At an age when most kids are contemplating what they’ll do during recess, Alysa Stanton was contemplating which religion was right for her. She was nine when she called a priest out of the blue to discuss Catholicism; just a year later, she was flipping through a Hebrew grammar book.

Her search for a faith to call her own landed squarely on Judaism, and the born-Pentacostal Christian embraced it in a big way: she went on to become a rabbi. After being ordained last summer, she is the first Black female rabbi ever. On March 3, Stanton spoke to students at the William Pitt Union Ballroom, sponsored by the Hillel JUC, about her journey to Judaism, with a monologue called “Layers of Healing, Layers of Hope.”

BACK TO THE BEGINNING— Rabbi Alysa Stanton dressed as a slave complete with lynch rope, begins the narrative of her life by going back to the beginning, recalling the plight of her African ancestors during slavery.

Love the taste of deli meats and cheeses but wonder how it fits into a salt sensible lifestyle? The answer is, easily! Like much of the advice regarding the food we eat—from fats to sugars to salt—most nutrition experts will agree that the best approach to healthful eating is moderation. One of the ways that food lovers have found to live within health organization guidelines of no more than 2,400 milligrams of salt per day is by selecting lower sodium foods that offer great taste and by making wise choices when adding seasonings.

Chicken Pizza with Roasted Peppers

Gospel music pioneers Mary Mary want young girls to celebrate the unique person that God created them to be.

That’s why they penned the book “Be U: Be Honest, Be Beautiful, Be Intentional, Be Strong, Be You!”

MARY MARY

“We have a lot of sisters and female friends and we came across people who didn’t want to be themselves so we wrote a book to celebrate the good in young people,” said Erica Campbell, 37, from her California home. Her younger sister, Tina, couldn’t participate in the interview because she had laryngitis. The two are internationally known as Mary Mary, one of the hottest groups in gospel music history.

Lunchtime gospel series

MARCH 19—Reverend Deryck Tines will host a Lenten Lunchtime Gospel Series from 12:15-1 p.m. at 937 Liberty Ave., 3rd floor, Cultural District. Every Friday during the Lenten season Rev. Tines, with the help of Minister Del Fullum, will feature a range of Black gospel music. The event will run through April 2 and is free. Lunch will not be provided. For more information, call 412-261-1692 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .