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

The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that The Advanced Leader­ship Institute (TALI), an organization committed to strengthening com­panies, institutions, and communities by cultivat­ing leadership, is excited to announce the promo­tion of Isabella Moreland to Director of Marketing & Alumni Engagement. Moreland has an exten­sive history with TALI, previously serving as the Marketing & Communi­cations Manager for three years. Prior to that role, she served as TALI’s Mar­keting Intern from 2019-2020, where she helped maintain the organiza­tion’s social media pres­ence and brand. In her new position, which she assumed

THE HONOREES AT THE S.W.A.G. AWARDS, March 22, at the Sheraton Hotel Station Square. (Photo by J.L. Martello) If you can believe it, the annual Social Worker Appreciation of Greatness Awards, better known as the S.W.A.G. Awards, already has its date set for its 2026 event—March 7. It will be the sixth iteration of the S.W.A.G. Awards, which honors Pittsburgh's individuals, most of whom are Black, in the often-forgotten field of social work. It's best to mark the date on the calendar because the attendance for the event continues

  CECILE SPRINGER, SHOWN IN THIS PHOTO DURING THE 2018 NEW PITTSBURGH COURIER WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS In 2018, the New Pitts­burgh Courier proudly made Cecile Springer its legacy honoree at its “Women of Excellence” awards luncheon. But not only was she a “Woman of Excellence,” Springer’s daughter, Christina Springer, told the Courier that her mother was, a “woman of action.” There was nothing that Cecile Springer set her mind out to do that she didn’t accomplish. “She had a plan, she had a mission, she had strong core beliefs and she

PITTSBURGH NATIVE AND CBS ACTOR CARTER REDWOOD, son of Tawnya and Carl Redwood, launched his Carter Redwood Foundation in Downtown Pittsburgh, Dec. 22, 2024. (Photo by J.L. Martello) On CBS' "FBI: International," the scripts are perfectly laid out for the actors. The actors learn those scripts, and then the magic happens; the actors perform their roles perfectly, and then in post-production, the television show is prepared for its airing on national television. But Carter Redwood came clean, admitted to a group of supporters in Downtown Pittsburgh that his latest

The New Pittsburgh Courtier has learned that after a comprehensive national search, Professor and Vice Dean Jerry Dickinson has been named Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, effective Jan. 15. A Pittsburgh native, Dickinson has built a national, international and local reputation as a constitutional law scholar and civil rights lawyer. He has extensive litigation and transactional pro bono experience in civil rights and civil liberties. Dickinson joined the Pitt Law faculty in 2017 and was appointed as vice dean in March 2023. His teaching and