Thursday 9
offCENTER
The August Wilson Center for African American Culture presents offCENTER from 6-8 p.m. at 980 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. The topic will be “The Point: Regional Black Film Showcase.” The show, hosted by Thomas Poole, is a platform for local Black filmmakers to showcase their current projects. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.augustwilsoncenter.org
Friday 10
Ma Noah
    The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Co. presents “Ma Noah” at 8 p.m. at 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. The show blends humor and hard-hitting truth in the heart of the family unit. In the play, Rebecca Pratt, a single mother of four, struggles to keep her family intact despite all the social ills. She finds courage and hope to fight and save her children. The show will run through May 12. For more information, visit www.pghplaywrights.com.
Saturday 11
Clybourne Park
    The Pittsburgh Public Theater presents “Clybourne Park” at the O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Cultural District. “Clybourne Park” is set in a Chicago house on Clybourne Street in both 1959 and 2009. The play begins in 1959 with a man who tries to convince the White homeowners to not sell their home to a Black family. Act II takes place 50 years later and the neighborhood is Black. A White family buys the home with intentions to tear it down and build a larger property, but a Black couple comes along and challenges their plans. The play will run through May 19. For more information, call 412-316-1600 or visit www.ppt.org.
Sunday 12
Charlie Wilson
    The Northside Coalition for Fair Housing presents Charlie Wilson at 7:30 p.m. at the Benedum Center, 803 Liberty Ave., Cultural District. The award-winning, Grammy nominee Wilson, solo artist and former GAP Band member, will perform some of his R&B hits. He will be joined by special guests R&B group Mint Condition. Proceeds from the event will benefit the 6th Annual Women’s Walk for Peace. For more information, call 412-321-5527
Monday 13
Savoy Jazz
    Savoy Restaurant presents Savoy Jazz from 5-9 p.m. at 2623 Penn Ave., Strip District. Every Monday guests can enjoy live jazz in a sophisticated atmosphere with the Roger Humphries Trio and a special guest each week. This week’s guest will be jazz and pop vocalist Judi Figel. For more information, call 412-281-0660 or visit www.savoypgh.com.
Tuesday 14
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 enjoy hot jazz from some of the most talented jazz musicians, cool drinks and great people. The featured guest will be Eric Johnson. There will also be a performance from 5-8 p.m. from Alton Merrell. For more information, call 412-456-6666 or visit www.trustarts.org.

You only wanted a job.
You needed a little spending money, a way to put food on the table, something to do that meant something or made a difference. So you applied for positions that sounded good and paid well, or seemed interesting and came with opportunity.
Humans, it’s believed, are wired for work. We need to contribute somehow, in some meaningful way. But as you’ll see in the new book “Double Victory” by Cheryl Mullenbach, some jobs don’t come without a double battle.
Shortly after the U.S. entered World War II in 1941, a desperate call went out for workers because America’s men were going to war. White women were encouraged to do the jobs their men had left behind. Black women wanted to do their part, too. They saw a chance to help win the war and to make better money: many of them were getting $2 a week as domestics, while factory jobs might pay 20 times that.
Time and time again, however, they were turned away—even though President Franklin Roosevelt had signed Executive Order 8802, which encouraged “full participation in the national defense program by all citizens… regardless of race…”
Emboldened, Black women kept trying for jobs and, eventually, there was such a strong need for workers that some were finally hired (although still segregated). At first, the jobs were menial or purposely difficult in the hopes that the women would quit. But they didn’t, which encouraged other Black women to bust barriers wide open.
When the government finally allowed Black men into the Armed Forces, Black women leaped to join, too, and were accepted into the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp in 1942. They still faced segregation but were finally allowed to “do their part” at home and overseas. Yet, despite what they sacrificed in service to their country just as their White countrymen did, when the war ended, there was just more discrimination.
No doubt about it, “Double Victory” is an eye-opener, especially for the generations born post-WWII.
Through interviews, newspaper accounts, books, documents, and diaries, author Cheryl Mullenbach tells the story of a courageous group of women who were determined to serve their country, even when it seemed that no one wanted them to. It’s shocking to see how Black women endured more severe discrimination than did their male counterparts, and I was surprised at the almost-ridiculous lengths to which segregation went to keep Black women as second-class citizens. I almost wanted to cheer as I read each individual story that Mullenbach includes here; these were women who were tough as nails and as tenacious as pitbulls in Army-issued “exercise dresses.”  Seriously, how cool is that?
While this seems to be a book for teen readers, I think adults will get just as much out of every word here. If you’re looking for a book with an until-now-quiet story, “Double Victory” will do the job.

by David Germain
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Iron Man reigns as the standard-bearer of Hollywood superheroes with a $175.3 million domestic opening weekend for his latest sequel and an overseas haul of a half-billion dollars in less than two weeks.

GWENDOLYN BAINES

(NNPA)—Dear Gwendolyn:
Four months ago I went to our family reunion.  Everyone who attended was concerned about my brother’s children. This is the problem: My brother has not attended a family reunion in six years. He has stayed away because at his last attendance the family members voiced their opinion about his children’s health. His children look like elephants and bears.  We were told they have not lost weight but have gained more weight—if that is possible. At his last visit he was told his children look like animals—not humans.
Gwendolyn, that was nothing to become upset to the point of staying away from family gatherings. What do you think?—Elizabeth
Dear Elizabeth:
Your brother made a good decision. Families should act like family if they want to be loved by family. Let me tell you this: To alert him about his children could have and should have been done in a better manner.  What’s wrong in saying, “My brother’s children are obese.” They are humans and not animals. No parent takes to negative comments about their children.
If your brother stays away from the next reunion, write to him and apologize for the cruelness that was said. Suggest they seek professional help in going to a facility that has a doctor, nutrition assistance, and up-to-date gym equipment. If family is really concerned, take up money at the reunion to pay for these services.
Elizabeth, life can take a change. Often pretty little boys and girls end up doing nothing positive with their life. They resort to being criminals. Sometimes those little elephants and bears become college presidents, bank presidents or—president of a country. Weight control is needed for good health and not a focus for good looks. Think about it.  There are many people with a sexy body and an ugly face.
(Write to Gwendolyn L. Baines at: P.O. Box 10066, Raleigh, N.C. 27605-0066 or email her at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .)