FREEDOM CORNER / ST. BENEDICT THE MOOR

The intersection of Crawford Street and Centre has long been a rally point for civil and human rights. More than 2,000 Pittsburghers gathered there to take buses to the March on Washington in August,

Associated with protests over the destruction of the Lower Hill to build the Civic Arena, it served as a jumping off point for Black Construction Coalition protests for union jobs in 1969-71. Mass demonstrations against the Vietnam War started there and marched downtown. On April 22, 2001, a beautiful circular gathering place reflecting the commitment of Dr. Martin Luther King to non-violent protest was dedicated to honor the black community’s civil rights heroes including Nate Smith, Rev. Leroy Patrick, Alma Speed Fox, Byrd Brown, Robert Lavelle, Sala Udin, and many others. In recent years, community protests about immigration issues, law enforcement and imprisonment, public transit and education, housing and development – as well as labor marches to organize hospital, restaurant and fast food workers often originate here.

St. Benedict the Moor is a mostly African AmericanCatholic parish. It is the site for the annual Labor Day Mass preceding the well-organized gathering of 30-40,000 marchers around the former Civic Arena site for the annual Labor Day Parade. Three labor priests are among justice activists honored at Freedom Corner: Msgr. Charles Owen Rice, Fr. Jack O’Malley and Fr. Don MclIvane.

Crawford Street and Centre Avenue