People
The Hill CDC is committed to the social and economic development of Hill District residents, many of whom have been historically disadvantaged. A variety of programs are offered for business owners, entrepreneurs, aspiring homeowners, creatives and culture workers.
Place
The Hill CDC leads the planning and redevelopment efforts for the neighborhood on behalf of residents and stakeholders of the Hill District. With over $2 Billion of development slated for the area, the Hill CDC is focused on commercial revitalization and affordable homeownership. Equitable outcomes that foster place-keeping and transformative economic investment is the cornerstone of the Hill CDC’s work.
Policy
The Hill CDC is guided by the Greater Hill District Master Plan. This community-endorsed vision establishes fundamental values and development principles that are central to positive activities and healthy neighborhood development. The Hill CDC focuses on land-use policy, social and economic equity, and centering community voice.
Social
⭐In Observance of Memorial Day, The Hill CDC recognizes those who made the greatest sacrifice, and the untold origin of Memorial Day.
The origin of Memorial Day holds a profound and significant chapter in American History and is tied to Black Charlestonians in South Carolina. In May of 1865, shortly after the Civil War ended, a group of formerly enslaved African Americans in Charleston organized the earliest known memorial celebration to honor Union soldiers who died in the Civil War.
The event took place at the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club, which had been used by the Confederate army as a prison camp for Union soldiers. Many soldiers died from disease and were buried in a mass grave at the site. Upon the fall of Charleston, freedmen exhumed these bodies and gave them proper burials, marking their new cemetery with a fence inscribed with “Martyrs of the Race Course."
The celebration on May 1, 1865, drew around 10,000 people, including 3,000 Black schoolchildren who sang and carried flowers. The event featured a parade, musical performances, and speeches by Black ministers, commemorating the Union dead with dignity and respect.
This observance, one of the first of its kind, was a powerful act of remembrance and assertion of freedom by the African American community. It highlights the crucial role African Americans played in the origins of Memorial Day, a history that was largely overlooked for many years.
To learn more, click the links below:
https://today.cofc.edu/2017/05/29/memorial-day-history/
https://www.history.com/articles/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston
https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/the-first-decoration-day/
https://www.history.com/articles/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston
https://www.amazon.com/Race-Reunion-Civil-American-Memory/dp/0674008197
⭐In Observance of Memorial Day, The Hill CDC recognizes those who made the greatest sacrifice, and the untold origin of Memorial Day.
The origin of Memorial Day holds a profound and significant chapter in American History and is tied to Black Charlestonians in South Carolina. In May of 1865, shortly after the Civil War ended, a group of formerly enslaved African Americans in Charleston organized the earliest known memorial celebration to honor Union soldiers who died in the Civil War.
The event took place at the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club, which had been used by the Confederate army as a prison camp for Union soldiers. Many soldiers died from disease and were buried in a mass grave at the site. Upon the fall of Charleston, freedmen exhumed these bodies and gave them proper burials, marking their new cemetery with a fence inscribed with “Martyrs of the Race Course."
The celebration on May 1, 1865, drew around 10,000 people, including 3,000 Black schoolchildren who sang and carried flowers. The event featured a parade, musical performances, and speeches by Black ministers, commemorating the Union dead with dignity and respect.
This observance, one of the first of its kind, was a powerful act of remembrance and assertion of freedom by the African American community. It highlights the crucial role African Americans played in the origins of Memorial Day, a history that was largely overlooked for many years.
To learn more, click the links below:
https://today.cofc.edu/2017/05/29/memorial-day-history/
https://www.history.com/articles/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston
https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/the-first-decoration-day/
https://www.history.com/articles/memorial-day-civil-war-slavery-charleston
https://www.amazon.com/Race-Reunion-Civil-American-Memory/dp/0674008197
🚨 Your Hill District Weekend Roundup is here with urgent stories! http://eepurl.com/xeghMK9zGs
This week’s edition is packed with major conversations, community reactions, development news, culture, and opportunities across the Hill and beyond.
🎖️The untold Black origins of Memorial Day
‼️Community outrage grows over the Miami Market incident
🏫 Will PPS vote to close Miller African Centered Academy on Wed? Public hearing on Tuesday.
🏘️ New affordable housing investments in the Hill District
🧐Youth organizations and City Council debate solutions beyond curfews and policing
🎓 JSI celebrates 10 years and awards scholarships
🎭 August Wilson’s Jitney continues moving audiences across the world
🗳️ Summer Lee wins Democratic nomination
🏗️ Lower Hill housing RFP and Bedford Avenue bid opportunities, deadlines approaching.
