A rising chorus of voices have called for redress and compensation to level the playing field for African Americans across all walks of life. A New History of Black Pittsburgh brings together humanities scholars, social service and social justice activists, and community residents to document multigenerational patterns of class and racial inequality and forge a comprehensive case for reparatory justice.

Focusing on industry’s “first city,” the authors draw on oral histories, archival research, and scholarship to examine more than two centuries of Pittsburgh’s history. By featuring a city home to professional Negro League baseball teams, jazz artists, the Pittsburgh Courier, and acclaimed writers and playwrights, the authors show that recognizing ongoing creativity and community-building activities is just as vital for the case for reparations as documenting persistent forms of inequality. A New History of Black Pittsburgh offers insights and policy recommendations to inspire activists, educators, historians, and policymakers working to repair the damage of racial inequality around the globe.

Joe William Trotter Jr. is Giant Eagle University Professor of History and Social Justice and founder and director of the Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE) at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh.

Esther Bush is the Retired President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.

Laurence Glasco is Professor Emeritus of History at University of Pittsburgh and author of August Wilson’s American Century: Life as Art.

Benjamin Houston is Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England; he also served as the original director and ongoing consultant for the CAUSE
“Remembering Africanamerican Pittsburgh” (RAP) oral history project.

Patricia Pugh Mitchell is an educator, Pittsburgh historian, and cultural consultant.

Tony Norman is a freelance writer and columnist based in Pittsburgh, currently writing for Pennsylvania Capital-Star, PublicSource and NEXTpittsburgh.com.

Rob Ruck is an eminent historian at the University of Pittsburgh, where he teaches and writes about sport. He focuses on how people use sports to tell a collective story about who they are—to themselves and to the world.

Carla A. Young is Professor of Critical Reading (CRE) and Ethnic and Diversity Studies (ETH) at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh.