IT WAS A HUGE HONOR—THE LOCAL BRANCH TAKING HOME THE TOP AWARD.
The Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch, Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), located in Pittsburgh, and named after the pioneering journalist who was the first female reporter at the Pittsburgh Courier, was selected as Branch of the Year for 2022, the New Pittsburgh Courier has learned.
ASALH was founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson to document the contributions of African Americans to American history. ASALH has been implementing Dr. Woodson’s vision for more than a century. The Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch’s programming has been central to extending that vision.
On Oct. 1, at the 107th Annual Meeting Conference Awards Banquet held in Montgomery, Ala., ASALH’s highest honor was bestowed on the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch for “Outstanding Branch Programming.”
“For the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch of Pittsburgh, to be honored by ASALH is most rewarding to each member and embraces the powerful enduring legacy developed by Dr. Edna B. McKenzie for many years in Western Pa. and nationally,” echoed Ronald B. Saunders, the branch’s president.
Saunders said it was quite fitting that the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch would receive such an honor in the Branch’s 10th anniversary year. “The Branch members are quite confident that Dr. Edna B. McKenzie is smiling down from Heaven at their Branch and is saying an exceptional job well done,” Saunders told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “The support among our membership, like a solid bedrock, has been and continues to be most encouraging and strong. The Branch has members from around the United States of America who are engaged in continuing the legacy of our founder and of Dr. Edna B. McKenzie.”
The Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch is an integral part of the tree built by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. The work performed in all the Branches of ASALH is to honor the legacy of Dr. Woodson by providing rich programs of substance and content to keep alive the important work of Dr. Carter G. Woodson and the mission of ASALH.
Dr. James Stewart, pro fessor emeritus of African American History at Penn State University, former president of ASALH and the Manasota Branch of ASALH (Florida), was the driving and moving force in getting the Branch established in Pittsburgh as a tribute to Dr. Edna B. McKenzie.
“The Branch has continued to expand its visibility and impact, concretely operationalizing Dr. McKenzie’s original vision for a Pittsburgh Branch,” Dr. Stewart said.
The Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch held a number of informational events this year and in 2021 that aided in their selection as Branch of the Year. The Branch was part of the Dr. Charles R. Drew Knowledge Bowl, which was held in February with students from Howard University, Hampton University and Frostburg State University (Maryland). Many called the Knowledge Bowl a huge success and the first-of-its-kind for ASALH.
The local Branch held a “Malcolm X Weekend Book Festival” in May, where a number of Black authors discussed their works around the theme of the Black family.
Associate Professor Jerry Dickinson was a special guest for the local Branch as he discussed, “Pittsburgh is America’s Apartheid City.” He challenged people to see how Pittsburgh is really not “America’s most livable city.”
The local Branch even held an event where Black men spoke about the importance of family support and mentorship in the public office, the effects on religion on public service, and the impact of social policies on the family structure.
“They have been doing some amazing programming,” voiced Dr. Tara White, the 2022 chair of the ASALH Awards Committee and member of the ASALH Executive Council, in an exclusive interview with the Courier, Oct. 25. “They were an excellent ambassador for ASALH in the Pittsburgh area, and they really are extending the vision of Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s vision in taking history to the community. Those were three of the reasons they were chosen (as Branch of the Year).”
Dr. White said that Branches had to be nominated by those from outside the Branch, and those who nominated Pittsburgh’s Dr. Edna B. McKenzie Branch “made very good cases” for why that Branch should take home the top award. The selection committee is comprised of primarily historians “with Ph.D.s,” Dr. White said, so the selection of the Branch of the Year should not be taken lightly.
“Carter Woodson’s vision was that African Americans and the contributions of African Americans be included in the annals of American history,” Dr. White told the Courier. “He really didn’t see a separation. In his view, African American history is American history, and so he founded ASALH as a way of helping the community see that African American history is American history.”
Members of the Dr. Edna B. McKenzie executive board include: Ronald B. Saunders, President; Alexis Clipper, Secretary; Anita Russell, Vice President of Media Relations; Dr. Madalyn Turner-Dickerson, Vice President of Membership and Donations; Latara Jones, Vice President of Programs; Rev. B. De Niece Welch, Chaplain; Betty Pickett, Director of Youth Outreach; Alonna J. Carter Donaldson, Historian; Judith E. Saunders, Treasurer; Tamara M. Saunders, Zoom Administrator and Executive Producer; Gwendolyn Howze, Assistant Zoom Administrator.
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