LENNY MCALLISTER
‘A Venn Diagram of One—An American Story’ available now
by Renee P. Aldrich
For New Pittsburgh Courier
At the age of 54, Lenny McAllister has spent decades working in both state and national arenas, shaping public policy and strengthening civic life.
The talk show host at KDKA Radio (1020 AM, 100.1 FM) and a Sr. Fellow at Founding Forward and Commonwealth Foundation, McAllister is a Pittsburgh-area native who has written a new book, “A Venn Diagram of One—An American Story.”
It was released on Aug. 11, 2026.
In a conversation with the New Pittsburgh Courier, McAllister shared that the book’s title is intended to exemplify the concept that regardless of people’s differences, there is much overlapping of ideologies and similarities that will allow people as a society to seek and find solutions to some of their broken places.
LENNY MCALLISTER WAS A MEMBER OF THE COURIER’S “MEN OF EXCELLENCE” CLASS OF 2026. (FILE PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
He explained that he has been referred to as a “venn diagram of one”—his journey demonstrates how dynamics change for the positive when differences overlap with similarities.
“It was a phrase someone once used to describe me a few years ago, after I shared with them what I had done in my life,” McAllister told the Courier in an exclusive interview. “I spoke of my work with the PA Coalition of Public Charter School, my work at the Rainbow Coalition as a Special Advisor to the late Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr.; to being an advisor to former RNC Chairman Michael Steele; to being a tea party speaker who also worked with the NAACP helping to make sure that there were no voter ID laws that would keep people from their constitutional right to vote. And at the same time, I was someone who could, 30 years ago, work in the historic Hill District, and on the South Side of Chicago all the while as a Black Republican working with Republican organizations.”
McAllister continued: “Yes, the book title is reflected in my life’s work looking at my places of crossover and where my interests/actions intersect. But it also describes what America has been over 250 years as well. Looking at all the different variety of cultures and all the different influences that have come to our shores. Jews, Italians, the Irish, Polish, and even Asian Americans on the west coast. None of these cultures, especially African Americans, were supposed to gain any empowerment. And even though all of these who settled in this country were not envisioned to succeed, in spite of itself the country afforded some successes, and still an overlap of us all being Americans.”
A couple things factored in McAllister’s drive to create the book, which he started in 2024. One of which is finding ourselves here at America 250 in 2026, a pivotal moment when the divisive nature of this country is palpable…where we watch as those who are struggling get pushed further to the periphery of society. At the same time, however, recognizing the need to chart a course of action that will prevent us from losing another generation.
“We lose generations when folks lose hope because of the barriers to achieving the American dream,” McAllister said. “The dream of homeownership, entrepreneurship, better employment, and finding safety and security in their neighborhoods.”
Second, it was the loss of two significant mentors who died in their 50s. A gentleman who helped create the first certification in DEI nationally and was a professor at Georgetown, who died at age 59, and a reverend he met in 2009 who died at 55 years old. Their deaths represent the fierce urgency of getting things done now.
Looking at the immediacy of death, coupled with a unique life experience, and a point of America 250 with people struggling, McAllister thought it was time to put thoughts to paper to remind people of a call to action once stated by President Barack Obama: “We are the ones that we have been waiting for; we are the ones that we seek.”
President Obama’s inference was that people should stop looking around for someone to fix themselves, especially for those with capability. That quote was a strong impetus for McAllister to think that the time is now to write the book and write from a perspective of hope.
“A Venn Diagram of One” lays the groundwork for society to reflect how people view their current situation with all its foibles and what steps can be taken to redirect and create a space more conducive for success for all. The book uses personal stories and action steps, and chapters that focus on the three vital pillars:
1) Security. As McAllister makes it clear, security is about more than feeling safe. It encompasses security of self, the knowledge that every individual is respected, protected, and valued; security of citizenship, the shared sense of belonging as Americans, regardless of ethnic, religious, geographic, or economic background; and security of potential in life, the safe, supportive space to dream, learn, grow, and lead.
2) Empowerment. Empowerment has three tiers: educational empowerment; entrepreneurial empowerment, and the key to unleashing American ingenuity and economic empowerment, rooted in the premise that anyone can shift or modify on their journey in this nation and find a way to secure a meaningful, sustainable life.
3) Opportunity. Both aspirational and actionable, American opportunity affords all citizens with the ability to hope, believing they have the potential and avenue to hone talent, grow skills, and climb the ladder of success; the ability to act, believing they can craft a plan and implement steps with the confidence that these efforts will lead to advancement over time; and the ability to pivot, knowing that even the best of plans hits obstacles and when that happens, our nation of resilience will offer them the grace for a second act.
McAllister said that “A Venn Diagram of One” tackles urgent and hotly debated issues, including criminal justice reform, gun violence, the housing affordability crisis, rising poverty, immigration, abortion, and inequities in education, income, and the workplace based on race and gender. He said he “strives to create a common ground for conservatives, liberals, and moderates, as well as offer a model for acting—and reacting—with conviction, integrity, and dignity in the era of Trump politics.”
