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 Sewickley Academy parents say they are outraged over what they call a recent siege of power at the school; dismissal of key administrators and faculty, and the diminution of the equity and Inclusion plan.

Members plan to meet with the administration Friday at 1:00 pm to address the unexpected and numerous changes immediately before the start of the school year.

"Regardless to whether it is simple or sincere ignorance and/or devious politically-inspired, essentially the “dumbing down” of CRT is a desperate attempt to maintain the caste-like society that was built on the foundations of Indigenous American genocide, the American holocaust of slavery, and ongoing racist, sexist, patriarchal policies and practices.  As these horrendous foundational walls are attacked, of course those who benefitted most from the oppressive system are screaming the loudest..."  

A new arts funding initiative created by The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Center for Philanthropy will award 75 micro-grants of $1,000 to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) artists to assist them in their work. Applications are open through July 23. Funding for the program is provided by The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Mac Miller Fund. The Mac Miller Fund was established at The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2018 by the family of the late Malcolm McCormick (Mac Miller) to honor the Pittsburgh native and nationally known rapper and producer.

In an open letter posted on the courts website, Allegheny County Common Pleas President Judge Clark says its time to recognize there is racial and ethnic disparity. "The uneven playing field on which racial and ethnic minorities, those who do not squarely fit into traditional gender roles, other disadvantaged persons, and the poor enter the justice system. The public must see members of our local judiciary and court staff working with urgency to attain this goal in equal solidarity with them, with other justice-related institutions, and with each other.”

"Instead of making it harder for folks to vote, we need to be addressing the issues that election officials have asked us to address. We further should be making it easier for people to register to vote and to take part in our elections. Instead, the House Republicans would have us pass restrictive legislation to solve problems that simply do not exist..."

At its June board of trustees meeting, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh elected Geovette E. Washington chair of its board of trustees. Washington is senior vice chancellor and chief legal officer of the University of Pittsburgh, joining the university after serving as general counsel and senior policy advisor in the White House Office of Management and Budget. She joined the Carnegie Museums board of trustees in 2017 and was named vice chair earlier this year.

 The Board of Directors of DQE Holdings LLC (DQE) has appointed Kevin Walker as the new president and CEO of Duquesne Light Company (DLC), Duquesne Light Holdings, Inc. and DQE. Walker succeeds Mark Kaplan who has served in an interim role since January of this year. Kaplan has also served as chief financial officer and will retain that role throughout June, after which he will become special advisor to the company’s management and board of directors. Matthew Ankrum will assume the vice president, chief financial officer role on July 1.   

"I am a Black woman in a white-male-dominated legislature. And I am the only Black woman who has ever chaired the House committee that oversees voting laws in our state. As chairwoman in the Democratic minority, I am continually sickened by the way in which the Republican majority repeatedly makes these voter suppression tactics seem normal, much in the way poll taxes, literacy tests and other barriers were made to seem valid leading up the Civil Rights Act of 1965..." 

Ahead of the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre on May 31, read an excerpt from Professor Alaina E. Roberts’ new book that depicts the lead up to and aftermath of that brutal event. 

 Roberts’ new book, “I’ve Been Here All the While: Black Freedom on Native Land,” explores Reconstruction, identity and race through narrative threads that follow her family’s and American history.

This summer music lovers can once again relax on the lawn at Highland Park to the sounds of jazz performed by Pittsburgh’s finest musicians at the “Reservoir of Jazz” concert series presented by the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events.

This free showcase of the area’s extraordinary talent of jazz musicians takes place on five consecutive Sundays in August from 5 – 7 p.m. on Reservoir Drive in Highland Park.

The Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh initiative – a joint program of The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments – will receive $2 million in the latest round of grants by novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. 

In a joint statement, Lisa Schroeder, president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation and Grant Oliphant, president of The Heinz Endowments, said: “This is terrific news and is a wonderful recognition of the canon of Black cultural creativity in Pittsburgh.

POISE Foundation has plenty of reasons to celebrate! This is its 40th year as a community foundation focused on inspiring and empowering African Americans. To commemorate this milestone year, the foundation has planned a series of online community conversations and events designed to bring greater awareness to the need for Black Philanthropy and the need to strengthen Black families and their communities.

  The Pittsburgh Penguins have been awarded a grant from the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) to support efforts to create access to the game of hockey for youth players of color in city neighborhoods. The announcement comes on the heels of the Penguins' Willie O'Ree Academy launch last month, and coincides with the team's ongoing efforts to repurpose the Hunt Armory as an ice rink for youth hockey development. 

The Master Builders’ Association of Western Pennsylvania, Inc. (MBA) and the Construction Advancement Program of Western Pennsylvania (CAP) are pleased to welcome Lance Harrell as Director of Workforce Development and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.

 The DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation Sports Matter Giving Truck is hitting the road again, giving sports equipment to 10,000 more youth athletes in need. The Giving Truck will travel to eight cities across the U.S. – Charlotte, Atlanta, Tampa, Mobile, Houston, El Paso, Phoenix and Los Angeles – throughout the month of March.