Having the conversation about race as it applies to inequities in the criminal justice system will invariably lead to a discussion of politics. Because as Carnegie Mellon professor Alfred Blumstein told a packed conference room during the University of Pittsburgh’s Race In America summit, politics has introduced the vast majority of those inequities. During his portion of the “Minority Majority: Imbalance in the Criminal Justice System” session, shared with Marc Mauer, Sentencing Project executive director, Blumstein presented data on a century of arrest and incarceration rates showing the current imbalance is largely the product of political decisions, and what appears to be obvious discrimination that may be due to various factors, of which bias is a small part. NEW PARTNERS—Introducing David Kennedy at the Race in America conference, Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper said reducing violence is not just police work, but everyone’s work.
As part of the Race in America conference, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work and Center on Race and Social Problems, a number of sessions and presenters were focused on economic disparities for minorities. In her keynote speech on “Economic Justice,” Julianne Malveaux, a noted commentator and economist, presented startling statistics illustrating the dire economic status of African-Americans and other minorities. JULIANNE MALVEAUX speaks at the conference.
For the past 19 months since the election of President Barack Obama, America has been buzzing over whether or not we now live in a “post-racial America.” At the closing panel discussion of the Race in America conference June 5, the four panelists answered that question with a resounding “NO.” “I had predicted that the election of Obama was not going to be this momentous issue that the media made it out to be,” said Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Ph.D., professor of sociology at Duke University. “If you look at the status of minorities nothing much has changed.” RACE IN AMERICA PANEL—From left, back: Benjamin Jealous, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Alex Castellanos and Larry Davis. Front, from left: Tony Norman and Abigail Thernstrom.
Since its inception in 2004, Once Vision One Life has worked to reduce gun violence in Pittsburgh’s North Side, Hill District and South Side (not including East End) neighborhoods through its unique front line intervention in turf battles, disputes and gang interactions to diffuse them before they result in homicides and shootings. A four-year assessment of the Allegheny County program released last week by RAND Corp. researchers, however, found the program had little impact. According to the report, One Vision “had no significant impact on homicide rates but was associated with significant increases in aggravated assault and gun assault rates in the target neighborhoods.” RICHARD GARLAND
Given the failure of several hip-hop events by local promoters, we asked Pittsburgher their opinion. Here’s what you said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a failure on the promoters’ behalf. I do believe that it’s a combination of communication on some promoters ends at ‘over promising and under delivering’ in conjunction with artists that oftentimes face the wall of uncontrolled scenarios that are out of their hands.” Emmai AlaquivaEmmy award winner, entrepreneurShadyside Emmai Alaquiva, Orlando Marshall, Nadia Souls
Career fair JUNE 9—The Career & Workforce Development Center will host its 20th Annual Community Career Fair from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA, 7140 Bennett St., Homewood. Over 30 employers, training and service providers will be in attendance looking for qualified candidates. For more information, email Carena M. Phillips at p.carena@yahoo.com.
The push for strong teachers in schools has become a nationwide trend and Pittsburgh is no exception. The Pittsburgh Public School District recently launched its Empowering Effective Teachers plan to ensure a strong teaching and learning environment in every school. However, the task of creating, identifying and rewarding highly effective teachers can be difficult when many scholars do not agree on a plan of action. In an effort to address this and many other issues in education, Duquesne University hosted the Third Annual Duquesne Educational Leadership Symposium May 25-27. ARNETHA BALL “Education is currently under attack. Schools of education are closing; urban schools are closing,” said Arnetha Ball, Ph.D. “Too many decisions are being made without us being at the table. What will you do to take our rightful place as agents of change rather than objects of change?”
Erroll Garner, Earl Hines, the Turrentine brothers, the Betters brothers, Walt Harper, Ahmad Jamal—all are Pittsburgh jazz legends, known the world over. But increasingly, even in their hometown, they seem to only live on the airways of WDUQ radio. But with Duquesne University’s pending sale of the station license, some fear their work and their place in Pittsburgh history may disappear from local airwaves, lost to future generations. NELSON HARRISON says losing only jazz station in Pittsburgh would be a disaster. “I really can’t imagine not hearing the melodic voices of Tony Mowod and Bob Studebaker, as well the other excellent hosts such as Helen Wigger, bringing this community the sounds of this nation’s original art form, jazz,” said Tim Stevens in a letter to the New Pittsburgh Courier. “This station has played more music by Pittsburgh artists than probably all of the other Pittsburgh stations combined, something that I as a Pittsburgh jazz vocalist and writer highly appreciate.”
With the previous month’s count of only one Black homicide, there was hope that all the vigils and marches had finally made an impact on the community and would put a stop to the senselessness that continues to plague the streets of the Black community. However, with four homicides in May, which is half of the monthly count for last year at this time, it is clear that the message has not gotten through. Not only were all the victims Black, but they were all under the age of 30. It’s sad enough that one cannot walk down a street without fear of being shot, but now one cannot even sit on a porch or even worse in their own living room. This has got to stop. Enough is enough. As part of an ongoing effort to heighten awareness about the effects of murder in the Black community, the New Pittsburgh Courier will compile a list of homicides in the county each month. It is our hope that as the list of victims grows, so will a true understanding of how these lost lives affect the mental health, economic well-being and self-images of the region’s Black neighborhoods.
Across the state, the issue of charter schools and the need for choice was a highly debated topic in the primary election for governor. In Pittsburgh, recent controversy has been focused on the proposal for a charter school in the vacant Burgwin School building in Hazelwood. CHARTER ADVOCATE—Sarah Jameela Martin makes a statement at the Pittsburgh Board of Education public hearing, May 17. “It’s a slow process in Pittsburgh because you have to put a proposal in and normally they will reject your proposal no matter how good it is,” said Sam Howard, executive vice president of Imagine Schools for the Midwest and Northeast. “Charter schools offer choice and choice doesn’t seem to be en vogue in the system.”
