Shaylah Brown

1 day ago | post-gazette.com | Megan Tomasic |Shaylah Brown

Acrisure Stadium transformed into a bustling assembly line Wednesday as hundreds of volunteers packed 1,750 meal kits for families in need. Now in its fourth year, the large-scale food distribution is one of United Way’s signature efforts to fight food insecurity across the region. In partnership with Bayer, a global pharmaceutical company, as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Giant Eagle, United Way will distribute the kits to 23 local organizations across the region.

1 week ago | post-gazette.com | Shaylah Brown

Life and death. These are common topics of conversation in church sanctuaries, of course, but faith leaders are also leading conversations about planning for the end of life. “We can have these conversations early on, because we see these things early,” said Rev. Brenda Gregg, who has a doctorate in theology and is pastor of Destiny of Faith Church on the North Side. Historically, Black churches have served as a mecca for education, community service, civic engagement and civil rights.

1 week ago | post-gazette.com | Shaylah Brown

Ricky Davii attended his first Pride Festival at age 18, in his hometown of St. Louis. He skipped school with a few close friends. A well-planned cover story meant he dressed for a late shift at his job. He was nervous: His Pride outfit was concealed under the monotony of a McDonald’s uniform. But that was then. Now he is free. In the queer community, many say, fashion is a way to nourish the soul, destroying norms and upending what it means to be a man or woman. Fashion extends beyond fabric.

1 week ago | post-gazette.com | Shaylah Brown

A stop at the Steel City Twinz lemonade stand is about more than getting a perfectly balanced cup of lemonade. It is also a tangible reminder of the importance of kindness. On an unreasonably chilly May afternoon, the sun flutters in and out over Penn Avenue in the Strip District, where twins Major and Mehki Muhammad are selling their lemonade.

1 week ago | triblive.com | Shaylah Brown

When it comes to school musicals, one of the most important supporting roles is the costumes. Diane Tirio, a costume designer at Penn Hills High School, has been making the costumes there for the past 22 years. “We don’t always make all the costumes, but we always create them,” she said. “We will often start with dresses that exist and then modify them.”They do all of the creation in-house.