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Diversity Business Resource Center – North Side Every 2nd Thursday To make an appointment call 412-322-3272 Community Empowerment Association – Homewood Every 3rd Tuesday To make an appointment call 412-371-3689 x19 Hill District Community Development Corporation – Hill District Every 3rd Thursday To make an appointment 412-765-1820 Chatham University Women’s Business Center – East Liberty 2nd Tuesday of Every Other Month: Jan/Mar/May/Jul/Sep/Nov To make an appointment visit www.chatham.edu/wbc/counseling Penn State Greater Allegheny – McKeesport 2nd Tuesday of Every Other Month: Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct/Dec To make an appointment call 412-414-9808 Allegheny County Minority, Women & Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Department 542 Forbes Ave • 204 County O ce Building • Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-350-4309 • mwdbe@alleghenycounty.us • www.facebook.com/mwdbe Talk Magazine P.O. Box 143 Monroeville, PA 15146-0143 Phone: 412.823.4007 Email: info@talkmagazineonline.com The LJS Group P.O. Box 143 Monroeville, PA 15146 Change Service Requested PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PITTSBURGH, PA PERMIT NO. 5673 SUMMER 2019 INSIDE TALK DIVERSITY IN PENNSYLVANIA SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTING TMAG 2019 PA AFRICAN- AMERICAN NETWORK CONVENTION PHILADELPHIA BLACK- OWNED BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR Senator Vincent J. HughesCROWNE PLAZA HOTEL – DOWNTOWN HARRISBURG 23 SOUTH SECOND STREET, HARRISBURG, PA 17101 SAVE THE DATE 12th AFRICAN AMERICAN/ LATINO ROUNDTABLE SEPTEM BER 25 , 201 9 TALKMINORITY ACTION GROUP WESTERN PA REPORTS Aliquippa Bridgeville Erie Farrell Johnstown Mckees Rocks Mon-Valley Penn Hills Pittsburgh Rochester Uniontown Washington Wilkinsburg CENTRAL PA REPORTS Bethlehem Carlisle Harrisburg Lancaster Reading Steelton York EASTERN PA REPORTS Allentown Chester Coatesville Collingdale Darby Lansdowne Norristown Philadelphia Scranton Yeadon Reports From PA Voters H Your Social Organizations H Five People Personally H Your Family H Your Church TMAG 2018 Pennsylvania Voter Project Check Donation Level: n $5 n $10 n $20 n $50 n $100 n $300 n $500 n Other $______________ n Yes, I will Contribute to Talk Minority Action Group Voter Project Print Name ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ City ______________________________________________________ State ___________ Zip Code _____________________ Email _____________________________________________ Telephone ____________________________________________ Make checks payable to The Pittsburgh Contingency/TMAG Mail checks to PO Box 143 ~ Monroeville, PA 15146-0143 Our Partner The Pittsburgh Contingency (TPC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit and your Contribution is tax deductible. P 412.823.4007 ~ E contact@talkminorityactiongroup.org ~ www.talkminorityactiongroup.org GUIDE TO CITIZENSHIP & RESPONSIBILITY EDUCATING & EMPOWERING DISCUSSION GUIDE REGISTER EDUCATE ACTION VOTE • You • Your Family • You • Your Family • Attend Community Meetings • Join Local Political Organizations • Attend TMAG Meeting • Get on TMAG Email List @ contact.tmag@ljspublishing.com • Know the Candidates for Every Election • Vote in Every Election • Get Others to the Polls on Election Day • Register Your Family, Friends & Neighbors • Take People to Vote • Stay Aware of Issues that Affect You • Stay in Contact with Your Elected Official and Make Them Accountable TMAGVOTER PROJECT Voter Registration Set Up Registration Booths At Community Block/Street Fairs, Churches, Schools Targeting Pennsylvania’s African American/Latino Populations INCLUDING Classes and events using our Citizens’ guide booklet reviewing Voters’ rights, responsibilities of elected officials H Your Family H Your Church Voter Turnout Walk to the polls Ride to the polls Door to door on election Voter Education Please help with your DONATION TMAG28 | TALK MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2019 COLLEGE NEWS continued from page 4-5 LINCOLN Th e Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation sponsors the annual Lindback Award for Distinguished Teachers, which recognizes 60 outstanding teachers from Philadelphia public schools who demonstrate excellence in promot- ing learning at the highest levels. Th e award recipients are chosen based on their activities that improve the intellectual and character development of students. Th e recipients receive $3,500 and recognition at a spring reception. Th e Foundation also make grants in support of certain colleges and universities primarily in the Greater Delaware Valley area, including Lincoln University. UPMC/PITT About 8,000 liver transplants are performed each year, according to the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network, and living-donor liver transplant comprises less than 5% of that total. Additionally, about 25% of people on the waiting list die each year waiting for a transplant, and those who eventually receive a transplant often have a lengthy period on the waiting list, resulting in poorer health at the time of trans- plant. “Th e consequences for patients on the waiting list can mean the diff erence between life and death because the longer they are waiting, the sicker they become,” said Abhinav Humar, M.D., chief of transplant services at UPMC, clinical director of the Th omas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute and lead author of the study. “Living-donor liver transplants, in tandem with deceased-donor liver transplants, represents an opportunity to significant- ly decrease the risk of wait-list mortality, and gives us the ability to transplant a person sooner.” PENN STATE It’s especially been a while since the program had to fire somebody on their own. Th eir previ- ous coach, Bill O’Brien who was hired back in 2012 exited Happy Valley on his own terms by accepting a head coaching job with the Houston Texans. Th at’s when Penn State’s current leader in charge, James Franklin joined the team ahead of the 2014 season. Over time, Franklin has proven to be one solid coach for the program. So far, Franklin has a winning record as the Nittany Lions head coach at 45-21. Like many major college coaches though, Franklin has his fair share of doubters. It wouldn’t be college football if certain packs of fans didn’t overreact from time to time, calling for the coach’s job. Th at’s just how the football fandom world works. While we don’t think Franklin’s time in Happy Valley is by any means numbered, is there any chance he could be head- ing into the 2019 season on the hot seat from the program? Email _____________________________________________ Telephone ____________________________________________ Make checks payable to The Pittsburgh Contingency/TMAG Mail checks to PO Box 143 ~ Monroeville, PA 15146-0143 Our Partner The Pittsburgh Contingency (TPC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit and your Contribution is tax deductible. P 412.823.4007 ~ E contact@talkminorityactiongroup.org ~ www.talkminorityactiongroup.org TMAGCaviar fees from Santucci’s and Bing Bing (those bills included both a delivery fee and a service fee, and I had to tip the driver). Th ere was the annual $50 fee I have to pay to the City of Philadelphia for having a security system on my own house; something called a “small cart fee” on Postmates (that’s on top of the service fee and $5.99 delivery fee); the $200-plus we paid in admin fees for leasing a car from a dealer- ship; and a $3.95 fee on my water bill, not because I was late with my payment, but because I used a cred- it card. I could go on, but for the sake of my health, I’ll stop. Grand total: somewhere in the thousands of dollars per year. When you have some time to kill, examine your bills and read all that fine print. You’ll see the fees, too, although they might be disguised with noms de plume like “surcharge,” “processing,” “handling” and “toll.” Economists — and CEOs, I would imagine — refer to them as “partitioned pricing,” a phrase that’s become the main character in many academic papers and studies. Which makes sense, because we’re officially living in a fee economy. While partitioned pricing has existed for centuries, it’s just recently grown “more pervasive and complex,” according to an article written by professors from NYU and Columbia and published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology in 2016. Th e 2008 recession is partially to blame for this: Th e economic downturn demanded that busi- nesses come up with creative ways to bring in more revenue without raising prices, which would have been unpalatable to newly cash- strapped Americans. But like the “temporary” tollbooths set up on the Garden State Parkway in the 1950s, fees are here to stay. In fact, partitioned pricing has emerged as a reliable revenue stream, or a complete business model, for more businesses and governments than ever before. And in a trickle-down, pass-the-buck kind of way, guess whom it hurts the most? Yup, you and me. continued from page 8 by Screwed Fees Getting combat bias in hiring. Kellee James, who worked for the first market- place to trade carbon credits and advised the Obama administration on environmental markets as a White House fellow, is behind Mer- caris, a futures market for organic and non-GMO commodities. Th is small but growing wave of black, female entrepreneurs is pry- ing open doors for a new sisterhood in tech. “Although I recognize that I am the first,” Collins says of becoming a unicorn, “the thing that I spend the most time thinking about is how to make sure I am not the last or the only one.” BLACK WOMEN AMONG LEAST LIKELY TO GET VENTURE CAPITAL Black women face significant roadblocks in Silicon Valley – insu- lar networks, negative stereotypes, overlapping discrimination based on gender and race. Nowhere are they more sharply underrepresented than on Sand Hill Road, the leafy stretch in Menlo Park, California, where venture capitalists cluster, miles from the headquarters of some of the world’s most powerful tech companies. Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO of education tech company Dream- Box Learning and the daughter of a Haitian immigrant, recalls being asked to fetch coff ee while waiting to pitch her company in 2012. “I turned around and said, ‘I don’t know where the coff ee is here, but when you find it, would you mind bringing me some? I take it black,’ “ she says. “I laugh about that now, but I said it at the time with a tense jaw.” TURNING THE TABLES ON INVESTORS Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is in the vanguard of those remaking Silicon Valley’s image of black women. Her tech startup, Promise, is down one flight of stairs in a historic 19th-century building in Oak- land. Th e airy, upscale offices with exposed brickwork and duct work are below street level. Ellis-Lamkins jokes it’s the “garden” level. Ellis-Lamkins moves through the day in a staccato rhythm, never dropping a beat as she takes meetings one after the other with the cool efficiency of an air-traffic controller. Promise, which graduated from Y Combinator, the hotshot incubator that birthed Airbnb and Dropbox, is working on “decarceration,” keep- ing people – mostly poor or of color – out of jail who don’t need to be there. She secured $12 million and the confidence of venture capital- ists, including First Round Capital and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. From the start, Ellis-Lamkins was picky about whose money she would take. “I felt like I was inter- viewing them: Who could help build the vision I wanted, who could give me the capital I wanted?” she says. One investor with FOMO (fear of missing out) pursued her relentlessly, then began the meeting by directing her to pitch him. “Pitch you?” she replied. “You asked to meet with me.” No one in this data-driven industry quantified the dearth of black, female entrepreneurs in tech until Kathryn Finney, an epidemi- ologist trained at Yale University, funded a research initiative, Project- Diane, named for 1960s civil rights leader Diane Nash. Her first report in 2016 found that just 12 startups led by black women had raised more than $1 million in funding. Two years later, nearly triple the number of black women founders – 34 – had crossed that threshold. Black Female Entrepreneurs Changing Silicon Valley ARE continued from page 8 AHN.org/Cancer From you have cancer to you had cancer. Roxann had an aggressive form of breast cancer. But Roxann had the AHN Cancer Institute. And with her team of oncology experts and an innovative treatment plan, Roxann’s cancer went from untreatable to beatable. Outsmarting cancer on all fronts is #LivingProof. If you have cancer, you have us. CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL – DOWNTOWN HARRISBURG 23 SOUTH SECOND STREET, HARRISBURG, PA 17101 SAVE THE DATE 12th AFRICAN AMERICAN/ LATINO ROUNDTABLE SEPTEM BER 25 , 201 9 TALKMINORITY ACTION GROUP WESTERN PA REPORTS Aliquippa Bridgeville Erie Farrell Johnstown Mckees Rocks Mon-Valley Penn Hills Pittsburgh Rochester Uniontown Washington Wilkinsburg CENTRAL PA REPORTS Bethlehem Carlisle Harrisburg Lancaster Reading Steelton York EASTERN PA REPORTS Allentown Chester Coatesville Collingdale Darby Lansdowne Norristown Philadelphia Scranton Yeadon Reports From PA VotersINSIDE TALK 04College News 06Talk Across PA 08Business News 10Latino News 12Health News 16 Diversity in Pennsylvania Small Business Contracting 18 Cosmos Technologies Talk Magazine Person of the Year pg 22 2 | TALK MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2018 Summer 2019 Philadelphia Black-Owned Business pg 20 Dr. Janis Brooks CADA Programs pg 26 THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH START A CAREER WITH APPLY TODAY! WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 27 “We take two male students with two adult staff members to various sporting events to form a closer bond between the male students and CADAprograms staff. The focus is on the two boys, and they discuss about doing the right things in life, share life experiences, and show them by example that males in society can be responsible, work hard, and live up to expectations.” Said Dr. Brooks Other parts of rehabbing the minds and souls of her students is a pro- gram called C.A.L.M. (Culture, Art, Language and Music.) “The intent is to help them to forget the various struggles in the com- munity that include verbal and physical lashing out at each other and to use multi- ple art forms to express and empower themselves.” Said Dr. Brooks. The L.A.M.P. (Life Awaits Me Program) is the reading component focusing on the commonali- ty of issues affecting children regardless of cultural group- ings, by reading age-appro- priate books. Running a multifaceted after school and summer camp program doesn’t come without its challenges. According to Dr. Brooks, CADAprograms was forced to relocate several times due to the owners of the property they were renting dying or just deciding to sell the place to someone else. Finally, as Dr. Brooks put it, “We stepped out on faith and purchased two double wide trailers. Others