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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 25 Two Sections
JUNE 21-27, 2023
thenewpittsburghcourier $1.00 Published Weekly
Ohio Players, gospel star Erica Campbell shine at Pittsburgh’s Juneteenth celebration
PITTSBURGH’S 2023 JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL BROUGHT TENS OF THOUSANDS TO POINT STATE PARK, JUNE 16-19. THE OHIO PLAYERS, LEFT, AND GOSPEL SENSATION ERICA CAMPBELL, RIGHT, WERE BIG HITS AT THE FESTIVAL. (PHOTOS BY GAIL MANKER)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
The heart and soul of Pittsburgh’s Black community was on display for all to see during the fourday Juneteenth celebration in Downtown Pittsburgh. Seriously...where else can one find the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing live, as HipHop artist Frzy raps to their beat? Where else can one find the epic performance of one Erica Campbell, the gospel superstar of “Mary Mary” fame, which had
the crowd at Point State Park dancing in praise all Sunday evening? What about the honoring of a Hip-Hop legend in Paradise Gray, or the honoring of decorated Tuskegee Airman James Harvey, as he was the grand marshal in the Western Pa. Grand Jubilee Parade? Let’s not forget about the formidable performances on stage from Hip-Hop icon KRS-One, R&B stars Soul For Real and Sammie, and the legendary Ohio Players. And the endless Black business vendors on-site, selling everything from fish,
Juneteenth in Pittsburgh “has become a family-friendly event where you can literally see multi-generations of family and friends coming together at the same location, at the same time.” TIM STEVENS Chairman and CEO, B-PEP chicken, custom-made bakeries, Caribbean food, African clothing, jewelry, books, and artistry. And the special salute to the end of violence, featuring members of the Coalition of Violence and the Bish-
op of the AME Church’s Third Episcopal District. And...the grand finale, a 25-minute fireworks display that brought out the largest outdoor majority-African American congregation the Pittsburgh
region has seen in recent memory. Taylor Swift, arguably the most popular vocalist on the planet right now, might have set the all-time record for most people ever at Acrisure Stadium, with 73,117 people during her second performance this past weekend, June 17. But the “Swifties” still couldn’t overshadow the multi-layered, multi-faceted, unprecedented number of events that comprised Pittsburgh’s 2023 Juneteenth celebration. Bands were enjoyed from June 16-19 at Market Square,
Downtown, which had its own set of Black business vendors. Point State Park and the area surrounding it saw its two largest crowds for Juneteenth on Saturday, June 17, and Monday, June 19. While official estimates have not been released, there’s a good possibility that the overall attendance for Juneteenth 2023 eclipsed the estimated 44,000 people from the 2022 celebration. “I think after all we went through, it turned out to SEE JUNETEENTH A3
LIFE Male STEAM Academy gets $1.5 million grant from Pa. Charter Schools Program by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Talk about a game-changer. The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that LIFE Male STEAM Academy, a public charter school located at 777 Penn Center Blvd. in Wilkins Township, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Pennsylvania Charter Schools Program. Reverend Dr. Darryl Canady, senior pastor of Rodman Street Baptist Church and co-founder of LIFE Male STEAM Academy along with his wife, Taleeta Canady, told the Courier that he had ap-
plied for the grant in two previous years, but the school wasn't chosen. This year, though, they got the call that they were one of just three schools to get the grant. "What this allows us to do are some of the things that need to be done (at the school), from infrastructure, to staffing, all to help get these boys to the level that we really need them to be at," Rev. Canady said. LIFE Male STEAM Academy just completed its second year in operation, after being granted SEE STEM A7
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REVEREND DR. DARRYL CANADY HOLDS UP THE CHECK SIGNIFYING THE $1.5 MILLION GRANT AWARDED TO HIS CHARTER SCHOOL, LIFE MALE STEAM ACADEMY.