America’s best weekly Trinity Mauricca Parker becomes youth minister — at age 8 Page A10
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 113 No. 33 Two Sections
AUGUST 17-23, 2022
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
EVEN MORE INVESTMENT COMING TO THE HILL DISTRICT The latest—$11.3 mil for ‘transformational’ improvements by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will the revitalization of the Hill District. But little by little, day after day, progress is being made on a number of fronts to restore the Hill back to its glory. The latest news, an $11.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, will go towards the reconstruction of public infrastructure in the Hill. “This grant is not just an investment into essential infrastructure, it is also an investment in correcting long-standing harms that have isolated the Hill from Downtown,” said Mayor Ed Gainey, in a statement obtained by the New Pittsburgh Courier, Aug. 12. “Designing solutions and getting them funded required a true community partnership, and this is an example of the kind of ambitious reinvestment in our city that can happen when we all work towards a com-
mon purpose and shared goal.” The federal transportation funding for the Hill was awarded through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grants program. The RAISE Grant program awards funding on a competitive—very competitive —basis. The $11.3 million grant was one of 166 grants totaling $2.2 billion in funds. “There’s 435 congressional districts that were all putting in for these RAISE grants and only (about) 160 were awarded, only two in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at a news conference in the Hill District announcing the grant, Aug. 12. The money will fund construction to improve the public transportation infrastructure in the Hill, including the reconstruction of intersections, street corridors, city steps, and it will include the installa-
tion of traffic calming measures, sidewalks, and green infrastructure, according to a release from Allegheny County. “It has long been a goal of the city to reconnect and invest in the Hill District, and this project is another major piece of the puzzle in terms of upgrading the Hill District’s infrastructure,” the release read. A drive through the Hill District, and one can see the overall progress being made when it comes to improvements. Nestled between the Black Beauty Lounge and the Hill District Federal Credit Union is the construction of the New Granada Square Apartments, a five-story, 40-apartment development. Last summer, at the apartments’ groundbreaking ceremony, The Hill Community Development Corporation said that the New Granada Square Apartments was the largest commercial developSEE HILL DISTRICT A5
PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY APPLAUDED FELLOW ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN ATTAINING THE BIG GRANT FOR THE HILL DISTRICT. MARIMBA MILLIONES, RIGHT, HILL CDC PRESIDENT/ CEO, CALLED THE GRANT “TRANSFORMATIONAL” FOR THE HILL DISTRICT.
For Black women, it’s important to ‘Heal. Evolve. Restore.’ Bettering mental health the focus of hula hoop event by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Losing one child is hard enough. Losing a second child is even harder. That’s what happened to Dominique Brown. The East Hills resident fought back tears and instead, stood strong as she told her story, as more than 150 Black women held on to her every word. The event at Point State Park, July 31, was entitled, “H.E.R.,” for “Heal. Evolve. Restore.” With every passing year, it’s becoming more normal, more accepted to speak openly about mental health in the Black community. “H.E.R.” was started a few years ago by Dreamz Hair Salon and Barber Shop (Homestead) owner Tenel Dorsey, who knows all too well the pain that some Black women are experiencing; the pain
masked by a trip to the hair salon to get “made up.” “At a hair salon, we make you feel good for that moment, but then we (Black women) still have the internal issues,” Dorsey told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “It’s almost been like a secret society, because nobody wants to say, ‘I’m so broken...’ I feel the responsibility to serve a different purpose.” Delayed an hour or so due to the usual Downtown shower near the rivers, the “H.E.R.” Hula Hoop event went on as planned. There was music, a lot of exercise with the hula hoops, and speakers on everything from financial literacy to mental health. The event was meant to bring Black women together as one, with the intent on “healing” from internal issues or problems, “evolving” into a better person because of that healing, and “restor-
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ing” oneself into the strong Black woman they were meant to be. Without giving too much information out, Dorsey said one of the main issues her fellow Black women confide in her about is their body. “People are going and buying bodies,” Dorsey said, “but it’s really the soul that needs the surgery.” Dorsey added: “Let’s talk about the real problem.” Noranne Yarbough, of West Mifflin, was one of the attendees. She said the COVID-19 pandemic brought death, job loss, isolation, and as a result, trauma. “There was a lot of therapy and healing needed,” she said. “Oftentimes women are the backbone of their family, they take on a lot and they’re pouring into everyone else, they often don’t get a place where they, themselves, can get poured into.” Thus, with this event, Yarbough told the Courier, it continues “this movement of women building each other up. Black women, in general, coming toSEE HULA HOOP A6
DOMINIQUE BROWN SHARED HER MOVING STORY TO HUNDREDS OF BLACK WOMEN DURING THE JULY 31 EVENT AT POINT STATE PARK. (PHOTO BY ROB TAYLOR JR.)