Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey talks diversity, celebrating culture

Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey, raised in East Liberty, has the unique ability to compare Pittsburgh now to what it was like when he was growing up. In an interview with Pittsburgh Latino Magazine founder, Maria Manautou-Matos, Gainey talked about the importance of celebrating the different cultures found in Pittsburgh and the various ways our city is improving its diversity.

To showcase the diversity found within our own city, Gainey and the city of Pittsburgh are hosting a variety of events and campaigns which will demonstrate that they’re “still making the city more welcoming for everybody.”

Pittsburgh’s second annual International Day Parade and Festival was held this past Saturday, June 8, at 12 pm. According to Engage Pittsburgh, the parade and festival aims to celebrate “the rich heritage of the different nationalities who call Pittsburgh home, whether new to the area or living here for generations.”

Of the event, Gainey said “having this parade gives us an opportunity to show this city just how diverse we’re becoming.” He also added that in order to do this, “we have to celebrate culture,” and that “we want people to see that we do respect your culture.”

Other diversity-focused programs that the mayor mentioned, which are changing the face of Pittsburgh as we know it, include the Pittsburgh Paints Art Initiative, a program Gainey’s own wife founded, and a campaign for diversity in public safety.

According to a press release published in 2022, Pittsburgh’s First Lady, Michelle Gainey, began Pittsburgh Paints in order to “empower local artists and use the power of art to unite Pittsburgh.” The initiative is a rotating art exhibition located in the Mayor’s Office, the Mayor’s Executive Conference Room, and the Chief of Staff’s Office. Each month features a unique theme and showcases various Pittsburgh-based artists, in order to uplift the city’s diverse voices.

Of his wife’s initiative Gainey said, “Every month we celebrate an ethnic group, so that when people come in [the mayoral office], depending on what month it is, you get to see a whole host of different artists express themselves.”

Mayor Gainey mentioned that, in order to make Pittsburgh more attractive to diverse peoples and immigrants, they need to feel safe living here. This means an increase in diversity within Pittsburgh’s police force, firefighters, and Emergency Medical Services — which means campaigning to different ethnic communities about how they can join these first responders.

“Public safety, we want it to be reflective of the city, and in order to be reflective it has to be demonstrated in themselves,” Gainey said. “When somebody comes to your door that looks like you, you have an understanding that they do have some type of knowledge of where you come from, or what you may be going through…We have to find — and we’re working on — better ways to be able to reach out to ethnic communities, and talk about how they can become firefighters and police officers and EMS.”

Gainey, Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor, also mentioned diversity within his own office, saying that it’s “the most diverse administration the city’s ever seen,” but that they’re still working hard to prove their commitment to the various populations found within the city.

“Coming in here gave us the opportunity to say, ‘What is going to be the new face of the city?’” Gainey said. “‘How can we demonstrate that we believe in diversity, or that we’ll use it unlike how other administrations use it — just a word to talk about it — but remember to execute?’”

So far, it seems Gainey is painting a clear picture of what he wants Pittsburgh to look like — and that picture is pretty diverse. With the events and campaigns planned currently, there’s no doubt that Pittsburgh’s future will be just as culturally rich as it is now, if not more.

“I don’t want to live in yesterday,” Gainey said. “I want to be able to plan for today, so we have a better tomorrow.”