Black History Month category

The Rev. Harold Cottom III recalled a pivotal time in his childhood growing up in Sewickley and attending St Matthew’s AME Zion Church. He was involved in a Buds of Promise youth program at the church. Cottom said the women who ran the program were very focused on scripture, and...

In greeting members of a full-house audience, David Thomas set the scene for the evening’s topic, the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. “Think of your journey here tonight. It’s a little drizzly, a little dark out there,” Thomas, president of the Whitehall Borough Historical Society, said. “Now think of what it...

Quaker Valley High School senior Olivia Jordan said maintaining traditions is important to her. An older brother, Malcolm, founded the school’s Black Student Union in 2019. Another brother, Noah, later became president of the group designed to empower Black students and create a comfortable environment to share stories, experiences and...

Njaimeh Njie’s “Lifting Liberty” exhibit at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater is a tribute to the beauty of East Liberty and a love letter to Black culture in Pittsburgh past, present and future. The installation looks at Black-led spaces in conversation with urban renewal. Through Njie’s research, she depicts expression and...

A Sewickley-based nonprofit is planning a celebration to honor Sewickley born African American pastors. Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society officials will recognize a dozen religious leaders at the Sewickley United Methodist Church next month. The ceremony will include guest speakers, musical performances and testimonials. The event is free and open...

The CCAC Homewood Brushton Center honored Black excellence in style at its second annual Black Excellence Gala on Wednesday night, marking the end of Black History Month with a powerful celebration. The evening also featured a special tribute to Dr. Ralph Proctor with the dedication of the African American Heritage...

There was an energy of excitement on Thursday at the opening of the “Envisioning A Just Pittsburgh” exhibition at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, which hosted a special iteration of its Thursday happy hour “Intermissions” to kick off the exhibition. The space was packed with a multicultural and...

The Pittsburgh Public Theater is championing Black wellness through its event Black Brilliance on Saturday. This is the second year for the wellness celebration, which takes place between two productions about Black stories. Pittsburgh Public Theater has put on a production called “Trouble in Mind,” and New Horizon Theater is...

The legacy of Ahmad Jamal and Pittsburgh’s jazz roots were celebrated on Wednesday at the Community Engagement Center in Homewood at the Journeys & Jazz event. Jamal, a Homewood native whose career as a jazz pianist started as early as age 11, is having a collection of his work preserved...

Black history within Pittsburgh is incredibly prevalent: The National Opera House was a hub for jazz artists and musicians like George Benson, the city was part of the Underground Railroad and it has an international Black newspaper. But that legacy needs people to make sure the culture is protected and...

Midway through act one of Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of “Trouble in Mind,” Al Manners (played by Joseph McGranaghan) declares to the cast of actors he’s directing, “No matter how unorthodox my methods, I promise not to bore you.” That statement carries throughout Alice Childress’ still-timely satirical script. Yes, it’s...

It was celebration time Sunday for Laurie Johnson-Wade of New Kensington, who brought her seven grandchildren and two of her daughters to Greensburg for a lesson in Black history — the arts, singing, painting and poetry. “It’s a celebration of all things good about our history,” said Wade, a descendant...

The Pittsburgh Penguins honored the legacy of the organization’s Black players and veteran Black hockey player Willie O’Ree with a portrait by Pittsburgh visual artist Ashanté Josey after the Feb. 4 game against the New Jersey Devils at PPG Paints Arena. Josey painted “Legacy on Ice” in oil and acrylic...

On a whim 25 years ago, Guyana native Jonnet Solomon and the late Miriam White purchased the Homewood building that once housed the National Negro Opera Company. Since then, Solomon has taken on the preservation of the building while continuing the legacy established by its founder, Mary Cardwell Dawson. “Every...

Eugene Shelton, 14, a freshman at Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, navigated the various tables at the 100 Black Men of Western Pennsylvania’s 13th annual mentoring roundtable like a pro. In his suit and tie, Shelton asked questions that prompted mentors to share their own experiences growing up and took...

February is Black History Month. It is a time when we stop and take a moment to recognize the role Black people have played in the building of our country. From America’s earliest days, Black people were an integral part of the architecture of the nation — whether it was...

Kelton Edmonds doesn’t just know the history of the “Greensboro Four,” the group of Black freshman students at North Carolina Architectural & Technical State College, who staged the first lunch-counter sit-in protest. He got a firsthand account of it from Jibreel Khazan, who was known then as Ezell Blair Jr.,...

I recently looked in the back of a large recipe book, searching for something I could make with ingredients I already had. From the very back of the book, a purple envelope dropped out and landed at my feet. I picked it up, smiling at the recent memory of my...

WASHINGTON — Beginning Feb. 1, schools, museums and communities across the nation will mark the start of Black History Month —- a celebration of Black history, culture and education. The history of the month dates back almost a century, and the way it is celebrated and evolved has created history...

Despite the freezing temperatures outside, attendees turned out and filled almost every seat in the Zappala Campus Center Square room at La Roche University to hear Dr. Angela Reynolds proclaim this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be “a day of recommitment and a purposeful decision to not give...

People might not know that Phillis Wheatley was the first African American author of a published book of poetry in 1773. Or that Mary Fields was the first African American female mail carrier in 1895. Retired Penn State professor Anthony Mitchell highlighted the work of these women and other African...

A historical society dedicated to preserving African-American history in the Sewickley area has been re-formed. The Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society at the St. Matthews AME Zion Episcopal Church had its first meeting on Jan. 16 after being dormant for around seven years. Officials plan to formally install the new...

Penn Hills Middle School students experienced firsthand the power of soul food in honor of Black History Month. On Friday morning, the scent of sweet and savory spices wafted from the home economics classroom. Select students from sixth through eighth grades gathered in the room to learn about and present...

Upcycling fashion designer Imani Batts is making waves in Pittsburgh and beyond as a trendsetter and sustainable fashion designer. Her thrift store finds are reworked into strikingly distinct, one-of-a-kind pieces. The most recent fashion show for her brand, Catherine Trendz, was the “GRWM” Runway Experience on Saturday at Velum Fermentation...

A question about Pittsburgh’s first Black college stumped participants in the 30th African American History Challenge Bowl: A Legacy of Academic Excellence. The longtime collaboration between Pittsburgh Public Schools and 100 Black Men of Western PA, Inc., took place on Friday at Pittsburgh Greenway. Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Wayne N....