Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation Records, 1984-1988

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation Records
source
Hawkins, Matthew
source
Birru, Mulugetta
Creator
Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation
Collection Number
AIS.2014.04
Extent
2.13 Linear Feet (1 manuscript box, 1 oversize box)
Date
1984-1988
Abstract
The records of the Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation (HBRDC), founded in 1982, contain correspondence, meeting minutes and supporting documents detailing the group's campaigns and advocacy activities. The collection also contains the group's monthly newspaper, The Homewood-Brushton Informer, which was active from 1984 to 1988. The focus of the HBRDC was on housing, business and urban redevelopment projects.
Language
English .
Author
Jon Klosinski.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

History

The Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation (HBRDC), founded in 1983, was a community-based institution that worked to counteract increasing urban blight in the predominantly African-American Homewood-Brushton neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Funded primarily through the Pittsburgh Partnership, The HBRDC operated as part of a larger movement of Community Development Corporations (CDC) during the mid-1980s which targeted its efforts on housing and economic development and improvement projects in low-income urban neighborhoods.

The Homewood-Brushton Informer newspaper, first published in July 1984, served as HBRDC's vehicle for community outreach and information, reporting on news regarding housing, business and redevelopment projects in Homewood-Brushton as well as cultural happenings, city politics and commentary on broader national racial and political issues. The newspaper had a readership which grew from 3,000 people in 1984 to 39,000 people by 1987, making it one of Pittsburgh's most popular African-American news publications.

Led by Director Mulugetta Birru, a native Ethiopian, and Matthew Hawkins, a Homewood-Brushton resident who served as Associate Director of the HBRDC and Chief Editor of the newspaper from 1984-1988, the group also worked to provide social services to the community through job training workshops, establishment of a credit union, day-care programs, senior centers and minority youth employment drives. The group also engaged in efforts to improve the business profile of Homewood-Brushton by financing shopping centers, business "incubators" and retail franchises both owned and staffed by residents of the neighborhood.

Previous Citation

Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation Records, 1984-1988, 2017, AIS.2014.04, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation Records, 1984-1988, 2017, AIS.2014.04, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Scope and Content Notes

The collection consists of materials documenting the activities of the Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation which are organized by relevant correspondence, annual meeting minutes and supporting documents that are divided and labeled in folders reflecting the group's various campaigns and advocacy activities from 1984-1988, which focused on issues such as youth employment, business and residential district revitalization and senior housing. The collection contains the Homewood-Brushton Informer newspaper dating from July 1984 to March 1988. The records also contain a few photographs of the Homewood-Brushton neighborhood in the late 1980s along with several printed maps of the neighborhood and Pittsburgh's East End and a small amount of newspaper clippings covering the group's activities.

Arrangement

Records are arranged in two series:

Series I: General Files

Series II: The Homewood Brushton Informer Newspaper

Acquisition Information

Gift of C. Matthew Hawkins on October 31, 2014.

Copyright

The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Jon Klosinski in February 2015.

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Homewood-Brushton Informer
    • Homewood-Brushton Revitalization and Development Corporation

    Personal Names

    • Hawkins, Matthew
    • Birru, Mulugetta

    Geographic Names

    • Homewood (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • African Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • City planning -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Community development -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Economic development -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Economic development projects -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • African Americans -- Housing -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Urban renewal -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Associations
    • Ethnic groups
    • African Americans -- Employment -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List