WORKING THE CROWD—Members of the incomparable Obama Academy Marching Band get the crowd going during the Oct. 5 African American Heritage Day Parade. (Photos by Rossano Paul Stewart)
Though the morning started damp and gray, by the time Ebenezer Baptist Church Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Vincent K. Campbell gave the invocation, the sun was shining on the crowd and participants of the annual African American Heritage Day Parade.
“The rain stopped, the sky opened and the people came out,” said parade Chair Doris Carson Williams,” It was a great parade, and really showed off the pride and aspirations of many groups and young people. And the Masons; there must have been 75 of them, all led by the Most Worthy Grand Matron. That’s the largest contingent since Harvey Adams was chair. So that was really nice.”
The other highlight, Williams said, was honoring world renowned sculptor and Pittsburgh native Thaddeus “Thad” Mosley, who at 87, served as parade Grand Marshal.
“He had a great time,” she said. “He received proclamations from (Pittsburgh Councilman) Danny Lavelle and (Allegheny County Executive) Rich Fitzgerald. They presented him with a beautiful crystal plaque. We wanted to thank him for his lifetime of work. It’s been a while since anyone has and that’s the point I wanted to make.”
AIN’T IT GRAND—African American Heritage Day Parade Grand Marshal sculptor Thaddeus Mosley receives a proclamation presented by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and American Urban Radio Networks Manager Ty Miller.
In addition to Mosley, the dignitaries and the members of the Prince Hall Masons of Grand Lodge #7 and the Most Worshipful Hiram Grand Lodge AF & AM, parade participants included personnel from the Pittsburgh Bureaus of Police and Bureaus of Fire, Allegheny County Police and Mounted Police, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
They were joined by Miss Ebony Teen Taylor Whitley and Miss Ebony Princess Amaris Martin. Also marching were representatives from multiple faith and community groups, sponsoring organizations, marching bands, drum corps and social clubs.
These included:
The Empowered Step Team; Pentecostal Temple COGIC; Highmark; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity; Rosedognook/Dorrance Publishing; Small Seeds Development; Penn State African American Alumni Organization of Pittsburgh; the HACP/BJWL Afterschool Program; Center for Family Excellence; Children 2 Champions & North Shore Stallions; Macedonia Face; Soldiers & Sailors 6th USCT Drum Corps; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Kyle’s Hope; the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation; Pretty Young Ladies; Obama Academy Eagles P.E.P. Marching Band; Girl Scouts of Western PA; B-PEP; GTECH Strategies; United Rays Corvette Club of Pittsburgh; Touching Families Inc.; Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; Westinghouse High Steppin’ Marching Band; National Council of Negro Women; Gamma Lambda Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority; Lambda Lambda Zeta Chapter; Stand up Now Network; Allegheny County Housing Authority; Reading is Fundamental; African American Special Emphasis Committee; New Sisterhood Motorcycle Club; Hill District Consensus Group; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity—Iota Phi Chapter; National Black United Front; Brother Ash Productions; National Society of Black Engineers Pittsburgh Professional Chapter, and Movie Scene Queen.
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