were saying that it could not be done and yet, it was, including install- ing a commercial kitchen to continue providing meals to the children and seniors.” The Watch Me Eat Program is the free nutrition program for all children and seniors who desire to eat a hot breakfast and lunch daily. “This feeding component of the program is open to any child in the community, and not only to those enrolled in the Summer Camp.” Said Dr. Brooks. Last but not least Dr. Brooks wants to expand the horizons of her children by letting them get a taste of what is beyond Pittsburgh both geographically and chronologically by showing them where they come from and where they can go. The “Living The Experience” experience is a living historical re-enactment of the Under- ground Railroad. “The live historical re-en- actment occurred at Bethel AME Church in Lancaster, PA. The students developed a greater understanding of what slaves experienced and why freedom was necessary. Select- ed students participated in the presentation and wore period style clothing. The students and staff ate a Southern-style family dinner at the church after the re-enactment.” Said Dr. Brooks The Expand The World Program gives the students the opportunity to visit and sight see in the following cities: Niagara Falls, Canada; Washington, DC; Harris- burg, PA; New York, NY. Truly this article cannot cover the exhaustive number of programs and experiences CADAprograms offers yet Dr. Brooks has one more announcement for the next step in her grand designs. “We own 3 acres of land in a beautiful location that looks like it has been kissed by God, so we are working on opening a community center.” & ffice of workforce planningbusiness & supplier diversity ceo intern fellows program for diverse groups Myneca Y. Ojo, Director • 717.831.7333 • mojo@paturnpike.com FOR JOB OPPORTUNITIES & INTERNSHIPS: www.paturnpike.com/employment FOR BUSINESS & CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES: www.paturnpike.com/purchasing/diversity Driving Diversity & Inclusion through Commitment & Opportunity community participation & cultural awareness Talk Mag_Fall 2014_4.25 x 5.5.indd 110/16/2014 2:55:16 PM26 | TALK MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2019 Dr. Brooks was told by some at the time that the word apartheid was extreme and even divisive, but she felt the word was justified by the atrocities she was witnessing in front of her own eyes. As Dr. Brooks, a serving committee member for the U.N. Gender Equality Board said in her own words, “There are those individuals that do not embrace the name of the organization. The reality for many of America’s minorities and poor falls short of the ideal presented as an inalienable right. The name states acts of violence of this nature were commonplace in South Africa but were not expected to be tolerated or witnessed in America, thus the name of the organization.” The genesis of CADAprograms was December of 1989 at 2:00 A.M. when her son was threatened by phone by white boys related to a local constable. “They phoned under the pretense that it was an emergency.” She said. “I could hear them hollering the “N” word in the phone. I took the phone from my son and they threatened to harm both of my children.” Brooks called the local police but was told they would not take the complaint because they knew the constable. After calling several more times she was told by the police to “Go to Crestas for her safety.” Brooks knew times called for drastic measures. “I did go to Crestas, to arm myself with a 45, a shot gun, a rifle, and my Dad’s 38 police revolver. I informed the police of my intentions and that I would contact the Office of Civil Rights. My complaint was taken seriously.” Said Dr. Brooks Other examples of civil rights violations Dr. Brooks witnessed were: Police officers surrounding a young man who was forced to lay prostrate on the ground, handcuffed, with a shotgun to his head while the officer’s foot was on the young man’s neck. A young female who protested their actions roughed up, forced to the ground and handcuffed, later requiring medical attention. According to Dr. Brooks, North Versailles, PA could have become another Ferguson, MO or a Baltimore, MD after the Freddy Gray incident. “The news media refused to cover the events listed in our history. In fact, I was told the events were too hot to cover, by an African American newscast- er.” Dr. Brooks said. But Dr. Brooks was too proud of her community, family lineage and her fam- ily’s roots in the community going back 100 years to let that happen. She felt if any community could change things for the better, Crestas Terrace with its rich history of having the first all-black volunteer fire company in the state, home of a Tuskegee Airman, the first black commissioner, and the first Black Police Office could. Dr. Brooks reached out and started the Police Assisting Summer Students (P.A.S.S.) program which gets police officers from the North Versailles Police Department to visit the summer program to talk to the students about safety issues ranging from internet safety to stranger danger. “We work together harmoniously and have an educational program for the after school and summer programs. We en- courage the DA’s Office to actively engage in dialogue and financial support with CADAprograms and the North Versailles Police Chief to address the social issues that are causing the deterioration of Crestas Terrace and the North Versailles Police Department can be a model for other departments.” She said. In the years that followed, her organization continued to focus on education, social justice issues, and family preservation. In 1995, CADAprograms started operating its After-School program in North Versailles. The Sum- mer Camp began in 2000. In 2017, the organization restructured and changed the name to: Children and Adults Developmental Agency Programs maintaining the acronym CADAprograms. Dr. Brooks emphatically preaches that when men aren’t in the household violence and chaos ensues. Her G.A.M.E. Program (Guys & Adult Mentoring Experience) looks to suture the wound that not having fathers at home has caused for the children in her program. Aperture of Hope Dr Janis C. Brooks CADA Programs by Austin Premier From Apartheid To The “Sankofa” is a metaphorical symbol used by the Akan people of Ghana, generally depicted as a bird with its head turned backward taking an egg from its back. It expresses the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present in order to make positive progress. Children and Adults Developmental Agency Programs or (CADAprograms) was founded in 1990 by Dr. Janis C. Brooks (Ph.D.) as Citizens Against Domestic Apartheid (CADAprograms) as a result of several incidents of extreme police brutality in the historic African American community of Crestas Terrace in North Versailles, Pennsylvania. According to Dr. Janice Brooks, the founder of CADAprograms, the events that were occurring in Crestas Terrace were like the events that were occurring in South Africa at the time, prompting the name of the organization. PUBLISHER’S NOTES After publishing Talk Magazine for 57 years, as a minority owned and statewide distributed publication, we have learned to survive. Neither the state or local governments have been forthcoming with minority-owned businesses regarding bid and no-bid contracts. Th e state of Pennsylvania gives less than 3% of its contracts to black-owned businesses and Philadelphia gives less than 3% to minorities with their last two mayors being African American. In this issue, we are featuring Cosmos Technologies, an African