Walker provides an analysis of how Black women in Pittsburgh navigate the public sphere through an examination of the ways that intersecting identities shape discourse, silence, and reclamation.
The author draws from historical events, personal narratives, and community case studies to take a deep look at the intersectional marginalization, resistance and transformation journeys of Black women in a city deemed most unlivable for them. Walker amplifies unique presentations of language, silence and reclamation as they are negotiated via race, gender, and class. The book serves as testimony to the way intersectionality is turned on its head in Pittsburgh to create spaces of love and freedom through fearless speech (parrhesia), strategic listening, and community engagement practices. At its heart, this project is a love letter to every Black woman who has lived in Pittsburgh and asked herself why, affirming that while so much research exists on the struggles of being a Black woman in this city, it is equally important to recognize the innovations and triumphs.
Tahirah Walker, Ph.D., is assistant professor and chair of the Department of Community Engagement & Leadership at Point Park University’s Rowland School of Business. She holds a doctorate in Communication and Rhetorical Studies and has previously served on the faculties of the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State Greater Allegheny, and Bethany College.
As a writer and literary advocate, Walker is a two-time recipient of the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh award. Her work has been published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PublicSource, Taint Taint Taint Magazine, and Management Communication Quarterly, reflecting a voice that moves fluidly between creative, public, and academic spheres. She previously served on the board of Write Pittsburgh, where she supported the organization’s efforts to uplift new and established writers across the region.
Walker’s scholarship and public work center on Black cultural studies and the transformative power of community engagement. She has collaborated with a range of mission-driven organizations including the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh’s Black Female Leadership Development Initiative, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC), the Chuck Cooper Foundation, and the American Talent Initiative’s Equity in the Academic Experience Summer Institute.
At the heart of all her work is a love of books, music, visual art. Tahirah hopes her contributions shine a light on the amazing everyday lives of Black women and girls.
BOOKS
Copies of Rhetoric, Intersectionality, and Black Women in Pittsburgh are available for pre-order at Mystery Lovers Bookshop. After the lecture, there will be a book signing with the author in the Lecture Hall.
