GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO WTAE. LISTEN, I’M ANDREW STOCKEY. THIS MORNING WE’RE TALKING ABOUT JUNETEENTH, THE HOLIDAY WHICH IS TOMORROW. COMMEMORATE THE EMANCIPATION OF ENSLAVED AFRICAN AMERICANS. TODAY WE’RE LEARNING ABOUT THE HISTORY BEHIND IT AND HOW YOU CAN MARK THE OCCASION. ARE Y’ALL READY? PITTSBURGH? IT’S A DAY OF CELEBRATION AND EDUCATION. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE CELEBRATE EVERYBODY’S FREEDOM BECAUSE UNTIL WE’RE ALL FREE, NONE OF US ARE FREE. JUNETEENTH, WHICH FALLS ON JUNE 19TH, BECAME A FEDERAL HOLIDAY BACK IN 2021 BY MAKING JUNETEENTH A FEDERAL HOLIDAY. ALL AMERICAN CAN FEEL THE POWER OF THIS DAY AND LEARN FROM OUR HISTORY. WHILE THE OCCASION HAS BECOME WIDELY RECOGNIZED IN RECENT YEARS, IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY. WHY? IT’S NOT JUST A CELEBRATION AND IT’S NOT A BIG COOKOUT. THERE’S SOME REAL TANGIBLE EDUCATIONAL PIECES CONNECTED TO THIS THIS MORNING, AN EXPERT EXPLAINS THE ORIGIN OF THE HOLIDAY. PLUS, JUNETEENTH IS ACTUALLY AMERICA’S SECOND INDEPENDENCE DAY. IT’S NOT A BLACK HOLIDAY. IT’S AN AMERICAN HOLIDAY. INDEPENDENCE FOR ALL. WHAT ORGANIZERS SAY PITTSBURGH’S JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION TRULY REPRESENTS. AND WHEN WE GROW, EVERYBODY IN THE REGION IS GOING TO GROW AS WELL, EXERCISING THE FREEDOM TO PURSUE THEIR PASSION. LOCAL ADVOCATE, HELPING BLACK BUSINESS FLOURISH. JUNETEENTH BECAME A FEDERAL HOLIDAY RECENTLY, BUT CELEBRATING FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY IS NOTHING NEW. THE HEAD OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PROGRAM AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER TELLS US THOSE CELEBRATIONS HAVE LOOKED DIFFERENT OVER THE YEARS. BUT THE MESSAGE REMAINS THE SAME. I’M JOINED BY SAMUEL W BLACK, THE DIRECTOR OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM AT THE SENATOR JOHN HEINZ HISTORY CENTER HERE IN PITTSBURGH. SAM, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. WELL, I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. OKAY. JUNETEENTH, WHAT IS IT FOR THOSE OF US WHO DON’T KNOW THE HISTORY OF THIS DAY? WELL, JUNETEENTH HAS GONE THROUGH A NUMBER OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ITERATIONS SINCE 1865. IT WAS INITIATED AROUND 1865 OR 1866 WHEN THE UNION ARMY RECOGNIZED THAT ENSLAVED PEOPLE WERE STILL ENSLAVED IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. SO GENERAL GEORGE GRANGER SENT OUT AN EXECUTIVE ORDER IN TEXAS DEMANDING THAT ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE ENSLAVED OR FREED ON FREE AND THAT THEY SHOULD BE RELEASED AND SO AT THAT TIME, THERE WAS WELL OVER 100,000 PEOPLE STILL ENSLAVED IN TEXAS. AND THIS WAS AT THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR PRETTY MUCH. AND SO WHAT HAD TAKEN PLACE WAS SORT OF A SPONTANEOUS CELEBRATION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF TEXAS, PRIMARILY STARTING IN GALVESTON, BECAUSE THAT’S WHERE GENERAL GRANGER WAS LOCATED AND THEN MOVED TO OTHER PARTS OF TEXAS. SO BY 1866, MANY