American owned company here in Pittsburgh by founder and owner Frederick Douglas in 1998. He is a successful minority owned business and we congratulate Frederick! Pennsylvania has several resources to help minority owned businesses. Whether they need help registering as a small diverse business, applying for funding, finding business mentors or tract with government agencies, our government and general population should know that helping minority business owners succeed, leads to an every- increasing role in our economic growth. Please take some time and research the following offices for help. PA Department of Community & Economic Development – 1.866.466.3972 – https://dced.pa.gov for several links including PA Minority Business Development Authority. PA Business One-Stop Shop – 1.833.722.6778 – https://business.pa.gov PA Small Business Development Center – https://pasbdc.org Pennsylvania Small Business Certification – https://www.dgs.pa.gov Minority Business Development Agency Business Center of PA – 215-895-4000 – www.theenterprisecenter.com Good Luck! Th e LJS Group / Talk Magazine / TMAG Luther J. Sewell, Jr. / Publisher Roxanne N. Sewell / President & Editor theLULAdesigns / Graphic Design & Layout Austin Premier / Contributing Writer Fiordaliza White / Contributing Writer Diane I. Daniels / Contributing Writer Ricco JL Martello / Photographer PO Box 143 Monroeville, PA 15146-0143 (P) 412.823.4007 info@talkmagazineonline.com www.talkmagazineonline.com CITY OF PITTSBURGH - E/O/E PGHJOBS.NET THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH START A CAREER WITH APPLY TODAY! WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 34 | TALK MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2019 COLLEGE NEWS PHILADELPHIA Community College of Philadelphia showed why it’s the premier community college in the country. Th e 2019 Black & Gold Gala was a booming success. One of the most prominent annual char- ity events featured several CCP students, alumni, and administrators in front of a crowd of several hundred people at Vie on Spring Garden St. in Philadelphia. “We’re here to celebrate the accomplishments of our honorees, some of our alumni, but we’re also here to recommit to the idea of supporting students who without community college, many of whom would have no other way forward,” CCP President Dr. Donald Guy Generals, said during the event. Rick Williams, 6abc Action News anchor, who served as the master of ceremonies of the event, praised Dr. Generals for being “the force behind the transformational forward thinking that has prompted CCP” to becoming what it is today. Th e Black & Gold Gala event recognizes outstanding individuals or organizations that demonstrate involvement in community growth in the areas of education, business, social services, health, and more. Th is year’s outstanding individuals were Malcolm Jen- kins, awarded with the Com- munity Hero Award; Hayward Bell, awarded with the Alumni Achievement Award; and Julie Coker Graham, awarded with the Corporate Leadership Award. CCP’s 50th Anniversa- ry PROMISE Scholarship provides local high school graduates the opportunity to pursue an associate degree at CCP with no tuition cost. Th is scholarship has been a force in helping Mayor Jim Kenney fulfill one of the primary points of his platform upon being elected mayor. MILLERSVILLE During the summer, things quiet down at Millersville University. It’s a good time for pro- spective students and their parents to check out the campus in Lancaster County. Th e first stop on their tour is a brand-new, $10 million building, called the Lombardo Welcome Center. It’s the first building in Pennsylvania to get a zero-energy certification from the Interna- tional Living Future Institute—a Seattle-based organization that promotes sustainable construc- tion. Zero-energy “Net-zero means it produces as much energy as it consumes in a year,” explains Kathy Schreiber, a professor of geography, who teaches about envi- ronmental issues and sustainability at Millersville. Th e discussion around climate change often focuses on how to ramp up carbon-neutral forms of energy, but if the world is to achieve the 2015 Paris climate goals, and avoid the worst eff ects of global warming, people also need to use energy more efficiently. LINCOLN Kathleen J. Butler Hayes ’89, a 24-year veteran of the School District of Philadelphia, is a librar- ian at South Philadelphia High School. Hayes served on the Lincoln University Board of Trustees from 2008-2014 as an alumni repre- sentative. She is a life member of the Alumni Association of Lincoln University, which awarded her the Frank “Tick” Coleman Alumni Achievement Award in 2010. Hayes was honored with the Lincoln University Founder’s Day Award in 2005. Several of Hayes’s family members are Lincoln graduates including her husband and former trustee, Tracey J. Hunter Hayes ’87, and her children, Tracey ’05, Dr. Jalaal ’11, and Makkah, MSC ’19. She earned Librarian of the Year from the Association of Philadelphia School Librarians in 2013 and received a Philadelphia City Council Citation as well. In 2018-2019 she was selected to participate in the Mini Regional Leaders Academy for Pennsylvania School Librarians. Hayes earned a bachelor’s degree in three years from Lincoln University, a Master of Education from Cheyney University in 1991 Community College of Philadelphia President Donald Generals (r) with Philadelphia Eagles safety & 2019 recipient of the Com- munity Hero Award, Malcolm Jenkins. Photo: Jensen Toussaint Th e atrium of the Lombardo Welcome Center at Millersville University Kathleen J. Butler Hayes ’89 has won the Lindback Award for Distinguished. Photo by Shelley Mix For African American men, the idea of freedom has always been a complex topic. History has shown a breakdown in how post slavery ‘freedoms’ have presented themselves with structural flaws. Furthermore, being incarcerated and returning ‘into’ freedom is not as seamless or au- tomatic as it appears. Examining crime and punishment through the lens of historical trauma is an avenue not often explored. With discussions regarding prison reform and mental health initiatives on the rise, it is important to understand the relationship between history, incarcer- ation, and mental health and its implication on successful reentry programming. While many have understood the idea of crime as a simplistic “good or bad”, “Guilty or innocent” approach, the idea of deviance and social othering is complex and interconnected with societal rules and social constructs. Because of that, a deeper scope into how we have not only created rules and processes around criminal behavior, but how we have chosen to maintain them, must be applied. Caged Bird, Clipped Wings is an examination of the concept of crime and punishment, the “Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome”, incarceration, and mental health. The book focuses on the historical emergence of the concept of disabilities and mental illness, the ‘creation’ of concepts of remorse, crime, punishment, and guilt, and examines how those concepts play out in how we function within systems of law enforcement. This book explores each in a way designed to help expand conversations surrounding prison reform for minority communities, in efforts of designing programming that will reduce recidivism through a more culturally competent lens. This book is designed to be read by those who are looking to understand the connections between society and systems, how culture plays a role in trauma and the development of trauma, and for those looking to expand their thoughts in how to best address reform for systems designed to rehabilitate. It not only focuses on the issues, but seeks to provide solutions that will help expand our ideology around appropriate treatment goals, recidivism services, and reentry programming. by Ana White Caged Bird, Clipped Wings Book Review24 | TALK MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2019 Deacon Matt, who is to be ordained a priest in June 2020, explains: “The answers weren’t in the places I was looking.” Believe me, he looked hard. He’s the younger son of an African Methodist Episcopal minister from a long line of AME ministers. His parents, both professors at the University of Pittsburgh, expected one son to be a preach- er. I get it. My mother hoped one of her three boys would be, in order of pref- erence, a priest, altar boy or Boy Scout. My oldest brother was a Cub Scout for two years. That’s as close as we got. Yet Alexander Sr. and Mabel Hawkins threw a party at their Forest Hills home when Matt made his Catholic confirmation at age 21. “My mother was relieved. She thought I would be agnostic forever,” he says. The story of Matt Hawkins’ discernment — the process a man and his church go through to determine if God is calling him to be a priest — is a long, twisted one that includes Catholic bossa nova music, a Jewish day camp and Quak- ers in the Catskills. It took him four hours to tell, starting at an Oakland Starbucks, continuing through the 12:05 Mass at St. Paul Cathedral (sorry, Mom) and ending in the St. Paul rectory dining room. Matt grew up in Lincoln Park and attended Lemington Elementary School until his family moved to Florida. His parents were so taken with the Cath- olic school that his brother attended there that when they returned to Pitts- burgh, they sent Matt to St. Paul Cathedral School. He sang in the boy’s choir on Sundays while also attending his father’s AME church. A Missa Bossa Nova record — Catholic folk songs set to a Latin beat — fueled his curiosity. “I was too cool to sing hymns, but not this,” Matt says. For three summers, he attended the Young Men & Women’s Hebrew Association. Still, he was a rebel. “If you were a teenager in the early ’70s, you were in full rebellion against family, church and school,” he says. Sensing he needed a break, his parents sent him to a Quaker boarding school in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for his junior year. He liked sitting silently for an hour, “contemplating the light within.” He returned to graduate from Churchill Area High School, where his best friends were Catholic or Jewish. “They were aware it might be hard for a black kid to come into this all-white environment,” he says. He enrolled at Clarion University and joined its Campus Crusade for Christ to please his evangelical girlfriend. “I went to a different church every Sunday, trying to figure out what was missing,” he says. He decided to become a Catholic — part time. “I told a priest I wanted to be Catholic priest and AME minister. I didn’t see the contradiction,” he says. Matt transferred to Pitt and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. He also earned a master’s in applied history from Carnegie Mellon University. He worked in community economic development for 20 years while teach- ing at Pitt, Carlow University and Imani Christian Academy in the East Hills. Sometimes he brought Imani students to his graduate classes at Pitt. When Matt told one tough-talking teen he was proud of him for the way he engaged with the college students, the student started to cry. “He said no one had ever said that to him before,” Matt says. Teaching “convinced me I could give myself fully to the service of others. It made me less afraid of the priesthood.” In a country where only 3% of Catholics are black, he believes the church needs to be more inclusive. Fewer old white guys, maybe, and don’t assume that all African Americans think like comedians. “They say, ‘We know about you because we watch Dave Chappelle.’ It’s frus- trating because they don’t know,” Matt says. Matt has met very few African American priests — most black priests were born in Africa — but has forged friendships with other clerics, includ- ing a Pentecostal minister in New Castle, Pa., where he will spend a third summer working in a soon-to-be-merged group of parishes. When invited to preach in the Protestant church, Matt tried to dispel two myths: that Catholics don’t know the Bible and can’t give a lengthy sermon. “I spoke for 45 minutes and quoted the Bible often,” he says. He is scheduled to give the homily at the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday at Mother of Good Counsel Church in Homewood. As a lifelong Catholic, I have some advice: Keep it to 20 minutes. by Kevin Kirkland US: At 63, he will become a rarity: an African-American Catholic priest At an age when most people dream of retirement, C. Matthew Hawkins can’t wait to start his dream job: Roman Catholic priest. Why would a 62-year-old black man want the most unappreciated job in the world? Teaching “convinced me I could give myself fully to the service of others. It made me less afraid of the priesthood.” 24 | TALK MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2019WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 5 COLLEGE NEWS and a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1992. UPMC/PITT Living-donor liver transplant off ers numer- ous advantages over deceased-donor transplant, including better three-year survival rates for pa- tients and lower costs, according to new research from the UPMC Th omas E. Starzl Transplanta- tion Institute and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Th e findings, published online today in the Annals of Surgery, highlight living donation as a viable, if not preferable, option for the more than 14,000 people currently on the waiting list, as well as many more who never qualify to be on the list under current allocation rules. TEMPLE Some Temple University students are about to get a break on tuition. Th e school’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to freeze tuition for undergraduate students from Pennsylvania. Th at means they will pay a little more than $16,000 for the second straight year. “Th is is a testament to the trustees’ recognition that the cost of tuition is critically im- portant for students and their families. Coupled with our Fly in 4 program and our in- vestments in student financial aid, keeping the sticker price of undergraduate base tuition flat for Pennsylvania residents for the coming year is a centerpiece in our strategy to manage stu- dent debt,” Temple President Richard Englert said. Mandatory fees for all students will also remain at $890 per year. Th is is the second time in eight years the board has frozen tuition for Pennsylva- nians. DREXEL Last month, Drexel University’s Office of Veteran Student Services and other Drexel community members celebrated the opening of a new lounge for Drexel’s 1,000+ student veterans. Since April 1, the space has been located on the lower level of the Creese Student Center, where it had been moved from the Drexel Armory building last term. Th e renovations on the lounge were made possible thanks to a generous gift from U.S. Army veteran Th omas A. Masci, Jr. ’68, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 27 with his family. Now, the space is official- ly named the Masci Family Student Veterans Lounge. It boasts a computer and printing station, a business center, study tables and a small meeting area for student veterans to meet and congregate. And, of course, the new space is adorned with patriotic art. “Th is inviting new home, dedicated to our student veterans, is an important extension of our longstanding commitment to support the academic and professional success of women and men who have given so much to our country,” said Rebecca Weidensaul, PhD, assistant vice president of Stu- dent Life, at the ceremony, on behalf of Drexel President John Fry. “Congratulations to the Drexel Veteran Students on two terrific choices you have made in your life — one to serve your country proudly and two to select Drexel University for your education.” PENN STATE CBS Sports recently put together a ‘Hot Seat’ rankings list for each NCAA team’s head coach. Penn State football’s James Franklin seems to be in good shape. Every year, the NCAA coaching carousel has an interesting twist. It’s not like a big-named coach gets canned every season, but there’s always some speculation around the NCAA as if a surprise can happen at any moment during any season. It’s been a while since Penn State football had to deal with any major coaching change at the end of a season. CHATHAM Chatham students are making the most of whatever summer sun we have by planting crops to nourish low-income communities in the Pittsburgh area. In a new partnership with the Food Bank’s mobile farmers market program, Chatham is planting crops to supply the Food Bank with fresh produce. Chatham is making the most of its 400-acre Eden Hall, which has sustainable agriculture areas like an orchard, an apiary and maple tapping. One acre was leased to the Food Bank, which helped students decide which crops would best serve the commu- nities to be fed through the program. “We’re proud to support the Green Grocer program, which is so vital for our local communities who don’t have easy access to fresh, healthy food in their neighborhoods,” says Eden Hall Farm Director Tony Miga. “Our goal on the Eden Hall farm is to make sure everything we do either benefits local food production, Chatham academ- ics or the regional community.” James Franklin. Photo by Justin Grasso continued on page 28 TRANSFERRING TO LA ROCHE WAS THE BEST THING I COULD HAVE DONE FOR MY FUTURE. THANKS TO THE DEDICATED FACULTY AND STAFF, I WAS ABLE TO EXCEL IN THE CLASSROOM WHILE PREPARING TO BE AN EFFECTIVE PROFESSIONAL. - KEVIN JOHNSON ’17 Finance and Management CLASSES START AUG. 26 laroche.edu/transfer continued on page 28 continued on page 28TALK ACROSS PA 6 | TALK MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2019 PHILADELPHIA by Denise Clay Visit Philadelphia’s Deirdre Childress Hopkins makes history as the new president of the Phila- delphia chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. As she networked around the room at Make Offices, Kyasha Woods, one of the newest mem- bers of the Philadelphia chapter of the Public Re- lations Society of America, was trying to connect with people who might be able to help her with her business, Keitt Media LLC. Woods — the founder and CEO of the boutique firm that specializes in consulting and project management services predominately in the tech sector — was there to cheer on the organization’s newly inducted president, Deirdre Childress Hopkins, director of public relations for Visit Philadelphia. While she had been a member of the orga- nization in the past, the chance to work with PPRA-Philly’s first Black president was one she didn’t want to pass up, she said. “I knew this was happening,” she said. “That’s part of why I joined.” Childress Hopkins recently became the first Black president in PPRA-Philly’s 75-year-his- tory. The Philadelphia chapter is an affiliate of the Public Relations Society of America, the nation’s largest organization of communications professionals, counting 30,000 professionals and several student chapters among its members. Before becoming Visit Philly’s public relations chief, she was the Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau. She also served as an assistant editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer and was also secretary and vice president-print for the National Associa- tion of Black Journalists. When asked what it meant to make history in this way, Childress Hopkins was philosophical about the moment and what her place is in it. “Change happens at the time it’s supposed to,” she said. “This was the right time. It’s a great feel- ing.” And it’s a feeling she plans to build on through expanding the reach of PPRA. “I want to boost the membership and bring in more PR firms,” Childress Hopkins said. “I want to have everyone share best practices so that we can make our membership better.” She also hopes to help members realize the business case for diversity in their organizations, something that makes David Brown, an assistant professor of instruction in public relations at Temple University’s Kline College of Media and Communication, hopeful. Brown, who was recently named the first diversity advisor to the dean at Kline, is the only living member of color of PPRA’s Hall of Fame. “You want to leave any organization better and stronger than you found it,” Brown said. “I’m going to support her in any way I can.” Multi-colored sunglasses, graffiti book bags, bubbles, and other toys were laid across tables, while multi-colored eggs, filled with tickets and candy, were spread across the playground. The chairman of the borough’s Recreation Committee, Councilman Joseph Williams, said the committee plans events like this to gauge the level of participation from residents. “I like to see how many people we are getting at these events,” Williams said. Williams said the committee takes data collected from events to Council meetings and discuss what took place and how they can better plan for future events. SUSQUEHANNA This summer the WITF Music project celebrat- ed the Commonwealth’s country roots at three regional music festivals including the Susquehan- na Folk Festival at Roundtop Mountain Resort. The festival showcased a variety of acoustic music styles including bluegrass, old-time, blues, and swing. The weekend was jam-packed with con- certs, dancing, jamming, an artisan marketplace, food, lots of hands-on activities. Plus, visitors saw the first public preview screening of the COUNTRY MUSIC series, local WITF Music TV and radio specials, and more. One of the festival’s headline performers was GRAMMY Award Winner, Dom Flemons. Known as “The American Songster”, his repertoire of music covers over 100 years of American folklore, ballads, and tunes. In 2018, Flemons released an album titled “Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys” on GRAMMY Award-winning record label Smithsonian Folkways and received a GRAMMY Nomination for “Best Folk Album” at the 61st GRAMMY Awards. HARRISBURG State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., today expressed his dismay with the announcement that Hahnemann University Hospital plans to close its doors. “As a former program coordinator at Hahnemann University Hospital, this is personal for me,” Kenyatta said. “I know a great number of people who work at Hahnemann, who will be among the roughly 3,000 people to lose their job if the hospital closes.” “This historic hospital serves a low-income patient population, and is a teaching hospital, training doc- tors and nurses. Its closure would put more stress on other Philadelphia-area hospitals that are already experiencing emergency room wait times that are far and above the state and national averages. To close it would be devastating to residents who rely on it for accessible health care, to Drexel University and to our economy alike.” The day Hahnemann officials