Art Curator to Deliver 'Teenie Harris' Keynote at MLK Jr. Breakfast

The North Hills Unity Breakfast Committee today will host its 13th annual .

“Honoring Diversity in Our Community” is the theme of the breakfast, which begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Zappala Student Center of La Roche College, 9000 Babcock Boulevard.

Louise Lippincott, curator of fine arts and Teenie Harris archive project manager for the Carnegie Museum of Art, will deliver the keynote address. 

Lippincott will speak about the legacy of one of Pittsburgh’s—and the nation’s—great photographers, Charles "Teenie" Harris, a freelancer and photographer for the influential Pittsburgh Courier newspaper.

Harris produced more than 80,000 images of Pittsburgh’s African-American community and some of these images will be included in the presentation.  The Teenie Harris exhibit has garnered nationwide recognition as one of the most complete and intimate records of the black urban experience ever created.

Christine Mikhael, a senior at Fox Chapel Area High School, is also slated to receive the 2013 Spirit of Unity Award. Candidates must live in the North Hills area, act as an agent of change for racial justice and embody the ideals of Martin Luther King Jr.

Her teacher, Debra Polesiak, nominated Mikhael as exemplifing the qualities of the awar because of her voice for tolerance and diverse background.

"Christine embodies the ideals of Martin Luther King Jr. into her everyday life. ...she has spoken up in class on prejudices that she has faced as an Egyptian-Christian student in America as well as when she returns to her predominately Muslim homeland... ."

This year the committee chose to select a high school junior or senior for the award as part of its mission to involve youth in the community in educational programs that promote unity nd diversity. 

Information provided by the North Hills Unity Breakfast Committee, which consists of members from the following organizations:  AARP, League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh, North Hills Anti-Racism Coalition, North Hills Community Outreach, North Hills-McKnight AAUW, Pittsburgh North People for Peace, Sisters of Divine Providence, and the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh Center for Race and Gender Equity.