Brunch encourages young Black women in Pittsburgh navigating adversity

Sharnay Hearn Davis, author and founder of The Sisters Lifting as We Climb Network, has curated a brunch event on Saturday to help women and girls navigate adversity.

Called the “Power Broker Brunch,” it’s the organization’s fourth iteration of the experience during Women’s History Month. Hearn Davis hopes that the 30-plus women attending the event at LeMont Restaurant in Mount Washington “feel seen, heard and celebrated.”

When Hearn Davis, 35, began the organization, she thought, “Oh my goodness, there is really so much that needs to happen in our city.” A Pittsburgh native, Hearn Davis considers herself from the Hill District though she has lived throughout the city.

This year’s brunch centers on navigating adverse circumstances, with a focus on what young Black women in Pittsburgh might need at this time. (Registration for the brunch has ended.)

Young women from all Pittsburgh Public Schools were invited to attend. The organizers consider it important to center the conversations around mental health without coming across as overbearing and blatant; they seek an organic and genuine conversation.

“How can we center this as an opportunity to talk about obstacles Black women have overcome and really provide the young ladies with the space to ask us questions?” Hearn Davis said.

At the brunch, each young woman will be paired with an “older sister.” They’ll receive a topic of conversation and given the opportunity to ask questions.

“I was a teen mother. I want to frame this as your opportunity to have a conversation with someone who was a teen mother,” Hearn Davis said. “This is the opportunity to ask somebody you know a question around how they overcame what may seem like adversity.”

Kia Ingram, 46, founder and executive director of Cultivating Resilient Youth, helped develop the theme for this year’s brunch.

“Sometimes when you’re young, you can’t see the path to overcome certain things,” she said. “Actually knowing that people have experienced the same things and are thriving, we hope that is empowering to know that whatever they are facing is not forever.”

Organizers want to start helping women at a young age establish the value of networking and cultivating relationships. Motivational speaker Octavia Yearwood, author of “How the Hell Did You Do That?”, will hold an interactive workshop.

“I hope that they feel empowered and motivated to do the self-work and really thrive in the world,” Yearwood said. “I think that is one of the most important things for young Black women in particular.”

To get conversations going, Yearwood sets a timer for about 1 minute and asks a question: “Who are you?”

Participants can only describe themselves using one-word adjectives rather than titles or roles. The theme is important for Yearwood, she said, because “adversity births legends.” Yearwood, a native of Queens, N.Y., who was in foster care as a child, relates to that experience.

“Sharnay is tapped into what women need. She has no problem bringing forth that, so that they have what they need. She provides the tools,” Yearwood said.

Hearn Davis has been investing in Black women for the past eight years. Her organization became a nonprofit March 2023. Their first large grant funded the launch of Black Women Check In, their first mental health cohort working with young Black women.

Soraya Bey, 34, author of the “Survival” series, is a facilitator for the ongoing Black Women Check In. She is excited for the brunch, she presented how adverse childhood experiences impact lives.

“There is an intentionality of including younger women and I am so excited to share my experiences and show them how we redirected if those experiences weren’t so pleasant and prepare for womanhood,” Bey said.

Black Women Check In and the Sisters Lifting as We Climb Network came as a response to the 2019 report from the City of Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission, naming Pittsburgh as the worst place for a Black woman to live and exist. Since then, the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation partnered with Carlow University to create a Wellness Index for Black Women, announced this month. The Wellness Index will measure the quality of life for Pittsburgh’s Black women and will be overseen by the city.

Sisters Lifting as We Climb is expected to have input on the Wellness Index, with Hearn Davis serving on committees to bring forth sustainable solutions. She is on the Center for Shared Prosperity Committee and Mayor Ed Gainey’s Black Women Equity Committee.

Summing up the goals of the Power Broker Brunch, Yearwood said, “There is a need to understand that no matter the trauma, no matter what has happened, if we do some extra self-work and dive deep into self-love, there is so much we can materialize.”