increase service learning projects among the nation’s student body and communities. The Jefferson Awards Foundation was created in 1972 by the American Institute for Public Service. It is given at both national and local levels. SIA empowers students to think big, choose their own public service passion, engage their entire school and broader communities, and create maximum impact.

Recently, those Brashear students participated in the Pittsburgh Jefferson Awards Regional Competition and won the 2015 Pittsburgh Jefferson Awards Service Learning Regional Competition. They will now head to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national competition, which is scheduled to take place June 17-19.

“We all saw what was oc-

KASHIF HENDERSON curring around the nation and couldn’t just sit back and do nothing about it. So, our Students in Action came to a unanimous decision to create a project centered around building relationships with community and police. We all agreed that if we could try to stop something from happening in Pittsburgh, we were going to do it,” said Morgan Sterling, an 11th grader at Brashear, and also a member of Brashear SIA. Sterling, along with fellow 11th graders Mya Falcioni, Diana Faxriddinova, Bryce Walls, Akash Acharya, 10th grader Savannah Mynahan and 9th grader Mara Mynahan are a few who make up Brashear’s SIA. At Brashear, the SIA program

WINNERS—Skylar Adamski and Zoe Baker

means much more.

“This competition is about encouraging youth leaders to step up and speak out on issues that their peers won’t recognize or do anything about. Every person participating contributes to their community just out of the good of their hearts, and they just so happen to get awards and/or recognition for it,” said Sterling.

Teacher Kashif Henderson is the faculty leader of Brashear’s SIA and initiated the program at the school in the fall of 2013. This is the first year the group has competed in the Jefferson Awards competition.

“We just initially attended regional meetings and learned from other schools about what it took to be a part of the Jefferson Awards. From there, we started a small outreach at Brashear in 2014. It was a little tough, but the first core group of students worked through all the challenges. This year our principal was really behind students taking on leadership roles, being involved in activities, and doing projects they loved. This school year has allowed the students to grow,” said Henderson.

For their project, the students surveyed 495 students and 74 local police officers. The survey was analyzed and revealed a large amount of stereotypical thinking. After analyzing the results, the students decided that there needed to be a conversation started

WINNERS—From left: Malissa Munoz, Tori Martinez and Niya Ingram

between community and police—which inspired their winning service project. Brashear SIA then met with local police for discussion and agreed to a 15week diversity-training program for the community and police. The program will give students’ criminal law training, a visit to a 911-call center, a physical training test and an opportunity to participate in a de-escalation simulation.

They will also gain insight on how police are taught to interact with community.

Brashear’s SIA is currently building a curriculum for ninth graders that has already been approved by Pittsburgh Public Schools. The course will run for two weeks. It’s expected that the project will then expand to other schools throughout the district.

Henderson believes that the students at Brashear are doing amazing things.

He hopes the work that the students are doing sheds light to the positive work the school is doing as well, not just SIA. “In a dream world it would shed light to a deeper issue of mainstream media portraying inner-city schools as plagued with violence and hopeless students,” he said. “Brashear has students attending top universities on full-scholarship and so do many other Pittsburgh Public High Schools. Let’s grow that story and inspire our youth here in Pittsburgh to learn the positives from each other and spread those

JODI KLEBICK, regional director for the Jefferson Awards Foundation. messages and learning opportunities.”

Henderson wants his students to take away an understanding of hard work, dedication, perseverance, preparation, and pride.

“Even with hard work there are challenges and that hard work does not guarantee success or the outcome you desire. It is a process and nothing is wrong with working through a hard long difficult process, just do not give-up.

“Dedication may look different to you than others.

You must be able to understand this and be dedicated to what it is you are doing.

Dedication sets the tone and inspiration to make it through the tough times

WINNER RACHAEL PHELPS

when you are working hard and hitting road blocks.”

While the students are looking forward to the national competition, they say the work will not stop there.

“Nationals are not our last step. We plan on making this bigger. We actually want to change the relationship between the police and community, and not just win award or have the possibility to win an award,” Walls said. “People are surprised I am in this organization. I am and wanted to be one of the examples that Black males are doing something positive. We are not all bad people. We, Black males, have a future in life and are not all trying to sell drugs.”

WINNER BRIGID NGUYEN

WINNERS—From left: Meliek Hemmingway, Joe Love and Anthony Harris.

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

PEOPLE

A FEW OF THE “SMART SUMMIT” YOUTH PARTICIPANTS

JUNE 3-9, 2015

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DEVYN SWAIN Host

Nonprofits partner to host Pittsburgh’s first ‘Smart Summit’

THOMAS JAMISON—CEO of Dream Cream Ice Cream was the keynote speaker.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER—Jeffrey Dorsey, executive director of the Union Project, and Jamillia Kamara, founder and executive director of Internationally Smart Is Cool, and coordinator of the event.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS—From left: Rick Southers, Ani Martinez, Jamillia Kamara, Aster Teclay, Jay Oriola, Aerion Abney and Devyn Swain.

Internationally Smart Is Cool presented Pittsburgh’s first “Smart Summit” at the Union Project, located at 801 N. Negley Ave., in East Liberty.

The community organization partnered with the Union Project and Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School for the event.

“At Smart Is Cool, we define a Smart as a skill, interest or hobby used to build communities.” said Executive Director Jamillia Kamara. “The goal of the Smart Summit is to spark meaningful dialogue about the intersection of asset based learning and career pathways. These conversations are specifically important as we work towards making space for students who do not fit the traditional definition of intelligence.”

The event featured a morning of standards aligned workshops for Thea Bowman’s 6-8th grade students in exchange for an excused absence from school. Each workshop explored how students can use their “Smart” to excel academically and make an impact on their local neighborhoods.

Dream Cream Ice Cream CEO Thomas Jamison delivered an inspirational keynote address for attendees.

The mission of Internationally Smart Is Cool is to redefine the culture of achievement in underserved communities around the world.

YOUNG FACES IN THE CROWD (Photos by Jackie McDonald)

(To learn more, visit www.smartiscool.org or connect with the team on social media @SmartIsCoolOrg.)

New Pittsburgh Courier

ENTERTAINER

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Hamilton, DeVaughn, Michele JUNE 3-9, 2015

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

Cover To Cover

‘Infinite Words’

by Terri Schichenmeyer For New Pittsburgh Courier

Sometimes, you feel like a boiling pot.

That’s because you’ve been cooking a story up and it bubbles and rolls just below the surface of your mind, waiting to burst forth into a bestseller for an eager audience. It’s always been your dream to be a famous author—and that could happen, but there’s work to do first. “Infinite Words” by Zane can get you started.

You’re witty. You’re hip.

You’ve had an interesting life and friends have said that you should write a book, although “Not everyone who thinks they want to will be able to write a book or become a published author,” says Zane. Even so, if you decide to walk the walk, there are lots of steps to consider.

First of all, she says, you’ll need discipline to set your writing habits, to find the

ZANE right people to help you create a good product, and to finish your manuscript. Determine your writing style, and “make a PIE” (Persuasion, Information, Entertainment) to hold your readers’ interest. Mixing the “six basic human needs” into your story is also important, and while you’re writing, read, read, read; you will learn from other writers.

As for characters in a novel, know what to do and what not to do. Zane warns against adding too much “fluff” in your story; it only serves as padding and might turn readers away.

For a nonfiction book, remember that anything libelous or slanderous won’t be published by a reputable company. “Publishers,” says Zane, “are not going to risk a lawsuit, no matter how amazing the book may be.”

Understand that the editing process requires patience (and yes, even if you’re self-publishing, you’ll need proofreaders and an editor). Don’t ever send a sloppy manuscript out.

Know the realities of being an author, keep in mind that “The literary industry is a very small, close-knit community,” and maintain professionalism at all times.

Says Zane, remember that “A successful writing career is not going to fall into your lap.”

Oh, how I wish I could wave a magic wand and put “Infinite Words” into the hands of every new and budding writer!

With blunt truthfulness that’s like a breath of fresh air, author-publisher Zane tells it like it is as she coaches writing readers with tough-love and advice that regretfully still might not bring success (which she explains). Be aware that that may squash your dreams; in fact, there are many pages where her words could be hard to accept. Nevertheless, readers brave enough to be in it for the long-haul (and that includes erotica writers) will find info to instruct, becalm, and enlighten, from opening sentence to finished product. (“Infinite Words: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Publishing” by Zane, c.2015, Atria, $16/$18.99 Canada, 198 pages. )

showcased their neo-soul prowess during Pittsburgh stop

by Genea L. Webb For New Pittsburgh Courier

Neo soul singers Anthony Hamilton, Chrisette Michele and Raheem DeVaughn proved to their Pittsburgh fans that R & B music is alive and well.

The threesome made a one night-only stop at the Benedum Center during the Anthony Hamilton and Friends Tour.

The concert, which was presented by Unlimited Entertainment, LLC opened with the angelicvoiced and much slimmer Grammy-winner Chrissette Michele. Clad in jeans, and a long white sleeveless duster and silver headband, she treated the audience to some of her biggest hits like “Epiphany” and “A Couple of Forever’s” while sprinkling in some of her lesser known songs “Better” and “Super,” which she dedicated to her Pittsburgh fans.

“Thank you so much for loving me tonight,” Michele said before leaving the stage. “I really appreciate it.”

Michele burst onto the music scene with her debut album “I Am” in 2008, which included the hits “If I Had My Way,” “Be OK,” and “Love is You.” She released her second album, “Epiphany” in 2009. It debuted on the Billboard 200 that year.

Her 2010 effort, “Let Freedom Reign,” spawned the hit singles “I’m A Star” and “Goodbye Game.”

“Better” was Michele’s fourth record released on Motown Records and was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award. She also joined the cast of “R & B Divas: L.A.” for the show’s second season. She left Motown Records recently to sign herself under her own record label, Rich Hipster. Her latest project, “The Lyricist’s Opus” is available for digital download there.

In addition to her Grammy, Michele has been nominated for Soul Train Music Awards in 2009 and 2013 and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist in 2008.

Next up was “The Love King” Raheem DeVaughn who got the audience up on its feet and dancing in the aisles whether he was performing up tempo tunes or ballads.

While dressed in black pants, black shirt and yellow jacket, DeVaughn took audiences on a journey through his 10-year musical career, which began with his 2005 release, “The Love Experience.” The Maryland native was dedicated to making the audience dance with such songs as “Bulletproof” and “I Betcha.” Before breaking into the softer songs that included “Woman” and “Customer,” which was from his second record, “Love Behind the Melody.”

DeVaughn was nominated for Best Vocal Performance in 2008 for “Woman.” He was originally signed to Jive Records in 2002 where he stayed until 2011. He is currently on the Entertainment One music. His latest record, “Love, Sex and Passion,” includes the hit “Queen.” Following his high-octane set, Devaughn stayed in the lobby of the Benedum Center to take photos with anyone who wished to take a picture with him—as long as they made a donation to his charity the Love Life Foundation, which helps domestic violence victims,

ANTHONY HAMILTON

CHRISETTE MICHELE

RAHEEM DeVAUGHN

raises money to feed the homeless and helps provide books for kids in college.

“I started the foundation to better serve the people who support me. We have been active for one year,” he said.

Devaughn was snapping photos with eager concertgoers long after the concert ended.

