Audio File
Transcript
I’m Davonna Shannon. I was born in Pittsburgh. My relationship to the Hill District is basically both of my parents grew up, were born and raised in the Hill District on Whiteside Rd. So I grew up in the Hill District. My family, both my maternal and paternal grandparents were from Whiteside Rd. So I spent a lot of time in the 3rd court and made a lot of my childhood friends there. I also lived up in the community, which is probably formerly known as Schenley Heights, but affectionately known as Sugar Top. Because my grandparents also grew up here, I used to hear a lot about the fun that they had going to movies and skating and to parties in the New Granada, which is under development now that they’re bringing back. I used to hear those stories all the time when they could go to see a movie at the New Granada for 10 cents. I’ve heard tons of stories about, you know, my elders being down on Center Ave. when they weren’t supposed to. They were supposed to not leave the court. I love hearing those types of stories. I have, like, really fond memories of going up to basketball games up at Kennard Field, baseball games at Ammons. One of the other things that always brings me joy is going to the Whiteside Rd. reunion at Ammons because it’s an opportunity for all the families who’ve ever lived in specifically on Whiteside Road, but in the Hill District to get together and reunite and share memories. One of the things that I’m probably most proud of as being a Hill District resident is that my grandparents were one of the first five families that moved into the housing projects on Whiteside Road. So that’s something that I feel proud to say, that was at this point over 60 years ago. And the Hill District has a national reputation for arts and culture and advocacy and social justice. Those are some of the things that have always drawn me back to the community, and some of the things that have made me proud to continue to promote buying and staying in the Hill District. I think my womanhood has been impacted by being from the hill in a couple of different ways. I think about historically how organized and active the Hill District has been in the civil rights movement in the arts and culture movement, and now even as we’re embarking on a new renaissance of arts and building on our legacy as a community, so I think about some of the women who have passed through the Hill District who have lived in the Hill District such as Lena Horne. I think about Ella Baker. I think about even Terry Baltimore, who it has been a Hill District champion for upholding and sharing the legacy and history of the Hill District. And so, when I think about womanhood, those are some of the women who come to mind, I think about Marimba Milliones, Bonnie Lang. First and foremost, I should have named Dominica House, who are all women of character and morals who make me feel proud as a black woman to say that I’m also from the Hill. I certainly have many role models. My number one role model is my mom, my mom being a-an activist and advocate and organizer for social justice. I have taken so many cues from her leadership in the type of work that I do now, so I place her at the forefront of what I think about when I consider what it means to be a strong woman. I am now the Director of Research and impact for an organization called the Early Excellence Project, where I am- I do research in education and finding ways to empower black women educators. I believe that education is the key to self empowerment, so I read a lot. I try to stay aware of things that are happening in the world around me. I talk to people, ask them their perspectives about things that are happening, and when it comes to empowering other women, one of the ways that I… early on that I learned to do that was through the Center That Cares. I was a after school counselor, starting in 2000, when it’s- the Center That Cares first started. So I met lots of young women and I hope that I’ve been a positive role model in their lives and have been able to show them what empowerment looks like and allow a space for them to learn how to empower themselves.