Tube City Almanac

November 09, 2013

'McKeesport Voices' Debuts Next Week

Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report


This summer, 31 male students, ages 11 to 20, and 31 men, ages 22 to 87, participated in "Crossing Fences", a program to bring African American men and boys together through storytelling.

The results will be unveiled next week in three communities, including McKeesport, by Pittsburgh-based SLB Radio Productions.

"McKeesport Voices," a multimedia text and audio presentation, will debut at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at Carnegie Library of McKeesport, 1507 Library Ave.

Other events are being held in Pittsburgh's Hilltop and Northside neighborhoods.

Executive Director Larry Berger said activities were conducted in collaboration with the Youth CAST Leadership Program in McKeesport, Allegheny Youth Development at Pittsburgh Schiller 6-8 school on Pittsburgh's North Side, and Voices Against Violence at McKinley Park Recreation Center in Beltzhoover.

The resulting interviews and youth reflections are published in booklets that will be released and distributed at no charge during neighborhood and citywide celebrations, said Berger, longtime host of "The Saturday Light Brigade," heard Saturday mornings on Pittsburgh's WRCT-FM (88.3) and community radio stations elsewhere in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The new booklets --- Northside Voices, Hilltop Voices and McKeesport Voices --- join Hazelwood Voices, Hill District Voices and Homewood Voices as part of what is now a six-volume series in which boys and young men have authentically portraying the lives of exemplary men in their community, Berger said.

"Each event will provide you with the opportunity to meet and congratulate the participating boys and men, hear their stories, and pick up publications to take back to your community," Berger said.

A "Citywide Celebration" will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 20 at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, 980 Liberty Ave., downtown Pittsburgh.

Crossing Fences was conceived and carried out by SLB Radio Productions, Inc. and made possible by The Heinz Endowments African American Men and Boys Initiative with additional support from PNC Bank, Private Wealth Advisors, UPMC Health Plan, Hive Pittsburgh, The Duckworth Group at Merrill Lynch, Manchester Youth Development Center, Manchester Academic Charter School, Rothschild Doyno Collaborative, the New Pittsburgh Courier and McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko.






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