A GREAT EVENT—Event organizers, Luther and Roxanne Sewell encompass Honorable Vanessa Lowery Brown, Pennsylvania state representative and president of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. (Photos by Diane I. Daniels)
Powerful and straight and to the point are adjectives that best describe the two-day Talk Magazine 2013 Pennsylvania African-American Network Convention; with Esther L. Bush, president of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and State Representative Vanessa Lowery Brown the first day, to Vera Cornish, president of Cornish and Associates and T. Rashad Byrdsong; CEO of the Community Empowerment Association the second day.
Throughout the event conversation addressed the significance of voting, being involved within the community, education and employment. “The theme for the convention is addressing employment and training in healthcare, finance, manufacturing and energy,” said Roxanne Sewell co-convener. “Our goal is to create networking and dialogue between African-Americans and other minorities across Pennsylvania in these topics to create potential to improve quality of life, prospects for growth, a properly trained workforce and readiness for our communities.” She said the hope is that the information is shared within the participants’ networks and neighborhoods.
Local politicians including Austin Davis representing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Senator Jay Costa, mayoral candidate and State Representative Jake Wheatley, mayoral candidate and Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto, and neophyte State Representative Ed Gainey enforced the significance of being an educated voter, reasons it is imperative to participate in every election and the importance of being involved.
“This is a critical election, you can’t be fooled thinking this is unwinnable,” said Wheatley. “People have to wake up and show up. We can’t continue being the laughing stock of Pennsylvania, we have to change things.”
Area political candidates included V. Fawn Walker for McKeesport City Council, current Clairton City Councilman Richard Ford now running for mayor and Rosemary Crawford running for Judge of Common Pleas.
Bush, pulling from the despair and hopelessness she often witnesses, relayed to the audience that children have to be encouraged and know that much is expected of them.
“Education and employment go together,” she pointed out outlining estimated salaries of dropouts and degreed people. She described the earning potential of a dropout as a little more than $17,200, a high school graduate $28,400, college degree $48, 500 and people with graduate degrees as $65,000.
Identifying the Marcellus Shale project as a potential source of employment, Bush said conversations should be taking place about educating people for jobs within the industry. Noting that Community College of Allegheny County is an educational source, moving expediently is essential, she pointed out.
“We have to work together to make a change,” emphasized evening keynote speaker, the Honorable Vanessa Lowery Brown, Pennsylvania state representative and president of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. “We have to spark people to get activated and to reunite with the old guard. We have to get up and fight and it has to be more than just the politicians fighting. Communications and being engaged is key. We have to have each other’s backs.”
In accordance with the theme of the convention, Brown says the focus of the PLBC is education, children and families. “Evidence indicates that education serves as a gateway to independence, financial security and the sustainability of our nation,” she said.
She also pointed out that in the legislators’ fight for employment they are using work space kiosks in their offices that provide assistance in job searches and that they are conducting fundraisers to provide college scholarships. Other issues they are dealing with include organizing mentorship groups for oil and gas companies as educational methods for Marcellus Shale and working to change the injustice in the judicial and correctional system.
Just as informative and enlightening, the second day of the convention focused on workforce development and employment opportunities. Leading up to the panel, the Mayor of Aliquippa Dwan Walker provided the call to order, the invocation was given by Rev. Margaret V.L. Tyson and Danielle Davis of the Pittsburgh Community Services, Inc. Micro-Business Institute delivered remarks.
Motivating the audience to face their fears with confidence, breakfast speaker Cornish encouraged them to eliminate fears and to build relationships.
“It is about shifting your mindset and getting rid of needy and knowing what you bring to the table,” she said.
She also pointed out that during the climb to success it is important to standup for what you want, to learn to play the game, to hold yourself accountable, to take hold of your actions and to act on them.
Hosted by Bill Flanagan, executive vice president of corporate relations for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the Workforce Development and Employment Opportunities panel outlined the pros and cons of the areas workforce issues. Panelists included Alicia Booker of Community College of Allegheny County, Michelle Buezkowski of Consol Energy, Rashad Byrdsong of the Community Empowerment Association, John DeFazio of the United Steelworkers and Allegheny Council at Large, Mel Kosanovich of Columbia Gas, Barry Powell of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, Rich Stanizzo of the Pittsburgh Buildings Trade Council, Dewitt Walton of the Pittsburgh A. Phillip Randolph Institute and Shannon Williams of UPMC.
Flanagan indicated that the region’s job market and labor force is at an all-time high and the CCAC representative pointed out that their challenge is getting men to understand the significance of education. Encouraging the panel and audience to look at the high unemployment rate within the Black community, he said the lack of businesses in the community, the social structure of violence, and the incarceration rate are major contributing factors. “There needs to be investment not divestment in our communities,” he said. He also indicated that better communication needs to take place and that an agenda and platform from an African-American perspective is needed.
For the past decade, Luther and Roxanne Sewell have organized and hosted the Network Convention with the goal to convene experts that include politicians to address issues that impede the success and future of Pennsylvanians.
The African-American Network Convention sponsored by Talk Magazine is one of the products of the LJS Group, a business that creates advertising, public relations, and community outreach programs.