Funding fo this program was made possible by the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.

With additional support from the Allegheny Regional Asset District, the Pittsburgh Foundation.

And the members of WQED.

Thank you.

I live here in downtown Pittsburgh just a couple blocks from here.

Market square.

Yes, I have seen things improve especially Market Square area.

I've seen more African-Americans move downtown, especially in my building.

So things are improving.

I definitely think the city has changed for the better.

When I left in the late 90s, it seemed like a lot of people were moving away and I didn't hear too many good things about Pittsburgh from the outside Pittsburgh, a bustling combination of traditio and innovation, new businesses, new housing, and for many, a sense of purpose.

But as Pittsburgh strives to meet the challenges of a progressive urban center.

We wondered, how do we take care of the old while embracing the new?

What does the future hold fo young black Pittsburghers, and how do we develop a workforce that's diverse and inclusive?

Jobs training, afterschool programs, and then also have something to do for the gentleman who went to jail and then like, come back out, like have some training for them so they don't repeat what they did and go back to jail.

This is the place to be for the city of Pittsburgh.

So we are on the cutting edge.

We've already been name one of the most livable cities, and we continue to retain that title.

And that is great.

I feel like here it's just like there's just a middle class.

You don't see thos who are doing very, very well.

It's just either with the poverty line.

So I don't think you see diversity in term of the African-American class.

I think people can get really discouraged.

I do feel like Pittsburgh is a livable city.

I do think that we have room for improvement over the years with leaders that we have at the table.

We can definitely come together to make it a stronger Pittsburgh that everyone can live, thrive and be successful.

Stay with us as we discuss the state of Black Pittsburgh.

a Community Forum.

Hello everyone.

I'm Chris Moore.

We're coming to you live from the Fred Rogers Studio here at WQED.

And you can also stream us live at our website wqed.org/stateofblackpittsburgh.

Tonight we'll discuss topics that impact our region and its African-American community with some of the area's most respected voices.

Joining us to field your social media question is our co-host, Lisa Washington.

Hi, Lisa.

Hello, Chris.

Good evening.

It's a pleasure to be back with you again this evening.

I am looking forward to some exciting conversation from social media tonight.

And of course, we invite you to share your Twitter and Facebook questions.

You can tweet your questions to @WQED and use the #SBPGH Chris, I know it's going to be a fun and informative evening.

And we are here to talk abou the state of black Pittsburgh, I think we're both looking forward to that.

The State of Black Pittsburgh is a community forum based on reports established by a local and national urban leagues, to assess the progress and pitfalls facing the African-American community.

Here to tell us more is the president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, Esther Bush.

Welcome, Esther.

How are you?

Thank you.

I am doing well.

These reports, these meetings nationally and locally.

But let's focus on Pittsburgh.

How are we doing?

What is the state?

Well the state of black Pittsburgh.

I think the audience will really get a nice feel from the panel that will come after us.

And because we're going to focus on those things that are of critical importance to us, such as community, workforce diversity and leadership.

Where is our leadership today?

Where is it going to be tomorrow, and what are we doing to help foster all three of those?

And Chris, let me also quickly say, from the National Urban League perspective, I'm always very interested to see where the, where the, information comes out that shows where blacks and whites are.

And this year, 72.2% of African-Americans are equal to the 100% index of white America.

So we still have a ways to go.

We have a ways to go.

How we will attack the problems.

Is it a matter of jobs training at what?

Chris It's a matter of all of those things.

And you know that equit is a primary issue and concern.

I was very pleased to see this year.

We went up a few points in education because more black folk are going to community colleges.

Our kids, are doing better.

We are working very hard to try to equalize education, but we still have so many needs, so many issues.

But here in Pittsburgh, some new things are happening.

The Allegheny Conference is looking at us somewhat differently.

And I say looking at us basically because we must find more people to join the workforce.

The workforc has to be more diverse in order to fill these jobs that are coming online.

We see that the mayor's office is reaching out more, so I'm not saying it's enough.

I'm saying we're inching in the right direction.

But that's why the leadership piece is also critical, because we must advocate to make these things happen.

The Urban League is always focused on our self-improvement job and the things that it took us to get there.

Income levels.

What's the business community doing in that respect?

Well, from the business community aspect, that's why I've mentioned, the Allegheny Conference.

We know that people are retiring.

We know that a lot of jobs that exist today are not going to exist five and ten years from now.

So we have to retrain.

We have to bring in individuals that are interested in moving from where they are to where they need to be.

It sounds like technology is going to be a big technology is huge.

And we say Pittsburgh is a most Liverpool city.

And of course, black folks always say for whom?

But those things that are attractive to everybody else has the most.

livable city must be shared, or Pittsburg itself is not going to make it.

We have less than a minute with you, and we'll talk to you again at the end of this program, but I have to talk to you about our youth.

We've got a dynamic panel coming up later.

But how do we keep our young people from going to Chocolate City in DC and Atlanta?

We have to embrace our young people.

Employers have to hire right out of college and not wait until you get 3 to 5 years experience, to hire them.

So you have to hire them, train them, keep them here.

You have to reach out to the black kids.

Let them know that you're interested in keeping them as well, and that there is equal opportunity and equity here for them.

You have to underscor the fact that they are leaders and assist them in becoming the leaders that we all need.

Well, there you have th prescription, Esther.

Thank you.

We'll talk to you again at the end of the show, okay.

