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WHEREAS, James ‘Jay’ Poliziani Jr., a fierce and dedicated ally and advocate for society’s most vulnerable, and a longtime director of the Northside Common Ministries, passed away on July 2, 2022; and,
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WHEREAS, Jay grew up as the oldest of three children in Pittsburgh’s West End, graduated from Bishop Canevin High School in 1979, and earned several college degrees, including one from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2008; and,
WHEREAS, Jay worked as an elementary school teacher and then moved on to Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he worked for many years in social services, first in placement services helping people with disabilities and later as director of admissions; and,
WHEREAS, as director of the Northside Common Ministries, which includes the Pleasant Valley Men’s Shelter, one of the largest food pantries in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and a medical clinic, Jay worked tirelessly to make a safe space for people of all religions, creeds, races, gender identities, and sexual orientations; and,
WHEREAS, when circumstances made it difficult to recruit staff members to work overnight at the men’s shelter, Jay would start his own week by working the Sunday night shift so that he could take care of as many people as possible; and,
WHEREAS, in November 2019, Jay was a crucial member of the coalition that persuaded the Pittsburgh Regional Transit, then known as the Allegheny County Port Authority, to maintain its bus stop in front of the Ministries’ shelter and food pantry on Brighton Road on the Northside; and,
WHEREAS, Jay contributed over 700 hours of volunteer work on the AIDS Information Hotline at Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force; and,
WHEREAS, Jay recognized the humanity and inherent dignity in every person, made it easy for volunteers to be a part of his helping communities, was firmly embedded in the LGBTQ community and worked subtly and tirelessly for political rights, social progress, and equal justice, and served as safe harbor and source of comfort, love, and joy to all his many friends; and,
WHEREAS, along with his beloved husband Chaofan ‘Fan’ Zhang and son John Poliziani, Jay is survived by his sister Jennifer and brother Jeff, as well his cherished nephews and nieces Gabe, Eli, Eden, Cassie, Abby, and Alex.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby honor and celebrate the extraordinary life, works, and legacy of James ‘Jay’ Poliziani, Jr.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh declares Saturday, August 13, 2022, the day of Jay's birthday, to be Jay Poliziani Day here in our City of Pittsburgh.