‘Blueberry’ Is the New Class Favorite in Fairfield High’s Modern Manufacturing Class

April 2, 2026

Instructor Karl Owens and some of his students pose with the car that was gifted to the school — Fairfield High Preparatory School instructor Karl Owens and some of his students pose with the car that was gifted to the school. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr., For The Birmingham Times)

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. | The Birmingham Times

Blueberry is the latest member of the Modern Manufacturing Program class at Fairfield High Preparatory School.

No, Blueberry isn’t a student, but it may be the class favorite.

Blueberry, as instructor Karl Owens calls it, is the obsidian blue 2025 Honda Passport AWD that was unveiled Thursday as a gift from Honda and the United Way. Students, faculty and dignitaries assembled in front of the school for the reveal.

“It allows the class to disassemble and reassemble the vehicle, giving them an experience of what they might receive in the actual automotive plant,” Owens said after the ceremony. “We’ll be able to take the tires off, doors, seats … basically take the whole vehicle apart and put it back together and try to make sure that it works properly, like it did before.”

Teriann Bailey, workforce partnership lead at Honda, said the vehicle gifted to the school is more than just a vehicle.

“It’s a classroom,” she said. “Students will have the opportunity to work directly with a real product, gaining practical experience that mirrors what happens every day inside our manufacturing facility. This kind of exposure builds confidence, skills and awareness.”

Fairfield High senior LaDarius Dawson speaks during the auto reveal ceremony. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr., For The Birmingham Times)

Among the visitors from Honda was Brian Burton, an alumnus of Fairfield.

“When I took a mechanical drawing class — I remember the teacher’s name, Mrs. Fuller — I never knew that would translate into me becoming an engineer down at the (Honda) Alabama Auto Plant,” he said. “I appreciate that foundation and that skill set that I got and I retained. I went to college and was interested in manufacturing. It was called manufacturing technology. I attended Southeast Missouri State University.

“I eventually got hired at Alabama Auto Plant in 2004,” Burton said. “I’ve been employed there for 22 years and have been an engineer for 18.”

Johnathan Byrd, modern manufacturing project manager of the Modern Manufacturing Program Center of Excellence, said the skills taught in the Modern Manufacturing class could lead a student to building cars or cabinets.

“We’re not pigeonholing kids to say, Hey, get the skill set and go work at an auto plant,” Byrd said. “No. You can go do construction. You can do automation. You can go in many different directions.

“Every kid is not meant to go work at a huge plant,” he continued. “I’ve got some kids who prefer to work at a smaller machine shop. There are many different avenues. The automotive industry is huge, and a lot of kids are going to go and have gone into automotive manufacturing. But some kids took apprenticeships in carpentry or welding. There are a lot of different avenues.”

Fairfield High senior LaDarius Dawson expressed gratitude to Byrd for helping him find a career and to Owens for all he’s taught him.

“Being taught under Mr. Owens, it’s been great,” Dawson said. “I’m one of the first students to ever be in the Modern Manufacturing Program and Mr. Owens has been teaching it magnificently. He’s taught us more than just manufacturing. He’s given us life lessons and taught us hands-on skills. He’s actually taught us about welding back there, carpentry and a lot more things.”

To learn more about the Modern Manufacturing Program Center of Excellence, visit www.learnmanufacturing.com.

March 2, 2026

Birmingham Times

April 2, 2026

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EMPLOYMENT

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Ticketing Manager

BJCC, is recruiting for a 1) Ticketing Manager for information & to apply visit https://www.bjcc.org/jobs/ or send resume to careers@bjcc.org /fax resume 205-458-8530.

BT4/02/2026

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LEGAL

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01-CV-2026-900493.00

NOTICE OF FINAL HEARING BY PUBLICATION

TO: ROBERT C. CRANE; RICARDO CHARME a/k/a RICARDO CHARME CASTAGNOLA; RESIDENTIAL FUNDING CORPORATION; THE OLSHAN CORPORATION; J.T. SMALLWOOD, JEFFERSON COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR; JEFFERSON COUNTY, ALABAMA; CITY OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA; and any and all other unknown heirs, claimants or interested parties claiming any right, title, estate, lien, or interest in the real estate described herein,

TAKE NOTICE that on February 4, 2026, the Birmingham Land Bank Authority filed the above-styled Complaint, and the Land Bank asserts that it has recorded notice of a pending quiet title and foreclosure action in the Probate Court of Jefferson County, Alabama concerning the rights and/or interests in the following real property:

Property Address: 411 78^th Street North, Birmingham, Alabama 35206

Tax Parcel ID No.: 01-23-00-10-4-010-011.000

Legal Description: The South 60 feet of Lots 21 and 22, in Block 10-D, according to the Survey of East Lake, as recorded in Map Book 1, Page 217, in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Jefferson County, Alabama, situated in Jefferson County, Alabama (It appears said legal is the same as that certain legal described in Instrument No. 2022104989 as follows: S 60 FT OF LOTS 21 & 22 BLK 10-D EAST LAKE)

ANY PERSON WITH A PROPERTY INTEREST IN THE ABOVE PROPERTY IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THEY MAY LOSE SUCH INTEREST, IF ANY, AS A RESULT OF THE ABOVE-REFERENCED QUIET TITLE AND FORECLOSURE ACTION. The final hearing on this quiet title and foreclosure action is hereby set for May 29, 2026, in Room 340, Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham, Alabama, at 9:30 A.M. The judgment of the Court may result in title to the property vesting in the Birmingham Land Bank Authority. Any person who proves to the Court’s satisfaction a right to redeem the property pursuant to Alabama Code §§ 40-10-73 (1975) et seq. or Alabama Code §§ 40-10-83 (1975) et seq. may redeem the property pursuant to those statutes within five (5) days after the appropriate Order on Final Hearing is issued. FAILURE TO REDEEM THE PROPERTY AND PRESENT PROOF OF REDEMPTION TO THE CIRCUIT COURT WITHIN THE 5-DAY PERIOD MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF THE RIGHT OF REDEMPTION.

The address of the Birmingham Land Bank Authority is City Hall, 710 North 20^th St., Birmingham, AL 35203. The Birmingham Land Bank Authority may be contacted care of Cherokee W. Wooley, Law Offices of Thomas J. Skinner, IV, LLC, at (205) 802-2545.

IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED by the undersigned Clerk of Court that publication of this notice be made once a week for three consecutive weeks in the Birmingham Times, a newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Alabama, and that all persons to whom this notice is addressed and any and all persons claiming any title to, interest in, or lien or encumbrance on the above-described land or any part thereof are hereby directed to plead, answer or otherwise respond to the Complaint in this cause before the hearing date or a judgment by default may be rendered against them it being intended that this notice shall be used to perfect service against all parties who cannot be personally served with a copy of the Complaint.

BT4/02/2026

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SECTION 006519 ADVERTISEMENT FOR COMPLETION

LEGAL NOTICE

IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 39-1 AS AMENDED BY H275 CODE OF ALABAMA, 1997, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT SPLAWN CONSTRUCTION, INC. CONTRACTOR(S) HAVE COMPLETED EAST PINSON VALLEY RECREATION CENTER WATERPROOFING at 3000 JEFFERSON STATE PARKWAY, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35215 FOR THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM AND HAVE MADE A REQUEST FOR FINAL SETTLEMENT OF SAID CONTRACT, CONTRACTOR SPLAWN CONSTRUCTION, INC. BUSINESS ADDRESS 906 ALTON PARKWAY, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35210

BT4/02/2026

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SECTION 006519 ADVERTISEMENT FOR COMPLETION

LEGAL NOTICE

IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 39-1 AS AMENDED BY H275 CODE OF ALABAMA, 1997, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT SPLAWN CONSTRUCTION, INC. CONTRACTOR(S) HAVE COMPLETED Birmingham Fire Stations 1, 12, & 25 Bay Heater Replacement

Fire Station 1: 1808 1^st Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203

Fire Station 12: 6449 1^st Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35212

Fire Station 25: 3015 Wilson Road SW, Birmingham, AL 35211

FOR THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM AND HAVE MADE A REQUEST FOR FINAL SETTLEMENT OF SAID CONTRACT CONTRACTOR SPLAWN CONSTRUCTION, INC. BUSINESS ADDRESS 906 ALTON PARKWAY, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35210

BT4/02/2026

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Quitclaim Deed

STATE OF ALABAMA

COUNTY OF JEFFERSON

DATE: OCTOBER 24, 2025

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS THAT:

