WAMO sale leaves hole in Black community

Within six months, pending the approval of the Federal Communications Commission, Pittsburgh will lose its only urban radio stations. On May 15, Sheridan Broadcasting Corp. announced the sale of stations WAMO-FM 106.7, WAMO-AM 860 and WPGR-AM 1510 to St. Joseph Missions for $8.9 million.

CONFRONTING BLACK-ON-BLACK VIOLENCE—One of the major problems of 2009, if not the major problem, was Black-on-Black violence. There were a record number of vigils, marches and community meetings in 2009 to confront the problem. Shown above was one of the many.

In 2009, we lost several icons, who through their talent, their wit and their will, left indelible marks on the community and improved the lives of African-Americans throughout Pittsburgh and beyond.

Harvey Adams Jr., a civil rights pioneer who survived Korea, diabetes, the 1968 riots in the Hill District and who helped integrate the Pittsburgh police force, died Sept. 7 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 80.

ADAMS, CHRISTIAN, FISHER, DOSS and BRUTUS

Adams also implemented a minority police recruitment program, organized and implemented youth athletic and educational programs and organized police and community councils for the city. In 1970, the Guardians, along with the NAACP, the National Organization for Women and the American Civil Liberties Union successfully sued the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, winning a consent decree that required one African-American and one woman be included in each four new recruits hired.

With a decrease of 27.5 percent from last year’s homicide count of 120, this year proved to be a step in the right direction. Could it be that the numerous community peace vigils and marches were the answer for taking the streets back when it comes to violence?

Although the decrease means something, one cannot forget that even one name on the list is one too many. There had been a steady decrease month-by-month, but December put a stop to the trend, with a count of 12, which was the deadliest month of the entire year and up more than 50 percent from that of December 2008, with only five murders.