With the previous month’s count of only one Black homicide, there was hope that all the vigils and marches had finally made an impact on the community and would put a stop to the senselessness that continues to plague the streets of the Black community. However, with four homicides in May, which is half of the monthly count for last year at this time, it is clear that the message has not gotten through. Not only were all the victims Black, but they were all under the age of 30. It’s sad enough that one cannot walk down a street without fear of being shot, but now one cannot even sit on a porch or even worse in their own living room. This has got to stop. Enough is enough.

As part of an ongoing effort to heighten awareness about the effects of murder in the Black community, the New Pittsburgh Courier will compile a list of homicides in the county each month. It is our hope that as the list of victims grows, so will a true understanding of how these lost lives affect the mental health, economic well-being and self-images of the region’s Black neighborhoods.

Recently, Pittsburgh has hosted a number of seminars and summits promoting green jobs and a green economy. Advocates claim, as they did during the Green Pathways to Prosperity Summit held May 20 at the Pittsburgh Project, that problems such as unemployment, blight and divestment in urban communities can be ameliorated by building a “robust, diverse and inclusive local green economy.”

LOOKING FOR GREEN—Attendees look over informational brochures during the May 20 Pathways to Prosperity Green Jobs Summit at the Pittsburgh Project.

But what is this green economy? What are the green jobs that are going to remake the inner city, and how many are there?

Khari Mosley, the director of green economy initiatives for GTECH and a member of the Urban Green Jobs Alliance, facilitated the Pathways to Prosperity Summit and said he was pleased with the crowd and their level of interest, but admitted that translating interest into employment is still a challenge.

Across the state, the issue of charter schools and the need for choice was a highly debated topic in the primary election for governor. In Pittsburgh, recent controversy has been focused on the proposal for a charter school in the vacant Burgwin School building in Hazelwood.

CHARTER ADVOCATE—Sarah Jameela Martin makes a statement at the Pittsburgh Board of Education public hearing, May 17.

“It’s a slow process in Pittsburgh because you have to put a proposal in and normally they will reject your proposal no matter how good it is,” said Sam Howard, executive vice president of Imagine Schools for the Midwest and Northeast. “Charter schools offer choice and choice doesn’t seem to be en vogue in the system.”

In late April, the Pittsburgh Public School District released recommendations by the East Region Advisory Committee for changes to Peabody and Westinghouse high schools. The changes would not go into effect until the 2011-2012 school year and have yet to be approved by the school board.

“In making this recommendation the East Region Advisory Committee paid particular attention to the issues of academic instruction, student support, declining enrollment and facilities utilization,” said Derrick Lopez, assistant superintendent, secondary schools. “After multiple working sessions and community input the committee feels this recommendation best meets the needs of East End families.”