For Pittsburghers, the State of the Black World conference in New Orleans was about meeting their civil rights idols and gathering resources and strategies to bring back to the city.

Among those they were fortunate to encounter such as the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright; all agreed that one of the most incredible experiences was hearing civil rights juggernaut Louis Farrakhan. This was especially true for activist Bariki Shabazz, who said she wept during his speech.

LIFE CHANGING—From left: Rick Adams listens to a tearful Bariki Shabazz with Kimberly Ellis.

“We have a Black world that we need to recognize,” Shabazz said, again coming to tears. “America has a debt to pay and I’m not going to forgo that debt.”

Much of what was said struck a cord with local activists and gave them some ideas about what to do to improve the Black community in Pittsburgh.

“(Farrakhan) said we need to build cadres of young leaders,” Rick Adams, chair of the planning committee, said. “So we need to do that and we will be following up with you.”

The Legacy Awards, which honored several civil rights activists including Farrakhan and Rev. Wright, reminded many of the civil rights leaders who have passed away and the work they did.

“I think about all these brothers and sisters who aren’t that far away,” Adams said. “We’re going to build this Institute of the Black World for just ourselves but also for them.”

Pittsburgh activists have a lot to be proud of, said Paradise Gray. From the many similar conferences he has attended Gray said the groups from Pittsburgh always stand out.

“The pulse of the new movement is coming from Pittsburgh,” Gray said. “People are looking at leadership from Pittsburgh.”

Though a clear course of action was not determined, many of the participants said this had inspired them to continue the work they are doing and helped them determine where improvement is needed. It was decided that the community should take more trips to conferences like these as well as bring outside speakers and teachers to Pittsburgh.

“Here in Pittsburgh, we’re going through a revolution,” said Kimberly Ellis, Ph.D. “We definitely need to do this more. We’ll continue to do the work that keeps us organized, inspired and loved.”

Ellis, who also worked on the planning committee, took some of her interns on the trip where they also registered people. The interns said it was incredible to meet and talk with people they admire.  

“For me being from Pittsburgh, seeing Blacks in positions that they’re not in (here) in Pittsburgh, was an uplifting experience for me,” intern Arthur Jones. “I do want to work with the community. I do want to work with young people. In my eyes, the direction they are going in we can not afford.”

Some of the participants said the hip-hop workshop was one of the most impacting because it gave people from all age groups the chance to discuss their thoughts on the genre openly and honestly.

“Automatically when you say hip-hop an elder will say ‘oh that’s bad,’ not knowing we might be trying to use it for something good,” Jasiri X said.

Although he said the workshop sparked controversy and made some people angry at times, he felt as though progress was made all around.