Thank you.

All right.

From the South Hills to the east in African-American neighborhood play a vital role in our region.

And with that in mind, we wondered how can we make our communities stronger?

You don't have to look far to see the changes taking place in many area neighborhoods.

As Pittsburgh continues its transformation.

We wondered, how do we strengthen our communities?

I think more African-Americans need to be involved in city planning.

I think the city is doing a good job in attracting new residents.

But one thing the city can never do is forget about who was there first.

If you take East Liberty, a place that's near and dear to my heart, I see a lot of new apartment buildings.

I see a lot of new people coming in.

But one thing the city can never do is forget about its majority African-American residents that were there before.

Another thing that the city can definitely do is when it comes to jobs that pay 50, 60, 70,000 of your jobs, you know make sure that the city is doing everything in its power to recruit African-Americans to those well-paying positions.

And then that enables African-Americans to be able to move into certain neighborhoods like a Squirrel Hill, lik an East Side, like a Shadyside.

Recently, police chiefs Schubert and Mayor Peduto announced how they have increased the enhancement of the police force being out in the respective community.

I share that piece because that enhances what the objective is to ensure that the neighborhoods are safer.

That's our part from the city of Pittsburgh.

But then we also have to call upon the community neighborhoods, and that is to join forces together and partner and work together to ensure the safety for al in that respective neighborhood.

My neighborhood is Swissvale, PA And yes, like I think a number of neighborhoods up and down the valley, which is Swissvale as a part of the Valley of Pittsburgh, has changed due to, you know, the mills and some things that have transpired over the last 15, 20 years.

I do believe that it is in resurgence.

There are some things that are happening, particularly in Swissvale, that I think are going to bring about, a better a new improve Swissvale.

I'm launching my business here specifically because I feel there's a need for my type of business here in Homewood.

I feel like a lot of communities success is centere around their business district.

And I feel like Homewood has a lot of potential.

There's already quite a fe great existing businesses here.

And I just kind of wanted to add in and see if I can, you know, help out.

I feel like those businesses are important.

And I think that's one thing that would you lose focus on when we're trying to build communities not only in Pittsburgh but across the nation?

People just want to move things out and start fresh.

You know, there are things that are established there, African-America owned businesses that have been in this neighborhood for for years.

And I feel like they should continue to to to continue to thrive.

I think, and watching this happen, as a Bloomfield resident, I've been there for four years, and I'm surrounded by neighborhoods in the East End that are developing quite quickly.

And watching other residents get left behind, while I have other friends that are benefiting from the advantages that have come about their generations of families that have been here, that would appreciate the opportunity to be active in their community, to give wealth back to their community, and to see their children grow up in those areas.

And the way to do that is to hear what they want to bring them to the table with community forums, with community programs, and making sure that we're keeping them active in the conversatio about where Pittsburgh is going.

So it is really hard to make sure that residents get that voice out, but that is the most important because those are the people that are going to take the most advantage of all the new thing that are coming into the city, and we want to make sure that they can do that on an equitable level.

By working together wit neighbors and community leaders.

Our next guest are striving to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

Jerome Jackson is the executive director of Operation Better Block.

Sonya Tilghman is executive director of the Hazelwood Initiative incorporated, and Carl Redwood is the vice chair of the Hill District Consensus Group.

Let me start with you.

You've been working in the Hill for a long time, and we've seen a lot of redevelopment.

In 1990, I produced a program called Wylie Avenue Days that talked about the lower hill, the development and the changes there.

Are we participating in full participants and all that development that is ongoing in that area?

We're not participating as full participants, and it's important to put it in perspective.

The policy of the city of Pittsburgh has been a forced displacement of black people from the city to the suburbs, as strong from 1980 to 2010, we lost 20,000 black people.

That same time period, we gained 35,000 black people in the suburbs around Pittsburgh.

People are being pushed out.

That push out continues.

That trend continues.

Between 2010 and 2015.

We lost 5000 black people from the city of Pittsburgh.

That's even a greater rate than it was prior to that.

We're losing three black people every day from the city of Pittsburgh, and that's due to a policy that's and a practice that's been implemented by the city, the banks, the developers, and the gentrifiers.

It's purposeful use because they can make money by coming back to the areas they used, the red line.

Now they're coming back and taking those areas and flipping them to make profit for a small number of folks.

It's very important that we organize to try to fight back against that.

The other thing in 20 from 2010 to 2015, the black population went from 26% to 25%.

In Pittsburgh.

That same time period, the white population went from 66% to 68%.

We're being pushe out of Pittsburgh consistently, and the white the population of Pittsburgh has become a wider and wider Sonya.

What about Hazelwood?

I know the mills used to be there when I first moved here in 1980s, a source of jobs.

People could wal right down the hill to the mill.

It's not there anymore.

They're talking about a lot of development.

Will black folks be able to participate?

And once they develop it, whatever it will be, will they be able to be able to afford to live in the neighborhood?

So Hazelwood is one of the few neighborhoods in Pittsburgh that is fairly diverse.

And in Pittsburgh we're talking black and white.

When we speak of diversity, primarily, we're about 50% white and 50% black.

So our goal is to ensure that it stays that way.

You can leave if you want to, but you're not going to be forced out.

So how do we do that?

That's the question.

Nobody really knows the answer when you have forces fighting the opposite way, right?

So, the mill that was in Hazelwood is 178 acres.

