by Jeroslyn JoVonn
October 2, 2025
Pittsburgh’s vibrant Black historical past and tradition proceed to drive town’s flourishing Black enterprise neighborhood.
When folks consider Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, its metal legacy and passionate sports activities tradition normally spring to thoughts first. However with over 440 bridges linking its many communities, the “Metal Metropolis” additionally carries a novel vitality formed by its wealthy Black historical past and thriving enterprise scene.
The Pittsburgh Worldwide Jazz Competition, alongside the Nationwide Coalition of Black Assembly Professionals (NCBMP), supplied the right alternative to discover town’s wealthy Black enterprise and cultural scene. NCBMP’s go to was a part of its mission to tour potential host cities with members, exploring locations that may finest amplify and rejoice the Black expertise.
“NCBMP’s motto is straightforward: we do enterprise with our buddies,” NCBMP President Jason Dunn instructed BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Our members are dedicated to supporting locations that mirror the core values of our group. Locations which might be empowering, welcoming, and unapologetically devoted to celebrating the richness of the Black expertise, all whereas providing world-class lodging.”
Dunn continued. “Go to Pittsburgh has exemplified this dedication, demonstrating a real curiosity in increasing its attain inside our $145 billion financial impression, and aligning with our imaginative and prescient for a extra inclusive and affluent future.”
Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood is dwelling to On a regular basis Cafe, a “Café with a Trigger” launched by the Bible Middle Church to unite neighbors in a heat, welcoming area over recent, handcrafted meals and drinks. The partitions are lined with black-and-white photographs celebrating Black life and historical past, alongside reminders of the cafe’s deep roots within the Black church and neighborhood. From internet hosting a weekly farmers market to serving up lattes that encourage locals to vote, the cafe blends tradition, neighborhood, and objective into each element.
“Our dream is to supply a lovely and peaceable area in our neighborhood to rejoice artwork and tradition, create jobs, and encourage the expansion of the Homewood Avenue enterprise district,” the corporate web site states.
On a regular basis Cafe operates as a social enterprise of The Oasis Mission, the neighborhood outreach and financial improvement arm of Bible Middle Church. Its placement in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood is intentional, given the world’s lengthy historical past of financial challenges. In 2015, baby poverty in elements of Homewood exceeded 70%, greater than twice the speed of kids residing in poverty throughout town of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. With its location, On a regular basis Cafe seems to mobilize locals and construct a stronger, extra linked neighborhood, one meal at a time.
Anybody visiting Pittsburgh received’t be disillusioned when strolling alongside Butler Road in Pittsburgh’s fashionable Lawrenceville neighborhood, the place you possibly can see why Walter’s Southern Kitchen has turn out to be a neighborhood favourite. Co-founded by buddies Joel Bolden and Chris Morgan, who introduced collectively 20 years of culinary experience from New York and Texas, Walter’s has constructed a fame for serving a few of the metropolis’s finest BBQ and Southern consolation meals. The menu speaks volumes: tender brisket, smoky hen wings, pulled pork, and cornbread so delicate it looks like slicing into cake, paired completely with whipped butter.
The vibe is simply as inviting because the meals. On the entrance, video games welcome company to seize and play at their tables, whereas picnic-style seating on the patio makes it simple for households and buddies to assemble. Inside, TVs line the bar, making a vigorous sports-bar really feel, whereas the area additionally nods to the house owners’ roots in NYC and Texas. A longtime waitress shared how a lot she loves the film nights and watch events Walter’s hosts, creating an area the place locals come collectively for meals, enjoyable, and neighborhood. One go to is all it takes to see why Pittsburgh has embraced Walter’s with a lot love.
Well being-conscious vacationers on the lookout for a lift of vitality can cease by 1:11 Juice Bar for a refreshing, freshly squeezed juice. Based by Bruce “Eric” Thornton and his spouse Emily in April 2022, the juice bar has shortly turn out to be a neighborhood favourite. Bruce first received the thought after visiting a juice bar in Boston and was impressed to create an analogous area in Pittsburgh that supplied scrumptious smoothies, snacks, and cold-pressed juices crafted with thoughts, physique, style, and accessibility in thoughts.
Rooted in neighborhood, 1:11 Juice Bar goes past serving drinks. The enterprise actively helps native youth applications just like the Middle of Life and the Spartan Group Middle, giving younger folks entry to recent produce and a welcoming place to begin their day. It’s greater than only a juice cease; it’s a hub for nourishment and connection.
“I believe what I’ve seen is that folks actually admire what we’re doing right here within the sense of providing a wholesome product in a neighborhood like Hazelwood, which is simply increase, making an attempt to rebuild the neighborhood,” Bruce instructed BLACK ENTERPRISE. So we’re part of that. And it’s actually an honor.”
