Young Black Motivated Kings and Queens opens community center with backpack giveaway

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 to start its enrichment program Sept. 9, just in time for the school year.

On Friday there was a celebration of the end of the summer camp and the beginning of something new for the students, adults, and the community at the opening of the community center. The celebration was complete with a bounce house, games, music, food trucks, back-to-school supplies, a backpack giveaway and a building tour.

“I know that after today, this marks the day of being able to give young people in our region something that De’Avry never got to experience,” Darden said. De’Avry Thomas — who just 18 months old — was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in downtown Pittsburgh last year.

The building has been renovated to include 3D printers, STEAM programming, a computer lab, study areas, reading rooms, and an art studio .

For Darden, it’s about creating the space, building community and empowering youths. Darden said it’s important because young people in the region need something, and there aren’t many resources in the Penn Hills area.

“We want to be that central location and be that resource,” Darden said.

Students wore bright yellow shirts with the phrase “I’m here to unlock my full potential.”

In this moment, it was important to ground the celebration in the meaning of the day. Jamillia Kamara Covington, senior program officer for education at The Pittsburgh Foundation presented statistics by the After School Alliance. She mentioned that for every one student in an out-of-school-time program, there are four students who are waitlisted.

“Based on the out-migration of poverty, higher housing prices in the city and folks moving to places like Penn Hills where social service infrastructure is not there specifically for the children, having this out-of-school-time program in the entire building is so important to me,” Covington said.

Cyanne Clinton, 14, will be in the eighth grade this school year at Linton Middle School. Clinton has attended YBMKQ since they opened in 2018.

“It’s been a long journey, but it’s been a lot to where we get to meet a lot of new people. … Even during the summer camp, there were a lot more people, and that’s a good thing for us to have more Black young people getting to enjoy here.”

Beyond what the students are learning, they enjoy the opportunity to connect with each other and form friendships. Some of the best aspects of the program are learning from their counselors, who they consider role models, Clinton said.

Deyvion O’Neal, 15, attends Penn Hills High School. “This program is really fun to be a part of a community where everyone is familiar. When you walk in, everyone knows you,” he said. O’Neal said he really enjoys giving back and helping others.

Andrea Everett grew up in the Lincoln Park section of Penn Hills. The former Penn Hills Lincoln Park School — which is headquarters for YBMKQ — was her grade school growing up.

“I have great memories here at Lincoln Park School,” she said.

The former school being renovated and positioned to continue to empower the youth means a lot to her.

“It’s heartfelt,” Everett said. Her parents had a softball team that played in the back of the school. She recalls learning how to create baskets through weaving techniques and pottery.

Now, Everett looks on to her great nieces, Alaya Simons, 4, Ari Winters, 5, and Giada Younger, 3, who are part of the Learning to Learn program.

Dollar Bank has invested in a room dedicated to financial literacy with a curriculum for pre-K to high school. The program is generational, as they are also including the parents in the education.

“This is just as important to them as it is to us,” said Jason Jones, vice president of community development at Dollar Bank.

“Supplementing what they are doing in school and combining it with financial education,” he said, “because if you don’t know the rules to the game, you can’t win.”

Michelle McMurray, vice president of program and community engagement at The Pittsburgh Foundation, which has invested in YBMKQ, spoke about Black joy and Black dreaming. McMurray said Black children can unlock their full potential when they have a space where they feel safe and where their dreams and joy matter.

“Our communities are more than just our pain,” she said. “Our communities are places where families deserve to be invested in, where they deserve to thrive and they should feel that every day.”