African-American men in their early 30s have been found to be twice as likely to have prison records than bachelor degrees. It has also been found that only three out of 100 Black students who enter kindergarten will graduate from college.

These were some of the many startling facts presented at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh State of Black Pittsburgh Nov. 6. In this year’s address, given by President and CEO Esther Bush, the scope was narrowed to focus on the state of Black men in Pittsburgh.

Q & A—From left: Roland Martin and panelists James Harrell, Esther Bush, Tony Mitchell, Larry Hailsham and Wendell Freeland answer questions from the audience.

“We need more doctors and fewer caskets, more lawyers and fewer criminals more educators and less dropouts,” Bush said. “Today we all must work together to restore Black men to their rightful place of dignity in our society.”

Throughout her speech, Bush used many statistics to highlight the dire state of Black men in the areas of employment and education. She also focused on high incarceration rates and the absence of Black men in many families.

When 20 or so Hill District residents attended the regularly scheduled Dinwiddie Community Alliance meeting, they expected to hear from Hill House CEO Evan Frazier that construction would soon begin on a grocery and retail center anchored by a Kuhn’s market.

Instead they heard Kuhn’s has not committed to the project, despite giving that impression to the community, the Hill House and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh for nearly a year.

NO GROCERY DEAL— Seated next to Dinwiddie Community Alliance President Marlene Jackson, Hill House President and CEO Evan Frazier explains that Kuhn’s has not yet agreed to operate a new grocery to be built on Centre Avenue in the Hill District and other operators are being contacted.

Frazier, turning the Nov. 9 meeting over to developer Jason Matthews, who he said is working on the day-to-day grind of finding an operator for the center to be built across Centre Avenue from the Hill House.

Asked if Kuhn's was out of the project, Frazier said, “They aren’t out, but they aren’t in. They haven’t confirmed.”

by Karen Harris Brooks

The title of the forum was not the Streets VERSUS the Suits. The correct title was the “Streets ’n Suits,” a combined effort to encourage dialogue between a gathering of young men from the streets of Pittsburgh and a group of men and women who represent the city’s corporate America.

Each individual brought to the table diverse perspectives aimed toward issues that plague the African-American community. In so doing, they opened a door they hope will provide a viable means of communication. Through open dialogue, the groups are working toward growth and possible solutions to address the problems plaguing the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.

CONCERNED CITIZENS— Ed Gainey, second from right, speaks to the group. From left: Darryl Cann, Tim Stevens, Lee Davis and Stephan Broadus look on.

Unaware that many of the “suits” hail from the very same streets, it was an innovative avenue that unlocked the door to a very candid and lengthy discussion. The meeting proved to be insightful to both today’s youths as well as the mature confidence of those attired in business suits. When one young man inquired about the visible lack of “suits” in African-American communities, the young people were informed of those who sit in board rooms rallying behind the scenes for funding programs within these neighborhoods, etc., thereby providing the necessary resources for the implementation of said projects.