COURIER EDITOR AND PUBLISHER ROD DOSS, IN THE MAYOR’S OFFICE, OCT. 3, 2024. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
It’s hard to say “New Pittsburgh Courier” without saying “Rod Doss.”
When the “Pittsburgh Courier” became the “New Pittsburgh Courier” after John H. Sengstacke purchased the newspaper in 1966, the Courier’s offices, which originally were in the Hill District, soon settled on the South Side, at 315 East Carson Street, about a 10-minute walk from the Smithfield Street Bridge.
The next year, 1967, saw a well-dressed, well-kept, twenty-something African American man walk into the office as the Courier’s newest advertising sales executive. Sixteen years later, in 1983, that same man was elevated to Vice President and General Manager of the Courier. And following the death of his mentor, Sengstacke, in 1997, that same man was named Editor and Publisher of the Courier.
That man is Rod Doss.
So it seemed fitting that, for a man who has only missed one year of the entirety of the “New” Pittsburgh Courier’s existence, the City of Pittsburgh would bestow on Doss the honor of being the first-ever recipient of the mayor’s “Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award.”
ROD DOSS, WITH PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY, OCT. 3. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
The ceremony was held at Mayor Ed Gainey’s office, on the fifth floor of the City-County Building, Downtown, Oct. 3, 2024.
“You created a voice when there was no voice. And you made sure that the other side of the city that felt mainly lonely throughout the years because they didn’t get the proper news coverage, was able to receive some type of love and not feel lonely,” Mayor Gainey said, looking directly at Doss. “The New Pittsburgh Courier was able to uplift the community that others couldn’t uplift. And it also turned out legends. I mean, a whole lot of legends.”
Sure, Doss has received other lifetime achievement awards for his work in leading the Courier, but the City of Pittsburgh honoring Doss has a special value. Not only has Pittsburgh not been the most welcoming city for African Americans in its history, but the city never had an African American mayor until January 2022, when Gainey took office, winning the November 2021 mayoral election. It was the Courier, under Doss’ leadership, that would showcase Gainey as a hard-working state Representative in the 24th District. It was the Courier that would cover Gainey’s annual Christmas events at the old Homewood Coliseum when no other publication would. It was the Courier, under Doss’ leadership, that endorsed Gainey and pushed the Black community to vote for Gainey to become the city’s first Black mayor. And it was the Courier, under Doss’ leadership, that prominently featured Gainey’s historic win on the front page of the newspaper just a few hours after his victory was secured, with the enormous headline on Nov. 4, 2021:
“GAINEY WINS”.
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SALUTES ROD DOSS.
About 10 additional people stepped to the podium and gave remarks about Doss during the hour-long ceremony. Doris Carson Williams, former president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania, said that in 1998, the Chamber had 28 paid members. “Where would we be without the New Pittsburgh Courier and Rod Doss? We grew from 28 paid members to over 650 members,” she said. “I believe a lot of it had to do with the coverage we received every week from the Courier on not only our events, but what our members were doing and the recognition that so many of them deserved.”
ROD DOSS, ESTHER L. BUSH
“I want the community in general to understand that, we just don’t have a Black newspaper, we have Rod Doss, and his influence around the country is notable,” added Esther L. Bush, former president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.
Speakers noted how Doss, along with the Courier’s assistant to the publisher, Stephan Broadus, started the wildly successful Pittsburgh events that honor 50 African American women, 50 African American men, and 40 African Americans under age 40. The events are known as the “Women of Excellence,” “Men of Excellence” and “Fab 40.” The events honor Black Pittsburghers doing outstanding things in the community and region.
ROD DOSS, TIM STEVENS
Speakers like former Courier City Editor Sonya Meadows discussed how Doss challenged the Black community in Pittsburgh to stop the violence by placing a monthly feature on the front page of the Courier that showed how many Black lives were being lost to gun violence. Speakers discussed how Doss gave them opportunities to write or take photos for the publication, when no other publications would give them a chance.
ROD DOSS, WITH SISTER, MARILYN HARVEY
When it was time for Doss to take the podium, he first thanked those in attendance, saying he was a “rich, rich man just because of the blessings you have bestowed upon me.”
Doss then thanked the mayor for bestowing him with the first “Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award,” before discussing how much of a fight it was for Blacks in Pittsburgh to become “included” in a city that “had previously denied them.”
Doss thanked former Courier greats like Sengstacke, Bill Nunn Jr., Hazel Garland, Jim Lewis, Carl Morris “and a list of others who freely gave me counsel and taught me about the Black Press and its mission.” Doss thanked his current staff members and freelance writers for their valued contributions to the Courier of today.
“I can say I am blessed to be in the business that plays an important role in helping to shape history and lift the community to higher heights,” Doss said. “Alongside the many professional talented and committed individuals I have had the pleasure of working with in covering Black history as it was then, so it is now, the Courier was there…and so was I. Mr. Mayor, thank you for this recognition.”
ROXANNE AND LUTHER SEWELL
COURIER EDITOR AND PUBLISHER ROD DOSS, IN THE MAYOR’S OFFICE, OCT. 3, 2024. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
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