Headliner Anthony Hamilton took through a litany of musical genres during his 90-minute, 17song set.

His set included songs from his 2008 release, “The Point of it All.” He performed the title song from that album, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards that year. Hamilton also treated listeners to the hit single “Cool” and the songs “Do You Feel Me” and “Prayin’ For You” from that record.

Dressed in black pants, black shirt, black fedora and white jacket with black trim, Hamilton continued his set by letting his live band and background singers’ show off their amazing voice and instrumentality.

The North Carolina native came back and performed the title track from his second studio album, 2003’s “Comin’ From Where I’m From.”

Next he launched into the hit “Best of Me,” which included a break down with Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” in the middle of it.

“We’re about to get real country with ya’ll is that alright?” Hamilton asked the hyped up audience who were fine with it.

“We’re just a few country boys from Charlotte and we came here to have a good time.”

Michele came back out on stage and played the tambourine while Hamilton and his band-many of which have been with him for 10 years—made the Benedum feel like a church revival.

Hamilton went on to slow things down with “The Point of it All” and “Charlene.”

“The concert was amazing. All of the singers came and did their thing.

I can’t stop thinking about it,” said concert attendee Ulyssa Kenney. “It was just beautiful.”

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

MC Lyte’s ‘LEGEND’

New music releases leader (Felix Jaehn remix)” to the U.S., releasing a brand new video for the hit single. Check out the video, directed by Lenny Bass.

The infectious, reggae-infused track is available to purchase.

PRNewswire-USNewswire—MC Lyte’s “LEGEND” album, her first in over eleven years, merges the classic sound of what made her initially popular together with the new, edgy, compelling sounds of the 21st century.

Together with the assembly of 10 amazing musicians, this project puts the edge, truth and melody back into hip hop.

From hard hitting kicks and snares that represent the genre of Hip Hop to the new pad sounds and synths that take the listener beyond this moment and the heavy bass lines that give way for Lyte’s showcase of pure lyricism, LEGEND is a perfect combination of what WAS and what IS and it’s ALL MC Lyte…current but still way ahead of her time.

OMI ‘Cheerleader’

(Ultra / Columbia Records,) International pop star OMI, hailing from Jamaica, has brought his global smash hit “Cheer-

Ciara ‘JACKIE’

MARLON ROUDETTE ‘When the Beat Drops Out’

Hailing from both St. Vincent and London, Marlon Roudette’s music is characterized as a mix between pop and reggae with notable influences from Gregory Isaacs, Sam Cooke, Massive Attack, and Sade.

His fresh, genre-mixing sound helped coin the term “Rave & B.” Marlon’s single “When the Beat Drops Out” has been released internationally and has already achieved a #1 chart position in 6 countries, a #2 position in 8 countries, and both gold and platinum certifications in 4 countries.

The song has also seen top worldwide Shazam positions, has been streamed nearly 20 million times on Spotify, and has worldwide video views of 10 million. In the UK, where the song was just serviced to radio and will be released March 1st, it recently jumped 72 spots to #28 on the UK Shazam Chart in just one week and now sits at #16.

Ciara’s sixth full-length album, “JACKIE” [Epic/Sony Music Entertainment], arrives in stores and at iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, and Amazon MP3.

Upon going live, it immediately vaulted to Top 3 on the iTunes Pop Chart.

Properly ringing in the release, the Grammy Awardwinning multiplatinum superstar will be making the rounds on numerous highprofile network television shows this week.

Hot on the heels of her self-titled 2013 chart-topper, “Ciara,” which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200, she brings the heat again over the course of “Jackie’s” 11 tracks; 16 on the Deluxe Edition Right now, her first major concert tour in more than six years is underway.

PRNewswire—Written, produced and recorded by DJ $crilla, “#ALLin” is the product of true musical genius. The album, available now, can be purchased at all major online retailers— iTunes, Amazon MP3, Google Play, Spotify—and at www.thedjscrilla.com.

Two years in the making, “#ALLin” features ten songs dealing with emotionally-powerful concepts based in love, lust, pain and heartache. DJ $crilla balances the spectrum with a healthy mix of straight-up good times that make it an all-encompassing hip-hop ride through REAL life.

“While taking the time to connect with my musical roots and the reasons that led to my original passion for the industry, I discovered flavorless songs dominating the hip-hop charts,” said Cleveland native, Christopher Harris (A.K.A. DJ $crilla). “After a hiatus from the music industry, this finding was the impetus for my determination to create #ALLin...it was my inspiration to fill a dire need for meaningful music.”

More information about #ALLin and DJ $crilla is available at www.thedjscrilla.com.

Tamar Braxton New Single

DJ Scrilla ‘#ALLin’ PRNewswire—Grammynominated singer, song writer, and television superstar Tamar Braxton launches “If I Don’t Have You,” her lead single from the forthcoming album, “Calling All Lovers,” by Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, Chairman and CEO, Epic Records. The release of “If I Don’t Have You” coincides with the fourth season premiere of WE-tv’s #1 rated reality series, Braxton Family Values (Thursdays @ 9pm).

June Thursday 4 The Dance on Widow’s Row New Horizon Theater Inc. presents “The Dance on Widow’s Row” at 7:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Homewood Branch, 7101 Hamilton Ave., Homewood. The romantic comedy written by Samm-Art Williams follows four widows who live on the same street in fictional Port Town, N.C. The ladies have buried nine husbands altogether and find dating in their town a chore due to the local men’s reluctance to get involved with these ladies. To help find a companion, widow Magnolia Ellis throws a party where three men haltingly show up, making it an evening of laughs. The production will run through June 14. For more information, call 412-4310773 or email newhorizontheater@yahoo.com.

Friday 5 Fences The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company presents August Wilson’s “Fences” at 8 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, 937 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. The Pulitzer-Prize winning play, directed by Mark Clayton Southers, is set in the 1950s and recounts the early rumblings of the Civil Rights Movement. The play follows character Troy Maxson, a middle-aged Hill District resident, and his struggle to accept the generational changes that have allowed his son to succeed in ways that he never could.

This is the last performance of the production. For more information, visit www.pghplaywrights.org.

Saturday 6

JUNE 3-9, 2015

ARTS & CULTURE

Full Bloom The Kelly Strayhorn Theater presents its Full Bloom Summer Dance 2015 at 7 p.m. at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. This is an annual summer celebration and benefit bash that supports East Liberty LIVE! a program that delivers affordable programming to kids and families. The evening will include live performances, food, drinks and more. PANDEMIC will be spinning the best party sounds from around the globe. For more information, call 412-363-3000 or visit www.kelly-strayhorn.org.

Sunday 7 Jazz/Salsa Boat Ride Roger Humphries & the RH Factor Band present the annual “Jazz on the River Boatride” from 12:304 p.m. at the Gateway Clipper Fleet, 350 W. Station Square Dr., Station Square. The afternoon will include Roger Humphries & the RH Band along with guests, Latin band Azucar, vocalists Chris Murrell and Spanky Wilson, and Salsa dance instructor Loyal Martinez.

The proceeds from the event will support the musical education of local youth. Reservations are required. For more information, call 412-321-1069 or visit www.RogerHumphries.com.

Roger Humphries Trio. The attire is business casual. For more information, call 412-281-0660 or visit www.savoypgh.com.

Children Will Listen Rema Webb presents “Children Will Listen” at 7:30 p.m. at the Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District. Broadway veteran and Pittsburgh native Rema Webb will return to the city for one-night only to bring her one woman show, “Children Will Listen,” originally directed by Billy Porter and presented by Rashad V. Chambers and Lyrical Braintwyst.

Webb will sing while sharing anecdotes about living her dream while pursuing the balance of being a mother on Broadway. For more information, call 412-456-6666.

Tuesday 9 JazzLive The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents JazzLive at 5 p.m. at the Backstage Bar at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Cultural District.

Every Tuesday guests can celebrate a decade of jazz in the Cultural District and enjoy hot jazz from some of the most talented musicians. For more information, call 412-4566666 or visit www.trustarts.org.

Wednesday 10

Monday 8

Wednesday Night Live Jazz

Savoy Jazz

The Rivers Club presents Wednesday Night Live Jazz from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Rivers Club, One Oxford Centre, 301 Grant St., Downtown. Every Wednesday night local artists, many from the Pittsburgh Jazz Society’s Hall of Fame, will perform. There will be a

Savoy Restaurant presents Savoy Jazz Mondays from 5-9 p.m. at 2623 Penn Ave., Strip District. Every Monday guests can enjoy live jazz in a sophisticated atmosphere. The evening will feature Sandy Dowe with the

Jimmy G’s jazz buffet and more.

This event is free and open to the public. Upscale casual attire, no jeans, is required. For more information, call 412-391-5227.

B7

Mariah Carey, L. A. Reid united

Multi-platinum global superstar Mariah Carey has been signed to an exclusive contract with Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, it was announced

by Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, Chairman and CEO, Epic Records. Mariah now returns to Sony Music where her hitmaking career began, with a history-making string of 18 Hot 100 #1 hits that made her the best-selling female artist of all time.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back together again with Mariah,” said Mr. Reid. “There is really no one who comes close to Mariah as both a songwriter and a singer, and as the world knows, her vocal range is legendary and truly incomparable. Her music is indelibly etched into our culture, and she’s shattered so many chart records that she’s now firmly entrenched in the

history books.

With a fierce and loyal fan base that covers every corner of the globe, I have no doubt Mariah will do it again.”

Mariah’s first album release will be Mariah Carey #1 To Infinity, arriving in stores May 18th on Epic Records/Columbia Records/Sony Legacy. For the first time ever, one career-spanning chronological collection will gather all 18 of her Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles (17 selfpenned), more than any solo artist in history. Included as the final track on the collection is Mariah’s breathtaking new single, “Infinity” (co-written and produced by Mariah).

Fans who pre-order the album now and will receive a special gift (http://smarturl.it/MC_1To Infinity) “MARIAH CAREY #1’s,” her headlining residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, will kick-off on May 6th, in between the release of “Infinity” and Mariah Carey #1 To Infinity. For the first time ever, Mariah will perform all 18 of her #1 hits in one production, designed exclusively for the Colosseum, also featuring fan-favorite album cuts, never-before-performed songs, and other surprises.

Presented jointly by AEG Live and Caesars Palace, tickets to the first 18 performances in 2015 are on-sale now: May 6, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 23, 24; and July 8, 11, 12, 15, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26. To purchase tickets, go to: thecolosseum.com or axs.com.

B8

JUNE 3-9, 2015

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

PEOPLE

REV. BARBARA GUNN WITH FAMILY—See story with more photos on Religion, Page B2. (Photo by J. L. Martello)

Haynie defying odds as PennDOT chipping crew foreman

by Michael Rose For New Pittsburgh Courier

How many times do you get in your car to go somewhere and take for granted that there is a road connecting you to your destination?

Probably everytime? How often do you think of the person you have to thank for that? A large part of the thanks is should go to Charles Haynie.

Haynie said that he is the first and only Black foreman heading the chipping crew working for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, or PennDOT for short.

“Chipping operation is an oil chip we go out and spray the roads with oil and we go over them with chip stones to preserve the road so we don’t have to pave it. We do that on the secondary and tertiary roads instead of the mainline roads,” Haynie said.

It would be far more expensive to repave every road that needs repairs so by “chipping” as it’s called, the life of a road that receives less traffic than a main road allows it to go longer without repairs while still keeping it drivable.

While it might not seem like glamourous work, it’s essential work and work that has been extremely hard to come by for any person of color. Since 1994 Haynie said he has suffered countless slights, and has been passed over several

times only to see White candidates with less experience get the job. What he has gone through he said is still nothing compared to what his forefathers went through before he got there.

“Back before my time in the late ‘80s early ‘90s I heard they had to go to Harrisburg just to drive the trucks. I was here back when they didn’t even want Black folks to even drive snow and plow trucks. They thought all we were good for was a mop, a shovel, a broom that’s all they wanted to see us do, and cleaning windows. In some ways it’s still like that. They don’t really have any Blacks operating any major equipment.”

Haynie, was born in September of 1963, one month after Dr. King’s I have a dream speech. He started working in road construction in 1981 with Palmieri Construction. From 1986-1993 he was with Paulson Asphalt.

When he joined PennDOT in 1994 he had already amassed a 13 year career. According to Haynie, the problems from the eighties continued to dog him into the nineties as he tried to increase his proficiency in his field and gain more experience.

“I tried to get certified on every piece of major equipment they had before I became a foreman,” Haynie said. “There was an issue back in the ‘90s back when I was trying to get certified on

CHARLES HAYNIE—Paving the way…literally (Photo by J.L. Martello) a widener which is an asphalt machine. They decided they already had too many, but they only had two.

“Now everybody and their mother is certified to use a widener and they’re all White. Not one Black.” Five out of the 21 of Haynie’s crew is Black.

It was no major accomplishment in his eyes when in 2001 he was finally selected to be the headman on the road as the foreman. In a small way, it seems Haynie was disappointed, in part because of how he was selected and the small victory he perceives for the people who had held him back for years.

“I had two White foremen

‘I Care’ pilot launched in Wilkinsburg,McKeesport

by Michael B. Rose For New Pittsburgh Courier

It’s an old axiom that it takes a village to raise a child, but what about the elderly? As we age it is a well-known fact that most people, if they live long enough, revert back to having the same needs as children. We don’t like to think about it, but most people past their seventies face a life of incontinence, a mouth without teeth and supervision from an adult.

It doesn’t happen overnight. Aging is a slow process. First, an individual might forget where they put their keys, most elder people call that a “senior moment.”

The tipping point is when that person finds their keys and gets in the car and forgets where they are going or can’t remember how to get home from where they’re at. Usually this behavior is accompanied with neglecting personal hygiene and daily chores such as picking up the mail from the mailbox. If these symptoms go ignored, this condition can quickly become fatal, as the individual will forget to eat or take vital medication. Most people are aware of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Dementia, but don’t know what to do to help a stranger.

Enter the United Way’s “I Care” initiative. “I Care” is a pilot program running from April through June 30 to inspire businesses and service providers to recognize the symptoms of neglect in the elderly and empower them to intervene without being overwhelmed with the responsibility that comes with it.

Heather Sedlacko, director of Seniors and People with Disabilities at the United Way of Allegheny County, has been spear heading the initiative since its induction, mainly in response to a tragic story.

“It’s a program to help neighbors to help their neighbors. There was a sad story in 2013 about an elderly man. His wife died a year earlier. He was taking care of his adult son with disabilities. He was so overwhelmed taking care of himself and his son he killed his son and himself. The “I Care” campaign came out of that.”

Familylinks’ Michelle Sipple, director of the Service Coordination Unit, has been leading a charge to spread knowledge and participation since she heard about it. “We are taking a true community based approach to a tragic

event that happened. It takes a village,” she said.

The process to help, as Sipple describes it, is actually very simple.

“Observe people who frequent your business. If they have been coming in for a long time and suddenly they are starting to look disheveled and more down trodden, approach them with the card and say if you need help here’s how to get it,” Sipple said.

In the first six weeks, Familylinks has had face-to-face meetings with over a hundred businesses and organizations, she said. Examples of businesses participating are PNC bank in Wilkinsburg, McKeesport library, Shop ‘n Save, and local churches. Sipple said they tried to get the post office to distribute it, but they would need permission from the postmaster general.

“The United Way chose Wilkinsburg and McKeesport because of the demographics.

They have people who are in need but small enough to make a large impact in a short amount of time. “We have distributed at least 12,000 cards between Wilkinsburg and McKeesport,” Sedlacko said.

Sipple’s mentality of it takes a village is resonating with business owners and residents alike. Terri Ploskina owns Dot’s, a family restaurant in McKeesport that supports the “I Care” initiative. By her own admission, a good percentage of her customers are elderly.

Plosinka said she knows how real the danger is.

“I did it before I knew about the program. A customer in his late ‘80s came in every day.

His son lived out of town. He stopped coming in so I called his son and he asked me to check on him. I did and found he wasn’t getting his mail or answering the phone. He looked really disheveled.

“The second time I called the cops to do a welfare check on him. The police when they found the condition the man was in, forced the man to be hospitalized where they found he had a brain tumor.”

Ploskina loves the program because she feels that a lot of people want to help but they don’t know how. Well now it’s easy.

Once the person calls 211 they will be referred to Protective Services Area Agency on Aging and they will take appropriate measures to make sure the individual gets the help they need.

in front of me but they didn’t want it. So they had no choice but to come to me. They loved that because once I became a foreman that put me out of operating equipment.”

But with the bitter came

the sweet. Haynie now appreciates his job at the top in a way only someone who has been jilted and left at the bottom can.

“Now I’m leading people that can’t stand to see me

lead them but they have no choice because this is the job,” he said. “So you don’t want to work for me because of my skin color you can go work for someone else. That’s my take on it.”

Unfazed by the scope of his own accomplishments and jaded from close to 30 years of being overlooked and underappreciated Hainey shows all the signs of a straight shooting cowboy that has finished fighting bad guys and ready to ride off into the sunset.

Hainey has some words of advice to the future Black road workers to be.

“Keep your composure. If they tell you no you keep going forward. If it is something that you want, you’re going to have to bang for it to get it.”

There have been Black foremen in other areas at PennDOT but Haynie said he doesn’t know of any currently.

New Pittsburgh Courier

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Harry C. Alford

Beyond the Rhetoric

The war between Apple vs. Samsung (NNPA)—On the surface, the Apple/Samsung trial that recently concluded appears to be a minor win for Samsung in a long-running patent war. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit cut Samsung’s damages payment from $930 million to $548 million, a substantial reduction in penalty.

The legal reasoning behind the court’s decision has, however, validated some of Apple’s most corrosive arguments for the future of design patent litigation. Worst of all, these consequences won’t just be limited to technology conglomerates like Apple and Samsung; they will percolate throughout the economy and affect businesses everywhere, particularly in our society’s most vulnerable and underprivileged communities.

For consumers, particularly minorities, the court’s ruling raises questions about innovation and competition. Patents are meant to protect companies that innovate and create. But the court’s ruling places less certainty on design patent interpretation, and opens the floodgates for increased litigation on design patents.

In short, the court ruled that Apple’s complaint over Samsung’s infringement of certain design features (such as the “rounded rectangle” shape of smartphones) was valid, and that this infringement entitled Apple to damages despite the fact that these patents are irrelevant to customers’ purchasing decisions. This is an extremely troubling precedent to set, as it means that basic elements of design, such as shapes, can be patented and used as the basis for extremely costly lawsuits.

If companies can patent something as straightforward as “rounded rectangles,” and can potentially sue for the infringer’s profits even though the shape is likely unrelated to the features that prompt customers to actually purchase a product, then the sky is the limit for predatory litigants. The ramifications will not just be limited to the so-called “smartphone wars” either, but will spread throughout the economy as a new breed of patent trolls race to find businesses to sue on the pretext of design

patent infringement.

Today, African Americans own only 5.5 percent of U.S. businesses 4 percent of high-tech enterprises.

Many of the National Black Chamber of Commerce’s 10,000 members own patents to compete against other firms that also hold patents. Becoming involved in a design patent war could shutter many minority-owned businesses.

Even worse, the law now holds that business owners found responsible for selling a product that infringes on a design patent are also liable for profits from its sale. This extreme extension of liability could cripple a small business. If a convenience store owner in an underprivileged neighborhood is found to have sold a potato chip brand whose bag violates a design patent, the resulting penalties could easily put him or her out of business. This is totally counterproductive to the pressing priority of using business and economic growth to help uplift underprivileged communities.

This extension of legal culpability also makes no practical sense. Is a small business owner supposed to validate that each and every product he or she sells does not violate design patents?

The answer is obviously no.

Because of the court’s unfortunate ruling, we can only hope that Congress will override this damaging interpretation of the law through a legislative fix.

Without this step, there is a substantial chance that the very patent trolls that both the House and Senate are currently working so hard to cripple will simply shift from their current tactics to design patent litigation. In fact, if the court’s reasoning stands, design patent litigation will likely be even more financially rewarding for unscrupulous patent trolls than their current practices, making our problem even worse.

As the NBCC previously wrote, litigation costs for companies sued by trolls can range from $2 million to $8 million. Minorityowned companies struggling to make ends meet cannot afford hefty litigation costs, let alone the threat of more trolls knocking on their doors and the SEE WAR C2

THE FOUNDATION IS IN PLACE—A State Farm Insurance Agent for over 30 years, Grace Robinson looks forward to providing assistance to Danielle Howard and her family as she embarks upon operating her own Agency. Front — Daughter 13-year-old Jazmine Howard and Danielle Howard. Back — Grace Robinson and husband Mark Howard. (Photo by Diane I. Daniels)

Success comes with guidance and hard work

by Diane I. Daniels For New Pittsburgh Courier

Danielle Howard describes the attributes to building a successful career in the insurance industry as possessing strong leadership abilities, having good people skills, being a good listener, having strong communication skills, being organized and having a strong support base.

At a time when hundreds of young people are graduating from college and making career decisions Howard, a 2000 Hampton University graduate and a State Farm Insurance Agent since February suggests graduates investigate insurance agent candidate possibilities. “It’s a lucrative and rewarding industry to be involved in,” she said.

The daughter of Grace Robinson, the first African American woman in Pennsylvania to own and operate a State Farm Agency, Howard admits that she was introduced to the business at a young age and had the advantage of gaining first-hand experience since high school.

“My mom started her business when I was four,” said Howard, now 37. Actually involved in the business end of the agency for 14 years, Howard said while in high

school she worked as a customer service representative and once graduating from college she became the agency’s marketing coordinator. Under her guidance, the Grace Robinson Agency

Boulevard, Howard said her job is to protect her customers’ life style and standard of living. “It took me two years to obtain my licenses and three months of training to get where I am

“When you experience other environments you see that possibilities are endless. I have had the opportunity to travel with my mom a lot. It enabled me to see things differently and created a desire for me to want to succeed.”

DANIELLE HOWARD

was recognized by the State Farm Insurance Company multiple times for their professional accomplishments and ability to reach sales goals. Robinson credits her daughter as expanding the market base of the firm and implementing administrative strategies to increase customer retention.

“Under Danielle’s guidance, my agency has reached the remarkable threshold of insuring over 2000 households,” said Robinson.

Now operating her own State Farm Insurance Agency at 1500 Ardmore

today.” She is licensed by the Pennsylvania Insurance Commission to write Auto, Life, Health, Property and Casualty Insurance and is certified to sell State Farm Bank Products.

Considered the largest provider of car insurance in the United States, State Farm founded in 1922 is a mutual company with more than 65,000 employees and more than 18,000 agents servicing 82 million policies and accounts throughout the U.S. Its mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected,

and realize their dreams.

Describing State Farm as all exclusive, Howard explained that the corporation is a family of insurance and financial services companies with many lines of business offering over 100 products. Based in Bloomington, Ill, State Farm offers auto insurance, business insurance, life insurance and annuity products, fire and casualty insurance protecting homeowners, boat owners and many commercial lines. It operates State Farm Lloyds an association of underwriters operating under the Lloyds Plan as provided in Texas law. It operates State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas, State Farm Bank, F.S.B which focuses on consumer-oriented financial products, complementing State Farm’s insurance focus on personal lines.

Also it offers the State Farm Investment Management Corporation and the State Farm VP Management Corporation.

With the philosophy of being a good neighbor, State Farm advertises that it is commitment to building safer, stronger, and better educated communities. It partners with organizations like the American Red SEE SUCCESS C2

Pennsylvania’s biggest 1-month jobs gain since 1990s

by Marc Levy Associated Press Writer

SEEKING EMPLOYMENT—Denise Parris from the Hill speaking with Kristen Stephens owner of EIG Services LLC (Photos by J.L. Martello)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)—Pennsylvania recorded its biggest onemonth jobs gain in nearly two decades in April, while its unemployment rate stabilized after rising for three straight months, the state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday.

An April survey of employers showed that seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls grew by 27,000 jobs, the biggest one-month jump since February 1996, the department said. That brought the total payrolls figure to a record of nearly 5.85 million.

The biggest increase was in construction, which added 10,000 jobs, while the education and health services sector and the trade, transportation and utilities sector each added more than 4,000 jobs. The only sectors to shrink during the month were mining and logging and information services. The payrolls figures are preliminary and could be revised next month.

Labor economist Mark Price, with the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg, said the data lack details but the jump in construction activity is likely fueled by a 2013 state law that raised gas taxes and motorist fees to boost road and bridge work.

Meanwhile, he also sees April’s increase as a sign that the national economy will inject a steadier period of job and wage growth into Pennsylvania.

“It reflects, more than anything else, that we’re in the right part of the business cycle, the stronger part,” Price said.

Meanwhile, April’s unemployment rate remained unchanged from March, at 5.3 percent, after three straight months of seeing the rate increase. Pennsylvania hit a post-recession low of 5 percent unemployment in December after reaching a recessionary high of 8.7 percent in 2010.

The national rate for April was 5.4 percent.

A separate survey of households SEE BIGGEST C2

Poverty still major affliction for Blacks C2 JUNE 3-9, 2015

by Stacy M. Brown

For New Pittsburgh Courier

(NNPA)–Black America is in a state of emergency, and what’s happened in Baltimore, Ferguson, Missouri, and other places isn’t solely about police misconduct, according to members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The demonstrations and civil unrest are mostly about poverty, unemployment, a lack of opportunity, hopelessness and despair, the organization said. CBC Chair G.K. Butterfield said Democratic proposals to fix these problems stand in stark contrast to the Republican budget, which he considers a recipe for national decline.

Federal government statistics revealed that the median income of African American households stands at $34,600, or nearly $24,000 less than

BUSINESS

the median income of White households.

Also, the median net worth of White households is 13 times the level for Black households, and Blacks are almost three times more likely to live in poverty than White Americans.

Further, at 10.1 percent, the current unemployment rate for Black Americans is double the rate for White Americans, and Blacks currently face an unemployment rate higher than the national unemployment rate during the peak of the recession.

“In my home state of North Carolina, the unemployment rate for African Americans is 9.9 percent while the unemployment rate of Whites is 3.2 percent,” Butterfield said.

Also, the poverty rate for African Americans currently stands at 27.5 percent, while its just 12.6

percent for whites.

For District residents, the median household income for African Americans is $38,300, while it stands at a whopping $115,900 for Whites.

“Yes, that’s right; that is a gap of $77,600, and the poverty rate here in the nation’s capital is 27.4 percent for African Americans compared to REPUBLICANS MUST HELP—Congressional 7.6 percent Black Caucus Chair G.K. Butterfield said Repub- for Whites,” licans must help Democrats fight poverty in Afri- Butterfield can American communities. (Courtesy Photo) said.

And while, on the surface, there’s a smaller gender pay gaps within the Black community, it’s really not all that rosy, based on an analysis this month by The Philadelphia Tribune.

“The problem is that a smaller Black gender wage gap is an advanced indicator of much more serious economic and financial hemorrhaging within the larger Black community. Baltimore just snapped the entire nation back into that conversation,” the newspaper wrote.

African American females, when compared with other populations, are almost level with their male counterparts in average income, but this comes amid significant economic decline for Black men, their traditional community partners.

(Special to the NNPA from the Washington Informer)

The war between Apple vs. Samsung CONTINUED FROM C1

potential of owing total profits on a product they sell.

The court’s unwillingness to define design patent law interpretation is damaging to African American companies, the consumers they serve, and the communities they support.

There is so much more on the line in this case than the $548 million that Samsung owes Apple. The consequences of the Court’s ruling have the potential to permeate every part of the economy as design patents become the default crutch for people and companies willing to twist the law to make a quick buck.

Samsung and Apple are

both multi-billion dollar conglomerates that can afford hefty legal fees as well as suffer the occasional setback in court. The Black small business owners who work seven days a week to barely make ends meet, however, are the last people prepared to deal with a flood of unwarranted litigation. They will truly feel the brunt of the mistake that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has made, not the world’s biggest electronics firms.

(Harry C. Alford is the cofounder, President/CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®.

Website: www.nationalbcc.org Email: halford@nationalbcc.org)

Success comes with guidance, hard work CONTINUED FROM C1

Cross and Habitat for Humanity and offers Good Neighbor Citizenship Company Grants and the State Farm Companies Foundation provides support for key initiatives and scholarships as well as associatedirected programs including grants supporting volunteerism and matching gifts to two- and four-year colleges and universities.

Keeping in line with State Farm’s good neighbor thinking and through her passion and commitment to helping young people excel and believing it is essential to “give back” to the community, in 1992 Robinson founded and created a non-profit group called Tomorrow’s Future.

Serving as the executive director, Howard describes it as a mentoring entrepreneurial and jobtraining program for teens 14 to 18. Its mission is to equip young people with the basic communications, employment and social skills needed to compete in today’s marketplace. Servicing Allegheny County, she estimates that more than 350 students have participated in the six week sessions.

With a strong belief in empowering women and minorities, Howard has involved herself with the Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania, the YWCA Women’s Empowerment Benefit group, Fair Housing Partnership and Beginning with Books.

She has also received numerous awards and recognitions inclusive of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Make the Connection Award and the Outstanding Sales Presentation Award as well as the Young Achiever Award.

Howard is a graduate of Woodland Hills High School

and received her Bachelor of Science degree from Hampton in Entrepreneurship. Along with being a State Farm Agent she is a licensed real estate agent.

While still maintaining her position as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Grace Robinson Insurance Agency, in 2003 she expand her professional capabilities and began a career in real estate with Northwood Realty. Her desire and focus to assist first time homebuyers was a motivating force behind her success at Northwood Realty. As a result she was the recipient of the Monthly Office Sales Leader Award and Office Listing Leader Award multiple times and in 2009 she joined the Northwood Reality Excellence Honor Circle for a Million Dollars in sales.

When advising young people like her Tomorrow’s Future participants, Howard recommends that they stay focused on their education and get involved in positive programs. Remembering when her mom founded the organization she said it was at a time when gang violence was prevalent. “The organization helped many of the participants stay clear of negative activity.”

To older young people she suggests that they expand their horizons by traveling.

“When you experience other environments you see that possibilities are endless,” she said. “I have had the opportunity to travel with my mom a lot. It enabled me to see things differently and created a desire for me to want to succeed.”

Howard said that no matter what stage you are in your career or life that having a strong foundation and support base is important.

“It does not matter if it’s a teacher, counselor, supervisor, minister or family member.”

NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER

BUSINESS CALENDAR

Lunch and Learn Series JUNE 4— The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host its Lunch & Learn Series at 12:15 p.m. at the Downtown & Business Branch, 612 Smithfield St., Downtown. The topic will be “Estate Planning is for Everyone.”

Facilitator Jennifer Dunn of Fifth Third Bank will explain the most common documents used in estate planning—the will, trust, power of attorney, medical directive and living will. For more information, call 412-281-7141 or visit www.carnegielibrary.org.

Members’ Mixer JUNE 4—The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence and the Women President’s Organization will host its Members’ Mixer from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at Larrimor’s, 249 Fifth Ave., Downtown. The event will feature Jack Mitchell of the Wall Street Journal. Attendees are asked to bring business cards and members are asked to wear their pins. For more information, call 412-3920610 or email information@aaccwp.com.

The First Step

Lacking diversity THE STAFF OF TIDAL

Jay Z blasted for all White Tidal staff while demanding Blacks support him

by Terry Shropshire For New Pittsburgh Courier

Because of lackluster sales of his over-hyped, much-ballyhooed Tidal music service, rapper JayZ flew into a curious and rare public tirade about his struggles as a black man. During a recent concert performance, Beyonce’s husband even evoked the names of Freddie Gray and Trayvon Martin to express the grief he feels trying to build a business while trying to rip free from the grip of the white man’s oppression.

However, an image has been circulating online that has led some to wonder if Jay-Z is truly committed to hiring black people. The image features he and Beyonce taking a picture with a large staff that appears to be 100 percent white. Critics charge that Jay-Z’s recent on-stage rant about racism was a ploy to get the backing of the Black community for his Tidal streaming service without him taking measurable steps toward true diversity within his company.

Twitter users tore into Jay Z for his appearance of hypocrisy.

Jay-Z’s supporters claim that with the company being originally based in Sweden, there was simply too small a pool of black people to hire. However, Tidal is a global business, with employees from a multitude of countries likely be involved.

So, if he chose to surpass the 103,000 Black people in the country of Sweden, there would surely be others willing to move in order to take the job.

Jay Z launched his “new” Tidal streaming service at the end of March along with a cohort of fellow

musicians on stage Skylight at Moynihan Station in Manhattan, promising to forever change the course of music history.

Flanked by the likes of wife Beyonce, Madonna, Rihanna, Kanye West, Jack White, Alicia Keys, and Deadmau5, Hov announced that they were all shareholders in the first artist-owned music platform, which aims to give musicians a bigger cut for their music.

However many have questioned whether the app can be a success. According to Bloomberg, Aspiro, the company which was bought by Jay Z, has lost money every quarter since it was founded, losing $5 million in the final quarters of last year.

While being purchased by a conglomerate of celebrities caused an initial boost in popularity, the streaming app has since plummeted through

iStore rankings.

That could be because users who initially signed up were treated to a free trial, but cancelled when it expired, meaning they would have to pay the $9.99 or $19.99 required to keep using.

Unlike rival Spotify, which is valued at $8 billion and occupies top spot for music apps in iStore, there is no free-to-use tier for Tidal, which may be driving users away.

