“QUEEN” IS THE OWNER OF QUEEN’S MARKET ON FALLOWFIELD AVENUE IN CHARLEROI. QUEEN AND HER HUSBAND, HENRY CAMPBELL, ARE IMMIGRANTS FROM LIBERIA. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
A COURIER SPECIAL REPORT
Business is booming on Fallowfield Avenue in Charleroi.
People are going in and out of Queen’s Market, getting their favorite foods, produce and drinks, while hearing some of their favorite music.
But it’s not the Charleroi natives who are frequenting the store. It’s the people who former president Donald Trump likes to denigrate the most.
Immigrants.
Trump infamously said during his presidential debate on Sept. 10 with Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, 40 minutes west of Columbus, were “eating the dogs…they’re eating the cats…They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and that’s a shame.”
Not apologizing, Trump later added “geese” to the list of prepared foods Haitian immigrants were allegedly eating.
Days after the debate, Trump decided to throw the small Western Pa. town of Charleroi under the bus, by saying that the town had experienced a large wave of “Haitian migrants under Vice President Kamala Harris,” costing locals there “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Trump called Charleroi “virtually bankrupt” and claimed that immigrants had brought “massive crime to the town and every place near it.”
The New Pittsburgh Courier traveled to Charleroi on Saturday, Sept. 21, and learned from a host of locals and immigrants that Trump had his story all messed up.
DONORA RESIDENTS SHEREE MCWILLIAMS AND NATE COOK PURCHASE FOOD FROM QUEEN’S MARKET IN CHARLEROI. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
Charleroi, in Washington County, nestled across the bridge from Monessen and a stone’s throw from Belle Vernon, is pretty much your basic small town. Come into the Downtown, which has two primary thoroughfares, McKean Avenue and Fallowfield, and you’ll see the token American Legion. The 24-hour laundromat. The Dollar General. The one McDonald’s everyone goes to. The Charleroi Public Library. Homes that don flags in support of Donald Trump.
Make a turn onto Fallowfield Avenue, though, and Charleroi becomes a town unlike any other in the region. Immigrants from Haiti, Liberia, Ghana, Jamaica, and more nations have made their presence felt, owning stores, owning or renting homes, and purchasing items from a variety of stores. Some are driving, some are walking.
Officials in Charleroi have said that there has been no increase in crime due to the 2,000 or so immigrants, most of whom are Haitians, who make Charleroi their home these days. The exact population of Charleroi today is unclear. Some years ago, it was at 4,000 with only a 7 percent African American population. The population is growing because of the immigrants, which is a good thing, according to Charleroi’s borough manager, Joe Manning.
“It hasn’t been a drain on borough resources, we haven’t seen a spike in crime, we haven’t seen any major problems,” Manning told KDKA-TV in mid-September. “They have been a benefit to the town.”
However, Manning is aware that there is a segment of the population that is angry so many immigrants have moved into Charleroi.
“Charleroi is about the only community in the Mon Valley that is seeing a population increase,” Manning said to KDKA-TV. “They come here, they buy property, they open businesses, they work here, they pay taxes. So for us, at the end of the day, it has been a benefit.”
Augusta Goll, who is originally from Liberia, owns Queen’s Market on Fallowfield Avenue, and it’s one of the best-selling businesses on Fallowfield. Around her store are some other stores owned by immigrants, like Marie Boutique, owned by Marie Occimable. Goll, known as Queen, has been running her store for five years — she moved to Charleroi in March 2019.
“I’m paying taxes and this and that, we’re making a great impact in this community, we’re bring life back to this city,” Queen told the Courier exclusively. “We have done a lot of community things,” but she said that the largely-White Charleroi community “doesn’t want to be a part of it. They’re scared of us.”
Queen spoke to the Courier during a steady stream of people coming in and out of her store—her husband, Henry Campbell, working feverishly to keep the shelves stocked with goods. “The city right now is divided,” Queen said. “Some percentage of people that have grown up here, born here, they’re not comfortable seeing these Black people around this place.”
But Queen said Charleroi residents who have lived other places seem to be more accepting of the Haitians, Liberians and other immigrants walking around.
In the Courier’s two-hour visit to Charleroi, while there were some White residents out and about, most of the people outside on the 80-degree day were immigrants. The vast majority of the immigrants in Charleroi came to the U.S. legally, with humanitarian visas. It allows them to temporarily live and work in the U.S.
For Queen, her path to Charleroi came under unfortunate circumstances. She originally came to the U.S. as a refugee status through Catholic Charities, which placed her in San Diego, Calif. She arrived there in 2003. In 2009, Queen and her son, Telvin Goll, relocated to Arizona. But her life changed forever on Dec. 29, 2018. Her 18-year-old son, Telvin, was shot and killed during a robbery attempt at an apartment.
It was too much for her to handle. And no reason to stay in Arizona.
A former friend of hers invited her to see what Charleroi was like. Queen took the chance. She saw how small Charleroi was, she knew her personality was big, and she felt confident she could make it in Charleroi.
“It was not easy at first, but I never gave up,” Queen told the Courier exclusively. “I pray about everything and put on a positive face and be happy.” She said some people wonder why she always seems so happy. “They don’t know what I’m celebrating,” she said.
What are some of the most popular products people purchase inside Queen’s Market? Definitely the Caribbean Red Snapper fish, Queen said, and the goat meats. You can also find cut tilapia, chicken wings, catfish, and all the fruits and vegetables your heart desires.
While the Courier was at Queen’s Market, Sheree McWilliams and Nate Cook walked into the store. They were the only Americans to enter the store while the Courier was there. McWilliams and Cook, who are both African Americans, live in Donora, about 10-15 minutes from Charleroi. McWilliams had to get the Red Snapper, too.
“Culture should be celebrated regardless of where they came from,” McWilliams told the Courier. She’s seen the Mon Valley go down since the steel mill days, and she said most of Downtown Charleroi was “run down, torn down. Now you see people outside.”
McWilliams added: “Sometimes change is scary, and can be very uncomfortable, but when you look at the other side of things and business is coming in, then that should be something to celebrate.”
Queen, flanked by a store employee and a few customers, then proudly proclaimed: “We are not going anywhere.”
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