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From YouTube: #TBT: 2011 The Strength of Steel
Description
Welcome to City Channel Pittsburgh's Throwback Thursday series! We will upload a new episode each Thursday morning.
This week, we're going back to 2011. This is our coverage of the city's annual Black History Month event.
A
This
year's
exhibit
theme
is
the
strength
of
steel,
a
tribute
to
african-american
steel
workers
in
Pittsburgh,
I'm
sure
you'll
agree
that
there's
no
more
appropriate
tie
to
our
city
to
tell
us
more
about
this
tribute
to
steel
workers
and
those
who
have
made
it
possible.
Its
mayor's
office
representative,
Miss,
santé,
Turner,.
B
Good
evening,
on
behalf
of
mayor
Luke,
Ravenstahl
I
welcome
you
and
thank
you
for
your
attendance
at
the
city
of
Pittsburgh
annual
Black
History
Month
celebration.
Every
year.
The
Department
of
Parks
and
Recreation
highlights
a
unique
aspect
of
the
african-american
experience
and
produces
an
event
that
the
mayor
is
proud
to
support
and
share
with
the
residents
of
this
great
city.
B
This
year's
theme
the
strength
of
steel,
a
tribute
to
african-american
steel
workers
in
Pittsburgh
is
one
that
lives
up
to
that
tradition
and
will
resonate
with
all
Pittsburghers
steel
and
the
steel
industry
are
synonymous
with
pittsburgh.
Pictures
of
smokestacks
and
mills
lining
our
riverbanks
are
embedded
in
our
minds
even
now,
when
they
are
graced
with
new
housing,
green
spaces
in
other
forms
of
Industry.
The
pictures
of
grease
smudged
faces
and
sweat
covered
brows
transport
us
back
to
a
time
when
we
truly
were
the
Steel
City
working
at
the
mill
was
a
way
of
life
mill.
B
Workers
were
our
fathers,
our
brothers,
our
neighbors
and
our
friends.
These
individuals
bravely
took
some
of
the
toughest
and
most
dangerous
jobs
in
the
region,
but
as
tough
as
it
was
for
them,
it
was
all
the
more
challenging
for
the
african-american
steel
worker.
Tonight
we
pay
tribute
to
those
who
endured
to
those
who
would
not
let
adversity
stop
them
and
to
those
who
gave
the
ultimate
sacrifice
for
the
American
Dream
to
those
who
just
wanted
to
make
a
decent
living
and
support
their
families.
Tonight
we
pay
tribute
to
those
who
helped
build
this
city.
I.
B
Thank
you
to
Director
Radley
and
the
city
park
staff
for
their
continued
hard
work,
and
thank
you
to
the
following
sponsors
and
supporters
for
making
this
exhibit
possible.
United
Steelworkers
Tony
bobba
of
Braddock
films,
96.1
kiss-fm,
rivers
of
steel,
National,
Heritage,
Area
and
Penn
brewery.
Thank
you
and
enjoy
your
evening.
A
A
C
You
thank
you
Mike
and
Sante,
and
Dwayne
Ashley
and
council
president
Darlene
Harris
and
judge
Johnson
on
behalf
of
Steel
Workers
Union
and
our
President
Leo
Gerard,
our
district
director
John
DeFazio.
We
are
pleased
to
be
here
tonight
in
this
celebration
of
people
who,
in
our
organization
we
consider
pioneers
and
and
true
Giants
I,
want
to
commend
the
city
on
this.
C
C
They
contributed
to
the
stability
of
our
communities,
they
pay
taxes,
they
bought
homes,
they
bought
cars
and
they
educated
their
children
and
because
of
their
courage
and
their
demand
for
justice
and
fairness.
We,
our
new
union
today,
steel
workers,
today
white,
black
Hispanic,
Asian,
male/female,
old
and
young
today,
we're
speaking
in
one
voice.
One
voice
for
fairness
was
speaking
in
one
voice
for
pay
equity.
Steel
workers
today
speak
with
one
voice
for
industrial
manufacturing
policy
to
save
jobs
and
create
good
manufacturing
jobs
in
one
voice.
C
Steel
workers
today
is
standing
up
together
to
fight
against
unfair
trade
policies
that
place
the
American
worker
at
risk
with
one
voice.
Steel
workers
are
speaking
out
on
behalf
of
all
workers
that
they
may
be
able
to
join
a
union
without
the
threat
and
the
intimidation
of
losing
their
jobs,
so
I
want
to
say
to
the
city.
Once
again.
