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UrbanKind in the News

Commentary: CMU’s map of Pittsburgh neighborhoods is a symptom of larger disinvestment and neglect

What does it mean to be invisible?

Ralph Ellison in his novel "Invisible Man" describes the concept in these words: “I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” Ellison uses the metaphor of invisibility to describe the relationship that Black Americans have with white Americans. Through their social conditioning, whites are unable to see Blacks as actual beings.

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Three community leaders who led COVID vaccine events in Pittsburgh offer ‘one step in the solution..

Navigating the COVID-19 vaccination scheduling site in Allegheny County is like taking an online final exam when none of the multiple-choice options is the right answer; a privileged few are wrecking the grading curve; and the entrance to the exam site is obscured for the poor, homeless, Black and Brown.

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Lynne Hayes-Freeland Show, Pt. 2

Lynne Hayes Freeland spoke with members of the Black Equity Coalition about concerns surrounding rising COVID-19 cases.

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Lynne Hayes-Freeland Show, Pt. 1

Lynne Hayes Freeland spoke with members of the Black Equity Coalition about concerns surrounding rising COVID-19 cases.

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Impact of Vaccine with Lynn Hayes Freeland, Part 3

Lynne Hayes Freeland spoke with Dr. Tiffany Gary-Webb and Dr. Jamil Bey of Black Equity Coalition to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine and what it means for the African American community.

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Impact of Vaccine with Lynn Hayes Freeland, Part 1

Lynne Hayes Freeland spoke with Dr. Tiffany Gary-Webb and Dr. Jamil Bey of Black Equity Coalition to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine and what it means for the African American community.

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Impact of Vaccine with Lynn Hayes Freeland, Part 2

Lynne Hayes Freeland spoke with Dr. Tiffany Gary-Webb and Dr. Jamil Bey of Black Equity Coalition to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 vaccine and what it means for the African American community.

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Jamil Bey wants you to use the Pittsburgh Land Bank to revitalize the ...

In January of 2016, he founded UrbanKind Institute, a community engagement consulting firm dedicated to strengthening resident participation ... read more

How Amazon's HQ2 may both bring growth and imperil Pittsburgh's ...

Co-sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Human Rights Project, UrbanKind Institute and the University of Pittsburgh's Urban Studies ... read more

Why Environmentalists Are Poking Holes in Pittsburgh's Climate

And yet many of them didn't seem convinced it would work. “We don't see this actually as a plan,” said Jason Beery of the UrbanKind Institute...read more

Will McKinley Park Upgrades Improve the Struggling Beltzhoover

Jamil Bey is the executive director of the UrbanKind Institute. He has been a key voice in discussions about McKinley Park and how the project ... read more

Report Examines Challenges Pittsburgh Faces in Attracting, Retaining Young Black Professionals

Tayler Clemm, 23, is the kind of ambitious young black person an informal coalition of groups has begun working to keep in Pittsburgh ... read more

Neighborhood Allies Interviews Dr. Jamil Bey

Dr. Bey, Executive Director of UrbanKind Institute, is a researcher, analyst ... to the Neighborhood Allies Team, and to Pittsburgh neighborhoods ... .read more

Latest Insights

The Fierce Urgency of Our Environmental Now

UrbanKind Institute's Dr. Jason Beery set aside some time to think through the present and future environmental health threats in Pittsburgh.

"Despite Pittsburgh’s transformation from its dirty industrial past, its residents still deal with air pollution, toxic and polluted water, and other environmental problems that threaten their health. At the same time, future environmental threats—the development of the local petrochemical industry and climate change—stand to make existing problems even worse. These threats require urgent attention." Read more