Lecture

John Fetterman
Mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania
"the story of Braddock"
http://www.15104.cc

Tuesday / October 21st / 2008 /
6:30 pm / Wyly Tower Auditorium

John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, will, in his words, present "the story of Braddock."

Braddock, an old steel town, had a bustling population of about 20,000 in its heyday and boasted the first Carnegie Library. As with many towns and cities within the American “Rust Belt,” Braddock’s industries and its population (down to 2,912 in 2000) abandoned much of the town over the recent decades. Recently, poverty and crime have branded the remains of the town.

Fetterman, an Americorps volunteer in Braddock in the 1990s, continues to direct a program helping locals earn GEDs and find employment. In a 3-way race for mayor in the 2005 Democratic primary, Fetterman soundly defeated a two-term incumbent, and ultimately won the election by a single vote over the other candidate, another life-long resident of Braddock.

Fetterman sees Braddock's plight as an opportunity. As his website - http://www.15104.cc - describes, "destruction breeds creation": the "malignantly beautiful town" of Braddock offers "an unparalleled opportunity for the urban pioneer, artist or misfit to be part of a new, experimental effort."

The lecture is free and open to the public. For information regarding accessibility and other questions, please call 318.257.2816

Lectures are available for CEUs.