COMMUNITIES WERE NOW FORMED FORMALLY HOLDING CELEBRATE THIMONS. THEY DIDN’T CALL IT JUNETEENTH INITIALLY, BUT THEY WHAT DID THEY CALL IT? WELL. WELL, IT WAS FREEDOM. OKAY. FREEDOM DAY. AND THAT’S WHY I SAY IT WENT THROUGH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ITERATIONS IS JUNETEENTH WAS SORT OF THE TEXAS COLLOQUIAL TERM FOR JUNE 19TH, WHICH WAS THE DATE THAT GENERAL GRANGER HAD SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER. NOW, ONCE FREEDOM DAY OR JUNE 19TH, JUNETEENTH EXCUSE ME, WAS CELEBRATED, THE FIRST YEAR AND THE SECOND YEAR. WHAT HAPPENED OVER TIME TO THE CELEBRATION? BECAUSE IT’S NOT SOMETHING MOST OF US GREW UP WITH OR EVEN KNEW ABOUT AS AS YOUNG PEOPLE BE US BLACK OR WHITE, WERE CELEBRATING. FREEDOM WAS NOT NEW TO PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT, GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION. EVEN IN PITTSBURGH, THERE WAS A COMMUNITY CALLED LITTLE HAITI, WHICH WE NOW CALL THE LOWER HILL DISTRICT IN PITTSBURGH. AND IT WAS AND YOU HAD THESE SORT OF SIMILAR COMMUNITIES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY THAT WERE CONNECTED TO OR RECOGNIZING FREEDOM IN HAITI. SO AFRICAN AMERICANS, WHETHER ENSLAVED OR FREE, ALWAYS GRAVITATED AND WANTED TO RECOGNIZE FREEDOM OF BLACK PEOPLE WHEREVER IT WAS EXISTING IN THE WORLD. SO YOU HAD THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION, YOU HAD THE LIBERIAN FREEDOM DAY IN LIBERIA, WEST AFRICA. SO YOU HAD ALL THESE THINGS THAT LED UP TO JUNETEENTH AND THEN EVEN AFTER JUNETEENTH, THEY USED TO CALL IT EMANCIPATION DAY, FREEDOM DAY, ALL THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CELEBRATIONS. BUT THEY WERE ALL CELEBRATING FREEDOM. AND SO BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE 20TH CENTURY, YOU HAD COMMUNITIES WHO HAD BEEN CELEBRATING WHAT WE CALL JUNETEENTH SINCE 1865, AND THEY WERE NOT ALL IN TEXAS. AND THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF IT, IS THAT IT SPREAD SO QUICKLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UNAFRAID, LEGALLY RECOGNIZED AS A HOLIDAY OF COURSE, UNTIL THE MORE RECENT YEARS. BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, ARE THERE CERTAIN STAPLES OF THE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION OR THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT EVERY CELEBRATION HAS? OR IS IT VERY MUCH SOMETHING THAT DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU LIVE AND AND WHO’S HOLDING IT, YOU CAN REALLY CELEBRATE IN ANY WAY? YEAH, IT’S A LOT OF TIMES IT’S REGIONAL. AND WHAT PEOPLE DO IN THEIR PARTICULAR REGION, WHAT THEIR TRADITIONS ARE. BUT TYPICALLY YOU WOULD HAVE SOME TYPE OF SPEECHES, YOU KNOW, REAFFIRMING FREEDOM, PEOPLE TELLING THE HISTORY. THAT’S HOW WE GOT ALL THE INFORMATION. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT IS ORAL HISTORY PASSED FROM ONE GENERATION TO ANOTHER. YOU HAVE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES AS CHILDREN GAIN PENS AND THINGS LIKE BASEBALL GAMES IN THE 1890S. YOU KNOW, BEING PLAYED. SO IT WAS PRETTY MUCH REGIONAL. BUT OF COURSE NOW 21ST CENTURY, WE GOT ALL THE TECHNOLOGY AND ALL THIS TYPE OF STUFF LINKED UP TO IT. SO NOW WE HAVE MORE THAN JUST ONE DAY OR WEEKEND. IN FACT, HERE IT’S FOUR DAYS LONG. YEAH. WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY RECENTLY HAS COME TO THE SURFACE NATIONALLY WHERE IT HAS GOTTEN ATTENTION FROM, I GUESS, THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA. WHAT IS TAKING PLACE TO PUT JUNETEENTH ON THAT, GIVING IT THAT SPOTLIGHT AND THAT ATTENTION THAT IT DIDN’T HAVE, LET’S SAY LET’S GO BACK TEN YEARS AGO? WELL, I THINK IT’S A GREATER RECOGNITION OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN STRUGGLE AND APPRECIATION FOR IT, THAT SORT OF GIVING IT A PRESENCE OUTSIDE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY. AND IT’S SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT IS TAKING PLACE SINCE 1865, IN THESE BLACK COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, JUNETEENTH IS THERE, BUT IT’S BECOME A LARGER, MORE EXPANSIVE THING BECAUSE THERE’S INTEREST FROM OUTSIDE THE BLACK COMMUNITY AND BECAUSE OF THE LESSONS THAT HAVE BEEN ATTACHED TO IT. THAT WAS ONE OF THE I THINK, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED. IT’S NOT JUST A CELEBRATION. IT’S NOT A BIG COOKOUT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THERE’S A REAL TANGIBLE EDUCATIONAL PIECES CONNECTED TO THIS, AND THAT’S WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE NOW. GRAVITY EATING, TOO, BECAUSE THEY’RE FINDING NEW INFORMATION IN AND THEY SAY, HOW COME I WAS NEVER TAUGHT THIS ALL ALONG? HOW COME I’M ONLY LEARNING ABOUT THIS NOW TYPE OF THING? BUT PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO EMBRACE IT BECAUSE THERE’S SOME DEEP LESSONS IN IT STILL AHEAD. AND I TRY TO COME UP WITH THE IDEA OF WHAT COULD I DO TO TRY TO BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER. A DAYS LONG CELEBRATION. THE MOTIVATION BEHIND OUR AREA’S LARGEST JUNETEENTH EVENT AND THE HIGHLIGHTS THIS YEAR. WELCOME BACK TO WTAE WTAE LISTENS THIS WEEKEND, JUNETEENTH EVENTS ARE UNDERWAY ACROSS OUR AREA, THE LARGEST IS THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH. WE SAT DOWN WITH THE EVENT’S FOUNDER TO DISCUSS THE MEANING BEHIND THE GATHERING. I’M JOINED NOW BY WILLIAM MARSHALL, THE FOUNDER AND PRODUCER OF THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION, WHICH IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. WILLIAM, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. IT WAS SO GREAT TO BE HERE. APPRECIATE YOU INVITING ME. SO WE’RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS. WE’VE ALREADY HAD TWO DAYS OF THE CELEBRATION. TAKE ME THROUGH WHAT WE’VE EXPERIENCED SO FAR. SO WE JUST HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH KRS. ONE. THEY STARTED OFF OUR FIRST NIGHT WITH THE 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HIP HOP, AND THAT WAS A GREAT CELEBRATION. THEN WE’RE MOVING INTO THE THIRD DAY. I THINK WE’RE ON SUNDAY NOW. WE JUST DID THE PARADE ON JUNE 17TH AND WE BRING IN LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES HARVEY, WHO WAS A TUSKEGEE AIRMAN. HE WAS THE ONE OF THE ORIGINAL TUSKEGEE TOP GUN AIRMEN. THAT’S SO IMPORTANT TO US, TO BRING HIM IN. AND HE’S 100 YEARS OLD. SO THAT WAS A GRAND EVENT. AND NOW WE’RE ON TO OUR THIRD DAY AND IT’S GOING TO BE SO EXCITING. WE GOT A LOT OF STUFF COMING ON. WE GOT ACTUALLY ERICA CAMPBELL FROM MARY. MARY, SHE’S GOING TO BE CLOSING OUT AND SHE’S OUR STAR PERFORMER THIS EVENING. AND THIS GOES INTO MONDAY NIGHT, TOO. IT GOES INTO MONDAY NIGHT. AND MONDAY NIGHT IS GOING TO BE OUR GRAND FINALE. WE HAVE THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, THEN WE HAVE THE OHIO PLAYERS CLOSING OUT AND AT THE END OF ALL THAT, WE HAVE JUNETEENTH FIREWORKS, WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. WELL, THAT IS QUITE A CELEBRATION. QUITE A PARTY. MY FIRST QUESTION IS, I MEAN, THIS IS A RELATIVELY NEW EVENT AS IT’S BEING PRESENTED NOW. BUT YOU TELL ME JUNETEENTH BEGAN MANY YEARS AGO HERE IN PITTSBURGH. SO WE LEARNED THROUGH MY STUDY THAT JUNETEENTH HAS BEEN ALWAYS IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. AND IN HOMEWOOD THEY STARTED A JUNETEENTH. CELEBRATION 1995. WHAM-O USED TO DO A JUNETEENTH DAY OVER ON THE SOUTH SIDE. AND I FORGET WHAT THAT AREA IS OVER THERE WHERE THEY HAVE DIFFERENT ENTERTAINMENT STUFF LIKE THAT. SO JUNETEENTH HAS BEEN IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. IT’S NEW TO PEOPLE NOW BECAUSE IT’S BECOME A FEDERAL HOLIDAY, A COUNTY HOLIDAY, A CITY HOLIDAY, AND IT’S BEEN NATIONALIZED. SO THAT’S WHY IT’S A NEW EXPERIENCE TO OTHER PEOPLE. BUT IT’S A GREAT EVENT. AND WE WE START TO CELEBRATE AND WE CREATED IT IN 2013. AND WE CREATED IT AS A JUST TO DO FESTIVAL FESTIVALS TO TRY TO CURB VIOLENCE BECAUSE WE EXPERIENCED SOME MURDERS IN OUR FAMILY. AND I TRY TO COME UP WITH THE IDEA OF WHAT COULD I DO TO TRY TO BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I THOUGHT ABOUT WAS THE FESTIVAL EVENTS THAT I USED TO GO TO WHEN I WAS A CHILD. WE HAD A RAM AND HOMEWOOD. WE HAD FESTIVALS ON THE HILL, SOMETHING ON THE NORTH SIDE, AND WE KNEW THAT BY CREATING A FESTIVAL EVENT WHERE IT’S MULTIGENERATIONAL, IT’S A PEACEFUL EVENT. ALL THE COMMUNITIES THAT COME TOGETHER, WE MIGHT FLOURISH AND START CHANGING SOME OF THE DIFFERENT ATTITUDES AND AND STUFF THAT’S GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHAT ARE YOU HOPING THAT PEOPLE WHO GO TO THIS I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THERE’S A CELEBRATION. THERE’S A LOT OF MUSIC, GREAT FOOD. WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS EXPERIENCE? BE THEY AFRICAN-AMERICAN OR ANY OTHER ANY OTHER BACKGROUND? YEAH. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANT TO SHOWCASE IN THIS IN OUR COMMUNITY IS OUR DIVERSITY IN OUR CULTURE. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA OR BLACK PEOPLE IN PITTSBURGH, FOR THAT MATTER. SO WE TRY TO PROMOTE OUR CULTURE AND EDUCATION WITH THE FESTIVAL EVENTS. WE WANT THE YOUTH TO COME IN AND DO SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO INSPIRE FOR THEM TO MAYBE DO SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE. THEY CAN SEE SOMETHING. THEY CAN SEE THIS NATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT. THEY SEE OUR LOCAL ARTISTS. ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT WE’RE GOING TO DO ON MONDAY IS WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A COMMUNITY PEACE DAY FOR JUNETEENTH. PEACE DAY, WHERE ALL THE RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IS COMING DOWN TO THE POINT THAT’LL BE FROM 130 TO ABOUT 230. AND WE’RE GOING TO DISCUSS ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE IT’S REALLY RAVAGING OUR COMMUNITY. SO WE’RE TRYING TO DO SOMETHING TO CURB THAT. THAT TAKES A MINUTE. MY NEXT POINT, THERE ARE SOME VERY SERIOUS UNDERTONES OF THIS EVENT AS WELL. YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT INVOLVES VOTING, I UNDERSTAND, AS PART OF THIS. THIS CELEBRATION. YEAH. SO THE PARADE THAT WE JUST DID THE OTHER DAY WAS OUR VOTING RIGHTS PARADE. WE CREATED THAT AS A JUNETEENTH VOTING RIGHTS PARADE. WE ACTUALLY OUR PARADE IS A REENACTMENT OF A PARADE THAT WAS HELD HERE IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH FROM 1870 CALLED THE JUBILEE OF FREEMEN PARADE IN 1870, 5000 PEOPLE MARCHED IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS. THEN WE LEARNED THAT IN 1914, WE HAD THE FIRST SUFFRAGE PARADE HERE. SO WE COMBINE ALL THAT INTO OUR JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION. SO IT’S THE VOTING RIGHTS ISSUE FOR BLACK PEOPLE IS WOMEN’S VOTING RIGHTS. AND THEN IT’S THE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION. SO WE’RE TRYING TO EDUCATE ALONG WITH OUR CELEBRATION AS MUCH AS WE CAN. WHAT DOES JUNETEENTH MEAN TO TO BLACK AMERICANS? I MEAN, WHAT SHOULD WE THINK ABOUT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT JUNETEENTH? SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT JUNETEENTH, WE THINK ABOUT IN 1865 WHEN BLACK UNION SOLDIERS WENT INTO TEXAS AND FOUND OUT THAT BLACK PEOPLE WERE STILL BEING ENSLAVED AND THEY WERE TELLING THEM, YOU’RE FREE, YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE FREE. AND THEN SO THAT WAS THE THAT WAS THE START OF JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION. AND WHAT BLACK PEOPLE SHOULD BE FEELING A GREAT RELIEF OF INDEPENDENCE AND ENJOYMENT BECAUSE IN 1776, WHEN THEY CELEBRATED THE INDEPENDENCE OF AMERICA AND THE 4TH OF JULY, BLACK PEOPLE WERE STILL ENSLAVED. SO THAT WAS NOT OUR PART OF OUR INDEPENDENCE. OUR INDEPENDENCE CAME IN 1863, 65, WHEN WE LEARNED THAT WE HAD BEEN FREE AT CHATTEL SLAVERY. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I TRY TO STRESS TO PEOPLE IS THAT JUNETEENTH IS ACTUALLY AMERICA’S SECOND INDEPENDENCE DAY. IT’S NOT A BLACK HOLIDAY. IT’S NOT A SPANISH HOLIDAY. IT’S NOT. IT’S AN AMERICAN HOLIDAY. SO EVERY EVERY AMERICAN IN THE COUNTRY SHOULD BE CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH. STILL AHEAD, MAYBE THEY DIDN’T THINK THAT THEY COULD DO ENTREPRENEUR SHIP BEFORE, BUT ONCE THEY WALKED THROUGH OUR DOORS, THEY ABSOLUTELY FEEL LIKE IT’S POSSIBLE BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS THROUGH BUSINESS. HOW A WOMAN IS HELPING BLACK PITTSBURGHERS WRITE THEIR OWN SUCCESS STORIES. WELCOME BACK TO WTAE WTAE LISTENS. JUNETEENTH IS ABOUT BLACK FREEDOM IN ALL ITS FORMS. THE HOLIDAY ALSO CELEBRATES THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME WITH EMANCIPATION, INCLUDING THE FREEDOM TO OWN A BUSINESS. WE SAT DOWN WITH A BLACK BUSINESS ADVOCATE WHO’S HELPING MAKE DREAMS A REALITY. WE’RE JOINED NOW BY CAMILLE BAILEY, BLACK, BUSINESS ADVOCATE HERE IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. CAMILLE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU. ON THIS JUNETEENTH, WHAT IS THE STATE OF BLACK OWNED BUSINESS HERE IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AND REALLY IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA? YEAH, SO THAT’S A LOADED QUESTION. AND IT’S FUNNY BECAUSE WE SEE A LOT OF GROWTH. WE’VE SEEN LOTS OF NEW BUSINESSES POP UP, ESPECIALLY SINCE COVID, BECAUSE PEOPLE DECIDED TO START BUSINESSES TO MEET NEEDS THAT EXISTED. AND WHILE THOSE BUSINESSES HAVE STARTED, ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS IS CAPACITY. SO WE START BUSINESSES AND THEY TEND TO BE LIKE SOLE PROPRIETOR SHIPS, BUT NOT REALLY GROWING TO THE POINT WHERE WE’RE HIRING STAFF AND REALLY STARTING TO POUR BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY THROUGH CREATING JOBS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. AND SOME OF THAT HAS A LITTLE BIT TO DO WITH SOME SYSTEMIC BARRIERS AROUND FINANCING. BUT WE’RE GROWING AND WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF WORK TO DO WITH HOW WE GROW AND THE RATE AT WHICH WE’RE GROWING, BUT WE’RE GROWING, AND YOU’VE CERTAINLY HELPED IN THAT EFFORT. IN FACT, TELL EVERYBODY ABOUT THE WEBSITE YOU STARTED IN ORDER TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES. YES. SO MY BLACK BUSINESS ADVOCACY REALLY STARTED WITH THE COCOA PRENEUR DIRECTORY, AND THAT WORK STARTED IN 2015 WITH REALLY A SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE, MAGE THAT THEN GREW INTO A WEBSITE THAT BECAME PUBLIC SO FOLKS COULD ACCESS THIS INFORMATION AS THEY NEEDED TO. BUT IT COMPILES BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES IN THE GREATER PITTSBURGH REGION. OKAY. AND THEN YOU DID MORE THAN JUST TELL PEOPLE ABOUT BUSINESSES YOU’VE HELPED IN TERMS OF FUNDRAISING, SOMETHING CALLED GREENWOOD WEEK. IF YOU CAN EXPLAIN HOW THAT WORKS. YES. SO WITH THE WORK WITH COCOA PRENEUR FOLKS STARTED TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT I LOVE TO DO, RIGHT, WHICH IS ENRICH BLACK BUSINESSES. AND A WOMAN NAMED SAMANTHA BLACK CAME UP TO ME AND WAS LIKE, HEY, I THINK WE SHOULD PARTNER AND CREATE THESE CLASSES. AND THAT WAS THE BIRTH OF GREENWOOD WEEK. AND WHAT WE DID WAS PUT TOGETHER THESE BUSINESS ACUMEN CLASSES THAT ANY BUSINESS OWNER WOULD NEED TO KNOW AND WE CURATED THEM WITH OTHER BLACK SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS FROM THE REGION. SO FOLKS COULD IDENTIFY AND IT MADE IT THAT MUCH MORE PALATABLE FOR