📬 Read the latest edition and stay connected to what’s happening in the Hill. Click here: http://eepurl.com/xeghMK9zGs or 🔗in profile; click Linktree.
👩🏾💻 Sign up for the Hill District Weekend Roundup here: www.hilldistrict.org/signup
🚨 Your Hill District Weekend Roundup is here with urgent stories! http://eepurl.com/xeghMK9zGs
This week’s edition is packed with major conversations, community reactions, development news, culture, and opportunities across the Hill and beyond.
🎖️The untold Black origins of Memorial Day
‼️Community outrage grows over the Miami Market incident
🏫 Will PPS vote to close Miller African Centered Academy on Wed? Public hearing on Tuesday.
🏘️ New affordable housing investments in the Hill District
🧐Youth organizations and City Council debate solutions beyond curfews and policing
🎓 JSI celebrates 10 years and awards scholarships
🎭 August Wilson’s Jitney continues moving audiences across the world
🗳️ Summer Lee wins Democratic nomination
🏗️ Lower Hill housing RFP and Bedford Avenue bid opportunities, deadlines approaching.
📬 Read the latest edition and stay connected to what’s happening in the Hill. Click here: http://eepurl.com/xeghMK9zGs or 🔗in profile; click Linktree.
👩🏾💻 Sign up for the Hill District Weekend Roundup here: www.hilldistrict.org/signup
🎉 Today, we celebrate 39 years of the Hill Community Development Corporation!
For nearly four decades, Hill CDC has worked to make the Hill District stronger, more equitable, and more connected. Our work has centered the people who call this community home while protecting the Hill District’s cultural legacy and pushing for opportunities that create lasting impact.
Through community advocacy, housing, small business support, arts and culture, workforce development, neighborhood planning, and neighborhood revitalization, our mission has always been rooted in the voices and priorities of the community.
As we celebrate 39 years, we are also looking ahead. The Hill CDC will keep pursuing bold goals that build community wealth and protect the Hill District’s legacy. We will continue expanding access to homeownership, supporting entrepreneurs, advancing neighborhood revitalization, and creating lasting opportunities for residents.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. The work continues, and the future of the Hill District remains worth investing in. ❤️
🎉 Today, we celebrate 39 years of the Hill Community Development Corporation!
For nearly four decades, Hill CDC has worked to make the Hill District stronger, more equitable, and more connected. Our work has centered the people who call this community home while protecting the Hill District’s cultural legacy and pushing for opportunities that create lasting impact.
Through community advocacy, housing, small business support, arts and culture, workforce development, neighborhood planning, and neighborhood revitalization, our mission has always been rooted in the voices and priorities of the community.
As we celebrate 39 years, we are also looking ahead. The Hill CDC will keep pursuing bold goals that build community wealth and protect the Hill District’s legacy. We will continue expanding access to homeownership, supporting entrepreneurs, advancing neighborhood revitalization, and creating lasting opportunities for residents.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. The work continues, and the future of the Hill District remains worth investing in. ❤️
🌿✨Rest is not a luxury, it’s part of how we keep going.
Sat Down Somewhere returns for its second gathering, creating space for Black women to slow down, reconnect, and be cared for through yoga and meditation.
Join us at Nafasi on Centre from 7–8 PM. Tickets are limited, so register today to claim your spot. 🧘🏾♀️🤎
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sat-down-somewhere-tickets-1986332515023?aff=oddtdtcreator
📅 Tuesday, May 26
⏰ 7–8 PM
📍 Nafasi on Centre, 2145 Centre Ave
🌿✨Rest is not a luxury, it’s part of how we keep going.
Sat Down Somewhere returns for its second gathering, creating space for Black women to slow down, reconnect, and be cared for through yoga and meditation.
Join us at Nafasi on Centre from 7–8 PM. Tickets are limited, so register today to claim your spot. 🧘🏾♀️🤎
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sat-down-somewhere-tickets-1986332515023?aff=oddtdtcreator
📅 Tuesday, May 26
⏰ 7–8 PM
📍 Nafasi on Centre, 2145 Centre Ave
Kuumba Korner is back for round three! 🎨✨
Join us for the third Kuumba Korner, an open art-making experience where community members of all ages can create alongside practicing artists in a fun, welcoming space.
Whether you’re an experienced artist or just looking to try something new, come tap into your creativity with us at Nafasi on Centre 🎭🖌️
This is a pay-what-you-can event.
📅 Saturday, June 6th
⏰ 10 AM to 1 PM
📍 Nafasi on Centre, 2145 Centre Ave.
Register at: nafasioncentre.org/register
Kuumba Korner is back for round three! 🎨✨
Join us for the third Kuumba Korner, an open art-making experience where community members of all ages can create alongside practicing artists in a fun, welcoming space.
