DARRYL SMITH AND LYNN MCMILLER proudly wear a sweatshirt displaying the photo of their grandson, Aaron Wade Jr. Wade was 18 years old when he was killed in Duquesne Heights three years ago. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)
by Rob Taylor Jr.
Courier Staff Writer
There it was, clear as day, the first “key finding” in a 2019 report commissioned by the local Buhl Foundation on the topic, “Driver’s Licensing Suspensions And The Impact On Young People In Pennsylvania”:
“The violation rate for unlicensed driving is highest in zip codes in which the youth are predominately Black, which suggests that licensing hurdles result in fewer Black youth with a valid license.”
And the second key finding? “…Youth living in predominately Black zip codes are more likely to receive a suspension for either driving without a license or committing a minor traffic violation than are their counterparts in predominately White zip codes.”
COURIER EXCLUSIVE
Aaron Wade Sr. made sure that his son, Aaron Wade Jr., obtained his driver’s license. Aaron Wade Sr. told the story to the New Pittsburgh Courier how he didn’t obtain his valid driver’s license until he was in his mid-to-late 20s, and that most of his friends growing up in Beltzhoover had a similar situation. Sometimes it was because there weren’t people around to give them guidance on how to pass the Pa. Knowledge Test, which now requires a person to get 15 of the 18 questions correctly to obtain their permit. Even after passing that test, sometimes there weren’t people around to help them pass the actual Driver’s Test, which includes the dreaded parallel parking.
Still, Aaron Wade Sr. said, he and others eventually learned how to drive in their early 20s, but didn’t have a valid driver’s license. That posed another problem: Getting pulled over by the police and being cited.
“It’s a domino effect,” Wade Sr. said of how not getting that proper license as a young adult affected him and other African Americans in Pittsburgh. “It pretty much happened to my whole circle (of friends).”
AARON WADE SR., shown above with a T-shirt of his nonprofit organization, “A’s Vision.” He began the organization as a way to help young Black youth obtain their driver’s licenses, following the untimely death of his son, Aaron Wade Jr. (Photos by Rob Taylor Jr.)
That’s why he was determined that his young son, his only son, Aaron Wade Jr., would learn to drive the correct way, and get his license. He made sure his son knew what to expect on the Knowledge Test, took him out on driving excursions, and, by the time he turned 18, Aaron Wade Jr. was excited that he had passed his Driver’s Test, and officially had his license.
Aaron Wade Sr. could see a vision for his son—a valid license keeps the police off your heels, and propels you to a wealth of job opportunities; either in a driving capacity or an ability to get to jobs that may not be on bus line.
It was just a little over three years ago that Aaron Wade Jr. obtained his license.
These days, Aaron Wade Sr. continues to provide that vision for young African Americans in Pittsburgh. He told the Courier it’s what his heart told him to do, trying to make something positive out of the trauma of losing his son, Aaron Wade Jr., to gun violence in Feb. 2018. He was just 18 years old, a recent graduate of Steel Valley High School who was shot and killed on Plymouth Street in Duquesne Heights.
“He was a very genuine person, a good heart, wasn’t a bad kid; he was a good, loving kid,” Aaron Wade Sr. said of his son. “Very funny, real outgoing, had a lot of friends…huge smile…”
Charae Wade, Aaron Wade Jr.’s mother, reiterated her son’s outgoing spirit. “He was always super happy, always playing,” she told the Courier. “He was loved and he loves.”
AT THE SOFTBALL GAME AND COOKOUT—In the above photo, it’s Laila, 9, Nyla, 11, and Audai, 10. Below, it’s Wendell Wade Jr. trying his hand at softball, Jennifer Cash Wade (grandmother of Aaron Wade Jr.) with Jesse Carrington, and in the bottom right photo, Charae Wade, Aaron Wade Jr.’s mother, speaks with a person at the cookout. (Photos by Rob Taylor Jr.)
May 3, 2021, would have been Aaron Wade Jr.’s 21st birthday. Aaron Wade Sr. has been making sure his son’s life won’t be forgotten, so on Saturday, May 1, the second annual “A’s Vision” Memorial Softball Game and Cookout was held at McKinley Field in Beltzhoover. More than 200 people, kids and adults alike, mainly from the close-knit Beltzhoover community, came out in fellowship, smacking the softball all around the field, vibing to the music of the DJ, Jesse Carrington, and enjoying a host of food selections, hot off the grill, manned by relative Derek Wade.
Aaron Wade Jr. was born and raised in Beltzhoover, where the Wade family has deep roots. He moved to Munhall when he was 16, Charae Wade said.
Aaron Wade Sr., who is a truck driver, was able to turn “A’s Vision” into an official nonprofit organization, and since then five African American youths, ages 16-21, have earned their valid driver’s license with guidance from the program. A’s Vision has now expanded to assist those from areas outside of Beltzhoover.
“A valid driver’s license can be a key factor in the ability of young adults to pursue education, access healthcare or gain employment, yet nationally, Black and Latino individuals of driving age are less likely to have a license than their White counterparts,” read part of the Buhl Foundation’s report from April 2019.
Driving without a license in Pennsylvania is labeled as a summary offense with a $200 fine and a suspension of the license of one or two years. Being caught driving without a valid license a second time could result in up to six months in jail and up to $1,000 in fines. Oftentimes, when the fines start adding up, it’s hard for many African Americans to pay the full restitution.
A proposed solution to this problem, according to the Buhl Foundation’s report, was to have young Pennsylvanians perform community service as an alternate option to paying outstanding fines associated with license suspensions. “With such creative public service programs, communities will benefit from the volunteered time and young people would have a path forward to become gainfully employed, an economic benefit for the individual, community and state,” the report, obtained by the Courier, read. “Such an enlightened approach would follow improvements in other jurisdictions that include Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, California, South Carolina and Kansas that permit community service or other creative safety valves to alleviate the burdens of a license suspension.”
As “A’s Vision” grows (Aaron Jr.’s nickname was “A”) and helps young adults throughout the city, Charae Wade, his mother, called the May 1 gathering at McKinley Field a “bittersweet moment.” Many people were wearing the official “A’s Vision” T-shirts, coming up to the family members of Aaron Wade Jr. throughout the sunny Saturday afternoon, in the neighborhood where Aaron Wade Jr. grew up.
DEREK WADE, happily on the grill for the “A’s Vision” Memorial Softball Game and Cookout.
“This (crowd) tells me that he touched a lot of people,” Charae Wade told the Courier at the event. “This is where his roots are, this is where his love comes from, this is what shaped him to be who he was.”
About Post Author
