America’s best weekly Schenley’s Class of 1972 50-year reunion! Page A6
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 113 No. 34 Two Sections
AUGUST 24-30, 2022
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
THE ‘GIANT’ DECISION
East Liberty Giant Eagle closes, angering many; but company says they’re committed to the community by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Sharon Johnson, affectionately known as “Mickey,” got a tip from her sister-in-law’s stepfather. He worked at a Giant Eagle, and told Mickey and her best friend to apply for a job at the Giant Eagle on Shakespeare Street in East Liberty. Mickey and her friend obliged. And they got the job. That was 44 years ago. The friend is no longer a Giant Eagle employee, but Mickey still is. That’s why it was such an emotional day for Mickey, as 6 p.m. approached on Saturday, July 23, 2022, about a month ago. The famous all-capital letters “GIANT EAGLE” were already gone from the front of the store. Most of the shelves were already empty. The lottery section was already closed. But people like Pittsburgh Public Schools board member Sylvia Wilson trickled into the Shakespeare Street Giant Eagle one last time to say her hellos and temporary goodbyes to Mickey and other
employees who had been there for decades. “It’s sad, I’m going to miss it,” Mickey told the New Pittsburgh Courier exclusively. “It was family-oriented, a community store.” As most African Americans who reside on Pittsburgh’s East End already know, the Giant Eagle company decided to close its Shakespeare Street location in East Liberty and build a new Giant Eagle in
COURIER EXCLUSIVE the same Shady Hill Plaza, as the owner of the property, Echo Realty, is redeveloping the property into apartments and other retail. There won’t be a Giant Eagle at that location for the next two years. In an exclusive interview with the Courier, Giant Eagle spokesperson Daniel Donovan acknowledged the many concerns some residents in the area expressed with closing the store. Those concerns were SEE GIANT EAGLE A4
SHARON JOHNSON, better known as Mickey, right, worked at the Shakespeare Street Giant Eagle in East Liberty for nearly 45 years until the store closed on July 23. Also pictured is Larry, the Shakespeare Street store leader. A new store will be built there by 2024. (Photo by Rob Taylor Jr.)
August Wilson House opens to much fanfare
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
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This was years in the making. And it’s now complete. The grand opening, the ribbon-cutting for August Wilson House as a state-of-the-“arts” center, just like Pittsburgh’s beloved playwright desired. A-list celebrities, such as actors Denzel Washington and Russell Hornsby, came to Pittsburgh on Aug. 13 for the big cel-
ebration. The celebration lasted all afternoon and into the night on Bedford Avenue, a place that will forever be cherished as August Wilson’s childhood home. New Pittsburgh Courier reporter Marcia Liggett has the story about the celebration, beginning on Page A7. (Photo by J.L. Martello)