Local black leaders see a difference in Floyd protests
Tim Stevens said he believed the Rev. Al Sharpton made a “powerful observation” in his eulogy for George Floyd on Tuesday afternoon in Houston.
George Floyd, Rev. Sharpton noted, was just an ordinary man.
“And I think because George Floyd was a common person, what has happened across the United States and across the world is even more powerful,” said Mr. Stevens, chairman and CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project. “And it allowed people to focus not on who George Floyd was, but on the cruel death that he experienced.”
Mr. Stevens, who has been a leading voice for social justice in and around Pittsburgh for
decades, watched Mr. Floyd’s funeral live on television at his Highland Park home and said that the service made him emotional. But for Mr. Stevens and other black community leaders in Pittsburgh, Mr. Floyd’s death has awakened an outcry for justice and equality the likes of which they have never seen.
Esther Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, said she has been pleased to see that many of the protests over Mr. Floyd’s death in the custody of Minneapolis police have been attended by white people, and some demonstrations have been made up of predominantly white people.
“The issue of racism is still at the heart of life in America,” Ms. Bush said. “What’s different about the tragic, unfortunate George Floyd situation is even so many white Americans could not believe what they saw and expressed their anger, expressed their dislike.”
Likewise, Mr. Stevens said the racial integration of the George Floyd protests has been apparent to him. He said that shows Mr. Floyd’s death “has touched a nerve and unveiled a scar on America.”
But outrage voiced over the course of a few weeks is not enough, according to Mr. Stevens.
“White people really have to take ownership of this,” Mr. Stevens said. “This is not a black problem — it’s an American problem that happens to affect black people. But it is an American problem that must be solved by us all.”
Black Americans can be leaders and come up with ideas, Mr. Stevens said, but white Americans — especially those in positions of power — will have to buy in to make any real difference.
Mr. Stevens and Ms. Bush have worked for years to bring changes to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. They have advocated for the recruitment of black police officers, greater community outreach, the implementation of implicit bias training and other initiatives.
Ms. Bush deeply respected former Pittsburgh police Chief Cameron McLay, who had a reputation as a reformer. But she said she appreciates that his successor, Scott Schubert, is willing to listen to community concerns.
“You can have an audience with him, you can have an intelligent conversation, you can express why you’re disappointed, upset, something isn’t fair, something looked racist, etc., etc,” Ms. Bush said.
While police brutality has become a key concern of the George Floyd protesters, Mr. Stevens said other aspects of American life need to address racial bias.
Mr. Stevens is part of the Corporate Equity & Inclusion Roundtable initiative, which explores diversity in the Pittsburgh business landscape.
The CEIR plan asks businesses to implement an action plan that identifies objectives for diversity and remove the check box on job applications that asks if applicants have a criminal history.
It also calls for businesses to adopt what it calls the “Comprehensive Rooney Rule — With Results,” in reference to the NFL rule that team owners must interview at least one minority when seeking a new head coach.
What separates the CEIR Rooney Rule from that of the NFL is that it requests African Americans be considered for all positions from entry through executive levels, as well as for all contracting and procurement opportunities. The rule “embraces an intentional commitment to achieve new, meaningful and measurable levels of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the entire organization,” the CEIR initiative said.
“‘With results’ is important,” Mr. Stevens said. “We added that later, and the reason why is because sometimes people try to play with the rules and regulations and not do anything — they want to look good.
“By that method, you can have an interview pool of six people, maybe four or five of them are African American, other minorities or whatever,” he continued. “But if the company keeps employing a white person time and time again, obviously they’re not really serious about it. So that’s why we added the term ‘with results.’”
Ms. Bush said she questions why she still must fight the same battles against racism and inequality that she did decades ago.
She said, though, that she believes the work being done to fight inequality and engagement of white Americans will make a difference.
“I’m positive we’re closer, that we will be able, together — black and white, young and old, rich and poor, in the city of Pittsburgh — to make measurable change,” she said.