Analysts estimate that as many as three quarters of Spotify’s users are using the free tier.

Also in Jay’s defense might be the fact that, despite the perception being given to the public, the rap mogul is not the majority owner of Tidal. Instead, the company is owned by numerous artists and investors, with Jay-Z serving as the public face of the venture.

(Originally seen on http://atlantadailyworld.com/)

Social Security question and answer Question: Can I refuse to give my Social Security number to a private business?

Answer: Yes, you can refuse to disclose your Social Security number, and you should be careful about giving out your number. But, be aware, the person requesting your number can

refuse services if you don’t give it. Businesses, banks, schools, private agencies, etc., are free to request someone’s number and use it for any purpose that doesn’t violate a federal or state law. To learn more about your Social Security number, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ssn umber.

Biggest 1-month jobs gain CONTINUED FROM C1

showed the state’s labor force—the number of people working or looking for work—expanded by 19,000, moving closer to

6.4 million people. Employment grew by 14,000 to creep above 6.05 million people, while unemployment also inched up to 340,000.

JUNE 4—The University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for Social and Urban Research, Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Small Business Development Center will host “The First Step: Mechanics of Starting a Small Business” from 5:307:30 p.m. at the Homestead Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 510 E. 10th Ave., Homestead. This seminar is designed for individuals who have never operated their own business or who want to take it from their garage to a storefront. This seminar will hope individuals learn the steps necessary to start a new business and how to avoid some common pitfalls. Light refreshments will be offered. Registration is required and this is a free event. For more information, call 412-624-3095 or visit www.http://monvalleyentreprene ur.pitt.edu.

The Second Step JUNE 11——The University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for Social and Urban Research, Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Small Business Development Center will host “The Second Step: Creating a Business Plan” from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Homestead Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 510 E. 10th Ave., Homestead. This seminar will help individuals develop a business plan; the tools that successful business owners use to guide their business’ growth.

Light refreshments will be offered.

Registration is required and this is a free event. For more information, call 412-624-3095 or visit www.http://monvalleyentrepreneur .pitt.edu.

Crucial Business Trends JUNE 17—The Business Institute of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania will host “Crucial Business Trends for 2015” from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Koppers Building, 436 Seventh Ave., Downtown. Marty McGough, vice president of Market Insights for Campos Research Strategy, will give a summary of the “Top 10 2015 Consumer Behavior Trends” and the impact it can have on one’s business.

Registration is required. For more information, call 412-3920610 or email information@aaccwp.com.

Engaging Corporate Sponsors JUNE 18—The Association of Fundraising Professionals will host “New Rules for Engaging Corporate Sponsors” with Barbara Harrington from 11:30 a.m.1:30 p.m. at Shannopin Country Club, 1 Windmere Rd., Pittsburgh. The workshop, facilitated

by Barbara Harrington, founder of Sponsorship Plus, will highlight sponsorship trends & ethics; case studies; valuing benefits and pricing packages; and event sponsorships and identifying other opportunities. Registration is required. For more information, visit www.afpwpa.org.

PowerBreakfast Meeting JUNE 19—The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania will host its PowerBreakfast Meeting at 7:30 a.m. at One Oxford Centre.

301 Grant St., Downtown. The guest speaker will be JoEllen Parker, the president and CEO of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. She will give an update on her plans for the organization. Reservations are required

by June 17. For more information, call 412-392-0610 or email information@aaccwp.com.

New Pittsburgh Courier

SPORTS

C3

JUNE 3-9, 2015

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

by Bill Neal For New Pittsburgh Courier

:10—It goes without saying by now that I’m admitted government sanctioned “LBJ” hater (LeBron James for you Allderdice graduates who hate limited opportunity to see greatness.)

Hey relax, just a little Allderdice humor. And Lord knows there’s enough to go around…ah, did it again huh? Anyway, the recent conversation about “LBJ” and “MJ” aka “your airness” aka Michael Jeffrey Jordon going head to head in oneon-one competition. Here’s the word just in case you think “Bron-Bron” has a chance please, please, please just close your eyes and remember M.J.’s hands around the throat of Xavier McDaniel in the heat of battle. McDaniel’s came on at 6’4 – 220. Better still be reminded that on numerous occasions the Bulls had to shut down practice cause M.J. was beating up his

own players. One more reminder to get you over your temporary amnesia…When the Detroit “Bad Boys” Pistons told “Jordon” to not come down the lane to the hoop…“Jordon” went down the lane to the hoop.

Michael Jordan will take LeBron’s heart out of his chest! That you can take to the bank!!! :09—Here’s this for you “Allerdice Dragons” I ticked off. You did have greatness.

Derek Subur – Will Herndon – William Kinsel – Coach Howard Bullard – The great Curtis Martin – The Dobbs brothers and your greatest all time legend Ms. Debbie Norrell.

NOW SHUT UP! :08—If you’re now reading your Wednesday edition of your New Pittsburgh Courier you still have time to take this rock sold advice to your local bookie. (yes you do, yes you do, we all know you gamble and you have a bookie.) Golden State will defeat the Cleve-

Overtime land CAVS in six games for the NBA title. Trust me on this. (huh?) :07—Now you feel better about the Bucs? I told ya they would come around.

Pitchers adjust to hitters early in the season and then hitters readjust to pitchers.

Pirates 8 out of the last 10 games they’ll be ok. :06—Funny, speaking of baseball I haven’t heard from “baseball expert” and my good friend Kevin Cameron for a while. Or for that matter Zik, Mike Booker or my old man about any sports topic. All I can say is it’s lonely at the top! :05—But that’s all good.

My new best friend is now “in the locker room.” My main “popcorn” logged in with some quality points last week. Welcome in son, and keep reading the New Pittsburgh Courier and Overtime! :04—Speaking of ex-

perts…or those who think they are, this message goes out to the caller. “Keep it coming Mannnnnnnnn!!!! :03—I know you miss the movie reviews…(yes you do, yes you do, you can say you don’t but I know you do.) There’s no movie review cause there’s no good movies.

None-Zip-Nada.

Stay tuned…that’s all folks! :02—Here’s something else I know you love. The top 10 whatever list. This is a “big’ one and your gonna love it. Yes you will, oh yes you will. The Top 10 “Big Men” of the greatest game of all time. No. 1 Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, No. 2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, No. 3 Bill Russell, No. 4 Shaquille “Shack Daddy” O’Neal, No. 5 Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon, No. 6 Willis Reed, No. 7 Patrick Ewing, No. 8 Robert Parrish, No. 9 George Mikan, No. 10 Bob

Lainer/Wes Unseld. You beg to differ? Well beg on my brother…text 412-628-4856 with your differ. :01—In case your wondering or for some reason you missed it, the Achieving Greatness Inc., High School Life-Skills Seminar was a huge success. More than 50 of our best and brightest spent four hours with 20 of our most concerned coaches and adults including Master Jacquet Bazemore, Master Yusef, Dusty Long, Coach Wilford Dennis, Warren Wilson and Ernie Grooves. Special thanks goes out to Chuck Sanders and Savoy Restaurant, Highmark, Dr. William Simmons, Gibbons Soul Food Restaurant, UPMC, Mr. Will Anderson, and the Pittsburgh United Rays Corvette Club.

And of course a huge thank you to the AGI staff, volunteers and ongoing supporters.

We saw greatness up close and personal! :00—Double OVERTIME! The first best bash of the summer is finally here. Sum-

mer Maddness Monday’s at the fabulous Blue Line Grille Uptown Monday, June 15 – early evening start…RIGHT AFTER WORK…6 p.m. – Summer Casual to dress to impress it’s up to you - $10 in advance $15 at the door – free hors d’oeuvres 6-8 p.m. – outdoor open deck on the top VIP level – cash bar & cash kitchen – special…special…special guests the Nationally recognized “Patriot Girls Models” – Valet, street and garage parking – 50/50 – vendors prizes and surprises and all this wrapped around the legendary R&B sounds of Sly Jock – sponsored by Achieving Greatness Inc., The Pittsburgh City League Hall of Fame Committee (Coach Chuck Franklin, Coach Vince Neal and Coach Fred Lucas, Chairmen) and the line dance master Roland Ford. Call 412-628-4856, 412225-9091 or 412-901-8495 for more information. Let’s get ready to par-tay…eatin’, drinkin’ and dancin’….the way it used to be.

Game over

WPIAL Best at Baldwin High International track meet

BRIAN SIMS Aliquippa’s hands the baton to Stephon McGinnis who sprinted to the finish line to give the Quips the win in the 400 relay race.

BRICEN GARNER of Central Catholic won the Triple Jump event and finished 2nd in the Long Jump event.

AJA THORPE, right, of Sewickley Academy dashes to the finish line ahead of her younger sister Summer Thorpe, far left, to win the 100 meter hurdles at the Baldwin Invitational. (Photos by William McBride)

by Aubrey Bruce For New Pittsburgh Courier

Most of us learned long ago that nursery rhymes were not written to soothe the moods of children, create a joyful atmosphere, or to capture their attention but were instead penned to display covert opposition to tyrannical, cruel and perverted dictators and similar monarchies.

As most of you also realize especially during the middle ages in Europe, protesting against the powers-thatwere, could often leave the dissident with a stiff neck, a headache and in many cases, no head at all. For example, the following is an excerpt from a popular 19th century nursery rhyme.

For all of you aficionados out there don’t get your “dander” up because I am not quoting the piece of “literature” verbatim. “Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush so early in the morning.

This is the way we wash

LAUREN WILES of North Hills won the 100 meter dash

THE PENN HILLS BOYS won the 3200 meter relay race. From left: Denzel Beeman, Isaiah Bailey, Marshall Murray and Duwon Terrell

Inside Conditions—Kindergarten games our face, wash our face, wash our face.

This is the way we comb our hair, comb our hair, comb our hair.

This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth.

This is the way we put on our clothes, put on our clothes, put on our clothes.

So early in the morning.”

Most of us have erroneously defined that children’s piece as a facilitator of merriment. That is a total misconception based on idealism, not realism.

Why? Well according to wikipedia.com: “Historian R. S. Duncan suggests that the song originated with female prisoners at HMP Wakefield [in the UK] A sprig was taken from Hatfield Hall (Normanton Golf Club) in Stanley, Wakefield, and grew into a fully mature mulberry tree around which prisoners exercised in the moonlight.”

Even though this is pure speculation, one can imag-

ine prisoners singing the song, openly mocking prison authorities in a very covert way. They are saying that all of their actions are dictated by those who oversee their lives on a daily basis.

As of this moment the NFL has many hoops that the players must jump through and many rings of fire that the players must run through just to make a living. NFL players are dictated to and must go far beyond their performance on the gridiron, just to satisfy and pacify the status quo.

There is no such thing as autonomy in the NFL, here’s why.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson went through hell and high water (some would argue justifiably) because of child abuse allegations.

Although, at times the Vikings acted as though he was “damaged goods,” as soon as he began to explore other options Minnesota

began to “pee on the pole” and mark their territory.

ESPN Vikings reporter Ben Goessling recently reported from Eden Prairie, Minnesota that: “While Adrian Peterson missed his second day of Minnesota Vikings’ organized team activities, coach Mike Zimmer laid out a simple choice for the running back: Play for us or play for no one.” ESPN’s Mark Clayton also quoted Zimmer as saying “He’s not going to play for anybody else.” The NFL dances around like they’re handing out welfare checks in Flatbush” when it comes to disciplining the master cheater and manipulator New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, all while implementing the “anti-Curt Flood rule,” violating the very tenets of capitalism when it comes to players exercising basic American rights, like the freedom to work for whom you wish while able to set your own

price without your value being manipulated by the media and false standards.

Why should a player be forced to play for a team that doesn’t want to pay him “the price that he demands?”

Yardbarker posted an Adrian Peterson Tweet that went something like this as far as his current contract is concerned. “Question for the people, is a contract two sided or one? Ok great two sided! Well why when one party decides…Mr.? We want you to take a pay cut now or better yet flat out release you! There’s never no talk about honoring a contract! I know hundreds of player’s that wished their team would’ve HONORED the contract! But instead got thrown to the side like like trash. A little crazy how one side has so much power that they can do as they please when it come to the contract! But when the other-side (player’s) Feels

for whatever reason! Family, Change of scenery or simply — what they feel just might work best for them! Those same laws don’t apply!”

The NFL powers-that-be often reminds their players very emphatically to: “do as the league says, not as the league does.” However, sometimes the league follows the advice of the great imaginary sage and philosopher for the ages, Forrest Gump. Can’t you hear the words of Monsieur Gump, flowing from the mouths of the NFL ownership “skyping” with the NFL brass reminding them that; “stupid is as stupid does.” In other words, do as we say, not as we do. May the mulberry bush be now and forever known as: the burning bush.

(The sources for this article were espn.com, yardbarker.com and wikipedia.com) (Aubrey Bruce can be reached at:abruce@newpittsburghcourier.com or 412-583-6741. He is also a contributing columnist on urbanmediatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter@ultrascribe.)

New Pittsburgh Courier

CLASSIFIED

C4

JUNE 3-9, 2015

SONNY BOY

www.newpittsburghcourier.com

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

WPXI is seeking an associate producer who is ready to contribute to our fast-paced newscasts, and wants to work toward becoming a show producer. The ideal candidate will write strong leads, use the active voice and focus on whatʼs new, now and next in every story. This full-time position provides a unique opportunity to gain great experience and work for a strong media company. Please send resumes to acoulter@wpxi.com.

Thank you for your interest in WPXI and Cox Media Group.

INFORMATION TECHNOLGY

Westmoreland County Community College is seeking a full-time Director/Information Technology responsible for providing strategic planning, organization, control, coordination, communication, leadership, and integration of the information technology infrastructure of the college which supports both the academic and administrative information systems and technology. Requires Masterʼs degree in related field; 5-7 years of work related information technology exp; in-depth knowledge of computers and information technology (i.e. systems, networks, software applications, telephony systems, video conferencing, etc.) acquired through both experience and specialized education; Acts 34, 114 & 151 Clearances; employment verification, national criminal database search and drug screen. An excellent benefit package and salary range of $68,879-$72,989 applies. To apply visit our website wccc.edu/employment.

WCCC IS AN EEO/AA EMPLOYER

PRESIDENT & CEO/ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

F/T position avail. Pgh. area. Masterʼs Deg. & 3 to 5 yrs. exp. with planning, program mgmt. & budget prep. for a CIL, non-profit org., social services or community based agency, or Bachelorʼs Deg. and 5 to 8 yrs. exp. Must have broad supervisory exp. Oversees the dev. of annual plan regarding operations & budgets. Assists the BOD in dev. & implementation of long range plan.

Oversees hiring, supervision & termination of all personnel. Oversees fundraising activities & planned giving. Directs grant & contract dev.

Implements organizational & public policies. Must have thorough knowledge & demonstrated practical exp. regarding Independent Living & its philosophy. Prefer good working knowledge of computers, databases & word processing. Exc. oral & written comm. skills. Personal exp. with a disability pref. Full bene pkg.

ADA/EOE. Salary commensurate with experience & qualifications. Pls. submit cover letter & resume with salary requirements by 6/30/15 to: New Pittsburgh Courier, Key P.C.E., 315 East Carson St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219 or Email to lwilson@trcil.org.

TRANSIT STOP & CLEVER DEVICES SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Port Authority is seeking an experienced Transit Stop & Clever Devices Support Specialist to provide and maintain transit stop information, Clever Devices database system information and provide assistance for other departmental functions. Responsible for maintaining updated databases that supply Real Time and CAD/AVL system. Assists with bus stop signage maintenance consisting of conducting field inspections to ensure that all stop information, equipment, inventory and facilities are maintained. Coordinates various departmental functions and ensures consistent application of data and procedures. Assists with the shelter and park & ride program.

Job requirements include: •High School Diploma or GED. •BA/BS Degree in Business Administration or directly related field from an accredited school. Directly related experience may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis.

•Minimum of two (2) years experience in planning, scheduling, transit schedules, service. data collection, and/or analysis.

•Demonstrated ability in the use of Windows, Microsoft Word and Excel.

•Excellent organizational skills.

•Professional and effective communication skills.

•Valid driverʼs license.

Preferred attributes: •Experience in the operations, scheduling, planning, or customer service.

•Knowledge / Experience in Clever Devices system, data collection methods and Clever Devices database.

•Knowledge of Port Authority service areas and routes.

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Interested candidates should forward a cover letter (with salary requirements) and resume to: Inez Colon Employment Department 345 Sixth Avenue, 3rd Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 IColon@portauthority.org EOE

SOUTH FAYETTE TWP. SCHOOL DISTRICT DIRECTOR OF PUPIL PERSONNEL

Complete job description is available at: www.southfayette.org South Fayette Twp. School District 3680 Old Oakdale Road McDonald, PA 15057 Deadline: 4:00 p.m. June 8, 2015 or Until Position is Filled EOE

PROJECT DELIVERY SPECIALIST Southwestern Pennsylvania Corporation (SPC) seeks full time Project Delivery Specialist to perform duties related to state and federal transportation projects and general funding advancement efforts. Provides technical assistance to help advance projects and promotes widespread use of effective project delivery practices.

Visit www.spcregion.org for more information. Send letter of interest, resume, and salary history to hr@spcregion.org EEO/AA/M/F/Vet/Disability Employer.

NEWS PRODUCER

WPXI is seeking a newscast producer with great writing, news judgment and creativity to help drive the best local newscasts in Pittsburgh.

The ideal candidate will produce newscasts with a focus on breaking news, severe weather, local news, high story count and live shots.

Weʼre looking for a naturally curious, competitive producer who is a team player, a strong leader, and who communicates and collaborates with others to create great television every day. WPXI-TV is an EOE employer. Please send resumes to acoulter@wpxi.com.

Thank you for your interest in WPXI and Cox Media Group.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE COORDINATOR

Must have exp engaging hard to reach individuals & coordinate community resources/benefits to overcome barriers to care, understand D&A/MH, prison,homeless systems, & how to make proper referrals.

Masterʼs deg in a social svcs, or equiv exp reqʼd. A passion to help those living with HIV who experience barriers/difficulties connecting w/treatment reqʼd. Must be a selfstarter & sometimes willing to work non-traditional hours. Act 33 &34 & FBI clearances, personal auto and insurance required. Send cover letter/resume to cchristen@patf.org by 06/14/15.

EOE LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices

LEGAL NOTICE OPENING OF WAITING LISTS

Effective Monday June 22, 2015, the Allegheny County Housing Authority will be opening the Waiting List for the following Low Income Public Housing Sites: •Andrew Carnegie Apartments (1Bedroom): 514 Lydia Street, Carnegie, PA 15106 •Daltonʼs Edge I & II (2 Bedrooms): 700 Second Street, Tarentum, PA. 15084 •Golden Towers (Efficiencies & 1 Bedroom): 215 Golden Street, Tarentum, PA 15084 •Hawkins Village (1 Bedroom): 500 Kenmawr Ave., Rankin, PA. 15104 •Homestead Building “A” (1 Bedroom & 2 Bedrooms): 411 E. 8th Ave., Homestead, PA. 15120 •Homestead Building “B” (1 Bedroom & 2 Bedrooms): 481 E. 8th Ave., Homestead, PA. 15120 •Homestead Building “D” (1 Bedroom & 2 Bedrooms): 421 E. 8th Ave., Homestead, PA. 15120 •Millvue Acres (1 Bedroom): 1090 Marion Circle, Clairton, PA 15025 •Negley Gardens (2 Bedrooms): 804 Creek Street Apt. “D”, Tarentum, PA. 15084 •Ohioview Tower (Efficiencies & 1 Bedroom): 250 Jefferson Drive, McKees Rocks, PA. 15136 •Pleasant Ridge I & II (2 Bedrooms): 251 Jefferson Drive, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 •Prospect Terrace (1 Bedroom): 29 Prospect Drive, East Pittsburgh, PA. 15112 Frank Aggazio, Executive Director Allegheny County Housing Authority 625 Stanwix St., 12th Fl., Pittsburgh., PA 15222

Estate Notices

Letters have been granted on the estate of each of the following decedents to the personal representative named who request all persons having claims against the estate of the decedent to make known the same in writing to him or his attorney, and all persons indebted to the decedent to make payment to him without delay:

Estate of HENNINGER, JR., ROBERT F., deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA, No. 02-15-01164.

Robert W. Henninger and Melissa Henninger Blair, Co-Executors c/o Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C., One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or to Nancy L. Rackoff, Esquire, Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C., One Oxford Centre, Suite 2100, 301 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

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LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

Bids/Proposals

BID

The Washington County Housing Authority invites separate sealed bids for the following coverages: Commercial General Liability Commercial Property Insurance Commercial Automobile Insurance Coverage to become effective October 1, 2015, 12:01 A.M., for a one year period.

Bid closing date is 10:00 A.M., Monday, August 10, 2015 For bid information and copies of the Invitation for Bids, contact Christy Kemp, Washington County Housing Authority, 100 Crumrine Tower, Franklin Street, Washington, PA 15301, 724-228-6060 Ext. 128 or christyk@wchapa.org. The Washington County Housing Authority reserves the right to waive any informalities and reject any and all bids.

INVITATION TO BID

Sealed Bids will be received by the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Butler, Butler, Pennsylvania for the demolition/removal of residential structure at 110 South Main Street, Chicora Borough and stabilization of the site to a condition suitable for possible future redevelopment which will include: Furnishing all equipment, materials, and labor necessary: To remove asbestos (if applicable) from structure, to demolish the structure and existing walls and foundations to two (2) feet below grade to include fracturing of all basement floors; Coordinating with utility providers for disconnection of all utility services; Obtaining necessary DEP and Local permits; Backfilling and compacting site with clean inorganic fill materials; Providing appropriate traffic control; and Removing and disposing of all demolition materials at an approved PA DEP waste site in accordance with all state and local codes.

All proposals must be submitted to the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Butler no later than 2:00 P.M. prevailing time, Thursday, June 25, 2015 and the same will be publicly opened and read aloud shortly thereafter.

A Contractor Site Visit will be conducted on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 10am.

Proposals shall be delivered in sealed envelopes, and clearly marked on the outside with the words “Structure Demolition 110 South Main Street”. Awards will be made on the lowest, responsible, responsive bid.