Whether you’re an experienced artist or just looking to try something new, come tap into your creativity with us at Nafasi on Centre 🎭🖌️
This is a pay-what-you-can event.
📅 Saturday, June 6th
⏰ 10 AM to 1 PM
📍 Nafasi on Centre, 2145 Centre Ave.
Register at: nafasioncentre.org/register
Need recommendations for Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) tomorrow? 📚✨
Here are a few book picks to help get you started. But remember, these books are NOT required! Bring whatever you’re currently reading, a favorite book, a magazine, poetry collection, or anything you’d like to dive into during DEAR.
📅May 19th
⏰ 3–7 PM
📍Nafasi on Centre, 2145 Centre Ave
Free registration here:https://ow.ly/ssFp50Z1g6p
We can’t wait to read with you tomorrow 🤎
Need recommendations for Drop Everything And Read (DEAR) tomorrow? 📚✨
Here are a few book picks to help get you started. But remember, these books are NOT required! Bring whatever you’re currently reading, a favorite book, a magazine, poetry collection, or anything you’d like to dive into during DEAR.
📅May 19th
⏰ 3–7 PM
📍Nafasi on Centre, 2145 Centre Ave
Free registration here:https://ow.ly/ssFp50Z1g6p
We can’t wait to read with you tomorrow 🤎
✨Weekly Weekend Roundup Spotlight:
Source: 90.5 WESA
“At a sometimes-contentious forum held Tuesday at Point Park University, Pittsburgh public safety director Sheldon Williams said the policy was a response to “increased activity” downtown. Williams said his biggest concern was the behavior of kids, not their presence. But he questioned whether kids should meet in large groups in the middle of Downtown at all.
“Why should we allow fifty, sixty, a hundred kids to hang out on a corner? Why don`t they have a space where they can go?” he asked. “It`s not the wisest place for our kids to be in that space, whether we think permission or not. Why are we comfortable or allowing a group of kids just to stand on a corner?”
Those comments prompted sharp criticism from some in the audience. Hannah Yomi, a 23-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, called Williams’ phrasing “Jim Crow-esque.”
💭Want more stories like this? Check out our Weekend Round Up! https://ow.ly/vbI350Z1ep8
📰Read the full article here: https://ow.ly/zU4a50Z1ep7
✨Weekly Weekend Roundup Spotlight:
Source: 90.5 WESA
“At a sometimes-contentious forum held Tuesday at Point Park University, Pittsburgh public safety director Sheldon Williams said the policy was a response to “increased activity” downtown. Williams said his biggest concern was the behavior of kids, not their presence. But he questioned whether kids should meet in large groups in the middle of Downtown at all.
“Why should we allow fifty, sixty, a hundred kids to hang out on a corner? Why don`t they have a space where they can go?” he asked. “It`s not the wisest place for our kids to be in that space, whether we think permission or not. Why are we comfortable or allowing a group of kids just to stand on a corner?”
Those comments prompted sharp criticism from some in the audience. Hannah Yomi, a 23-year-old University of Pittsburgh student, called Williams’ phrasing “Jim Crow-esque.”
💭Want more stories like this? Check out our Weekend Round Up! https://ow.ly/vbI350Z1ep8
📰Read the full article here: https://ow.ly/zU4a50Z1ep7
📍Your Hill District Weekend Roundup Recap Starts Here!
🏘️ Greater Hill District Neighborhood reinvestment (LERTA) Fund awards seven local initiatives
🚨 Pittsburgh youth raise question on Market Square restrictions at forum
🤖 Nonprofits use AI to expand impact
🗺️All Roads Lead to The South: National Day of Action in Montgomery, Alabama
🏛️ Richard W. Taylor appointed president of Eden Hall Foundation
Read the full edition here: https://mailchi.mp/hilldistrict/weekendroundup-5-16-2026. Your go-to place for Hill District news, events, and community updates.
📍Your Hill District Weekend Roundup Recap Starts Here!
🏘️ Greater Hill District Neighborhood reinvestment (LERTA) Fund awards seven local initiatives
🚨 Pittsburgh youth raise question on Market Square restrictions at forum
🤖 Nonprofits use AI to expand impact
🗺️All Roads Lead to The South: National Day of Action in Montgomery, Alabama
🏛️ Richard W. Taylor appointed president of Eden Hall Foundation
Read the full edition here: https://mailchi.mp/hilldistrict/weekendroundup-5-16-2026. Your go-to place for Hill District news, events, and community updates.
News
Events
June 11, 2026 @ 10:00 am
Small Business Hours with the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Entreprenurial Excellence
June 18, 2026 @ 10:00 am
