pittsburgh
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A Story About Charles Kinsey, My New (White) Neighbors, And The Racial Politics Of Calling The Police
I live in a two story loft that sits above a coffee shop on one of Pittsburgh’s busy intersections. It also exists directly across the street from a park, within walking distance of several restaurants, and a few blocks away from a hospital. Naturally, the neighborhood gets quite a bit of foot traffic during the day.…
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How Former TV News Anchor Wendy Bell Is Suing for the Right to Be Racist, Explained
Who is Wendy Bell? Wendy Bell was a lead anchor for WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate. But since she is no longer employed by WTAE (and apparently no longer employable), her only current job title is Professional White Woman. Why is she no longer employed and employable? On March 9, six people were killed in a…
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White Pa. TV Anchor Fired After Racial Comments Files Federal Discrimination Lawsuit
A white Pittsburgh TV news anchor who was fired for racial comments she made in a Facebook post about a shooting she covered is now fighting back: She has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit saying that she would not have been fired for her remarks if she were black, the Washington Post reports. Back in…
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Thoughts On WTAE-TV Anchor Wendy Bell (The "White Privilege Turducken") Getting Fired Today
When I wrote about WTAE-TV anchor Wendy Bell’s racially problematic Facebook post last week, I began by stating I did not intend for her to get fired. This was true then and is still true now. I wasn’t writing with that aim. And even now, after learning she was let go earlier today, I don’t feel particularly happy…
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Why "Well-Meaning" White People Like WTAE-TV's Wendy Bell, The White Privilege Turducken, Are The Worst
Wendy Bell is a lead anchor for WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate. I’ve never met her in person before, but I know many people who have. And she’s generally regarded as a pleasant, kind, and professional woman. And, like many otherwise pleasant, kind, and professional White people, Wendy Bell is utterly clueless about race, White privilege, and…
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Wilkinsburg, The Side Of America's "Most Livable City" Pittsburgh Doesn't Want You To See
In many of the news stories you’ll read today about the mass shooting in Wilkinsburg Wednesday night — which left five dead and three others wounded — it’ll be referred to as a suburb of Pittsburgh. While this is technically true, it’s a bit of a misnomer. One because none of the qualities commonly associated with suburbs…
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Her Name Was Janese Talton-Jackson. And She Was Killed Because She Said "No"
I did not know Janese Talton-Jackson on a personal level. There’s a chance I might have seen her before. And a lesser chance I might have spoken to her. But if I did either, I don’t remember. But after news of her death began to circulate Facebook Friday afternoon, and more and more people spoke of…
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Tamir Rice Was 12 Years Old
I was in the lobby of the Ace — a boutique hotel that opened its doors this month in East Liberty (the Pittsburgh neighborhood I grew up in) — meeting with activist and educator Liana Maneese. We were meeting to discuss her new project — Adopting Identity, which is described on its website as “a movement that…
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Announcing The Launch Of 1839
For the past several months, I’ve been working with a number of people — including writer Deesha Philyaw, janera solomon of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, and VSB’s own sarah huny young — to create 1839, a Pittsburgh-based magazine that takes a nuanced look at the intersection of race, politics, the arts, community and culture in…