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Leaders say African-American history to get boost with center
Kellie B. Gormly can be reached via e-mail or at 412-320-7824.
"It gives people an opportunity to go more in-depth and to create many more dimensions to some of the stories that get introduced during Black History Month, and (the center) will continually lift up the image of our region," said Oliver Byrd, the center's board chairman. "Our concern is that our lives and experience extend beyond February. You get doses of it, but you don't get the full picture of it year-round."
Many members of the Pittsburgh African-American community look to the center — to be built on the corner of Liberty Avenue and William Penn Place — as the icon for honoring their role in the community and educating the public. Leaders also hope it will help boost Pittsburgh's competitiveness and attractiveness among major metropolitan areas, particularly for young African-American professionals.
"There's a feeling of invisibility; you don't see places that are reflective of (African-Americans) and their culture," Byrd said. "Pittsburgh's amenities need to be reflective of a more multicultural society, and the center in particular would become an icon … this is a place where people of color have been successful, and new people can be successful."
Meanwhile, the annual Black History Month celebration in February continues across the nation and in the Pittsburgh area, where 27 percent of the city's residents and 12 percent of Allegheny County's residents are African-American. The tradition began as Negro History Week in 1926 as a result of the efforts of Carter G. Woodson, a historian born to parents who were former slaves.
"In a real way, what he did was pioneer the ideal that African-Americans were an integral part of the nation … part of its history and its culture," said Joe Trotter, head of the history department at Carnegie Mellon University.
Organizations ranging from city halls to schools to businesses participate in the observance with educational activities, displays, speeches and art productions.
In the Mt. Lebanon School District, for instance, middle and high school students participate in a contest where they answer trivia questions about black history based on clues provided over the loudspeaker. They have the opportunity to win books and other prizes related to black history.
Stephen Bullick, social studies supervisor of secondary education at Mt. Lebanon, said that while Black History Month offers a chance to heighten awareness, black history is taught year-round as a part of American history.
"We want to make sure the content is integrated throughout the curriculum and not just a one-shot deal," he said.
Recognition of African-Americans and their history is important not only for them, but for the surrounding white community that sometimes has little knowledge or understanding of African-American history and contributions to society, said Pittsburgh City Councilman Sala Udin.
"Race is still one of the most volatile issues in the country," he said. "Black history discussions help all American cultures and all nationality groups to wrestle with this issue of diversity and inclusion.
"It's especially important for white Americans," he added. "They may not understand it, and they hold the reins of power because they can either open or shut the doors of inclusion."
Udin said the new center would enhance the local celebration of Black History Month.
"I think that constructing a society that is democratic in both principle and practice is a grand American experiment that has been going on since the birth of the nation," he said. "Of all the issues that the country faces, the success of the full integration of different cultures into the American culture is the most difficult and the most sensitive of all issues."
Regardless of the African-American Cultural Center's future, however, Byrd and Udin said the designation of Black History Month in the mainstream culture remains an important practice.
"That is so uplifting to that group of people who feel very often that they are invisible or taken for granted," Byrd said.
| If you go |
Cultural events planned in the next few days in observance of Black History Month include:
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