Black Community Not to Blame for Pittsburgh's August Wilson Center Crisis
NEW PITTSBURGH GAZETTE
By Fred Logan
PENNSYLVANIA---We are all very sad to hear that the August Wilson Center is in deep financial trouble and may close its doors. But don’t let anyone try to tell you that the local Black community is to blame for AWC’s plight. The May 11, 2013 Post-Gazette reported that AWC has a multi-million dollar debt and is laying off its staff. Some fools are bound to argue what they always do: They will also charge that the Black community does this and that with its money but doesn't support black institutions as much as it should. [link]
Even if this is true in general, we still, in this case, are not the blame for AWC. The local Black community at large never pledged or signed an oath that it would take on ACW’s financial burden. It was never polled on support for AWC. On a very bright, but cold and windy weekday morning several years back, I was at the AWC’s groundbreaking with Aisha White. We stood there trembling in the cold under a great big white tent. Bill Robinson, Dan Onorato, and several other elected officials were on the platform to speak. At the time, Neil Barclay was AWC’s CEO. He said the center had raised $27 million of its $38 million total costs. And it looked to raise most of the $11 million shortfall in the Black community. That was my first time hearing that.
By Fred Logan
PENNSYLVANIA---We are all very sad to hear that the August Wilson Center is in deep financial trouble and may close its doors. But don’t let anyone try to tell you that the local Black community is to blame for AWC’s plight. The May 11, 2013 Post-Gazette reported that AWC has a multi-million dollar debt and is laying off its staff. Some fools are bound to argue what they always do: They will also charge that the Black community does this and that with its money but doesn't support black institutions as much as it should. [link]
Even if this is true in general, we still, in this case, are not the blame for AWC. The local Black community at large never pledged or signed an oath that it would take on ACW’s financial burden. It was never polled on support for AWC. On a very bright, but cold and windy weekday morning several years back, I was at the AWC’s groundbreaking with Aisha White. We stood there trembling in the cold under a great big white tent. Bill Robinson, Dan Onorato, and several other elected officials were on the platform to speak. At the time, Neil Barclay was AWC’s CEO. He said the center had raised $27 million of its $38 million total costs. And it looked to raise most of the $11 million shortfall in the Black community. That was my first time hearing that.
Comments