KASHIF HENDERSON AND ASHLEY CABINESS are two of the members of the Courier’s “Fab 40” Class of 2025. The event is May 9 at the Sheraton Hotel Station Square. Get tickets at newpittsburghcourier.com or call 412-481-8302, ext. 134.
Honorees keep on pushing despite attacks against DEI
The New Pittsburgh Courier’s “Fab 40 Under 40” awards celebration is Friday, May 9, at the Sheraton Hotel Station Square, and if you haven’t purchased your ticket yet, now is the time to do so.
Where else will there be a celebration of 40 African Americans in Pittsburgh under the age of 40 who are forging ahead with their professional lives, even as President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the President’s Cabinet try to throw Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into the incinerator?
Colleges are caving into Trump. Stores like Target are caving into Trump. But on May 9, you’ll be one of the people in attendance that gets the chance to cheer on this heralded group of African Americans who are soaring their way to the top, no matter what.
Speaking of those who are soaring to the top, Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant Governor, Austin Davis, is the Trailblazer Award honoree for this year’s Fab 40 celebration. Davis won’t turn 36 until October of this year; still, the man has served as second-in-charge in Pennsylvania since January 2023, and before that, he served as Pa. state representative in the 35th District, which includes his hometown, McKeesport, and other parts of the Mon Valley. For a hometown success like Lt. Gov. Davis, the Fab 40 event is something you’ll want to be there for, to give Lt. Gov. Davis his “flowers.”
PENNSYLVANIA LT. GOV. AUSTIN DAVIS IS THE COURIER’S FAB 40 TRAILBLAZER AWARD HONOREE FOR 2025.
From the North Side, to the West End, to Wilkinsburg, the Fab 40 honorees come from all over the region, and family, friends, supporters and co-workers are sure to cheer their cherished honoree throughout the event.
The Courier caught up with a few of the honorees on April 7 and April 8, like Ashley Cabiness and Kashif Henderson. Cabiness is the program manager for the ACTES program in the Hilltop neighborhoods on the South Side, such as Beltzhoover, Arlington, Knoxville and Mt. Oliver. ACTES stands for Achieving Change through Transitional Employment Services. Cabiness, who spent her teenage years living in the former St. Clair Village public housing development, spends her days reducing gun violence in the Hilltop area. Her program targets young adults.
“The biggest thing I want them to understand is, it can be possible for you to choose to go the other direction as long as you know what your barriers are,” Cabiness told the Courier, April 7. She said once a person knows what their hindrances are, “you’re able to tackle them and make sure you’re doing what you need to do to change life.”
KAHLIL DARDEN JR. IS A MEMBER OF THE COURIER’S FAB 40 FOR 2025.
Cabiness said it still hasn’t sunk in that she was named a Fab 40 honoree for 2025. “I’m more of a behind-the-scenes person, so I’d rather my work get shown through my staff or the people who I’m working with or for, so this is a little bit different,” Cabiness said. “It’s overwhelming, but it’s exciting.”
Henderson is executive director for the Neighborhood Learning Alliance, an organization in Pittsburgh that aims to improve education and opportunities for lower-income students and their families. Henderson is a proud product of North Braddock, who graduated from Woodland Hills High School in 2004. He credits his strong-knit family and his church community for helping him achieve the level of success he’s attained so far.
Henderson said he was raised in Park Place AME Church in Homestead, and would attend community centers like the Rankin Christian Center and the Salvation Army, who had staff members that knew his family. Those close-knit relationships “really meant a lot,” he said.
It’s a good bet you’ll see a lot of support at the Fab 40 celebration for Henderson, Cabiness, Lt. Gov. Davis and the other honorees on May 9. It won’t be a lot of sitting down at this event; it’s a celebration. KDKA-TV’s Josh Taylor is sure to keep the excitement level high as the celebrity host.
JOSH TAYLOR, KDKA-TV
Tickets can be purchased by visiting newpittsburghcourier.com or by calling 412-481-8302, ext. 134.
“I look forward to the award coming from the New Pittsburgh Courier, which represents the Black community,” Henderson said, April 8. “I think that speaks volumes, the importance of the work that the community sees I’m doing.”
