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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 115 No. 18 Two Sections
MAY 1-7, 2024
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COURIER EXCLUSIVE REPORT
Juneteenth to occur at Point State Park, but Black Music Festival is canceled Also, City of Pittsburgh is planning its own Juneteenth Celebration by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned exclusively that B. Marshall's "Stop The Violence Pittsburgh" organization that hosts Juneteenth at Point State Park will host Juneteenth once again as per usual. This year, the dates are Friday, June 14 to Sunday, June 16. However, the organization’s annual "Black Music Festival," usually held at Point State Park in mid-July, has been canceled. The Courier has also learned that the City of Pittsburgh is planning its own Juneteenth Celebration, though the exact details of the celebration have not been made public. "The City is ensuring that the Juneteenth Celebration is treated as the July 4th Celebration," Olga George, Mayor Ed Gainey's Press Secretary, told the Courier in an
email on Tuesday afternoon, April 30. "This is not a dueling or competition for the Juneteenth Celebration. There are lot of various celebrations during July 4th and we're working towards having that same energy for Juneteenth." The City of Pittsburgh's July 4 celebration always includes a 25-minute fireworks display at Point State Park as night falls. However, the City of Pittsburgh did not explicitly state for fact that "ensuring that the Juneteenth Celebration is treated as the July 4th Celebration" means that the City of Pittsburgh will have a fireworks display on Wednesday, June 19, at the Point for Juneteenth. B. Marshall, who has been the leader of Juneteenth in Pittsburgh for the past several years and who is credited with giving Pittsburgh such a sizSEE JUNETEENTH A5
B. MARSHALL, FAR RIGHT, WITH WIFE, MARGO DOSS, FAR LEFT, AND GOSPEL SENSATION ERICA CAMPBELL, AT THE 2023 JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION AT POINT STATE PARK.
Annual ‘Mother’s Day Extravaganza’ becoming premier event in Pittsburgh Hotel Indigo is the site for the May 12 event by Genea L. Webb For New Pittsburgh Courier
Mother’s Day is a very symbolic time for mothers and families alike. That’s why Cecilia Coleman-Finney has continued to hold her annual Mother’s Day Extravaganza event for the past eight years. “Besides getting a fullcourse meal, you get to see a full fashion show and it’s at a nice venue at the Hotel Indigo and you get to support other women and other mothers,” Coleman-Finney told the New Pittsburgh Courier in advance of her event, which will be at the aforementioned Hotel Indigo in East Liberty, May 12 from 3 to 6 p.m. Doors open at 2 p.m. “And I think people enjoy going to nice places and just have a nice time and a nice day out. I want people to walk away feeling special and I want them to enjoy the fashions because the fashion designers are working hard to create great fashions. Every time I check on them, they are
sewing away.” This year, there will be three fashion designers being featured with local models, along with vendors and DJ Tuffy Tuff. “It’s normal for women to be curious of the new fashion and the fashions will be able to purchase if they’d like,” Coleman-Finney said. “This year, there will also be a young man named Var B who will be singing two songs; one after dinner and one while the models are getting set up. Var B is a nice young man and he is a co-worker of mine and he released a CD and is about to release another one. His music is so smooth. I was blown away when I heard the songs. WAMO played several of his songs recently. The crowd is going to love him.” Coleman-Finney, whose company is called “CC Productions,” is partnering with Ebony Davenport for an upcoming June SEE MOTHER’S DAY A9
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CECILIA COLEMAN-FINNEY IS THE FORCE BEHIND THE ANNUAL “MOTHER’S DAY EXTRAVAGANZA” IN PITTSBURGH.