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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 115 No. 21 Two Sections
MAY 29- JUNE 4, 2024
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
NFL Draft coming to Pittsburgh Gainey plays vital role
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Pittsburgh's first Black mayor, Ed Gainey, has a large number of supporters. And he, not unlike anyone else in life, has detractors. But one thing no one can take away from Ed Gainey is that under his watch as Pittsburgh's mayor, the city was awarded the largest three-day tourism gift in all of America—the 2026 NFL Draft. Of course, without the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Art Rooney II and the Rooney family, without the Super Bowls, without the great success on the field, the Draft wouldn't have thought about coming to Pittsburgh. But Mayor Gainey, who is a diehard Steelers fan growing up on the East End, going to Peabody High School and waving Terrible Towels at every turn, told everyone from his first day in office that he wanted the Draft in Pittsburgh. “I told Mr. Rooney, ‘We gotta get the Draft here,’” Mayor Gainey said a day after the NFL made it official on Wednesday, May 15. He said, ‘Are you sure?’ I said, ‘Yeah, Mr. Rooney, I'm sure because you de-
serve it.’” The Steelers held a news conference on Thursday, May 16, at Acrisure Stadium, featuring Rooney, the Steelers' President; Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro; Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato; Mayor Gainey; and VisitPittsburgh President and CEO Jerad Bachar. News of Pittsburgh getting the NFL Draft spread like wildfire. Pittsburgh's legions of African American Steelers fans welcomed the news, and with the sheer number of people coming to Pittsburgh, all it can do is help African American businesses Downtown, in the Hill District, the North Side, East Carson Street on the South Side, and maybe into other parts of town where Black businesses reside. About a month ago, Detroit hosted the 2024 NFL Draft. There, it broke records for the most people to attend the three-day event, where 775,000 fans attended. On Day 1 of the Draft, which hosts the first round but is arguably the most important round to witness, some 275,000 people were in attendance in Detroit. But Mayor Gainey isn't about to let
Detroit keep the record. “Everybody wants to talk about numbers; here's my number. I predict we will have a million people come to our city,” Mayor Gainey said. “Here's why. See, people remember the Immaculate Reception and Franco Harris. People remember the time that John Stallworth caught the over-the-shoulder catch against the Rams in the Super Bowl. They remember Lynn Swann and his acrobatic catch against the Cowboys, they remember James Harrison run the whole field for a touchdown against Arizona. We have so many memories that people hold dear to themselves that no matter what city you go to, one thing you're going to find is a Steeler bar or restaurant.” Mayor Gainey, himself, left Pittsburgh to attend college at Morgan State University in Baltimore.
But he returned, unlike a lot of people who, over SEE GAINEY A3
PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY (PHOTO BY MARLON MARTIN)
The Manhattans win Pittsburgh over again
Brooks, Eason honored posthumously by Central Catholic High School
THE MANHATTANS’ LEAD SINGER, GERALD ALSTON, WITH RETIRED PITTSBURGH POLICE DETECTIVE BRENDA TATE, DURING NEW HORIZON THEATER’S ANNUAL FUNDRAISER CONCERT, MAY 4. (PHOTO BY BRETT D. ALLEN) The Manhattans featuring Gerald Alston were, “like you have never seen them before,” with a fantastic concert at the O'Reilly Theater on May 4, part of New Horizon Theater's annu-
al fundraiser. The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that hundreds came out to celebrate the occasion, as The Manhattans gave the crowd the original songs everybody knew and loved, along
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with some songs written by other well-known artists with accompaniment by the East Coast Connection Band. Each of the performers played a smooth role in the concert singing with the group and with some solo selections as well. Gerald Alston, Troy May and the newest member with The Manhattans, SEE MANHATTANS A8
THE FAMILIES OF JAFAR BROOKS AND STEVEN EASON WERE HONORED DURING CENTRAL’S GRADUATION CEREMONY, MAY 24. (PHOTO BY BRIAN COOK SR.)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Central Catholic High School honored the lives of two of its former students who were set to graduate in 2024, but whose lives were cut short due to gun violence. The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned ex-
clusively that the families of Jafar Brooks and Steven Eason were recognized on the same Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall stage that the two teens were set to walk across to receive their high school diplomas as part of the Class of 2024. Brooks died in Decem-
ber 2020 following a shooting in Penn Hills. Brooks was 15 years old. Eason died in September 2021 following a shooting at a haunted hayride in North Versailles. Eason, too, was 15. In the days following their deaths, everyone SEE CENTRAL A3