OUR BLACK BUSINESS OWNERS TO RECEIVE THE INFORMATION, DIGEST IT, AND THEN USE IT IN THE BUSINESSES THAT THEY SARTED. NOW THAT’S TURNED INTO AN ACTUAL FUNDRAISING EFFORT FOR SOME OF THOSE BUSINESSES. YEAH, WE GIVE GRANTS OUT REGULARLY THROUGH GREENWOOD WEEK. WE WILL DO SPONSORSHIPS FOR THE TICKETS. SO INSTEAD OF HAVING PEOPLE PAY FOR THE TICKETS TO ATTEND, WE WILL OFTEN ASK CORPORATE SPONSORS OR PHILANTHROPISTS TO PAY FOR THOSE TICKETS FOR THE BLACK BUSINESSES TO BE ABLE TO ALLEVIATE THAT EXPENSE. BUT WE ALSO GIVE OUT THESE SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS THAT WILL SOMETIMES HELP PEOPLE PAY UTILITIES FOR BUSINESS OR BUY NEW EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEEDED, WHICH HAS REALLY PROVED TO BE USEFUL FOR A LOT OF OUR BUSINESS OWNERS. HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT IN ALL THAT YOU’RE ABLE TO DONATE? OH, THAT’S A TOUGH QUESTION. I SAW SOME NUMBERS BEFOREIN MY RESEARCH HERE DURING COVID. IF I HAD TO PUT A NUMBER ON IT, WE PROBABLY HAVE GIVEN AWAY UPWARD OF $150,000 IN GRANTS. THAT’S THROUGH COCOA PRENEUR AND GREENWOOD. THIS IS $500 GRANTS OR $5,000 GRANTS. BUT IT’S PROBABLY UPWARD OF $150,000. NOW, THE LATEST THING THAT YOU’VE DEVELOPED IS A CO-WORKING SPACE IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH, SPECIFICALLY FOR BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES. AND THOSE WHO WANT TO BEGIN A BLACK OWNED BUSINESS. YEAH, EMERALD CITY, PITTSBURGH IS REALLY WHERE DREAMS COME TO GROW AND FESTER. IT IS A CO-WORKING SPACE THAT IS CURATED FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR BLACK ENTREPRENEURS AND CREATIVES. AND WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT WHEN THEY WALK INTO THE SPACE, THEY SEE BLACK ART AND BLACK CULTURE, BLACK MUSIC. THEY SEE OTHER SUCCESSFUL BLACK BUSINESS OWNERS. AND IT REALLY IS A PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE WORK THAT GREENWOOD WEEK AND COCOA PRENEUR AIM TO PUT TOGETHER SO PEOPLE GET TO BE IN A PHYSICAL SPACE WHERE THEY CAN TOUCH AND SEE AND TALK TO OTHER ENTREPRENEURS WHO THEY ASPIRE TO BE LIKE THEY CAN MEET WITH OTHER POLITICIANS, MOVERS AND SHAKERS AND OUR ECOSYSTEM THAT REALLY MAKE OUR ECONOMY GO AND FIND OUT FIRSTHAND WHAT THEY NEED TO GROW AND BE A PART OF THAT ECOSYSTEM. SO THIS WORKS LIKE AN INCUBATOR. IT IS LIKE AN INCUBATOR. IT’S A COMMUNITY. IT FEELS LIKE A FAMILY ON MOST DAYS. WE SHARE EVERYTHING RESOURCES, FOOD, YOU KNOW, GOSSIP. BUT IT’S A BEAUTIFUL PLACE WHERE PEOPLE REALLY COME AND ARE AFFIRMED AND FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY DIDN’T THINK THAT THEY COULD DO ENTREPRENEURSHIP BEFORE, BUT ONCE THEY WALK THROUGH OUR DOORS, THEY ABSOLUTELY FEEL LIKE IT’S POSSIBLE. SO, CAMILLE, WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE FROM THOSE BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT YOU’RE PROVIDING THEM TO HELP TO TO NURTURE THEM AND TO GROW THEM? YEAH. SO A THANK YOU IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED AND WE GET THOSE PLENTY. BUT THERE’S TWO RESPONSES IN PARTICULAR THAT