Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to Address Diversity Issues in Talk at Pitt Oct. 3

PITTSBURGH-Responding to an invitation from Pitt's Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP), Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will deliver a talk at noon Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the Charity Randall Theatre, located on the ground floor of Pitt's Stephen Foster Memorial, at the Corner of Forbes Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard, Oakland. The event is free and open to the public.

"We thought it would be helpful to learn more about the Mayor's diversity initiative, since our focus at CRSP is on racial diversity," said Larry Davis, CRSP founder and director and dean of Pitt's School of Social Work. "It's possible that we as a center may be able to help bring some of his goals to fruition."

Davis added that the Mayor has seen the report "Pittsburgh's Racial Demographics: Differences and Disparities," released by CRSP in June of this year. The report is the most comprehensive study ever done on quality-of-life issues for multiple racial and ethnic groups in Pittsburgh-African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Whites. It is available in pdf format at http://www.crsp.pitt.edu/demographics.html.

In a statement issued by the Mayor's office, Ravenstahl said, "This administration has been proactive on diversity issues, recently hiring an Equal Employment Opportunity officer charged with developing a citywide diversity, recruitment, and retention action plan. We also have increased the percentage of minorities on citywide boards and committees. Females now make up 53 percent of those boards and African Americans constitute 32 percent. Diversity is also evident in our city leadership, with minorities holding top spots in the police and fire departments, the Department of City Planning, and the Housing Authority."

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10/2/07/tmw