Newsmakers

Author and poet Sapphire addressed a Pitt crowd in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room on Feb. 15. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Push, which was made into the highly acclaimed movie Precious. The evening was sponsored by the Pitt Program Council. Sapphire (right) is seen standing with Pitt student Stephanie Ravin, the lecture director for the Pitt Program Council.

Roland C. Barksdale-Hall (A&S ’83, SIS ‘84G), an educator, author, and storyteller, spoke at Pitt-Bradford on Feb. 15 as part of its Black History Month observance. Barksdale-Hall has researched the Black family for more than 20 years. He teaches public speaking, history, and critical thinking at Butler County Community College; he also is the founder of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society of Pittsburgh. Barksdale-Hall (left) is seen standing with Pitt-Bradford President Livingston Alexander.