The Bid Document Package may be obtained by contacting the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Butler office at 724.287.6797. Documents are available for pick-up from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday thru Friday, or can be mailed upon request.

Standard contract provisions of the PA Department of Community and Economic Development for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs will apply to this federally assisted project; provisions of this proposal information are not all inclusive.

Attention is called to the fact that the Contractor must ensure the employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of race, age, color, religion, sex, national origin, or handicap; that to the greatest extent feasible opportunities for training and employment be given to low income persons in the project area and project area businesses located in or owned in substantial part by project area residents be utilized.

In accordance with Executive Orders 11625, 11063, 11246, and 12139, Contractor must utilize to the greatest extent feasible, opportunities and/or women-owned business concerns which are located within the municipality, county, or the general trade area. Contractor must establish a goal of 5% for minority business enterprises and a 3% goal for female participation. The bidders must submit documentary evidence of minority and women business enterprises who have been contacted and to whom commitments have been made. Documentation of such solicitations and commitments must be available for review if requested, as of condition of the Contract.

COURIERCLASSIFIEDS…COURIERCLASSIFIEDS…

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) FOR CALIGUIRI PLAZA WINDOWS AND FAÇADE REPLACEMENT PA-1-41 HACP CONTRACT NO. 600-19-15

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH will receive sealed bids for Caliguiri Plaza Windows and Façade Replacement (PA1-41). The construction work is estimated to begin in September 2015.

The estimated values of the project per are in the following ranges: General Construction Contract No. 600-19-15 G Estimate of costs is in the following range: $3,431,000.00 - $4,941,000.00 Electrical Construction Contract No. 600-19-15 E Estimate of costs is in the following range: $12,500.00 -$18,200.00 Bid Documents will be available on or about Monday, June 1, 2015 for a non-refundable fee of $25.00 in the form of a CERTIFIED CHECK OR MONEY ORDER ONLY. Bid Documents, including bid forms, project manual, and drawings can be picked up in person, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at: Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Procurement Department 100 Ross Street, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Kim Detrick, Director of Procurement A Pre-Bid Conference and Site Visit will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.: Caliguiri Plaza 803 E. Warrington Avenue Pittsburgh, PA, 15210 A site visit will be conducted thereafter. Bidders shall come prepared to review all aspects of the construction site necessary to prepare a bid.

Bids will be received at: HACP Procurement Department 100 Ross Street, Suite 200 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Attn: Kim Detrick, Director of Procurement until 2:00 p.m. Thursday, July 1, 2015 at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH reserves the right to waive any informality in, or reject any and all bids.

No bid shall be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days subsequent to the opening of bids without the consent of the HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity requirements for Federally Assisted Construction Contracts. The Contractor must ensure that employees and applicants for employment are not discriminated against because of race, color, religion, sexual preference, handicap or national origin.

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

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH STRONGLY ENCOURAGES CERTIFIED MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES AND WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES TO RESPOND TO THE SOLICITATION. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Kim Detrick, Director of Procurement at (412) 4565116 Opt 1.

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

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (SEA) will receive proposals for POINT OF SALE SYSTEM FOR FOOD SERVICE as identified below.

The contract for this work will be with the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

The Request for Proposals may be obtained after the date identified below from Ryan Buries, E-mail: rburies@pittsburghcc.com, Telephone: (412) 325-6179, Facsimile: (412) 325-6104.

This Advertisement applies to the following Request for Proposal: Project: Point of Sale System for Food Service RFP Available: June 1, 2015 Pre-Proposal Meeting: 2:00 PM Wednesday, June 10, 2015, David Lawrence Convention Center, SMG Admin Office- Board Room, 1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 Time/Date/Location for Proposals: 2:00 PM, Wednesday, June 24, 2015, David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15222

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY

Electronic Proposals will be received online at the Port Authority of Allegheny Countyʼs Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org).

Submission date for all of the proposals will be until 11:00 AM on June 29, 2015 and read at 11:15 AM., the same day, in Port Authorityʼs Public Meeting Room, 345 Sixth Avenue, Fifth Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527, for the following: Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org) Bid Number Bid Name 1 B141085R CBD Actuator and Bypass Damper Repair Services 2 B150102 Supervisory Vehicles 3 B150105 Street Sweeper 4 B150111 Route Foreman Trucks 5 B150112 Bucket Trucks 6 B150420A Equipment Cleaner 7 B150422 Special Trackwork Tread Bearing #4 & #6 Frogs 8 B150430 Dellner Coupler Overhaul—LRV 9 B150533A Compellent Support Services 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 on each of the above items at 9:00am on June 16, 2015 in the Port Authorityʼs Board Room at 345 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the Port Authority within 48 hours of the scheduled bid opening.

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

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

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

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

To place an ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier Classifieds call 412-481-8302 ext. 140

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Bids/Proposals

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 July 2, 2015 and will be publicly opened and read immediately thereafter at the same address.

GENERAL ANCILLARY SERVICES CONTRACT NOS. SYS-15-04 GH,GB REBID GENERAL HEAVY HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION – CONTRACT NO. SYS-15-04 GH REBID GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION – CONTRACT NO. SYS-15-04 GB REBID The Work of these Contracts are providing, but is not limited to, all labor, materials, and equipment necessary to perform assignments as identified by Authority pursuant to written Work Orders issued by Authority. The nature of the Work to be assigned may include, but is not limited to: General Heavy Highway Construction - providing asphalt and concrete paving, drainage system installation and repair, minor bridge repairs, landslide removals and other heavy repairs; General Building Construction - providing building foundations and floor slabs, steel fabrication and erection, doors, windows, roofing and other improvements to facilities; or performing other construction activities at other Authority facilities and/or Work as requested.

Bid Documents will be available for public inspection and may be obtained on or after June 2, 2015 at Authorityʼs offices at the following address: Port Authority of Allegheny County Purchasing and Materials Management Department Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-2527 Bid documents are available for purchase as follows: Bid Documents are available in an electronic form on compact disk upon payment of $15.00 per set. 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 FedEx, the purchaser shall provide its appropriate account numbers to Port Authority for such special delivery methods.

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 74Pa 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 DB Representative Cameil Williams at (412) 566-5257.

The Bidderʼs attention is directed to the following contacts for Bidderʼs questions: Procedural Questions Regarding Bidding: Margarita Rodriguez - Port Authority (412) 566-5150 All other questions relating to the Bid Documents must be submitted by mail or facsimile to: Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 Attn: Margarita Rodriguez Fax: (412) 566-5359 In addition, the Bidderʼs attention is directed to the following schedule of activities for preparation of its Bid: 9:00 AM Pre-Bid Conference June 11, 2015 Port Authority of Allegheny County Heinz 57 Center 5th Floor Board Room 345 Sixth Avenue, Third Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2527 (Attendance is not mandatory, but strongly recommended) 1:30 p.m.

Bids Due July 2, 2015 Purchasing and Materials Management Department Authority reserves the right to reject any or all Bids

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA May 21, 2015

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, June 17, 2015, and a representative of the Department of Public Works will open and read the Bids in the Gold Room, Room 410, Court House, Pittsburgh, PA, onehalf hour later, 11:30 oʼclock A.M., for the following: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Reconstruction of Bower Hill Road, Phase 2, Scott Township COUNTY PROJECT NO. 6242-0102, Phase 2 PREBID INFORMATION: Purchase and/or view the Proposal, Specifications and Drawings at the Office of the Contract Manager, Room 504, County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA. The nonrefundable charge for the Proposal and disc containing the Specifications and Drawings is $ 107.00 including sales tax. Bid documents may be mailed for an additional fee of $16.05 including sales tax. The Contract Manager will accept only check or money order to the “COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY.” The Department of Public Works will hold a PreBid Meeting on June 2, 2015 at 1:30 P.M. in Room 505 County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave., Pgh., Pa. 15219.

Details of this project, Bidding Requirements and Contract Conditions are available on the Allegheny County internet website (www.alleghenycounty.us; click on “Departments,” click on “Public Works” then click on “Bids & Proposals)” and are also available on the Pennsylvania Purchasing Group/PAPG website (www.PAbidsystem.com; click on “bid opportunities;” then click on “Allegheny County-Dept. of Public Works-open documents” – then register if necessary).

Chelsa Wagner Controller County of Allegheny

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA May 15, 2015

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, June 10, 2015, and a representative of the Department of Public Works will open and read the Bids in the Gold Room, Room 410, Court House, Pittsburgh, PA, onehalf hour later, 11:30 oʼclock A.M., for the following: DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS North Park Spray Park, Town of McCandless COUNTY PROJECT NO. ZCNP-SP07 PREBID INFORMATION: Purchase and/or view the Proposal, Specifications and Drawings at the Office of the Contract Manager, Room 504, County Office Building, Pittsburgh, PA. The nonrefundable charge for the Proposal and disc containing the Specifications and Drawings is $ 107.00 including sales tax. Bid documents may be mailed for an additional fee of $16.05 including sales tax. The Contract Manager will accept only check or money order to the “COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY.” The Department of Public Works will hold a PreBid Meeting on May 29, 2015 at 10:00 A.M. in Room 505 County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave., Pgh., Pa. 15219.

Details of this project, Bidding Requirements and Contract Conditions are available on the Allegheny County internet website (www.alleghenycounty.us; click on “Departments,” click on “Public Works” then click on “Bids & Proposals)” and are also available on the Pennsylvania Purchasing Group/PAPG website (www.PAbidsystem.com; click on “bid opportunities;” then click on “Allegheny County-Dept. of Public Works-open documents” – then register if necessary).

Chelsa Wagner Controller County of Allegheny

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315 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Classifieds 412-481-8302 Ext. 140 E-mail: ads@newpittsburghcourier.com Deadline/Closing/Cancellation Schedule for copy, corrections, and cancellations: Friday noon preceding Wednesday publication

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JUNE 3-9,2015

LEGAL ADVERTISING

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Bids/Proposals

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INVITATION TO BID

ALMONO LP will receive Sealed Bids for the Hazelwood-Almono Phase I Infrastructure located in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA, until 2:00 p.m. (prevailing time as determined by the GAI date and time stamp clock) on July 1, 2015, at the office at the office of GAI Consultants, Inc 385 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120 and will be immediately opened, read aloud and recorded.

Work generally consists of the following: •Mobilization & Demobilization •Insurance Costs •Bonding Costs •Permits •Demolition of various site features as required, installation of new roadways, sidewalks, utilities and stormwater management facilities and other appurtenances. Work also includes earthmoving, fine and rough grading, and placement of erosion and sedimentation controls.

For a non-refundable fee of Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00), Bidders can obtain one (1) electronic (DVD) complete set of the Contract Documents for the Hazelwood-Almono Phase I Infrastructure. Electronic copies of the documents will be made available to interested Bidders starting June 1, 2015 at the office of: GAI Consultants, Inc. 385 East Waterfront Drive Homestead, PA 15120 NOTE: Contract Documents will not be mailed. There will be no exceptions.

No cash can be accepted for the bid document deposit. Checks or money orders are to be made payable to GAI Consultants, Inc. If a contractor wishes to obtain a hard copy of the contract documents, arrangements have been with Forward Lithography. Arrangements should be made directly with Forward Lithography (information below) for purchase of the complete set of plans (at an additional cost — $150 for full set of black & white; $305 for full set of black & white with color). RIDC has ordered 3 copies available for immediate purchase (but future copies will require an advanced notice of 3-5 business days).