The steel mills gone, but 178 acres of developable land.

So what to do, right.

One of the things that we kno is planned and it could change is 3000 units of housing.

There's only about 5000 people in Hazelwood right now, down from about 17,000 in 1960.

So we definitely lost a whole bunch of population.

But if 3000 new units come that's going to double on site.

The population in the neighborhood possibly.

And so we have to make sure that that doesn't change the character of Hazelwood was brown too.

We see it happening in East Liberty and the Hill and other neighborhoods.

And you're going to need other services there, like grocery stores, and to service new people who move in.

Right.

Exactly.

So we like to say, I like to say we want the gentry, you know, the amenities that come with gentrification, but not the gentry.

We don't want people who don't look like the people who are there.

Gentrification without the gentry.

We want the amenities we want the grocery store.

We want the gym.

We want the, you know, the Starbucks.

Maybe not the Starbucks, but what isn't that?

Isn't that developed on the ability to pay?

Can you move into that neighborhood if the rent is $1,00 a month for a studio apartment?

So what we're trying to do now is ensure that people who want to stay and can become homeowners can do that.

So what my organization doe and drums organization does is a rehab for resale program.

So if you want to own a home, right now is the time to buy because it is affordable.

So if you get your credit together, you get your down payment together.

And we can help you with that Then we'll have a house for you.

So we're trying to make sure that people kno what options are available now, and not wait until ten years from now, when it's harder to do something about when the has dropped off is a little bit too late.

The Jerome Operation Better Block has been working in Homewood, building housing rehabilitating hous and doing a lot of work there.

But what about jobs and those kinds of things?

They're going to be important, too.

So I think, when you think about jobs and as it relates to development in Homewood, one of the things that we are trying to do is is taking a lot of the old, old homes and rehabbing them and, and taking some of the young guys off the street and getting them some of them, some skills to to learn how to, you know, be carpenters, plumbers, electricians, the unions cooperating with that.

So we just actually did a project with Mesereau, and we got, two young guys into the unions, through through our project.

Oh, great.

One went into the laborer union and then another one into the carpenters Union as well.

So we also work with, Community Apartment Association, who has a, a training program for construction dry walling.

So, you know we think it's really important that, these young guys learn how to gain a skill.

So as you talked about earlier, you know, there's going to be all these job that are going to be opening up here in our region.

Once they open, they, you know, start the construction of the cracker plant over in Beaver County, right?

Butler County, whoever.

And so there's going to be all these union jobs that are going to be needed here in the city.

So we're really trying to help our young, young guys be ready and prepared for for those jobs as they come.

It sounds lik all of you are forward thinking.

Let's check with Lisa Washington and see what question have come in via social media.

Lisa.

Chris, we have a question from Facebook and Tiana asks, what do you see as being an effective approach for strengthening and healing youth communities here in Pittsburgh?

Anyone want to tackle that?

Sonya?

I think there's no silver bullet to to any of these questions.

So it has to start with better schools.

We have we actually have no, no public school in our neighborhood.

We have a public charter school.

But the two city schools closed years ago.

And then we have people who are graduating from those schools who don't read or write at a proficient level.

So when we have jo training programs that may have, entry requirements, high school diploma or, reading or math requirements, they can't pass them and they have high they have high school diplomas, but they can't pass them.

So we have to start there.

But then our remedial work needs to be done.

And so people don't want to do that or they can't do it because they have to work.

So how do you take the time to raise your family work and then also take these classes on the side.

So there's some real barriers and that's a real catch 22.

Absolutely.

I think the other things are, those basic security things, food security in my neighborhood we have a small grocery store, but it can't it's not a full service grocery store.

It can't meet everyone's needs.

So something like food security is a pretty important thing.

If you're not sure where your next meal is going to come from, you're not really worried about other things like, you know, getting a job.

You're trying to figure out how to feed yourself, how to feed your family.

Very basic things like that ar where we have to start a call.

It sounds like the obstacles are huge.

Can they.

Can we leapfrog them?

Yeah.

I think that there's a lot of work to do.

It has to star with organizing our community.

We got to get all the people in the community together.

And we got to realize that this promise of all these jobs in the future, it may not be real.

There'll be some jobs an there'll be people to get them.

You need to prepare for them.

But just like today, the vast majority of our people will not get jobs, and a lot of young people are actually bein prepared in school for a future without jobs, without jobs that pay good wages.

That could be purposeful, too.

I mean, because they're kept out of the workforce, if you prepare all these people for jobs and then the jobs aren't there.

Now, there's going to be a lot that people have to pay.

We have College City.

We have we have college students coming out that can't find jobs now.

I mean, it's not like it's not like there's all these jobs down the pipeline.

I know that we're getting conferences different, but but I beg to differ.

It's not happenin for the majority of our people or the majority of white people.

Jerome you talked about getting people prepare and getting them in the union.

And in that pre produce piece we saw, someone said, we got to do some for these brothers who are coming out of prison because if they don't check the box and they check up on them later, they're gone.

If they do check the box they say next with their application.

Yeah.

So we actually work with guys that that have have records.

And so, you know, when we work, when we partner with someone, we want them to understand that, that they're not getting the person that they may, you know, be thinking about or someone without a record or something like that.

So that somebody they.

Exactly, exactly.

So, what we do is we work with them with some soft skills, and then we kind of get them on a job and we want then we ask Michelle to guarantee us that these young me would get a job in the unions.

And they and they did that.

And so I think, you know, as Carl said, that's that's two guys out of you know, maybe thousands of, of folks who are in the union So we're kind of inching at it.

But I think, you know, when we when we start to look at what's needed and guys like in Homewood, we have a lot of guy who are coming home from prison.

There's no work for them, you know.

And so training and getting them jobs in across it, having jobs there.

So not just having training, but once they're done with training, getting them into a job is one of our big things.

We've only got about 30s, but how do we overcome all those obstacles that all three of you have outlined?

Organizing I think that's got to be the key is, is getting people to understand that they can have a voice, get them together.

The voices are louder.

All right.

Thank you all for being here.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

Recent studies and respected publications are citing the positive impact of a diverse and inclusive workforce, and many Pittsburghers agree.

These days, businesses, governments and sports teams are all talking about diversifying their workforce.

But how do we make sure diversity and inclusion are more than just buzzwords?

And just recently, Mayor Peduto last month made an executive order, and that is for the city to adopt the Rooney Rule.

And so that is one of our initiatives that we are doing to enhance for diversit within our employee workforce.

So we encourage every employer within the city of Pittsburgh to replicate what we are doing as incentives for Pittsburgh, that is, embrace diversity and inclusion.

Realize the benefits that it has that people of different walks of life and backgrounds and education can bring so much to the table that someone else may not have thought of, and that can only impact their organization.

I think it's really important to have a culturally diverse workforce, for many reasons.

Primarily, I think that the diversity of thought in the workplace is highly important.

You know, just to have a variety of different ways of thinking within a workplace, is really important because it adds value.

And being able to embrace that diversity within the workplace is only beneficial.

I think the first way to ge our young African-American males and females enrolled in Stem programing in tech careers, by exposing them to these folks, that of color that are in these fields, getting them in front of these students and letting them know that what they see is what they can be.

I think the discrimination within workforce development needs to be the first thing that's addressed.

It does limit folks of color or young people of color, but any age group from really having opportunities to get their foot in the door and to start being able to learn those new skill sets and develo to kind of a different workforce that we're getting int that is a little more digitized and a lot more social, and that's something that I think other generations haven't quite seen that Pittsburgh has been progressive about, but not necessarily in keepin all communities, up and abreast on what's going on in terms of where the workforce is going.

My name is Cierra Young, and I'm the coordinator of equity and inclusion at the Yellow School, and I am an afterschool program coordinator at Arsenal.

When I first graduated, I knew that I wanted to be involved with the women and girls and do work with diversity, but I didn't know that there was such a thing as a diversity practitioner or a diversity coordinator.

And of course, in Pittsburg they would have something like that here.

Someone saw the need and decided to create this sector where they fel the need that we need to discuss diversity in schools with our kids.

I think that what could be done is for people to just kind of kind of take a, you know, a step back and look in the mirror and look around.

And if you pure corporation, look around and see what your diversit is really actually looking like, instead of being forced to take measures in order to try to, you know, create diversity, see if it can happen organically, you know, go out and see if you can kind of spread the workforce a little bit.

And it's not even just i the workplace.

It's everywhere.

It's it's in the school, the school districts, you know, you go to private schools, you know, you see 2 or 3 black kids, you know, and and that's it.

Out of hundreds and hundreds, you know.

So I feel like, you know, all the way around, everyone just having these, just having the needs to take a step back and just, you know, really look at what is going on in the environment and try your best to try to diversify.

Here to talk about what it takes to foster a diverse workforc are president and CEO of NEED, Doctor Marcia Sturdivant and Doctor James E Taylor.

He is the chief diversity and inclusion officer for UPMC.

NEED Doctor Sturdivant has been training young people for a long time and giving them the financial wherewithal to get the education that they need.

In our last segment, we were talking about having people ready to be in the workforce.

Is that being accomplished, in your opinion?

No.

Why not?

Well, we have over 30,000 alum, from the people who have gone throug our programs, graduated college.

And unfortunately, we see most of those students leaving the Pittsburgh area.

And when we asked those students, why did you leave?

It's because they believe that there aren't any opportunities here that they've tried to find employment here, can't find employment, or if they have had employment here that they haven't been treated well and they feel that there's more opportunity for them elsewhere, particularly the South, that there's more opportunity for upward advancement or just merely for getting a job.

And that's a shame, becaus we have some of the most bright, articulate, motivated learned, students, and our city is only going to be as good as what the least are doing.

Well, if all of us are doing poorly, it's because African American students aren't doing poorly.

If we can raise the bar for them, raise their level of success, then the whole city will do better.

Doctor Taylor UPMC is the largest employer in this area these days.

There must be some positions open for some of these young, talented black people that Doctor Sturdivant has mentioned.

There are plenty of positions that are open it up.

GMC I want to answer tha question against this backdrop, I woke up this morning and two of the leading news stories, national news storie that I heard, one being there, was a noose found at the National Museum for African-American History and Culture.

Secondly, LeBron James, perhaps debatably one of the greatest athlete of this generation, had a racist slur that was written on the gate of his community.

And for those who question the need for us to have a conversation about black agenda in this community, all you need to do is look at local news to understand why there's a pressing need for us to have this discussio by way of opportunity and jobs.

You're absolutely right there.

UPMC, over the course of a year, we have about half a million job applicants.

And of those applicants, we hire about 18,000 individuals.

So you can do the math.

There's but a percentage.

I'm delighted to say that ove the past year, between a fourth and a fifth, roughly 20 to 25% of the individuals that have come in to work throughout various UPM facilities have been people of color, largely have been black or African-American.

Doctor Taylor, I wonder people in corporate America are peopl willing to have that discussion that you mentioned earlier, given those two instances that you pointed out?

And LeBron's answer to i I thought was excellent, where he said, no matter what kind of success you have, this can still happen to you.

People are willing to have the conversation, but it requires some individuals, like those of us who are here to initiat and get the conversation going.

Yeah but do they look at you and say, oh, here he comes again talking about that diversity?

They do.

And that's okay, because that's my role and I'm glad to initiate that conversation.

So, I think a part of, a part of the role that I have is, reminding folks throughout this community and certainly within the organization, that because you hired diversity does not mean that you lessen quality.

And I think the way that we've that's something that's something you've got to tell them that we're not looking for a freebie or, put in somebody who's unqualified, because that's always been part of the debate when it came to, any kind of affirmative action.

Right.

Absolutely.

I think that, beyond access, which is important, we all want an opportunity in the black community.

But in addition to access, we recognize, at UPMC that through having a diverse workforce, we become better problem solvers.

We become better decision makers.

We become better at providing high quality care to our diverse patient population.

Doctor Sturdivant, do you, go that far to follow the students who are going to college and receiving the training and education that they need?

By the time they graduate?

What they're going to do?

You're right.

The South is growing in population in the northeast is waning.

How do you talk to them about staying here down on the farm when there's so much promise in Atlanta?

They think, well, honestly, we don't necessarily ask them to stay or promote them to stay, because the reality is people have to have a wage.

They have to live just like everyone else.

And back to your question about what do you find?

They want to stay.

They want to stay.

Pittsburgh is something there's something special about Pittsburgh Pittsburghers are born here.

We'll go away and then we come back.

But unfortunately, our young people are finding more opportunities elsewhere.

And one of the areas you asked about qualified applicants, that's redundant.

We don't say qualified white applicants.

We only say qualified black applicants.

And clearly employers have to be open to looking inside.

Why don't we have a diverse staff?

Because the answer is very simple hire people.

There are people out there of diverse backgrounds, very qualified, but there's something internal within your hiring practice.

What's the company supposed to do?

We put the ad out there.

No black people apply.

Well, we have a pool of 30,000.

Anyone wants a black kid in any field, we could certainly hire them.

All right, Lisa Washington, what do you have for us?

Well, to that end, Chris, we have another question from Facebook.

It reads in terms of fostering a diverse workforce, what are some of the way that leading industries could do or some of the things they could do to expose young people at the middle and high school level to their companies and career opportunities that exists within Doctor Taylor.

Sounds tailor made for you?

Sure.

No pun intended.

I think that in additio to looking at external talent, organizations need to take care of the diverse talent.

Also that they have inside of the organization so that they want to stay so that the retention won't be a problem.

Absolutely.

So in addition to, looking at and tracking demographics, there's something and there's there's a nuance around culture within organizations.

And so oftentimes we'll hear language like that person wasn't a good fit.

And it's imperativ for all of us to examine exactly what does that mean.

And what does that look lik in your respective organization to ensure it's not code talk around.

It's not a place where I can thriv or individuals who look like me.

Doug Sturdivan does need to work with placement as well as funding educational outcomes for students.

Yes, we'll work with employers.

We also work with college and universities trying to get student placed in particular positions.

And with the change in Pittsburgh, we know that Stem careers, is something that we hav to prepare our students more for so they do better equippe to qualify and to be employed.

Now, we know that when we look at, education within our school systems, even starting at elementary schools, black and brow children tend to go to schools that don't have robust science or math curriculums.

And that's something that w as a community has to work on.

Some of our, our high schools have only geometry is the highest mathematics that they have.

We'll look at that.

It's not going to qualify you to be accepted for certain majors.

Certainly not certain universities aren't going to accept you if you only have that level of mathematics to enter into a Stem career.

And I tell students all the time that we tend to follow passions for our majors, and that's great.

But you have to have a job to be an artist.

So but it's no longer the case.

Just a degree isn't something that's going to just get you employed.

You have to go to college for a degree.

That's going to get you a job.

It's a title.

In our last segment, Miss Tillman, mentioned the fact that they have no public.

They have a charter school, but no public schools there.

And people are graduating from schools, and they're not prepared.

We're talking about doing remedial work to get them prepared for scientific careers like UPMC might have.

Right.

I think, there's need to foster, a diverse pipeline into organizations like UPMC.

So we broadly know that the younger you are, the more divers you tend to be, the more likely you are to identify self-identify as being a person of color across this nation.

When we look at demographic data by age, we know that the average white person in this country tends to be 43 years old.

The average Asian person is 37 years old.

Average black person is 33 years old.

Average Hispanic or Latino person is 27 years old.

That's a 16 year age gap between youngest and oldest in the state of Pennsylvania.

That 16 years is actually expanded, to 18 years.

And so I think it's it's important and it's, fruitful for organizations to ensure they're doing the work to develop a diverse pipeline into their organization.

This is an important discussion.

We thank you both for being here and having it.

Many young people are leaving Pittsburgh for cities like Atlanta and Raleigh.

