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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 117 No. 26 Two Sections
JULY 1-7, 2026
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George B. Vashon receives historical marker in Downtown Pittsburgh First Black graduate of Oberlin College, former President of Avery College by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
George B. Vashon is not a household name. But his accomplishments in a time when Blacks were denied so much have posthumously earned him a spot in Pittsburgh history forever. On Friday, June 26, 2026, about 70 officials, community advocates and leaders gathered at the corner of Third Avenue and Market Street, Downtown, next to where PPG Place stands. A historical marker was unveiled there for Vashon. That's where he used to live. That's where he opened his first business. George B. Vashon, who was born on July 25, 1824, in Carlisle, Pa., became the first Black graduate of Oberlin College in 1844. He became the first Black attorney in the state of New York in 1848, one year after he was denied practicing law in Allegheny County. At the time, state law declared that "Black men had no politi-
cal existence." Vashon later became the first Black professor at Howard University, and was instrumental in establishing the Howard University Law School. He was also instrumental in establishing the "Black Wall Street" that was home to Pittsburgh's Black businesses along Third Avenue, Downtown. He also served as President of Avery College from 1863 to 1867, a school that provided elementary and advanced education to Black students regardless of gender. Avery College was in existence on what now is Pittsburgh's North Side from 1849 to 1873. George B. Vashon died in 1878 at age 54. Now, 148 years later, his story is being told, and his legacy lives on. "Vashon's achievements were extraordinary for a Black man in 19th-century America," said Vashon's great, great grandson, Paul Thornell, at the ceremony. "His extraordinary academic abilities at an early age, attending school
McKeesport head football coach out after controversy
with other Pittsburgh Black youth, excelling in math, literature and foreign languages in ways that would have been extraordinary for any wellschooled adult." Thornell said Vashon was exposed to the abolitionist movement through his father, John B. Vashon, a veteran of the War of 1812, and a leader of Pittsburgh's Black community at the time. In the 1860s, Vashon, who met his wife in Pittsburgh, moved to Washington, D.C., where he helped found Howard University. He later became a professor at what is now Alcorn State University, in Mississippi. Thornell said the death of George B. Vashon in 1878 was a result of the Mississippi Valley yellow fever epidemic. "The way that you've been able to give some life and voice to what George B. Vashon did, I'm grateful to that," Thornell said to City of Pittsburgh and THE NEW HISTORICAL MARKER—George B. Vashon is forever recognized in Pittsburgh with his own historical marker, at the corner of Third Avenue and Market Street, Downtown. Pictured is his great, great grandson, Paul Thornell, along with Allegheny County ExecSEE VASHON A3 utive Sara Innamorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)
Jubilee Kitchen gets a $5.5 million boost
Renovated kitchen, building, with new social services office and more by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
KARLI SHORT, DAUGHTER OF MCKEESPORT LEGEND BRANDON SHORT, WAS KILLED IN 2021.
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Following a thundercloud of controversy in McKeesport surrounding its football program,
a prominent figure who played in the NFL whose daughter was murdered, and those who testified as a character witness SEE MCKEESPORT A3
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Imagine starting an organization with less than $10. That's the story of the Jubilee Kitchen, which was founded in 1979 as a soup kitchen to help those less fortunate in Pittsburgh's East End. The startup organization was founded with just $9.36, but had what the founders called "an unwavering vision of hope." The building, which sits on Wyandotte Street in Uptown, a few blocks from the Hill District, has assisted tens of thousands of local residents over the decades, a substantial amount of whom were African Americans. But the organization wanted to do more. They began a campaign to renovate its kitchen, a $500,000 dollar project that was mostly secured by Congresswoman Summer Lee through Community Project Funding. On May 8, 2026, the organization and a bevy of SEE JUBILEE A3
PITTSBURGH MAYOR COREY O’CONNOR AND CONGRESSWOMAN SUMMER LEE, AMONG THOSE CELEBRATING THE RENOVATION OF THE JUBILEE KITCHEN FACILITY IN UPTOWN, MAY 8, 2026. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)