Questions shall be submitted in writing via email to GAI Consultants, Inc. to the attention of: Tysen O. Miller, PE, LEED AP (tysen.miller@gaiconsultants.com).

QUESTIONS WILL NOT BE RESPONDED TO AFTER 4:00 P.M. on June 24, 2015.

Contract documents, including drawings and specifications, will be on file and available for viewing (digital only) during normal business hours, at the following office locations/websites: 1. GAI Consultants, Inc. (Hard Copy & DVD Copy) c/o Tysen Miller, P.E. 385 East Waterfront Drive Homestead, PA 15120-5005 (412) 476-2000 2. ALMONO LP (Hard Copy & DVD Copy) c/o Nathan Strum 210 Sixth Avenue, Suite 3620 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (412) 471-3939 3. McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge (Digital only) 600 Waterfront Drive, Suite 200 Washingtonʼs Landing Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (412) 330-2230 http://construction.com/ProjectCenter/ 4. Forward Lithography (Hard Copy) 4605 Irvine Street Pittsburgh, PA 15207 (412) 521-8832 http://www.forwardlitho.com/ 5. Pittsburgh Builders Exchange (Digital only) 1813 N Franklin Street Pittsburgh PA 15233 412-922-4200 (P) 412-928-9406 (F) www.pghbx.org A mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at the project site. Persons planning to attend the pre-bid meeting are requested to contact Tysen O. Miller, PE, LEED AP, CPESC, MBA at GAI Consultants, Inc. via email at: (tysen.miller@gaiconsultants.com) for attendance confirmation and directions.

A certified check or bank draft, payable to the order of the ALMONO LP, negotiable U.S. Government bonds, or a satisfactory bid bond executed by the Bidder and an acceptable surety authorized to do business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in an amount equal to ten percent (10%) of the total amount bid shall be submitted with each bid.

The successful Bidder will be required to furnish an assurance of completion in the form of satisfactory performance and payment bonds, each in the amount of 100% of the Contract Price and certificate of insurance prior to award of the Contract. The Contractor awarded the Work shall provide construction maintenance securities as outlined in the Supplemental General Conditions of the contract documents.

Notice is hereby given that the successful Bidders shall comply with the following: 1. Compliance is required with the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act of 1961, P.L. 987, No. 442; Title VI and other applicable provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Department of Labor Equal Opportunity Clause (41 CFR 60 -1.4); Executive Order 11625 (Utilization of Minority Business Enterprise); Executive Order 12138 (Utilization of Female Business Enterprise); in compliance with Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and the City of Pittsburghʼs M/WBE Program, which sets forth goals of 18 percent Minority and 7 percent Female Business Enterprise.

2. Contractor agrees to comply with all applicable federal and state statutes and regulations including, but not limited to, the Building Energy Conservation Act, the Steel Products Procurement Act, the Trade Practices Act, the Public Works Contractorʼs Bond Act of 1967, and the Flood Plain Management Act. The Contractor must also comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and agrees to minimize pollution and will strictly comply with all applicable related laws and regulations.

3. The Contractor agrees to comply with nondiscrimination/sexual harassment provisions and will include such provisions in all contracts and subcontracts.

4. Contractor must ensure that no contractor or subcontractor is currently under suspension or debarment by the Commonwealth, any state or the federal government.

5. Contractor must actively recruit minority and womenʼs subcontractors or subcontractors with substantial minority representation among their employees.

6. Contractor and its subcontractors shall furnish progress reports, status reports, project account statements, certificates, approvals, etc.

7. Contractor and its subcontractors shall comply with the projectʼs Project Labor Agreement (PLA) – as included within the project contract under Attachment 11. For questions related to the projectʼs PLA, please e-mail Nathan Strum, Project Manager (nstrum@ridc.org).

ALMONO reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities in the bidding, or to advertise for new proposals, if in the judgment of the ALMONO LP, it is in their best interest.

No bidder may withdraw a bid within one hundred twenty (120) days after the actual date of opening thereof. Should there be reasons why the Contract cannot be awarded within the specified period, the time may be extended by mutual agreement between ALMONO LP and the Bidder.

ALMONO LP Daniel C. Sharek, P.E. Director of Engineering Services

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C5

ADVERTISEMENT

Sealed bid proposals are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, Purchasing Department, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233(412.237.3020) on the following items: Bid Proposal No. 941 – Repair Deck at C Building – South Campus A MANDATORY pre-bid meeting and site visitation will be held for the C Deck project at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. The assembly point will be the South Campus Security Desk, inside Main Entrance (around right side of complex), 1750 Clairton Road, West Mifflin, PA 15122.

Bid Proposal No. 942 – Repave Maintenance Road/Lot – South Campus A MANDATORY pre-bid meeting and site visitation will be held for the road/lot project at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2015. The assembly point will be the South Campus Security Desk, inside Main Entrance (around right side of complex), 1750 Clairton Road, West Mifflin, PA 15122.

Proposals will be received at the Purchasing Department until 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Thursday, June 11, 2015 at which time they will be publicly opened.

Any proposals received after this deadline will be considered as a “late bid” and will be returned unopened to the offerer.

The CCAC Purchasing Department is now publishing all bids via the CCAC website at h t t p s : / / w w w. c c a c . e d u / B i d RFP_Opportunities.aspx. It will be each vendorʼs responsibility to monitor the bid activity within the given website (“Bid and RFP Opportunities”) and ensure compliance with all applicable bid documents inclusive of any issued addenda. Failure to incorporate any applicable addenda in the final submittal may result in the rejection of your bid.

Proposals may require Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds, and Surety as dictated by the specifications.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.

The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses.

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TO PLACE AN AD IN SOUL READERS Call 412-481-8302, Ext. 140 The deadline for all ads to be placed is Monday at 4 p.m. All ads must be paid for in advance. We accept Money Orders, Credit Cards and Western Union “Quick Collect” payments.

The New Pittsburgh Courier is not responsible for any advice given by Soul Reader advertisers.

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

C6

JUNE 3-9, 2015

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Bids/Proposals

INVITATION TO BID

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County (RAAC) will receive Sealed Bids for the construction of the SPORTS & ATHLETICS COMPLEX AT MONTOUR JUNCTION – PHASE 1A project, located in Coraopolis Borough, Moon Township and Robinson Township, Allegheny County, PA. This initial site preparation phase of the project generally includes clearing and grubbing of ~27 acres, preloading the site by importing and placing 60,00090,000 CY of embankment and settlement monitoring plates, surveying, and installing security fencing, 2 retaining walls, E&S controls and drainage facilities as indicated on the project drawings and specifications.

Bidders can obtain one (1) electronic copy of the Contract Documents (on compact disc) from RAAC for a non-returnable fee of $50.00 from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., beginning June 5, 2015 at their offices located at: Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County Attention: Brittany Gernhard Chatham One, Suite 900 112 Washington Place Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Checks or money orders will be accepted and are to be made payable to Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County. A paper copy of Contract Documents, including drawings and specifications, will be on file and available for viewing only during normal business hours at RAACʼs office location listed above.

BIDS FOR THIS PROJECT WILL BE RECEIVED until 2:00 PM (prevailing time as determined by the RAAC date and time stamp clock) on Friday, June 26, 2015, by Ms. Brittany Gernhard at RAACʼs reception desk in their office at Chatham One, Suite 900, 112 Washington Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 and will be opened at 2:30 PM, read aloud and recorded.

Bids must be on standard proposal forms in the manner therein described and be enclosed in a sealed envelope, bearing the name and address of the bidder on the outside, addressed to the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County (ATTN: Brittany Gernhard) and marked with the project name “Sports & Athletics Complex At Montour Junction – Phase 1A”.

Bids must be accompanied by a certified check or bank draft upon a National or State bank, drawn and made payable without condition to the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of the total amount bid, or a bid bond of not less than 10% of the total amount bid, and be delivered to the place and hour named.

Notice is hereby given that the successful Bidders shall comply with the following: Compliance is required with the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act of 1961, P.L. 987, No. 442; Title VI and other applicable provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Department of Labor Equal Opportunity Clause (41 CFR 60 1.4); Executive Order 11625 (Utilization of Minority Business Enterprise); Executive Order 12138 (Utilization of Female Business Enterprise); in compliance with Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 and Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973; PA Act 235 of 1965, as amended, Universal Accessibility Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; the Allegheny County MBE/WBE Program enacted July, 1981, which sets forth goals of 13 percent Minority and 2 percent Female Business Enterprise; and the Allegheny County Ordinance #6867-12, setting forth goals of 5 percent Veteran-Owned Small Businesses.

A Pre-Bid Meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at the offices of the Redevelopment Authority, at Chatham One, Suite 900, 112 Washington Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Persons planning to attend the pre-bid meeting are requested to contact RAACʼs Construction Manager David Briskey (DavidBriskey@hillintl.com) of Hill International via email.

The successful Bidder will be required to furnish an assurance of completion in the form of satisfactory performance and payment bonds, each in the amount of 100% of the Contract Price and certificate of insurance prior to award of the Contract. The Contractor awarded the Work shall provide construction maintenance securities as outlined in the Supplemental General Conditions of the contract documents.

The basis of award shall be the lowest total responsible base bid and will be determined by the base bid plus any RAAC-selected Alternates. The RAAC reserves the right to award any, all, or none of the alternate(s). The RAAC reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities in the bidding, or to advertise for new proposals, if in the judgment of the RAAC, it is in their best interest.

No bidder may withdraw a bid within ninety (90) days after the actual date of opening thereof. Should there be reasons why the Contract cannot be awarded within the specified period, the time may be extended by mutual agreement between the RAAC and the Bidder.

Allegheny County Economic Development Robert D. Hurley, Director

DOCUMENT 00030-AA ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Separate and sealed Proposals will be received at the Office of the Senior Manager of Procurement, Allegheny County Airport Authority, Department of Procurement, Pittsburgh International Airport, Landside Terminal, 4th Floor Mezz, P.O. Box 12370, Pittsburgh, PA 15231-0370 until 1:00 P.M. prevailing local time, JUNE 24, 2015, and bids will be publicly opened and read by the Airport Authority in Conference Room A, Pittsburgh International Airport, Landside Terminal, 4th Floor Mezz, P.O. Box 12370, Pittsburgh, PA 15231-0370, one half hour later, for the following: ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PROJECT NUMBER 40G5-14 (GENERAL) OBSTRUCTION REMOVAL PROJECT AT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT A pre-bid conference will be held in the Administration Building, at Allegheny County Airport, at 10:00 a.m., on JUNE 10, 2015. Plans, specifications and bid documents for the above referenced project will be available for purchase, at Pittsburgh International Airport.

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

Proposals must be made on the Authorityʼs form and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”ʼ.

The non-refundable charge for the Bid Documents and a Disk containing the Plans and Specifications is $150.00; mailing can be arranged for an additional $75.00 charge.

The Airport Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.

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

To view a complete advertisement, which is also included in the bidding documents visit www.flypittsburgh.com under doing business with us – business opportunities or call 412-472-3543 or 412-472-3779.

Christina A. Cassotis Chief Executive Officer ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

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