C
We
thank
you
because
it
is
the
work
of
the
heroes
that
you
see
in
these
photographs
surround
the
wall
because
of
the
people
that
you
have
elected
to
honor
this
month
during
Black
History
Month
than
I
am
proud
to
submit
to
you
that,
because
of
their
work
and
because
of
their
dedication,
the
steelworkers
have
indeed
form
a
more
perfect
union.
Thank
you
very
much.
A
D
D
Working
in
the
steel
mills
was
a
good
saw,
a
job
that
drew
a
lot
of
african-americans
to
the
mills,
but
one
story
about
one
man
drew
me
very
near.
Let
me
tell
you
about
Oliver
Montgomery,
who
was
his
family,
was
the
fourth
generation
to
work
in
the
mills.
He
started
in
1948
in
Youngstown
and
ended
his
career
30
years
later,
at
the
United
Steel
Workers
headquarters
in
Pittsburgh
mr.
Montgomery
spent
20
years
as
an
industrial
bricklayer
who
worked
by
an
open
hearth.
D
D
Later
after
moving
the
Pittsburgh
to
work
at
Union
headquarters,
he
took
classes
at
Georgia,
meaning
Labor
College
of
the
afl-cio,
to
learn
about
economics,
pensions,
insurance,
labor
and
negotiation
techniques.
He
also
was
act
of
any
Army
Reserves.
He
worked
with
Martin
Luther
King
jr.
outside
the
mills
and
worked
with
the
usw
inside
the
mouse.
D
Eventually,
the
rules
changed
and
African
Americans
were
able
to
run
for
union
offices
and
apply
for
any
job
in
the
mills.
Mr.
Montgomery
soon
left
the
mill
and
moved
into
a
position
with
the
National
uswae
staff.
As
a
labor
research,
analyst
and
economics,
he
led
the
charge
to
four
steel
companies
to
open
their
books
before
negotiations,
to
be
sure
that
the
companies
could
afford
union
requests
when
mr.
Montgomery
retired
he
was
a
national
director
of
the
uswae
is
retired
organization
for
the
US
and
Canada
he
was
married.
D
He
has
five
children,
three
grandchildren
and
one
great-grandchild.
Mr.
Montgomery
saw
a
lot
of
discrimination
against
African
Americans
and
became
a
major
player
to
improve
civil
rights
and
I
just
wanted
to
tell
you
that
story.
It
really
impressed
me
and
also
not
just
african-americans,
but
women,
women
too,
and
I'm
not
new
to
the
steelworkers.
My
husband
worked
in
the
homestead
works
back
just
after
graduating
from
high
school.
D
It
had
to
be
done
at
night
because
it
was
way
too
hot
at
any
other
time.
I
want
to
thank
you
for
letting
me
be
part
of
the
city
celebration
of
African,
American
history
and
honoring,
these
steel
workers
and
I'm
glad
to
know
and
work
with
a
lot
of
Steel
workers
and
other
union
workers
in
Pittsburgh
and
I
wish
we
had
our
steel
mills
back.
Thank
you.
A
Thank
You
council
president
Harris,
our
next
speaker
is
the
gentleman
that
I
have
the
pleasure
of
sharing
a
swimming
pool
with
every
so
often
on
a
morning.
Swim
and
I
commend
the
judge
Johnson
for
his
active
retirement.
He
doesn't
seem
retired
to
me,
he's
busier
than
most
people
that
work,
but
judges,
Livingston
Johnson's
family
includes
generations
of
Steel
Workers.
The
tire
judge
worked
in
the
steel
mill
himself
when
he
was
a
young
man
and
he
used
that
job
as
a
springboard
for
his
further
opportunities.
Ladies
and
gentlemen,
Judge
Livingston,
Johnston
I.
E
Want
to
thank
you
for
the
introduction
director
Radley
to
our
friends
on
the
platform
here
to
our
city
officials,
in
the
audience
and
to
my
friends
who
are
here
to
help
me
and
the
city
celebrate
african-american,
History,
Week
and
african-americans,
who
have
carried
out
the
theme.
The
strength
of
steel
I
listened
with
some
bemusement
to
Fred
Redman
when
he
was
talking
about
the
history
of
the
steel
workers,
because
if
I
understood
him
correctly
and
remembered
correctly,
he
lists
this.
E
History
is
beginning
around
the
Year,
1970
and
I'll
have
to
confess
to
you
that,
having
been
born
on
December,
the
27th
1927,
you
can
do
the
math
I'm
83
years
old.