I HAVE COME TO REALLY VALUE. ONE OF THEM IS FOLKS ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL HELP AND SERVICES FOR THAT. YOU KNOW, FOR ME THAT MEANS THAT THEY TRUST ME AND THEY TRUST WHAT WE’RE DOING AND THEY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN GIVE ANSWERS WHERE THEY NEED THEM. THE OTHER ONE IS OVERWHELMING EMOTION, WHICH HAPPENS OFTEN. I’VE HAD OLDER FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE ADVOCACY SPACE FOR A LONG TIME WALK INTO EMERALD CITY, SEE WHAT IT IS THAT WE’RE BUILDING AND THE RELATIONSHIPS WE’RE CULTIVATING, AND GET TEARY EYED. AND THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE THIS IS WORK THAT WE HAVE CARRIED ON, RIGHT? WE’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING NEW. WE’RE REALLY JUST CARRYING ON TRADITIONS THAT HAVE MAYBE BEEN DROPPED OFF FOR A BIT. BUT THIS IS NOT NEW WORK. THIS IS WORK THAT HAS BEEN IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY FOR A LONG TIME, SINCE JUNETEENTH STARTED. AND, YOU KNOW, FOLKS HAVE BEEN STARTING BUSINESSES AND FOR WHATEVER REASON THROUGHOUT AMERICAN HISTORY, THOSE EFFORTS WERE THWARTED. NOW WE’RE COMING BACK AND LOOKING BACK IN THE HISTORY BOOKS TO SAY, OKAY, WHAT DID OUR FOREFATHERS DO TO BRING BLACK ECONOMIES TO GROWTH AND HOW CAN WE REPLICATE THAT AND THEN ALSO COMPOUND ONTO IT AND MAKE IT EVEN MORE EFFICIENT? FINALLY, LET ME ASK YOU, WE HEAR ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH JUNETEENTH HAPPENING SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES, WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN? OR WHAT IS SUPPORTING A BLACK OWNED BUSINESS? IS IT MORE THAN JUST BUYING THE PRODUCT OR ARE THERE OTHER ELEMENTS INVOLVED THERE ARE OTHER ELEMENTS. OF COURSE, SUPPORT WITH YOUR DOLLARS, THAT’S ALWAYS GOING TO BE AN ANSWER FOR THIS. BUT ANOTHER WAY IS TO DONATE TIME, ENERGY, TREASURE. AGAIN. BLACK BUSINESSES NEED CAPACITY. SO IF THERE ARE FOLKS WHO HAVE SKILLS AND TALENTS THAT CAN LEND TO THE GROWTH OF A BLACK BUSINESS, THAT’S GOING TO BE HELPFUL, RIGHT? SO IF YOU CAN HELP A BLACK BUSINESS WITH A STRATEGIC PLAN OR FINANCIAL PLANNING OR MAKE AN INTRODUCTION, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE VERY HELPFUL. WHAT WE NEED IS PARTNERS, ACCOMPLICES WHO REALLY ARE INVESTED IN THE GROWTH AND UNDERSTAND THAT FOR BLACK BUSINESS OWNERS, WHEN WE GROW, EVERYBODY IN THE REGION IS GOING TO GROW AS WELL. RIGHT? YOU HAVE MORE OPTIONS FOR PLACES TO GO FOR YOUR SERVICES AND YOUR PRODUCTS, AND IT REALLY IMPACTS THE REGION IN A WAY THAT IS MORE COMMUNITY THAN WE’VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. YOU ARE WATCHING WTAE WTAE LISTENS. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK. WELCOME BACK TO WTAE WTAE LISTENS WHETHER YOU LIVE IN ONE OF PITTSBURGH’S NEIGHBORHOODS OR ANY SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, TELL US ABOUT WHAT’S WRONG AND WHAT’S RIGHT IN YOUR AREA SO WE CAN LISTEN. YOU CAN SEND US AN EMAIL WTAE LISTENS@HEARST.COM. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AND HAVE A GOOD WEEK.