The growing partnership between The Hear Foundation and Duquesne University was recently featured on KDKA Radio. Dr. Norman Conti, Professor of Sociology at Duquesne University, joined KDKA to talk about the work he and Leon Ford are doing together, from its origins to what is happening in the classroom today. The conversation also included a […]
Updates
The Weight of Forgiveness: A Night of Truth, Courage and Healing
On Wednesday, September 16, 2026, The Hear Foundation brought The Weight of Forgiveness to the stage of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in downtown Pittsburgh. Written by Hear Foundation CEO Leon Ford, The Weight of Forgiveness is Leon’s first play. It is a two-person conversation between Leon and the officer who shot him, […]
In the News: Leon Ford in the Pittsburgh Business Times and The Pittsburgh Progress
Leon Ford and The Hear Foundation’s work to build safer, healthier communities have been featured in two recent stories. Pittsburgh Business Times: Personalities of Pittsburgh In August, the Pittsburgh Business Times profiled Leon for its Personalities of Pittsburgh series, exploring how forgiveness fuels his mission at The Hear Foundation. Read the Pittsburgh Business Times profile […]
The Hear Foundation at the 2026 Eradicate Hate Student Summit
On Monday, September 14, 2026, The Hear Foundation joined students from across the region at the 2026 Eradicate Hate Student Summit at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. Our table featured NOBLE and our Bridging the Badge program, which builds authentic connections between young people and law enforcement. Students stopped by to learn […]
Leon Ford Leads Session at Massachusetts Statewide Civil Rights Symposium
On August 5, 2026, The Hear Foundation President and CEO Leon Ford joined more than 200 law enforcement professionals from across Massachusetts at the third annual statewide Civil Rights Symposium in Norwood, Massachusetts. Hosted by the Healey-Driscoll Administration through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, in partnership with the Municipal Police Training Committee […]
LOUDER! 2026 Gala
A Night That Refused to Whisper LOUDER! was never meant to be quiet. Hosted by activist and visionary Leon Ford and held inside the elegant ballroom at Rivers Casino, this year’s LOUDER! Gala became something more than a fundraiser. It became a declaration. A declaration that courage deserves a microphone. That community deserves investment. And […]
