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WHEREAS, Mal Goode, a fierce advocate for Pittsburgh’s black community, grew up in Homestead, worked night turns at the Homestead Steel Works while studying at Pitt, and after graduation worked in the Hill District as the boys director of the Centre Ave YMCA while also managing the city’s Terrace Village and Bedford Dwellings Housing projects; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Goode’s next position at the Pittsburgh Courier was a stepping stone to local radio, where he challenged the police, politicians and segregation, going on to become a national media icon in 1962 after ABC news hired him as its first African American correspondent in the country; and,
WHEREAS, although race prevented Mr. Goode from initially breaking into television, Jackie Robinson advocated strongly on his behalf when an opening for one African American at ABC News occurred, and he was hired to become the first African American network news correspondent in the country; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Goode became a television correspondent with the uncompromising belief that network news needed black voices and perspective if it were to authentically reflect the nation’s complexities and speak to all Americans; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Goode’s success at ABC initiated the slow integration of network news, a legacy that we continue to see to this day, from a life and work that were remarkable as his struggles and achievements spoke to larger issues of American life and the African American experience; and,
WHEREAS, Mr. Goode passed away in Pittsburgh on September 12, 1995, having changed the landscape of network news for the better;
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare February 11, 2025 to be “Mal Goode Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.