Shaylah Brown stories

The scent of bell peppers and tomatoes tickles your nose from the steps of the East Busway and Homewood Avenue Station. The aroma of pizza wafts down the block, ushering any passerby to the doorstep of North Homewood Pizza on the corner of North Homewood Avenue and Susquehanna Street. It’s...

The latest adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson’s work, “The Piano Lesson,” will hit theaters on Nov. 8. Wilson’s niece and executive director of The Historic Hill Institute, Dr. Kimberly Ellis, gave the keynote speech on Sept. 27 at the 109th meeting of the Association for the Study of...

Melvyn Smith and Willie Thrower grew up together in New Kensington and used to attend Steelers games together. Now, as one of the founders of the Willie Thrower Heart Walk, Smith is honoring the football legend’s life and legacy. “We wanted to enhance awareness of heart health and acknowledge the...

In the fast-changing landscape of education, where school choice is increasingly valued by families across the political spectrum, a new model is growing in popularity: the microschool. Typically, microschools serve a small group of students, ranging from five to around 20 per school. These schools emphasize personalized learning experiences and...

The former Johnston Elementary School in Wilkinsburg is getting new life as a performance arts and community hub. The Community Forge venue is set to break ground in early 2025, with the opening planned for 2026. “People expressed interest in more evening events, nights out and food options, so we’ll...

What does it mean to be a best friend? To have someone built-in to traverse life with, someone who just gets you. A person with whom you can be vulnerable, and that vulnerability leads to growth and trust. Artists London Williams and Izsys Archer explore the intricacies and timeline of...

The beauty and culture of Nigeria will be showcased in Pittsburgh this weekend in a collaborative effort between three friends who want to share their heritage and creativity. The Naija Experience, a photographic journey of Nigerian culture, will include a mix of photography, performance, music, food and cultural installations on...

Quaadir Bey has seen the landscape shift, even if slightly, when it comes to how Black men view politics. Casting a vote in favor of a Democratic candidate isn’t a guarantee, he said. “It’s Black men looking for other options that exist within the Republican Party,” said Bey, 27, civic...

Artist Morgan Overton has been involved in political organizing since former President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign. On Saturday, with the event “Artists for Harris-Walz,” Overton will combine two of her passions — art and politics. The organizing event, taking place in East Liberty, promises an evening full of the arts....

All eyes are on youth and first-time voters this election season. Action Housing, along with Voter Empowerment Education & Enrichment Movement (VEEEM), is making sure young people exercise their right to vote. “We all know Pennsylvania is a battleground state. Both candidates being in the region multiple times tells us...

When Tyler Coulverson was growing up, he only knew a CD as a small, round disc that loaded into a player and music echoed out. That’s the experience of many. “I spent many years thinking a CD was just an old-school disc, but in reality, a CD is a certificate...

Larry Milton’s best friend was the late artist Javon Thompson. The pair met in ninth grade and were inseparable until Thompson was shot and killed in the winter of 1994 at just 18 years old. Thompson was killed in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood during Christmas break of his freshman year at...

When most people think about Black history in Western Pennsylvania, they think about the Hill District. But as longtime residents said, don’t forget about Sewickley. Sewickley has a lot of Black history in its own right, from the prevalence of Black businessmen and the many Tuskegee Airmen who lived in...

The sweltering heat soared above 90 degrees in late August, but world-renowned artist Thaddeus Mosley moved with a cool and humble aura as he debuted four monumental bronze sculptures in a solo exhibition with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on Thursday. Mosley, 98, was calm and debonair in a linen sport...

Since 2019, A Soulful Taste of the Burgh has enticed attendees with the comforting taste of soul food. This year, Downtown festival will expand its footprint further down the Boulevard of the Allies, running from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. The event features around 100 food and commercial vendors from...

Venus Williams is the narrator behind the Carnegie Museum of Art’s “Widening the Lens” podcast, a six-part series that explores the relationship between people, photography and the environment. That relationship is contextualized, discussed and analyzed by scholars, artists from diverse backgrounds and Williams herself. Some of the artists also appear...

Earlier this summer at Baxter Park in Homewood, students from the Junior Green Corps were busy caring for the local trees and plants, armed with fertilizer, water and mulch. They were also on the lookout for signs of distress, such as drooping leaves or changes in bark color, which could...

Kahlil Darden, founder of Young Black Motivated Kings and Queens, along with camp students and soon-to-be afterschool students, was excited that the rain held off Friday for a day of fun during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the organization’s De’Avry A. Thomas Community Center in Penn Hills. The organization is set...

Camp Fete-Fete offers summer camp activities exclusively for adults — typical childhood activities and events that folks may not have had access to, but they can experience now. It’s never too late. The camp’s most recent activity included an evening of double Dutch at Highland Park taught by the founders...

At this year’s Barrel & Flow festival, more than 3,000 people flooded The Stacks at 3 Crossings in the Strip District, tasting beer, trying new restaurants and learning about the contributions of Black people to the beer and spirits industry. There were more than 150 vendors, including Black brewers, Black...

A few days before the Barrel & Flow festival, the event “Welcome to Pittsburgh: A Celebration of Black Culture,” presented by Crafted for Action and Velum Fermentation on the South Side, generated excitement. Day Bracey, founder of Barrel & Flow, describes the festival as both a community and a movement....

Shanon Williams was joking with her husband and business partner Chris about how “speed dating” to connect with therapists and wellness practitioners would be interesting. The founders of The Wellness Collective made the hypothetical a reality with Mental Wellness Speed Dating. In a time when mental health is at the...

The Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium is expanding its advocacy efforts within the disabled community, while also delving into the history of people of color with disabilities, according to project director Cindy Leonard. The ongoing “Intersection of Race and Disability” project highlights the stories of 12 pioneers of...

CHICAGO — When Donald Trump attended the opening day of the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in downtown Chicago on Wednesday afternoon, the former president and Republican party nominee’s appearance was met with opposition from NABJ members. Trump was interviewed by ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News correspondent...