So
my
history
in
the
steel
mill
at
the
Edgar
Thompson
works,
began
in
the
spring
of
1944.
I
turned
16
years
of
age.
December,
the
27th
1943
and
just
prior
thereto
I've
been
trying
to
get
a
job
at
the
federal
enamel
and
stamping
plant
down
in
McKees,
Rocks
and
I
had
planned
on.
E
Individually
and
unilaterally,
raising
my
age
to
16
did
so.
I
could
get
a
job
at
federal
namland.
When
I
went
into
the
office
down
there
in
McKees
Rocks,
the
hiring
agent
told
me
that
I'd
have
to
produce
several
documents.
One
would
be
a
birth
certificate.
The
second
would
be
a
permission
slip
from
my
high
school
and
the
third
would
be
a
permission
slip
for
my
parents
and
I
could
produce
the
the
birth
certificate,
but
that
would
automatically
submarine
my
plan
and
I
knew.
E
My
mother
wasn't
going
to
sign
for
me
to
go
into
the
federal
enamel
at
age.
15
and
I
also
knew
that
the
school
wouldn't
support
it.
So
I
delayed
going
into
that
type
of
heavy
work
at
age.
15
I
continued.
The
job
I
then
had
pumping
gas
at
the
heating
gas
station
at
the
corner
of
Swissvale
Avenue
and
Penn
Avenue
in
Wilkinsburg
and
putting
in
coal
for
a
cheap
armor
called
a
nice
company,
but
came
come.
E
The
spring
of
1944
I
was
sitting
in
class
in
Wilkinsburg
high
school
and
at
the
time
we
had
very
few
african-americans
living
in
Wilkinsburg
and
even
fewer
african-americans
in
the
high
school
and
that
had
its
disadvantages
to
a
person
of
color,
and
it
also
had
its
advantages.
I
would
have
never
gotten
into
Boy
Scouts
at
state
Stevens
of
Wolfe's
Church
at
Rebecca
Avenue
on
Pitt
Street.
E
E
Men
supported
their
families
on
on
on
those
out
on
that
salary,
and
at
that
time
I
was
stood.
I
guess
around
about
five
foot:
seven
inches
tall
and
I
weighed
about
120
pounds
and
I,
took
one
of
my
father's
old
felt
hats
and
put
it
on
my
head.
So
I'd
look
a
little
bit
older
and
I
went
and
got
myself
one
of
these
leather
straps
to
hang
over
my
belt.
E
My
first
job
was
to
be
assigned
to
work
in
the
soaking
pits
under
the
rolling
mill
and
I
worked
under
the
soaking
pits
in
the
world.we
mill
and
my
job,
along
with
those
that
work
with
me,
was
to
take
a
wheelbarrow
and
take
a
heavy
scoop
shovel
and
take
the
cinders
mixed
with
molten
steel
that
had
fallen
down
from
the
soaking
pits
and
put
it
in
the
wheelbarrow.
And
then
will
that
will
bear
about
the
you
length
of
this
first
floor
of
the
City
County
Building.
E
E
That
was
maybe
half
as
wide
as
this
stage
and
about
five
inches
in
height
I've
made
5
feet
in
height,
and
you
pour
your
wheelbarrow
in
there
and
then
welcome
back
and
load
up
and
make
that
trip
again.
And
of
course,
you
didn't
have
time
to
rest
because
they
had
a
fella
that
was
there
working
over
there.
E
E
Everybody
else
was
away
in
the
army,
the
Navy,
the
Marine
Corps,
serving
in
World
War,
two
I
worked
there
for
the
better
part
of
a
year,
and
it
was
one
of
the
best
jobs
that
I
ever
had
because
it
not
only
was
a
job.
It
was
an
education
I
found
out
after
a
year
doing
that
that
it
was
a
lot
easier
to
get
a
job
in
construction
for
a
navara
working
as
a
laborer
than
it
was
to
work
in
another
soap
and
pizza.
E
I
didn't
tell
you
about
putting
on
those
wooden
shoes
that
they
have
up
there
in
that
case,
when
they
would
have
signed
us
when
I
was
just
out
at
Edgar
Thompson,
you
put
those
wooden
shoes
over
your
work
shoes
and
they
would
assign
you
to
go
into
the
soaking
pits
upstairs
in
the
rolling
mill
when
they're
breaking
down
the
soaking
pit
and
you'd
have
minutes
in
in
five
minutes
out.
You
couldn't
stay
in
there
more
than
four
minutes
or
you'd
pass
out,
and
so
you
go
in.
