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‘The Ebony Canal’ wins three ‘Webby’ awards SEE PAGE A4
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 116 No.18 Two Sections
APRIL 30-MAY 6, 2025
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
Remembering William A.G. Fisher Beloved, first Black principal at Allderdice passes at 100 by Ervin Dyer, Ph.D. PitttWire
William “Bill” Aldophus Granberry Fisher—a revered University of Pittsburgh alumnus and pioneering educator who became the first Black principal to serve at a predominantly White Pittsburgh public high school—died on April 13. He was 100. Described as a caring, dedicated force of nature, Fisher earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Pitt in 1948 and set about making the public school system, of which he was a product, work for everyone. He believed all students deserved the best education possible. In 1971, Fisher made history when he became the first African American principal of Taylor Allderdice High School in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. He started the job amid
the tumult of desegregation. It was a tense and sometimes violent time: Fights were common, and students would often leave school to escape the aggravations. Nonetheless, he soon became a beloved and cherished principal, thanks in part to his warm but firm rapport with his pupils. Former students say Fisher saw potential in each of them and pushed everyone to be their best. He earned the nickname “Hook” for his insistence that young men take off their caps indoors or else hang them up on hooks in his office and for his pursuit of students who cut school—he’d hook them back into their classes. Fisher retired in 1991, but not before shaping the lives of hundreds of students, many of whom would go on to Pitt. For SEE FISHER A3
NEIGHBORHOOD LEARNING ALLIANCE AWARDS
WILLIAM A.G. “BILL” FISHER, IN THIS 2022 PHOTO. HE MADE HISTORY IN 1971, BECOMING THE FIRST BLACK PRINCIPAL AT ALLDERDICE HIGH SCHOOL IN SQUIRREL HILL. (PHOTO BY AIMEE OBIDZINSKI/PITTWIRE)
Affordable housing issue a key component of Gainey’s campaign by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
COURIER SALES DIRECTOR ASHLEY JOHNSON WAS ONE OF THE AWARD RECIPIENTS AT NLA’S “WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE” EVENT, MARCH 29, AT THE ENERGY INNOVATION CENTER. SEE MORE AWARDEES ON PAGE A7. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
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Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Trailblazer Award Honoree
The struggle is real when it comes to living in Pittsburgh for African Americans. Day after day, Pittsburgh's population of Blacks dwindles, like the sand in an hourglass. Pittsburgh's first Black mayor, Ed Gainey, says he is not only "trying" to do something about it, he "has" done something about it. He says he's secured 1,600 units of affordable housing in the city since he took office in January 2022. Those 1,600 units include new development along with preserved units. Gainey's Democratic challenger for mayor, Corey O'Connor, continues to dispute that number. With the Primary Election scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, both O'Connor SEE GAINEY A6
PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY BEING INTERVIEWED BY WPXI-TV ANCHOR LISA SYLVESTER, DURING THE NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL OF PITTSBURGH MAYORAL FORUM, MARCH 27, AT NORTHSIDE INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH OF GOD. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
Josh Taylor Celebrity Host