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www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 113 No. 46 Two Sections
NOVEMBER 16-22, 2022
THE HISTORYMAKERS
Summer Lee, Pa.’s first Black Congresswoman
Austin Davis, Pa.’s first Black Lieutenant Governor
ON ELECTION NIGHT, NOV. 8, SUMMER LEE DEFEATED MIKE DOYLE TO WIN THE CONGRESSIONAL SEAT FOR PENNSYLVANIA’S 12TH DISTRICT...AND THE TICKET OF JOSH SHAPIRO/AUSTIN DAVIS EASILY WON FOR GOVERNOR AND LT. GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA. (PHOTO GRAPHIC BY WARREN KING)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
November 8, 2022, is a date that will never be forgotten, especially in Pittsburgh’s Black community.
While John Fetterman made a lot of national headlines on Election Night, Summer Lee and Austin Davis made history. The convincing victories
for Lee and Davis mean that Lee will become Pennsylvania’s first Black Congresswoman, and Davis will become Pennsylvania’s first Black Lieutenant Governor.
Not too bad for two people who came from modest beginnings in the Mon Valley. But if you let Lee and Davis tell it, they’re quick to remind everyone that
while there were no silver spoons in the families, high-achieving was the expectation, no matter what. “My family’s been there through everything,” Lee,
technically still a state representative in Pa., said at her election watch party in Downtown Pittsburgh, Nov. 8. SEE HISTORYMAKERS A8
Mothers discuss love lost, redemption and justice for their murdered sons by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier
“My truthful intention with ‘OPTIC VOICES: Mama’s Boys’ is to hug the very core of a mother’s heart through the cathartic vessel of art.” This statement made by Emmai Alaquiva is a perfect description of the project currently housed at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Downtown. It resonates through every photo, scene and visual one experiences during a walk through the display. The installation is an interactive, multimedia exhibit that addresses the trauma and healing of mothers who have lost their sons to systemic violence and aims to highlight their legacies and cement it in history. It was while he was working on two projects during COVID that Alaquiva saw through “OPTIC VOICES,” a way that the arts
could shift the narrative when it comes to humanizing victims of systemic violence. “As artists, we have an obligation to be truthful in our approach to history,” Alaquiva said. Having received the inaugural “B.U.I.L.D. Residency” through the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, supported by the Richard King Mellon Foundation along with other support resources, it allowed Alaquiva to breathe life into the project. Alaquiva told the New Pittsburgh Courier he was “very appreciative” of those organizations for their support. While it was truly a lights, camera, action opening night of the art installation on Friday, Oct. 21, and then the reception on Saturday, Oct. 22, attendees had the distinct opportunity to hear SEE MOTHERS A6
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“OPTIC VOICES: MAMA’S BOYS” can be viewed at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Downtown, until Jan. 31, 2023. Pictured, from left: Lezley McSpadden, Rev. Wanda Johnson, Emmai Alaquiva, Michelle Kenney, Gwen Carr, Valerie Castile. All of the mothers lost their sons to violence at the hands of police officers.