announced it would close, Kenyatta and other members of the Philadelphia delegation wrote to Gov. Tom Wolf, asking that he use every available power to keep Hahnemann open. Kenyatta said he would continue to work with fellow lawmakers, the governor, the city and Hahnemann officials to find a way to keep the hospital open and serving the city. ERIE by Lisa Thompson A new entry in what we have termed Erie’s most important conversation — bridging the city’s racial divide — happened over lunch at the Booker T. Washington Center. Cynthia Muhammad, the longtime publisher of the Erie Metropolitan Black Yellow Pages, convened leaders of Erie’s black community — pastors, elected officials, entrepreneurs, profes- sionals, educators, activists and social service providers — for a dual purpose. She announced a new resource to connect and promote the enterprises of black residents and those who support them. She also reached into the past to revive an institution that once bolstered unity and progress, the Black Businessman Luncheon. Muhammad and Willie McAdory explained that the luncheon, active decades ago amid the civil rights movement, occurred once a week at the former site of the Booker T. Washing- Grammy Winning Dom Flemons to perform at the 2019 Susque- hanna Folk Festival Deirdre Childress Hopkins WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 23 Senator Hughes with wife Sheryl Lee Ralph Philadelphia has a 46 percent black population, why can’t anoth- er black mayor be elected? Philadelphia can elect a black mayor. But as in all elections, issues matter, and the candidate’s issues must reflect the needs of the people. What do you suggest we do to increase voter turnout across Pennsylvania in 2020? Having traveled to Selma, Alabama, and felt the spirit of our ancestors who were beaten attempting to cross the Edmund Pettis Bridge, I’m a bit bullish on the issue of voting. In other words, there is absolutely no excuse for not voting. However, everyone does not feel like me, which makes it critical I remain active in empowering people to vote. My belief is simple: If you want people to vote, you must communicate with them. You must listen to them and hear their concerns. Listening is extremely important. Make no assumptions about what people want. And then, in partnership with those folks who you spent time listening to, develop solutions that reflect what you heard. Th en you must publicly campaign on those issues, and not be afraid to speak their truth. You must show that you can be successful not just on a campaign win, but on a policy victory. Th at demonstrates and re- minds people that voting matters. Finally, you must spend significant cam- paign money with significant campaign people in the communities where you want significant voter turnout. Th e history shows us to not expect high voter turnout if you spend low campaign dollars. How do you see your future in Pennsylvania? Will you seek a higher elected office in Pennsylvania government? One of the most important potential electoral outcomes for Pennsylvania, is for the Pennsylvania Senate and the Pennsylvania House to flip from the minority to the majority, in 2020. If at least one of those chambers flips from a red majority to a blue majority, we can more aggressively support Gov Tom Wolf. We can raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania. We can work more forcefully to reduce gun violence. We can create jobs that pay well and have a future. We can make the necessary investments to strate- gically rebuild and revitalize so many urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania that have been struggling and been forgotten for far too long. We can make every school in Pennsylvania a 21st century School so that every student in Pennsylvania can get a 21st century education. We can stamp out poverty and blight. We can end discrimination in every form. We can confront global warming and become a green state. We can build a wall of peace and solidarity and oneness that holds back the onslaught of hate coming from so many places. And we can restore hope to people. Th e people of Pennsylvania are similar to the overwhelming majority of people in this country are looking for a bold New Deal kind of leadership. Th ey want this state and this nation to take on big problems, come up with big solutions, and then fight like hell to make them happen. And they want to be involved the fight. Th ey want the public sector and the private sector to work together to implement those solutions utilizing the best and brightest diverse minds and talent to make the transformational change a reality. In closing, please share any ideas or comments you would like to share that we didn’t ask you. Th ank you for selecting me to be your person of the year and for allowing the platform to address the future of our commonwealth. I serve as the chairman of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Campaign Committee. In November of 2018, we had 16 Democratic Senators. Now we have 22 and are 3 seats from flipping the Pennsylvania Senate from red to blue. Th at is the only focus of my political career right now, because good politics can lead to good policy.Talk Magazine Interview with Pennsylvania Senator Vincent J. Hughes Congratulations being selected as Talk Magazine’s 2019 Person of the Year! How long have you been in the Senate and what area does your district cover? I was sworn in as Pennsylvania State Senator on Nov 21, 1994. I represent the state’s 7th Senatorial District, which covers portions of Philadelphia and portions of Montgomery County. What committees are you currently on? Briefly, what are your committees’ responsibilities? I serve on the Finance, Intergovernmental Operations, and Rules and Exec- utive Nominations committees. My most important Committee work lies in my responsibility as the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Th e Senate Appropriations Committee is responsible with all things related to the State Budget, which currently totals $34 billion, and is the spending plan and program for all state dollars. I have been honored by my colleagues, as they have elected me to this position, to serve in this position since November of 2010. Tell about your connections and work in Africa? My wife, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and I have traveled together to Cameroon, Nige- ria, and South Africa. Most of our work has been in the international struggle to address HIV and AIDS. PERSON OF THE YEAR Senator Vincent J. Hughes Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent J. Hughes is a lead- ing progressive voice on local, state, and national issues. His colleagues elected him to be the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee in 2010 and he continues to bring proactive leadership to that role. Sen. Hughes has served the commonwealth as a mem- ber of the Pennsylvania Senate for more than 20 years. He was first elected to represent the 7th Senatorial District in 1994. He previously served as a member of the Pennsylva- nia House of Representatives from 1987 to 1994, serving as chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus from 1991 to 1994. As a key member of the Senate’s Democratic leadership team, Sen. Hughes is a champion for major policy issues such as expanding health care for low-income workers, raising the minimum wage, defending the right to vote, fighting for public education funding, and rebuilding the state’s distressed communities. Sen. Hughes is heavily involved in the rebirth of Cheyney University. He serves as a member of the Council of Trustees at Cheyney University and is working with academic, business and philanthropic leaders to propel the institution forward. He and his family have established the James Hughes Memorial Scholarship Fund, in honor of his late father. To date, the fund has awarded more than $1 million in college scholarships to students from challenged circumstances who are talented and want to “make a diff er- ence.” Th ough his work has taken him all over Pennsylvania, the U.S., and around the world, Sen. Hughes remains extremely dedicated to the progress of his 7th Senatorial District, which is comprised of parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County. He is a member of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, and is supported by his loving wife, actress, entertainer, and activist Sheryl Lee Ralph, and their blended family of four children. 22 | TALK MAGAZINE • SUMMER 2019 TALK ACROSS PA WWW.TALKMAGAZINEONLINE.COM | 7 ton Center at East Seventh and French streets. Leaders gathered in the basement over a meal to identify needs and devise strategies to advance the community together. She told me she sees a need for that kind of disciplined approach now. “Any time the overall community, any organiza- tion, any foundation has something to say, we’d like this to be the platform for them to come and make an appointment and come to speak to us together,” she said. Arthur Gamble Jr., a business consultant and NFL agent, rose to endorse the need. The Erie he grew up in nurtured his potential, he said. “There was always something special and some- thing different about Erie. It was never just about individual success. It was never just about material- ism,” he said. The black community, he said, has become di- vided because it has been forced to compete over resources doled out by others. He urged unity and agency. An emerging new digital platform for the Erie Metropolitan Black Yellow Pages could help facilitate the effort. Adam L. Glover, manager of the Black Yellow Pages, explained that the publi- cation plans to create an online business registry that also will include a calendar and messaging capacity so that community events and news can be coordinated. Another attendee, Leslie Booker, CEO of Leslie’s Personal Care Services, voiced her plan to create a digital archive of Erie’s black history. “Our children don’t have our history unless we tell it to them,” she said. A letter writer recently chastised the Erie Times-News Editorial Board for an editorial that suggested racism lay at the roots of Erie’s racial disparities that register in poverty statistics and other measures. In her view, “tribalism,” personal moral failings and bad public schools are to blame. I am a middle-aged white lady and no expert, but I understand enough to know that historic excuses and strategies won’t cut it. History of hateful intention (discriminatory laws, housing and hiring policies, policing practices, you name it) created, haunted and complicated the deliber- ations I listened to on Wednesday. It will take good intentions and ample resourc- es to fix it. PHILADELPHIA by Claire Sasko In what can only be construed as a cruel attempt to prepare kids for the working world, Gov. Wolf has signed a bill that will allow schools to force students to work from home when the weather outside is frightful. It’s summer. For a few blissful weeks, children are free to romp happily, chase the ubiquitous music of ice cream trucks, devour cup after cup of cherry water ice, and splash around in crowd- ed public pools. The air is warm, the sun is (usu- ally) shining, and just about everyone’s happy. No one’s thinking about winter, or snow, or snow days — except for state legislature, apparently. In what can only be construed as a cruel at- tempt to prepare pupils for the mundanity of the working world, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill that will allow Pennsylvania schools to force students to work from home when the weather outside is frightful. The new law gives school districts the power to turn what we currently know (and love) as snow days into “flexible instructional days” (destined to become known to children as “flex days”). RIP to spontaneous sledding and snowball fights, packaged hot cocoa on weekday mornings, and childhood fun as know (and remember) it. Under the program, school districts approved by the state Board of Education would distribute previously devised lesson plans on these so-called flex days. The plans would include information on how students and employees can use tech- nology (like the internet, laptops, iPads, phones, etc.) to conduct what would at best resemble a normal school day, only at home and with some “flexibility.” (Those of us who work from home in our sad adult lives can understand this concept fairly easily.) Somehow — though it’s not yet exactly clear — schools would also have to plan lessons for students or employees who don’t have access to handy technological devices or the internet. Flex days would count toward the state’s man- dated 180 days of instruction; therefore, schools would also have to take attendance on these days, as required by state law. Again, it’s not clear how that’s going to be possible — but we’ll see what school districts come up with. Public, charter and private schools could opt into the “flex day” program — it wouldn’t be mandatory. It’s not yet clear if the School District of Philadelphia will take part. Megan Lello, a spokesperson for the school district, said officials are aware of the bill but would need to further “look into it” to see if flex days would fit the district’s need. Lello said administrators are considering limitations like access to technology at home. Within a month, the state Department of Education is expected to post application forms for schools looking to establish flex day plans on its website. As outlined in the bill, school districts could devise lesson plans for subjects like language arts, math, and science. Applications will be due to the Department of Education by September 1st, and schools would be notified of their approval status by November 1st. DARBY TOWNSHIP by Ashley Caldwell Darby Township commissioners and com- munity members stood in sweltering heat week for a dedication ceremony changing the name of the Hermesprota Creek Park to the Arnold L. Covert, Sr. Park in honor of the beloved late commissioner. Covert, who served as commissioner for the First Ward, died Oct. 20, 2018. During the ceremony, a plaque was given to his wife, Diane, for his outstanding service in the community. The Coverts would have celebrated 49 years of marriage in January, Mrs. Covert said. “(Arnold) loved his family first,” said Commis- sioners President Richard Womack, “but he lived and breathed Darby Township. He would always call me and say ‘Richard. What are we going to do about this?’ and ‘What are we going to do about that?’ He was a great guy and he did a lot for this community.” Commissioner Racquel Holman, who hosted the ceremony, said she has been doing the best she can to fill Covert’s shoes. “I was appointed commissioner after Mr. Covert passed,” Holman said. “I’m doing the best I can to fill his shoes with what I have to make him proud.” Holman said while she did not encounter Covert professionally on a regular basis, she was connected to him through her friendship with his children. Covert, she said, was awesome and dedicated to everything he did. Park renamed for late Darby Twp. commissioner Racquel Holman, who was appointed commissioner following the death of Arnold L. Covert, Sr. last October, hosted the dedication ceremony last weekNext >