“We’ve been embraced by the neighborhood. And the children come as much as get free fruit and juice and issues like that earlier than faculty begins,” he added. “So it’s been good for us. It’s been nice simply being in communion with them.”
Named after each the Genesis 1:11 scripture and the religious significance of the 1:11 angel quantity, Bruce infused his juice bar with a way of mindfulness and objective. Born in Texas however raised in Pittsburgh, he understands town’s challenges and the way usually locals really feel they need to depart to seek out alternative elsewhere. For Bruce, selecting to remain and construct in Pittsburgh isn’t only a enterprise determination—it’s an act of resilience and a dedication to creating change that uplifts his neighborhood.
“I believe that the Black neighborhood itself in Pittsburgh, with the outcomes that we’ve right here, is fairly resilient,” Bruce stated. “Lots of people depart, however the ones that keep know that they’re staying and having a battle. For those who keep right here, you’re making a dedication to attempt to make it higher. So I believe that’s what I see about our neighborhood. I see lots of people who might have alternatives somewhere else, however nonetheless keep as a result of they need to see one thing change and develop right here.”
One other standout Black-owned enterprise in Lawrenceville is the holistic skincare store, Vegetation for Pores and skin, which handcrafts merchandise designed to nurture each pores and skin kind. Those that enter the boutique store are welcomed by the calming aroma of pure herbs and oils the workforce makes use of to craft their merchandise proper within the again. The cabinets have been lined with soaps, physique oils, balms, and lotions made for on a regular basis use.
The model was based by Monae Findley, a Jamaican native who grew up watching her grandmother create holistic skincare treatments and seen the shortage of these choices available in the market. With only a $100 funding from her mom, Findley launched a web based retailer in 2020, adopted by the opening of her brick-and-mortar in 2023. Since then, Vegetation for Pores and skin has grown into a worldwide model whereas staying rooted in neighborhood. Regionally, it has collaborated with neighbors like 1:11 Juice Bar, which crafted a customized drink impressed by the model’s golden face masks for his or her “drink your skincare” marketing campaign, a lovely instance of two Black-owned, holistic companies lifting one another up.
Discover Pittsburgh’s sports activities legacy on the Clemente Museum, a curated assortment honoring the legendary Roberto Clemente—the Puerto Rican Corridor of Famer and Pittsburgh Pirates proper fielder who tragically died at 31 in a New 12 months’s Eve airplane crash whereas delivering support to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Housed within the former Engine Home No. 25 in Lawrenceville, the museum is dwelling to the world’s largest assortment of Clemente artifacts and memorabilia.
Inside, you’ll discover all the pieces from skilled sports activities images and household snapshots to uniforms, gloves, bats, balls, and even seats from Forbes Subject. Based in 2007 by photographer Duane Rieder, who first linked with the Clemente household in 1994, the museum not solely preserves Clemente’s legacy but in addition carries it ahead by way of charitable donations and initiatives that replicate his lifelong dedication to giving again, on and off the sphere.
The celebration of Pittsburgh’s Black historical past and excellence comes alive on the annual Pittsburgh Worldwide Jazz Competition, hosted on the August Wilson African American Cultural Middle in Downtown Pittsburgh. This yr’s competition kicked off contained in the Cultural Middle, buzzing with vitality as dwell jazz crammed the air, the aroma of native meals distributors wafted by way of the gang, and attendees laughed, danced, and soaked within the vibrant environment. Surrounded by a hanging assortment of Black artwork, the setting supplied the right backdrop for a weekend honoring music, tradition, and soul.
The Middle not solely showcases modern and historic works of Black artistry but in addition honors August Wilson himself, Pittsburgh’s personal literary big. Guests can stroll by way of immersive displays of Wilson’s upbringing within the Hill District and discover his legacy as “theater’s poet of Black America.” His acclaimed 10-play collection, The Pittsburgh Cycle, together with Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Backside, and The Piano Lesson, captures the depth and fantastic thing about African American life within the twentieth century. 20 years after his passing, Wilson’s affect nonetheless looms massive in his hometown, making the Middle each a cultural hub and a residing tribute to his storytelling genius.
Every year, the Pittsburgh Worldwide Jazz Competition unfolds simply outdoors the Middle, carrying ahead town’s inventive spirit whereas honoring Wilson’s legacy of constructing areas the place Black tradition thrives. A tour of the Historic Hill District introduced us to Wilson’s childhood dwelling, the place engravings within the floor assist you to stroll Wilson’s path to his previous entrance door. A lush inexperienced area sits outdoors with seating area that lets anybody who passes know they’re welcome.
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