They're looking for better jobs or better social lives.

Here are some local perspective on how to retain our young black Pittsburghers.

That do.

Just emerges.

How can we nurtur our young black Pittsburghers?

Well, I do encourage them not to be afraid to pursue what their goals and objectives are, and that's for the individual and that they should not limit their thought, positions that they can hold, that they should not limit themselves into the community that they were raised in.

And thinking about as far as, as far as they can go, because they can go farther, but they need to be able to reach out and utilize the resources that are available.

I think that there is hope in the sense that, our young peopl today have more opportunities, especially with the advent of technology and then being able to speak or say what they want internationally versus just in a local basin to either the funders, philanthropies or the people here that they pretty much, I wouldn't say, is gatekeepers to keep them out, but not always, inviting them in.

I think equity and resources are important, especially for the young generation of African Americans because we need to prepare them for the opportunitie that are available in the city.

I do see that the city is growing.

As someone who has been here for seven years and seeing Bakery Square, as a matter of fact, behind Ella's Google Uber coming in, and it's difficult to prepare students for those jobs if there aren't resources in place like Stem education and honest conversations about the opportunitie available for them, mentorship to keep them on track for those opportunities, I would say if you're a young black person in Pittsburgh, one thing I've learned from coming back to Pittsburgh is that Pittsburgh has so many organizations.

It just seems like there are a lot of organizations for an African-American to get involved with here.

It's, not as African-American, as a Cleveland, as a Cincinnati, or as a Baltimore or even a Columbus.

But you will find real good people here.

You will find people who are passionate here.

You'll find people who kind of care about their surroundings and want to do better.

But I think what I see now, moving back into the city, there are changes.

I do see more people are coming in from different areas.

So I think Pittsburgh is changing, but it's maybe a slow, progressive change.

And if a small community of like, especially young African-Americans that are trying to push and bring about change as a young black Pittsburgh, I do believe that the city of Pittsburgh has a lot to offer in the way of, jobs.

One of the areas where I feel that the city of Pittsburgh lacks is in our social life, one of the areas that I would hope that we would develop is that social area.

But however, I do believe that there is a lot of opportunity for, young black Pittsburghers to learn, grow and b productive members of society.

There have been several members of the community who I know who have left the city.

However, I'd encourage them to stay, to be a part of the solution and try to figure out ways that we can, not only attrac African-Americans to our city, but retain them through measures of social engagement, particularly in Pittsburgh.

I think Pittsburgh has unique challenges as young people.

We are still trying to learn from older generations and als trying to teach the youth here that there are examples of young people of colo that care about their community.

So it does take perseverance to really pus through some of those barriers, especially discrimination in the workforce, whether it be gender discrimination or race discrimination.

Just find equity in our communities.

That is definitely hard to do from the past that Pittsburgh has had.

So it does take a lo of perseverance and motivation, but it is worth it when you get to a place that you can say, I love my job, I love what I'm doing, and I love the city that I'm living in and the opportunities it's given me.

What does it mea to be a young black Pittsburgh and how are they building and on-ramp to success?

Let's ask Kelauni cook.

She is a software engineer and founder of Black Tech Pittsburgh.

Brian Burley is the author of Young Blac Pittsburgh and Marisa Williams.

She is the regional executive director of the YMCA.

Where are you in the middle of this cookie?

Here?

Mr.

Burley, so I'm going to ask you, how is it especially looking at your book, which I had a chance to read, how is it that young, talented black people like the three of you, stay in this city?

Because some of them, like, one of the physicians in your book, they go to California, where there's more jobs and more opportunities.

We've been havin this discussion all night long.

How do we keep them down on the farm?

Well, I think that, first and foremost, it's a matter of really building the community.

Right?

I think that for so often we've been able to even as a young black community in and of itself, we kind of separate ourselves into different boxes and different places where we g and different things that we do.

And, talk about that in the book or your father did you didn' you don't go to the North side.

If you're from Homewood and vice versa.

Very true, very true.

And I think that even in doing that, you know, it it limits our ability to be able to network and to build that type of community that we're looking to try to build.

One of the purpose of young black Pittsburgh, more so than anything else, was allowing these folks to see and kind of removing the one of the great things about Pittsburgh is we have that one degree of separation, right.

You know, if I don't know you, I know someone who directly knows very, very well as well.

But what we wanted to do for our community was kind of tear down some of those walls and find something that we coul all kind of love and build on.

And I know that's something that we all get behind as these kids, but your book is a book that not only young black should look at, but I think every white person should look at to see the diverse young people, good looking professional people like the three of you who are living in this community.

Miss Williams, again, what does it take to keep folks like you here?

Well, I'm a transplant, and so I didn't grow up in Pittsburgh, but I chose to stay to make Pittsburgh home.

And so I have to credit a lot of that to the Urban League because, being involved i the city allowed me to develop relationships and connections with different organizations and corporations and get linked in to the city as a non-Native.

And I was able to meet my husband through the Urban League and have my son.

And so this this city is th mans making the part excellence And so this city has really embraced both of us as we're both transplants from other, other places, and allowed us to showcase our talents and grow.

So, Kelauni, what about you young professional engineers such as yourself?

You found work here in Pittsburgh.

You start your own company.

Is that what it takes You need to be an entrepreneur.

I don't think that's necessarily what it takes.

I definitely think, though that you have to be intentional in including yourself in the scene here.

Intentional?

Yes, intentional.

So I came here, I didn't know a soul and I became a software engineer.

I knew immediately that I had to be purposeful in pushing myself into the tech scene, because as a black female I knew immediately it would be like a little more difficult.

Right?

So get over here, a little girl.

You don't know anything about technology.

Well, you know, when you treat it like that.

Actually, I thought that's what was going to happen.

But honestly, the reason I decided a month after being here that I was going to stay in Pittsburgh is because I was super embraced by the tech community here.

I'm not going to lie, I was super, super impressed.

Great news.

That is is great news.

It really is great news.

But it took me a while to see how the roadblocks for some other people could.

Why they're there, an why do you think they are there?

I think that, like Brian kind of said, just, there's a lot of segregation here in Pittsburgh.

And even though I've only been here a year, I can start to see, like, why certain people, especially the African-American community, self segregation.

I think some of it is self segregation.

But I think that the history of Pittsburgh has allowed it and continu to allow it to be so segregated.

I hear some amens.

Miss Williams in the audience Kelauni is preaching.

You agree with it?

You're not a you're here.

I agree, in the nonprofit sector now, but was in the four profit secto and Pittsburgh's very parochial.

If you're not from a specific neighborhood or you don't know people in that neighborhood, it's harder for you to make connections.

And I think the article that came out probably at this point about a month ago, abou where's the black middle class?

That that speaks to exactly what we're talking about.

The black middle class doesn't exist in one space.

We're spread out everywhere because there was no particular one place where we could be to grow.

And so I think right now, young professionals, who look like the three of us on this, this couch are wondering, so how do we build our own community, within the city of Pittsburgh?

Because, you know, there's a lot of great things in the city.

But we also have to think about education because two out of the three of us are parents.

And so we're looking at things a little bit differently.

So young people, young professionals and youth are very different.

But sometimes we get put in that same bucket.

We're looking at Pittsburgh in a different way now.

Well, if you're a parent, obviously you're looking at childcare issues, employment and that kind of thing.

But sometimes nightlight night life is the important thing that'll keep a young person here Kelauni?

Yeah, it sounds like it was woefully lacking you.

Yes.

Like, where are you from originally?

I'm from Chicago originally.

Oh, boy.

I went to Howard in DC, so I'm used to being out.

Right.

The sacrifice I will say I love Pittsburgh I think is such a special place.

However, as a transplan who has only been here a year, the nightlife and the community around black people, I'm just like, where is it?

Like, where is everybody?

And I literally ask that for the first like seven months when I was here, like, where are the people that I like me?

It was very hard to find.

And I think that part of that as well is, you know, like we sai initially in the beginning, it's people kind of put themselves in different boxes, right?

And they're comfortable going certain places and they're not comfortable going other places.

And then that kind of segregates them further.

Does that.

And, you know, as a result, you have different places and pockets of people here and then you end up somewhere else than somewhere else over there.

And, you don't necessarily have the type of impact.

And I think that's why people think it's okay, not necessarily okay, but why it's okay to write an article where you say, where is this young black middle class in the city of Pittsburgh?

And I know a lot of young people must be watching this and, and texting or getting on social media.

Is that right?

And lately, that is correct.

Chris.

However, we have a question now from the audience.

Does the panel hav any suggestions for networking and meetin other young black professionals here in Pittsburgh?

Kelauni what did you do?

You found it was woefully lacking that kind of communication.

Honestly, it was me just making a couple really good friends who introduced me to their crowd.

And then over time, I just became introduced to the black community.

But again, I must reiterate, it was not easy.

Brian, you're nodding your head.

I'm a native of Pittsburgh.

I grew up here, so unfortunately I'm one of those people where, I've had the same.

For instance I was two and three years old.

Unfortunately, and luckily we've moved in a similar direction because of that.

But at the same time, I think that it's one of those things with even people being from Pittsburgh, it's not just importan to keep that same circle, right?

We're about building the entire Pittsburgh, and we're not necessarily just about building for our little box of people.

Let me stop yo here in the forward to the book.

You had your father write this, and it was something that I found, very understanding of Pittsburghers.

He talked about growing up in Homewood, maybe going to Garfield to visit some cousins in the Hill to visit.

And, but that was just in and out.

But he mostly all his friend like you since the age of two, he grew up there.

And there's that self segregation we draw, a four block square area around us put concertina wire around it.

Native Pittsburgh doesn't never move out.

So how did two outsiders get inside there?

And how do you get outside of that?

Marisa, would you start?

So I'm going to have to give a shameless plug to the Urban League young professionals.

That organization.

Definitely.

We have some in the audience.

That organization has transformed the way that transplant look at the city of Pittsburgh.

One of the first, like an outsider, I don't I don't, and I think that both the, the corporate community, the nonprofit community, because we are young professionals, they've embraced, who we are because our talent speaks for itself All right.

We're short on time.

But Brian how do you jump out of that box and meet the outsiders and welcome them in?

I think it's about being intentional.

Going back to Killarney Point, I think that we have to make sure that these folks just because you are from here and you can't kind of put the guard up and, where the Steelers are thing like the Steelers are great to everybody.

Right.

And we're allowed to have new fans and we're allowed to have new people that love this city just like we do.

And we can't necessarily protect it to a point where we don't allow peopl to become Pittsburghers as well.

So we have to be more well, Kelauni 30s to you, you get the last word.

We have to remember that, though, whether you're new, like me or you've been here forever, like Brian, we're all still in this African-American experience here in Pittsburgh.

And so if we can come together and, be be purposeful about being black in Pittsburgh, then I think we'll do fine to be young, gifted and black.

The three of you all are definitely there.

Thank you very much.

Finally, we asked people to take a step back and tell us what they thought about the state of black Pittsburgh.

Here's what they had to say.

As the city prepares itself for new goals and new challenges, we asked, what is the state of black Pittsburgh?

The state of black Pittsburgh is Crow.

The state of black Pittsburgh is opportunity.

The state of black, Pittsburg is perseverance and endurance to it is for a wide open future.

And if we are able to come to the table and create a solid plan, I think that we'll be able to reap the benefits of the city.

The state of black Pittsburgh is trying to grow, trying to become one with everybody else.

And, you know, just trying to live here and get along with everybody if possible.

State of black Pittsburgh right now is in a state of flux.

I would say it's changing.

It's growing.

Some things are getting better Some things are getting worse.

But I feel like there's a lot I think that there's a lot of hope.

There' hope for a better future here.

I would say, you know, keep your skin thick and tough and, be flexible, learn how to compromis a little, but not to the point where you're, you're you're compromising your beliefs.

The state of black Pittsburgh can definitely be better.

I think, from a political standpoint, everybody needs to come together at the table and really understand that if you want Pittsburgh be regarded as one of the top cities in America, if that's what Pittsburgh really want, then they must make sure that they take care of all their neighborhoods.

I think the state of black Pittsburgh is growing.

And it's changing.

I think it's going there's a shift that's really occurring and I think, there's a different level of consciousness at work, like being taken to.

Pittsburgh today is on the rise.

I think the state of black Pittsburgh has been a hidden, diamond.

And that there this is the time this is the momentum for it to rise and show others in metropolitan City that even though our ethnicity racial makeup for black Pittsburgh is lower than other cities, we still are on the rise in the state of black.

Pittsburgh is improving.

We do have some young African-Americans who are trying to stay here, trying to make a differenc in the communities they live in, and I've seen that with several of the students I used to pray with, who have moved to Pittsburg from, you know, out of the city.

So it's improving, it's slow, but I have hope.

I do feel like Pittsburgh is a livable city.

I do think that we have room for improvement.

I do think that, over the years with leaders that we have at the table we can definitely come together to make it a stronger Pittsburgh.

I feel like the state of black Pittsburgh is one that's emerging.

I think that it is a powerhouse.

I think it is one that can be competitive with other cities around the country.

I do believe that there's an opportunity here for, people of color to succee privately to the state of black.

Pittsburgh, to me, is a kind of an amalgamation of really creative young mind and fresh thoughts and new ideas that are coming together to really create a Pittsburgh that is for everyone, that includes everyone, no matter gender, no matter color, no matter class.

Joining me again is Esther Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.

Esther, how do you feel about what we've learned?

I feel very good.

I feel very hopeful.

I thought all three panels were outstanding.

And really, what it brings home to me is we have to focus on leadership and economic self-reliance.

And we do that by.

I just came back from the national, conference and one of the presenters said the new leadership is partnership.

And that's honestly what I was hearing is we have to partner around what it is we want to do in our communities as advocates.

Don't just talk about it, be about it.

We have to reach out.

Talk to our employer about diversifying the workforce.

We have to speak up, be bold.

Be leaders.

I mean, let's go back to people don't like to go back.

But I love the 60s.

I honestly loved the 60s.

And I'm asking everybody economic self-reliance and leadership.

Be bold.

Step up.

And I'm asking our elected officials and I'm asking everybody that in private industry, remember, to the Allegheny Conference and others don't just take a chance.

Embrace us.

We live in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Look up the word Commonwealth.

We're all in this together.

You know, I was buoye most by the young people here.

The pane with Sonay and Carl and Jerome.

I started to get a little concerned, but when I see these young black professionals, coming on, what's.

Come on, I smiled from it is a person who gets to comment on some of the dumb stuff our young people do all the time.

I looked in thumb through that book, that Mr.

Burley produced and hear these Young people talking, and I'm excited.

I'm fired up.

It's hope.

And all of u have to get fired up and we can get fired up.

We have to embrace our potential.

I was excited growing up.

What can I be?

What can I become?

What can I do?

What can I hope you do?

And that's what we have to do for each other is what can I help you do?

Well, not only do I think you fine spokesman and preacher for the word, but you're a great matchmaker, too.

Thank you.

That's the best.

Lisa Washington has followed social media and gotte input from the studio audience.

Lisa what are your final impressions?

Chris, I would say my observations are that I think the state of Pittsburgh is promising.

I knew that this discussion would be informative, but I didn't realize it would be as inspiring as it was.

I think the takeaways from me are to not box myself and as a transplant, and also to encourage those Pittsburghers who have been here, born and bred to be more welcoming so that it's everybody's Pittsburgh.

And may I point out, Lisa came here from San Francisco.

So their loss, our gain.

Thank you Lisa.

Sure.

All right.

Thanks to all of our panelists, interviewees and all of yo that were watching in our studio or wherever in our studio or at home or on the web.

If you missed any part of this program you can watch it on our website at WQED.org/stateofblackpittsburgh.

I'm Chris Moore.

Have a great evening.

Thank you.

Thank you.