News Around the Neighborhood
Afro Yaqui’s Eco-conscious Jazz Returns
Afro Yaqui Music Collective
Thursday, February 7th 7:00 pm
Recently returned from the Kennedy Center, The Afro Yaqui Music Collective (named after the indigenous music of the Yaqui people of northern Mexico) fuses the music of first nations in the Americas with funk, jazz, and hip hop to create a new rhythm that liberates spirit and soul. AYMC is a 9-piece outfit which descends from the ensembles of Guggenheim award-winner Fred Ho, whose work was influenced by West African, global Indigenous and East Asian musics.
Co-led by 2014 ACE Award-winning Yaqui-Mexican operatic vocalist Gizelxanath Rodreiguez and Fred Ho’s Baritone protege Ben Barson, the band uses their soul-stirring, heart-pumping sounds to respond to global issues from mass incarceration to ecocide.
Afro Yaqui’s concerts are always a hit with the Alphabet City crowd…so be sure to RSVP before this fan-favorite sells out!
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“A TV film to be long remembered” – New York Magazine
Sembène – The Film & Art Festival Presents
The Autobiography of
Miss Jane Pittman
Monday, February 4th
7:00 pm
This screening marks a rare opportunity to see the beloved and ground-breaking 1970s television film The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, winner of nine Primetime Emmy Awards and a BAFTA nomination. Lead actress Cicely Tyson herself won two Emmy Awards for her unforgettable portray of Jane Pittman.
Beginning during the racial turmoil of 1960s Louisiana, former slave Jane Pittman granted an interview to Ernest Gaines, a persistent journalist.
The film is based on a novel that Gaines subsequently wrote, telling the remarkable story of Pittman’s life. Her emancipation from slavery at the end of the Civil was only the beginning of an arduous and heartbreaking odyssey, which ended at the age of 110 with her participating in the Civil Rights movement.
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The First-ever Biography of Fred Rogers
The Good Neighbor:
The Life and Work of Fred Rogers
Sunday, January 27th
6:00 pm
The Good Neighbor — the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers and a New York Times best-seller — tells the story of Pittsburgh’s champion of compassion, equality, and kindness who became an utterly unique and enduring American icon. Drawing on original interviews, oral histories and archival documents, President & CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation Maxwell King traces Rogers’ personal, professional and artistic life through decades of work.
“The inimitable Mister Rogers becomes somehow even more enchanting. In addition to elegantly narrating the facts of Rogers’ life… King’s book brims with anecdotes of intimate exchanges that highlight Rogers’ kindness and grace.” — Booklist
King examines Rogers’ surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return to the neighborhood with increasingly sophisticated episodes, written in collaboration with experts on childhood development. An engaging story, rich in detail, The Good Neighbor is the definitive portrait of a beloved figure, cherished by multiple generations.
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Doors Open Pittsburgh Presents
Ride with the King: Black History Tour
January 19, 2019
9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Doors Open Pittsburgh is providing access to three prominent African American churches in Pittsburgh, as well as to the August Wilson Center and Dollar Bank Heritage Center in Downtown Pittsburgh, during a special tour on Saturday, January 19th.
Participants will be able to tour the three churches on their own – or register for a bus tour that will take participants to all the sites. The churches are located in East Liberty, Uptown, and Central Northside.
Volunteer help is needed too!
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Doors Open Pittsburgh Presents
Ride with the King: Black History Tour
January 19, 2019
9:00 am – 2:30 pm
Doors Open Pittsburgh is providing access to three prominent African American churches in Pittsburgh, as well as to the August Wilson Center and Dollar Bank Heritage Center in Downtown Pittsburgh, during a special tour on Saturday, January 19th.
Participants will be able to tour the three churches on their own – or register for a bus tour that will take participants to all the sites. The churches are located in East Liberty, Uptown, and Central Northside.
Volunteer help is needed too!
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Upcoming Projects: Addressing homelessness on the Northside
Allegheny County’s Point in Time Survey
On January 30th, January 31st and February 3rd from 6:00-8:00 pm we will be canvassing the neighborhoods of the Northside to encounter and ‘count’ as many people as we can who are sleeping outside. Having the most accurate number will help increase access to funding to provide more housing options for those individuals experiencing homelessness. What we need from you is to know of any homeless encampments in your neighborhoods that we can make sure to visit and engage on those nights. Please email me with details and we will check them out and engage those spaces.
Northside Clean Up
On February 16th, we will be bringing close to 60 volunteers to do some clean ups of camps on the Northside. If you have areas that are in great need, please let us know. It is best to service areas that are in close proximity since we will be getting a dumpster. At our typical cleanups, we remove around 200 bags of trash.
Forum on Homelessness
On February 23rd, we will hold a local forum on homelessness at 9:00 am. This will be time for you as a neighbor and community partner to hear and discuss some issues regarding homelessness on the Northside including panhandlers, housing programs, shelter rules, Allegheny LINK, organizational programming and more. If you are interested in attending this free event, please let me know. Breakfast will be served and the event should last about 2 hours.
Thanks for your time!
Charles Chapman – LIVING Ministry
NHA Chairman
(412) 302-1678
Letter from the President – January 2019
On behalf of the incoming AWCC Executive Board I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! It’s looking like another exciting year in our neighborhood and the Board members are ready to get to work.
We want to acknowledge exiting Board Members – Elaine Stone, Tim Zinn, Carol Gomrick, Fran Barbush and Dan Adam – and thank them for their many hours of service to AWCC and their efforts working with new Board members to ensure a smooth transition. John Desantis will continue on the AWCC Executive Board as Past President, but deserves a particular mention and thank you for his work as President over the past two years. John obviously is passionate about our neighborhood, he has generously given his time and knowledge, as well as his home, to protect and advance the neighborhood vision. This is true not only of his recent term as President, but for many years before and many to come – thank you, John!
During the transition to the new year and new board there are ongoing projects that will need AWCC involvement without a pause. A couple examples of these are CCAC’s proposed new Workforce Development Center and the Southern Norfolk Railroad raised tracks proposal. As the 2019 Housing and Planning Chair, Ashley Webb will have a lot on his plate and will look to us for input and support.
Cathy Serventi, 2019 AWCC Treasurer, is another Board Member with a full plate right away. The beginning of the year marks the beginning of the budgeting process. This year, Cathy and the Finance Committee will be working on ways to make this process, and the subsequent financial reporting, a little clearer and easier to understand.
Allegheny West Civic Council budget, non-budget expenditures, support or non-support of projects affecting us, to name a few examples, is determined by vote of the membership. I would encourage everyone to become familiar and participate so that the voice of Allegheny West truly reflects the majority of residents in Allegheny West.
Allegheny West Civic Council membership meetings take place on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm at Calvary Church. With everything else in our lives, it’s hard to allocate time for neighborhood meetings – can you make every other meeting? One a quarter? What do you need to stay up-to-date on the things you’re concerned about? I’d love to hear from you – drop a note to president@alleghenywest.org and let me know what you’re thinking. Keep in mind though, you have to attend a meeting and vote to have your opinion officially counted.
Ann Gilligan
President, AWCC
AWCC Membership Meetings – January 8, 2019
Calvary United Methodist Church, 971 Beech Ave
Tuesday, January 8th at 7:30 pm
- Visitors
- New Neighbors & Guests
- Minutes
- Treasurer’s Report
- Membership
- Ways and Means
- Friends of Allegheny West
- Property
- Housing and Planning
- Northside Leadership Conference
- Other Business (Old & New)
Come Out to Support New Businesses in Allegheny West
There have been some changes in the neighborhood over the last month. Since the beginning of December, two new businesses have opened on Western Avenue – Adda Coffee & Tea House and Refucilo Winery.
Adda is a Bengali word that refers to an intellectual exchange amongst members of a group; the place of ritual meeting and/or conversation of a group of people. It’s also the namesake of Adda Coffee & Tea House (at 926 Western Avenue), a cozy, welcoming spot that offers a variety of coffee, tea, and other beverages as well as baked goods and other snacks to accompany them. The space has been completely redesigned, and is bright and cheerful – a perfect antidote to a cold Pittsburgh winter. Stop in and treat yourself. Hours: Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 4:00 pm , Saturday & Sunday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Refucilo Winery (at 907 Western Avenue) opened in mid-December. Another complete remodel of a previously vacant building resulted in a beautiful, warm environment, perfect for sampling wines from Argentina. They feature wines from the Uco Valley of Mendoza, Argentina, and selections include Malbec, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Torrontes. Small plates are also available to accompany the wines. Refucilo is closed on Monday and Tuesday, open 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Wednesday and Thursday, 12:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Saturdays, and 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 pm on Sunday.
Please come out and support these new businesses, as well as our other local businesses!
Food Pantry Brunch Challenge at New Hazlett Theater
We all know Grandma can make a delicious meal from whatever she finds in the pantry. But can some of Pittsburgh’s top chefs create a delicious brunch using only items distributed in a community food pantry or soup kitchen? You be the judge at the third annual Food Pantry Brunch Challenge. The Northside Common Ministries Community Food Pantry hosts 10 local chefs in this one of a kind challenge, and you get to enjoy the delicious results.
In addition to brunch, also enjoy local music from Ishtar and Ortner-Marcinizyn, or even take a belly-dancing lesson. Tickets are only $25. Proceeds from this event benefit the programs of the Northside Common Ministries, who have been providing help to the hungry and homeless for over 30 years.
For tickets, call (412) 323-1163.