Kahlil Darden is the force behind Young Black Motivated Kings and Queens. He’s a 2019 Penn Hills High School graduate, a 2024 Clark Atlanta University graduate, and tireless community voice for the youth and young adults of the region. He also received the New Pittsburgh Courier’s Fab 40 under 40 award on May 9, as part of the Class of 2025. He’s just 24 years old. He’s doing a lot and going places - fast. And, just when they say there’s nothing for the kids to do in

The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that Dr. Daren Ellerbee has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of Pittsburgh Scholar House. Pittsburgh Scholar House (PSH) is an affiliate of the Family Scholar House based in Louisville, Ky. A respected leader and Pittsburgh native, Dr. Ellerbee most recently served as the head of the Pittsburgh Innovation Team for the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. In her new role, she will focus on elevating and expanding PSH as a critical leader and resource within the

Esther Bush. Chris Moore. Sala Udin. Tim Stevens. Talk about icons in the City of Pittsburgh. The political arena. The financial/non-profit sector. The spoken word. Collec­tively, the four aforemen­tioned African Americans have more than 150 years of service and impact in the Pittsburgh region. Collectively, they have not only spoken out against injustices involving Afri­can Americans, but they have created change for the better in the region for Black people. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, one could say, stands on the shoulders of these iconic figures. The city’s first Black may­or

Cheyenne Tyler, executive director of Café Momentum's Pittsburgh location, was appointed to Allegheny County's Juvenile Detention Board of Advisors. (Photo by Anastasia Busby/PublicSource) by Venuri Siriwardane, PublicSource Experts and advocates want Allegheny County’s Juvenile Detention Advisory Board to bring transparency and accountability to a system long criticized for harming the youth it’s meant to rehabilitate. But it lacks enforcement power under state law — a limitation they sharply criticized in light of the county’s troubled history of youth incarceration. The county closed its youth detention center in 2021 after the

Who’s got what it takes to be the next President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pitts­burgh? When Carlos Carter re­signed as the organiza­tion’s President and CEO on May 13, 2025, there was no one on the inside to immediately take over the reins. And there was no one on the outside to immediately take over the reins on a permanent ba­sis, either. It’s not a job for the weak-minded. It’s a high-profile position, most likely for a person who has that outgoing, larger-than-life persona as its

There is a vacancy at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh. A big one. The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned exclu­sively that Carlos T. Carter is no longer the President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pitts­burgh. The Courier has learned that Carter’s final day was May 13. The Courier reported the hoopla around Carter becoming President and CEO of the iconic organi­zation on Nov. 10, 2021. He took over for the Urban League mainstay, Esther Bush, who was the Urban League of Greater Pitts­burgh President and CEO

Phillip Thompson lends his collection for national viewing Phillip Thompson, known to most Pittsburghers as DJ Big Phill, wrapped up his "Collections in Black: A Celebration of Black Comic Book Culture," with a closing ceremony at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center to celebrate the Black heroes that comprised Black comic books from the past, which are now classic materials, along with celebrating Black comic creators of the here and now. PHILLIP THOMPSON WITH HIS MOTHER, ARNITA STAGGER. (PHOTOS BY JULIAN HILL) In an interview with AWAACC staff, Thompson

Project Edda Fields-Black (Photo Courtesy Carnegie Mellon University) Dr. Edda Fields-Black was just minding her own business, in the airport in Monterrey, California, preparing to board a flight on Monday, May 5, when she got the call. “It was a very pleasant shock,” Dr. Fields-Black told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “I was elated. Ab­solutely elated.” It’s not often that you get a call stating that you’ve won a Pulitzer Prize. But Dr. Fields-Black got the call. The Pulitzer Prize is considered the highest award in journalism, arts and letters. The year 2025