Area Resources
Pittsburgh offers a number of resources to help inspire, guide, and realize your goals. Below you can find information on cultural centers, professional development opportunities, diverse publications and community resources.
Centers, Organizations, and Associations
African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania
The mission of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania is to continuously improve business and professional opportunities for African American Business owners and professionals.
African American Leadership Association
AALA is a member-based organization dedicated to providing African Americans and minorities with: exposure, enrichment, opportunities and access to leadership positions. AALA provides African Americans and minorities with programming that will prepare them not only for leadership positions, but position African American and minority leaders to work collectively towards influential leadership.
The Black Political Empowerment Project
The Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) was launched May 21, 1986, to ensure that the Pittsburgh African-American community votes in every single election. B-PEP relies on the dedication of agencies, organizations, religious leaders, and committed individuals who donate incredible amounts of hours to uplift our communities and provide a sense of purpose.
Center on Race and Social Problems
The University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP) at the University of Pittsburgh was established to help lead America further along the path to social justice by conducting race-related research, mentoring emerging scholars, and disseminating race-related research findings and scholarship. The CRSP conducts applied social science research on race, color, ethnicity and their influence on the quality of life for all Americans.
Executive Action & Response Network
Read about the Executive Action & Response Network (EARN):
• "Pittsburgh Black business leaders create ‘Executive Action & Response Network’," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
• "Black executives form EARN push for racial justice in the workplace," NEXTpittsburgh
• "EARN launches to hold firms accountable for racial justice," Pittsburgh Business Times
• "Sweat Equity: Taking the initiative to push for Black executives in Pittsburgh's businesses," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Greater Pittsburgh Higher Education Diversity Consortium
Networking organization for higher education professionals and executives in the Southwestern PA Region who focus on diversity, inclusion, and/or multicultural affairs and are subject matter experts.
Latin American Studies Association
The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America, bringing together experts on Latin America from all disciplines and diverse occupational endeavors, across the globe. LASA seeks to foster intellectual discussion, research, and teaching on Latin America, the Caribbean, and its people throughout the Americas, promote the interests of its diverse membership, and encourage civic engagement through network building and public debate.
Office of Diversity and Inclusion
The University of Pittsburgh Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) aspires to help create and sustain a university-wide culture that understands that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to the University’s mission and continued excellence. Through strategic initiatives and partnerships, policy development and stewardship, innovation, education, and complaint resolution, ODI will shape Pitt’s future to one where all community members can fully realize their potential.
Pennsylvania Diversity Council
The Pennsylvania Diversity Council (PADC) is committed to fostering a learning environment for organizations to grow and leverage their knowledge of diversity. Through a variety of events and programs, the PADC serves as the premier resource for diversity best practices and leadership development in the state of Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition
The Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition envisions a healthy, thriving, sustainable African American community where residents live, work, play and worship safely and successfully.
Pittsburgh Latino Community Center
The Latino Community Center operates under a mission to empower, advocate with, and celebrate Latinos in Allegheny County.
Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (PMAHCC) is the principal regional advocate for the Hispanic business community’s civic and economic interests and provides regional business opportunities for economic development.
Poise Foundation
With a mission to assist the Black community in achieving self-sustaining practices, through strategic leadership, collective giving, grantmaking and advocacy, the Poise Foundation envisions a Pittsburgh Region in which all members of the Black Community are empowered and self-sufficient.
Its African American Funders Group (AAFG) advances the rich history of African Americans in philanthropy by providing a welcoming and supportive environment in which professionals in the field can build networks, develop expertise, and find partners in the work of addressing the complex issues facing African Americans in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI)
The Advanced Leadership Institute is strives for meaningful representation of Black executives and professionals in business and community leadership roles . TALI activates its vision of creating more diverse, inclusive, and prosperous professional communities programs that provide the tools, exposure, support, and training to succeed.
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh
The Mission of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh is to enable African Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity and power, and civil rights.
Vibrant Pittsburgh
Vibrant Pittsburgh’s mission is to build a thriving and inclusive Pittsburgh region by attracting, retaining and elevating a diversity of talent.
Publications
Black Pittsburgh
BlackPittsburgh.com is an online destination for content written by and for Black Pittsburghers, featuring news, events, and real-time resources catering to Pittsburgh’s Black community.
The New Pittsburgh Courier
The New Pittsburgh Courier is one of the oldest and most prestigious Black newspapers in the United States, which continues to serve as a trusted vehicle for Black expression.
Presente
PRESENTE is a bilingual publication focused on Western PA’s growing Latinx community. Our mission is to share culturally relevant content that keeps our Latino population connected, empowers our community, and elevates the quality of life of Hispanics in the region.
The Soul Pitt
Soul Pitt® Media is a multi-channel local media company that serves the African-American population in Western PA and the surrounding communities by delivering the latest, most informative and most comprehensive content via its award-winning internet and print platforms TheSoulPitt.com and Soul Pitt Quarterly print magazine.
The Soul Pitt: Pittsburgh Black Business Directory
Looking for a Minority or Black Owned Business in the Pittsburgh area? Easily search the Pittsburgh Black Business Directory on any keyword or name or click on a “business category.”
Visit Pittsburgh: Directory of Black-Owned Businesses
Explore an important part of Pittsburgh's culture through its black-owned business. From restaurants and bars, to arts and culture, you won't want to miss these local favorites.
Arts and Other Resources
2020 Most Diverse Neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh Area
The 2020 Most Diverse Places ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the overall diversity of an area. This grade takes into account key indicators of a location’s demographic composition, including the levels of variance in race, age, and income levels among residents, in an attempt to measure an area’s extent of diversity.
August Wilson African American Cultural Center
The mission of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center is to own and operate a home for the arts, storytelling, learning and exchange around the African American experience and the rich culture of the African diaspora. We are guided by the enduring truths and essential values evident in the work of August Wilson.
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater
Named after 20th century entertainment legends, Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn, both natives of Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater (KST) is reflective of the passion that its founders had for the arts. Today, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater carries on the legacy of its founders by fostering bold and innovative artistry with a global perspective. The theater celebrates diversity in voice, thought, and expression, and upholds a firm commitment to inclusion.
Latin American Cultural Center
This museum and center is an outreach initiative of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA), a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization of nearly 14,000 scholars and students from around the world. The LACC celebrates Latin America through programs that foster a heightened understanding and appreciation for Latin American arts, history, and culture.
The Blue, Gold and Black Digital Archive
The Blue, Gold and Black Digital Archive is a collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh Library System and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to collect and share materials that reflect the incredible variety of experiences and memories of Black students, faculty, and staff at Pitt.
University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms
The rooms were designed to represent the culture of various ethnic groups that settled in Allegheny County and are supported by these cultural groups and governments. Tours are conducted year round. The public is invited to experience their ethnic identity and ancestral roots and to develop an understanding to the unique totality of America's heritage. The rooms are also in use as University classrooms.