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8th Annual Black Tie Honors Gala See Pages A8-9
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 115 No. 23 Two Sections
JUNE 5-11, 2024
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
Downtown Pittsburgh will have not one, but two Juneteenth celebrations B. Marshall's event is June 14-16; city's new event is June 29
PITTSBURGH'S TWO JUNETEENTHS—B. MARSHALL'S JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION IS JUNE 14-16 AT POINT STATE PARK. MAYOR ED GAINEY, RIGHT, ADVOCATED FOR A CITY-SPONSORED CELEBRATION, WHICH WILL BE HELD ON JUNE 29 AT THE GREENWOOD PLAN BUILDING, ON SMITHFIELD STREET. (PHOTOS BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)
Controversy has divided the Black community by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Let’s give it to you straight—Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey was caught between a rock
and a hard place. Continue to basically “award” longtime Pittsburgh Juneteenth promoter B. Marshall $125,000 for the 2024
celebration after the city did so for 2023, and face the onslaught of other promoters (including those who may have never put a Pittsburgh Juneteenth celebration together), politicians and other watchdogs wonder why B. Marshall was the only private organizer to get Juneteenth money
from the city, or “go back on his word” according to many in Pittsburgh’s Black community, hold off on awarding B. Marshall the $125,000 for 2024, decide to start a city-owned, city-sponsored Juneteenth, put out a “Request For Proposals,” and ultimately watch the city choose someone other
than B. Marshall get the contract. Mayor Gainey chose option number two. But in a question directed to the mayor by the New Pittsburgh Courier during Mayor Gainey’s press conference announcing the city’s Juneteenth “Fusion Fest” celebration scheduled for June 29,
Mayor Gainey said he had no choice but to become more transparent with taxpayer dollars when it came to whom the city would award Juneteenth funds. “We never budget for two years, the budget was only for one year, and that was SEE JUNETEENTH A6
High blood pressure before 35 may triple Black women's stroke risk by American Heart Association News Black women treated for high blood pressure in their 30s and 40s may face a substantially higher risk for having a stroke than their peers without a history of high blood pressure
treatment, new research suggests. The findings showed Black women under 35 who were treated for high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, had triple the risk of having a stroke, and those who developed the condition before age 45
had double the risk. The findings, which were presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in Phoenix in February, are considered preliminary until full results are published in a peer-reviewed journal. “This research was moti-
vated by the glaring disparity I have seen in my own practice,” lead researcher Dr. Hugo J. Aparicio said in a news release. He is an associate professor of neurology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. “Strokes are occurring at
younger ages among my patients who identify as Black and among women. Early-onset stroke, particularly at midlife, is even more tragic because these patients often have families or are caretakers for sick family members.” Stroke at a younger age
also “is associated with an increased risk of dying, as well as a burden of physical disability that creates many problems for stroke survivors and their families,” he said. Hypertension rates SEE BLOOD PRESSURE A4
A REAL HERO—CLARENCE MCCALLISTER Absolutely selfless. Clarence McCallister, a deacon at Jesus' Dwelling Place Church, quickly tackled a man who tried to shoot the pastor, Glenn Germany, on the first Sunday in May. McCallister was working the camera when the alleged shooter, Bernard Polite, walked to the front of the church and tried to shoot Pastor Germany, but the gun jammed, and McCallister took Polite down. The gun was wrestled away from Polite, police were called, and Polite was arrested. McCallister, who is also a Pittsburgh Public Works employee, was honored by City of Pittsburgh leaders on Tuesday, June 4, for his heroic actions. - Rob Taylor Jr.
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CLARENCE MCCALISTER IS HONORED AT THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH MAYOR'S OFFICE ON JUNE 4 AFTER TACKLING AN ALLEGED GUNMAN TO THE GROUND AT A CHURCH IN NORTH BRADDOCK IN MAY. SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE A4. (PHOTOS BY EMMAI ALAQUIVA)