Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022
Pittsburgh has a reputation built on sports, steel, and ketchup. But cities are not defined by winning teams, industries, or condiments. People define them. Each year, the Pittsburgh City Paper looks for those locals who made a big difference over the last 12 months. The City Paper team chose People of the Year candidates who…
JADED: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Visual Arts
The last few years saw multiple attacks against Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities, most notably the March 2021 mass shooting at an Atlanta, Ga. spa. One local group of women and non-binary artists responded by banding together to create spaces in Pittsburgh for AAPI representation and empowerment. In a group statement, members Bonnie Fan, Lena…
Crystal Grabowski: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Health
For abortion caregivers and advocates like Crystal Grabowski, 2022 has been a tough year. But, like many, Grabowski has responded to the traumatic Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling with renewed determination. “We all knew it was coming but it was still really devastating. It hurt and it was incredibly difficult,” Grabowski tells Pittsburgh…
Salem’s Market & Grill: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year in Business
Massaud Salem opened Salem’s Market and Grill 40 years ago to make high quality halal produce accessible and affordable at a time when Pittsburgh offered few other options. Today, his son Abdullah says nothing has changed. “I’ve always been with him, I’ve always been his understudy,” Salem says. “The whole basis of the business is…
Necromancer Brewing: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Food + Drink
Necromancer Brewing wants to resurrect a sense of fun in the Pittsburgh beer scene. The Ross-based brewery burst onto the scene in 2021, promising to take their beer seriously and themselves a little less so. This is evident in a Necromancer-branded sweatshirt featuring two seemingly post-coital skeletons under a rainbow comforter, with text reading “Bone…
Starbucks Union Workers: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Labor
Starbucks union workers in Pittsburgh aren’t backing down. This December marked the one-year anniversary of their national fight for better wages, guaranteed shifts, improved health and safety practices, and fair disciplinary processes. Across the country, workers have been organizing, with Starbucks Workers United representing more than 250 locations, and Pittsburgh has a heavy concentration. Currently,…
Joseph Hall: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Performing Arts
Joseph Hall has played a pivotal role in shaping East Liberty’s Kelly Strayhorn Theater. Prior to being named executive director in March 2020, he served as the venue’s producing director. Between those roles, he worked at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, aka BAAD!, where he says he was “part of a loving community…
Celeste Scott: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Activism
Those who knew her say it’s undeniable: Celeste Scott made Pittsburgh a better, kinder, more equitable place. The beloved organizer, mother, and leader died suddenly this fall at the age of 46, leaving a legacy of love, righteous struggle, and community care. Living “Fat, Femme, and Fly,” Scott unapologetically spoke truth to power, sharing her…
La’Tasha D. Mayes: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Politics
La’Tasha D. Mayes made history this year as the first out lesbian elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the first woman elected to represent her district at the state level. After decades of advancing LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice, and quality of life for Black women and girls in Pittsburgh, Mayes will now represent the…
Labor Choir: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Music
At most Pittsburgh protests, picket lines, and rallies — really wherever a morale boost would be helpful — you can find the Pittsburgh Labor Choir belting out tunes like “We Shall Not Be Moved” and “Solidarity Forever.” It’s all about hyping up protesters — and not being scared to reach for that high note. “We’re…
Pittsburgh Prison Book Project: Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2022 in Literature
It has been a big year for the Pittsburgh Prison Book Project. Founded in 2000 under the name Book ‘Em, the Project has gone through many changes but the mission has remained the same: providing free access to literature and educational materials to people in prison. After being based in the Thomas Merton Center’s unfurnished…