E
There
spend
your
4
minutes
with
your
equipment
digging
out
the
old
brick
that
was
coated
with
steel
and
whatnot
breaking
down
those
soaking
pits.
Then
you'd
come
out
for
your
five
minutes
and
they
give
you
these
chuckle
candy
things,
and
they
were
loaded
with
salt
and
when
you
first
got
them
and
you
tasted
them,
you
didn't
want
any
of
them.
But
then,
when
you
started
working
regular,
that's
still
known
and
you
found
out
that
that
was
for
your
own
health
to
replenish
the
thought
you
were
losing
with
that
sweat.
E
E
His
instructions
were:
don't
you
open
that
pay
envelope,
you'd
better,
not
be
open
when
you
bring
it
home,
your
mother
will
open
the
pay
envelope
and
he
told
my
mother
said
I
ring
when
he
passes
you
that
envelope
you're
going
to
take
one-third
of
it,
we're
doing
his
laundry
cooking
his
meals
and
giving
him
a
place
to
sleep
said
in
Livingstone,
one
third
of
it
you'll
put
in
the
bank
for
that
rainy
day.
When
you
need
it,
he
says,
and
the
other
third,
you
can
go
ahead
and
throw
it
away.
E
If
you
want
play
a
fool,
he
says,
but
I'm
here,
to
tell
you
you'll,
be
a
fool.
If
you
do,
if
you're
wise
you'll
put
that
third
in
the
bank
said,
don't
tell
me,
you
don't
have
that
you
had
to
open
the
pay
envelope
to
use
it
for
streetcar
fare
coming
home,
because
you'll
know
when
you
go
to
the
mill
that
you'll
have
streetcar
fare
and
if
you
don't,
you
ask
me
and
I'm
gonna
advance
it
to
you
and
you're.
E
Gonna
pay
me
back
once
the
envelopes
open
by
your
mother,
that
was
some
of
the
training.
I've
already
spoke
more
than
the
five
minutes
that
Mike
allotted
me
so
I'll
take
two
minutes.
I'll
take
two
minutes
to
tell
you
that
display
on
the
far
wall.
There
are
that's
a
historical
display
of
members
of
our
family
and
my
brother,
Judge
Justin
Johnson
is
standing
there
in
the
trench
coat
in
front
of
the
display
he
might
if
he
would
verify
that
what
I've
told
you
is
accurate.
E
As
to
the
display,
my
daughter,
whose
pictures
on
the
far
right-
that's
the
oldest
of
my
five
children,
she's
a
full
grown
woman.
Now
has
two
children
of
her
own
she's,
a
lawyer
by
profession
and
training,
but
she's,
presently
a
full-time
mother,
taking
care
of
her
two
oldest
her
two
children.
Her
husband
happens
to
be
a
lawyer
and
his
full
time.
Job
is
to
do
the
law
work
and
hers
is
the
rigger,
those
children,
but
she
put
those
things
together
and
set
him
up
here
to
director
Radley
and
his
assistant.
Mr.
E
Rendition
that
my
daughter
prepared,
based
upon
her
work,
she's
our
family
historian
and
she's,
done
many
thousands
of
hours
in
compiling
information.
On
our
background,
I'm
sorry
that
I
took
up
more
time
than
I
was
allotted
I'm
honored
to
have
been
asked
to
be
here.
I
complement
the
city
of
pittsburgh
on
its
forward-thinking
in
bringing
about
a
program
such
this.
Thanking
god
bless
you.
A
Thank
You
judge
Johnson
I
want
to
thank
you
all
for
participating
in
the
festivities,
especially
thanks
to
council
president
Harris
mr.
Redman
judge,
Johnson
and
I
also
like
to
thank
the
city
park
staff
who
make
this
program
possible
every
year.
The
special
events
staff
do
an
awesome
job
too
many
to
name
individually,
but
they
really,
they
really
put
their
best
foot
forward
on
this
program
again
to
thank
our
sponsors,
United
Steelworkers,
96:1
kiss-fm
and
the
river
of
Steel
National
Heritage,
Area,
Penn,
brewery
and
Tony
booba
of
Braddock
films.
A
I,
encourage
you
all
to
spread
the
word,
your
family
friends
and
co-workers
to
view
this
exhibit,
and
this
exhibit
will
be
up
to
the
month
of
February
and
for
tonight's
festivities.
I'd
like
to
conclude
by
inviting
you
all
to
stick
around
with
us,
enjoy
some
light
refreshments
and
again,
thank
you
all
for
coming.