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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
Vol. 108 No. 37
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Two Sections
Published Weekly
SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2017
‘If you don’t have an education, you have nothing’
Actor Tray Chaney’s words uplift Penn Hills students by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
An African American high school male decides to no longer attend school, roll with his cousin who’s into bad things, then ends up being arrested, throwing his potential away. But in the movie,
“Drop—A Story of Triumph” there is a do-over. As the tape is rewound, the same African American high school male decides to attend school, stay away from his bad news cousin, and ends up becoming an award-winning film director. These are the choices to-
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Who should be the next principal at Woodland Hills? School board searching for best candidate by Christian Morrow
TRAY CHANEY, second from left, spoke to Penn Hills basketball and football players about the importance of staying in school. Also in the photo are Diane Powell, and Penn Hills students Andy Plowden and Dylan Bennett. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.) day’s young Black teens seeks to give teens the ability to make the are faced with, and the right choices and stay on the positive path. Chaney, along with former Steelers playfilm, starring Tray Chaney (HBO’s “The Wire,” Bounce SEE PENN HILLS A4 TV’s “Saints and Sinners”)
Seeing Harvey’s destruction firsthand Byrdsong witnesses the good in people
Courier Staff Writer
With the Aug. 16 resignation of principal Kevin Murray, a defendant in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by five current and former Black students, Woodland Hills High School began the new year with assistant principal Candee Nagy in the role of acting principal as the district searches to fill the post. Nagy, formerly a biology teacher with the district, has been an administrator since 2012. A 25-year veteran in education, she previously served as a middle school principal in the Wilkinsburg school district. She is among those applying for the vacant principal’s position, which is posted on the district website and in national trade publications. Whether or not she ends up being offered the position permanently remains to be seen, as Woodland Hills school board president Alan Johnson—who is also named in the lawsuit—said the board wants an array of candidates to choose from because SEE PRINCIPAL A4
by Christian Morrow Courier Staff writer
Because he knew people in the area—some of whom had stayed after relocating from Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina—Community Empowerment Association President and CEO Rashad Byrdsong traveled to Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT ASSOCIATION CEO Rashad Byrdsong, left, traveled to Houston to help victims of to help with grassroots re- Hurricane Harvey. (Photo courtesy Rashad Byrdsong) covery efforts. “The water had receded, but the damage issues.” Mosque 45 were doing great work, was extensive—you could see where it had What he saw amid the devastation, along with folks from the Shrine of been as high as second-story windows,” he he said, was heartening—people help- the Black Madonna and World Church told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an ex- ing people regardless of race or income. working with some of the marginalized clusive interview. “So, these people had to But it also served as a warning, because communities,” he said. empty their homes of everything. None of the volunteer assistance—which came “So, we helped with distributing the kids, or adults, had masks. So, we were from all over the country—was pretty drinkable water, food, even diapers tearing out and rolling up carpeting, and much all he saw. SEE HARVEY A5 basically doing a lot of education on health “The Black United Front and NOI
Inclusion meetings scheduled at CEA for Homewood development project by Christian Morrow Courier Staff Writer
The Community Empowerment Association will host a series of meetings ahead of the final phase of the Addison Terrace development, called the Kelly Hamilton Construction Project, which will build 54 new, single-family units along Kelly Street and Hamilton Avenue in Homewood. The first, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 14, is introductory and will include presentations on the scope of the project, and how to get in on it as either a laborer, subcontractor, or supplier. SEE INCLUSION A4
AHA to discuss stroke preventive measures at Sept. 16 luncheon by Rob Taylor Jr.
of Health Sciences, said education is paramount to prevention. “If you d o n ’ t k n o w t h a t certain things typically provided MARIO BROWNE for you may not be healthy for you, you tend to make (unhealthy) choices,” Browne said. Browne said the reasons why Blacks are more likely to suffer from heart disease are not necessarily genetic, “but lifestyle- or diet-related, smoking, or the dif-
Courier Staff Writer
Nearly half of all African American adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, and African Americans have nearly twice the risk for a first-ever stroke than Caucasians, resulting in a much higher death rate from stroke. However, while one in three adults has some form of cardiovascular disease, 80 percent of those diseases can be prevented. That’s where the American Heart Association jumps in. In advance of the organization’s sixth annual Power of Laughter Workshop and Comedy Luncheon, Sept. 16 at the Wyndham Grand, Downtown, Mario Browne, director of the Office of Health Sciences Diversity at the University of Pittsburgh School
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ferent stresses that people may be under. Even lack of access to things such as safe places to walk and exercise, and a lack of fruits and vegetables.” Browne, also an AHA spokesperson, said the organization touts three primary ways to combat cardiovascular diseases. “First, get regular checkups, because it’s important to know your number, like blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides levels,” he said. “Second, try to do the best you can, by reading food labels, and make sure you’re eating foods that are rich in fiber, low in sugar and trans and other fats. Do the best you can with eliminating salt and fat out of your diet.” Browne said the third method is to become more active. “It doesn’t mean you have to prepare
to run a marathon, but going for a walk a few times a week, or doing chores on a regular basis… whatever you can do to just get moving,” he said. Browne also mentioned learning one’s family history, as it could play a factor in a person’s predisposition for cardiovascular diseases. It’s important to act quickly in the event someone is experiencing, say, a stroke. Browne told the New Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview that due to advancements in the medicinal field, “we know that if we respond to certain things quickly, the effects of that event can be reversed, or at least minimized.” Browne spoke of his grandmother, who experienced a stroke and spent the remainder DAMON WILLIAMS
Julianne Malveaux asks
What happens to a dream deferred? Forum B4
SEE AHA A5