Shaylah Brown stories, Page 5

Renee Hess remembers her first Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game — she was in Orange County, Calif., had wonderful seats, and there was a hockey fight, a novelty she said rarely occurs now. She was enamored by the sport. Today, she is the founder and executive director of California-based Black Girl...

Jasmine Green sat in the kitchen one afternoon in 2003, getting her hair done by her grandmother. Her curly coils were being parted in sections with a slender comb to reveal her scalp. Vaseline was placed on open areas between the parts. After the Vaseline, a thick, pungent white cream...

Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest son, Dexter Scott King, died from prostate cancer one week after MLK Day and only eight days before what would have been his 63rd birthday. His death has again emphasized the importance for Black men to be screened for prostate cancer. For reasons that are...

Amid winter’s gray skies and unpredictable temperatures, Black communities are reclaiming their narrative through gardening and growing food, a powerful act of resilience that fuels empowerment. Despite sometimes freezing temperatures, they sow seeds of change, heralding a season of growth and autonomy. Raynise Kelly and TaRay Kelly are owners of...

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Hill District branch kicked off Black History Month on Tuesday with “30 Books in 30 Minutes.” Librarians went through a list of books by Black authors on their top must-read list, running the gamut from graphic novels to science fiction, with a little romance in...

In celebration of Black History Month, the city of Pittsburgh honored the contributions of pioneering Black people who built the foundation for modern-day emergency services. Black History Month kicked off Thursday at the City-County Building with a tribute to the Freedom House Ambulance Service. The event introduced an exhibit that...

A study by Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission in 2019 deemed the city as one of the worst places for a Black woman. It found that the city’s Black women make only 54 cents to every dollar that its white men do and that Black women are five times more likely...

According to a 2019 report from the City of Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission, “13 of every 1,000 Black babies die before they turn 1 year old, compared with fewer than two per 1,000 white babies.” On Sunday, the third community Bey-B shower in Pittsburgh aimed to close that gap. The...

It can be quite difficult to make a lifestyle change, but at least 70 people did just that with Get Healthy Pittsburgh when they embarked on a seven-day challenge of plant-based eating. It was a challenge created by Humane Action Pittsburgh. They had their celebration and reveal night this week...

It is tough to be what you don’t see, so cohort by cohort, The Advanced Leadership Institute is dismantling the idea of Black people being an anomaly in leadership and executive roles. On Friday, the leadership program welcomed 21 new members in its sixth Executive Leadership Academy Cohort, during their...

The 26th annual Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit that was set to take place this weekend has been postponed due to the weather and covid concerns. A new date has not yet been announced. The Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit was founded in 1998 by volunteers of the Black & White Reunion...

Come this spring, there will be one more out-of-town location to grab a Primanti’s sandwich as Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar is set to open in Baltimore. Most of its restaurants are in Western Pennsylvania and there are locations in West Virginia, Ohio and the eastern side of Pennsylvania. The...

Abdullah Salem, owner of Salem’s (Sah-Lims) Market, is preparing to open a location in the Hill District in February. It will be his third. He says failure is not an option in this location — they owe that to the community. He is working day and night to make sure...

The Allegheny County Bar Association Homer S. Brown division held its 25th annual MLK prayer breakfast on Monday. Jerry Dickinson, vice dean at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, was recognized with the Drum Major for Justice Award at Bethel A.M.E. Church in the Hill District. Many say Dickinson...

A group whose goal is to bring together people of different backgrounds held a dinner Friday night in East Liberty that it called the MLK Shabbat Dinner. The focus for the night at the East End Cooperative Ministry was creating solidarity. The dinner was hosted and organized by Repair the...

The excitement was palpable at the Ellis School, an all-girls private school in Shadyside, as students led the 20th annual Cultural Jam. The Student Diversity League and Culture Jam Committee planned and organized the conference, which brought out 122 students from The Ellis School’s Upper School. They were joined by...

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, knowing just the right gift to give may be tricky. But, there are still three days until Christmas. For anyone who still feels like summer was last week — this one is for you. There is still time to get something unique and with...

Millennials are revamping white elephant holiday parties. The tradition stems back to Southeast Asia when the white elephant — considered a sacred animal — was given by a high-ranking person as a gift to someone who displeased them. The gift was given almost as a punishment because the recipient would...

Kwanzaa came a little early at Nafasi on Centre in the Hill District on Saturday. “We are giving people an opportunity to learn about Kwanzaa and implement the practices of Kwanzaa,” said Tyi-Sanna Jones, educational consultant and program coordinator of the celebration. Kwanzaa, a Pan-African celebration, begins Dec. 26 and...

Jean Bryant was an icon. A pioneer in journalism, an activist and an author, Bryant was known for her grandeur, grace, indelible laugh and infectious smile. She drew widespread acclaim for her work as a journalist in Pittsburgh, but Bryant felt her greatest accomplishment was the work that she did...

Walking into the Swiftmas pop-up shop, guests were greeted by a pink Christmas tree, sweatshirts that read “1989” and bedazzled lightning bolt earrings. A pink neon sign read, “Babe you look so cool.” It was held at the SouthSide Works by Women Who Rock in honor of the pop star’s...

Galivant through the forest, activate your desire for wonder, get in touch with nature and your transcendental side, run your hands through the leaves of the garden — this is exactly what the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy wants visitors to do when the sensory classroom at Frick Environmental Center in Squirrel...

Rankin police Chief Jeremi Gregory was the embodiment of a man walking in his purpose, with a magnanimous presence and a genuine soul, according to those who knew him best. He was a cop’s cop, according to those who knew him well. “He wouldn’t ask his cops to do anything...