For and in consideration of the sum of 21.33 troy ounces of silver [$35,000 cash equivalent], the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned Trustees Roderick Smith I Ezella Smith, of Roderick and Ezella Smith Family Trust/ (RES FAMILY TRUST), an Alabama Revocable Trust whose tax mailing address is PO BOX 610392, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35261, USA, (the “Grantor”), hereby remises, releases, grants, sells, and conveys, as well as quitclaim, unto Darren Washington, dated October 24, 2025, (the “Grantee”), all of the Grantor’s right, title, interest and claim in or to the following described real estate, situated in Jefferson County, Alabama: 4705 Terrace S, Birmingham, AL 35208

SUBD: CENTRAL PARK LD CO 29-7&8 SEC/TWN/RNG/MER: SEC 08 TWN 18S RNG 03W LOT·2 BLK 7 CENTRAL PARK LAND COMPANY’S FIRST SURVEY.

BT4/02/2026

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LEGAL NOTICE

In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, as amended, notice is hereby given that: Central Alabama Asphalt & Construction Co., LLC has completed the contract for the construction of Irondale 2025 Paving for the State of Alabama, and the County of Jefferson, and has made a request for final settlement of said contract. All persons having any claim for labor, materials, or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify:

Central Alabama Asphalt & Construction Co., LLC

3181 Fosters Ferry Road, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401

Office: (205) 349-0910

BT4/02/2026

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF JEFFERSON COUNTY, ALABAMA

QUINTEZ CHAPMAN v ARKIEMIA HOLLEY

CIVIL ACTION NO. 01-CV-2025-900674

DEFENDANT WARNING ORDER AS TO ARKIEMIA HOLLEY

To: Arkiemia Holley, Defendant: You are hereby notified that Quintez Chapman, whose attorney is Barry D. Burton, 1905 14^th Avenue South, Birmingham, Alabama 35205, has filed a complaint against you. A copy of the complaint and summons shall be delivered to you or your attorney upon request. You are also notified that you must appear and defend by filing an Answer within thirty (30) days of the date of the first publication of this Warning Order; and in the event of your failure to do so, judgment by default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

Jacqueline Anderson Smith

Circuit County Clerk

Jefferson County, Alabama

716 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd.

Birmingham, Alabama 35203

205-325-5355

BT4/02026

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Invitation for General Contractor Services Bid

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Notice is hereby given that Jefferson State Community College will be accepting sealed bids for General Contractor Services for the Jefferson, Shelby-Hoover, St. Clair-Pell City & Chilton –Clanton Campuses.

JSCC Bid #26-006 for General Contractor Services will need to be delivered on Thursday, April 14, 2026, by 3:00 p.m. local time to Jefferson State Community College, 2601 Carson Road, George Wallace Hall, Room 115, in Birmingham, AL 35215.

A complete set of Bid Documents shall be available through the Jefferson State Community College Purchasing Office.

By Mail: Jefferson State Community College

Purchasing Coordinator

2601 Carson Road

GWH 100

Birmingham, AL 35215

Phone: 205-856-8020

Email: purchasing@jeffersonstate.edu

Bids must be sealed when received and submitted on Proposal Forms furnished in the Bid Documents or copies thereof. The preceding is an abbreviated advertisement. The complete advertisement may be obtained via the contact information or location listed above.

BT4/02/2026

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PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE

Abandoned 2013 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS (White/Black) auction to satisfy possessory lien (AL Code §32-13-3) on April 28, 2026, at 7:00 AM. Contact: Zara Mccarther (10 AM–4 PM) for more info.

BT4/02/2026

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NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed Bid Proposals will be received by the Environmental Services Department, Jefferson County, Alabama, online at QuestCDN (eBidDoc #10104485), until 2:00 P.M. local time on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, and then publicly opened and read via virtual video conference using Microsoft Teams for the SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM – ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM – CONTRACT NO. 2025 AMP04 – 2025 SEWER REHABILITATION.

Microsoft Teams can be accessed via a direct invitation link sent via email (request this link from Tad Powell at tpowell@hazenandsawyer.com).

The scope of work includes the rehabilitation of approximately 70,706 linear feet of 8-inch through 12-inch sanitary sewer pipe with cured-in-place liner, approximately 146 service lateral connection saddles via excavation, 1,488 service lateral launch inspections, 29 vertical feet of manhole replacement, 108 vertical feet of manhole installation, 85 segmental replacements 8-inch thru 12-inch sanitary sewer pipe via excavation, asphalt paving, and restoration work.

Bidding Documents are on file for inspection, by appointment only, at the following location:

Jefferson County Environmental Services Department 716 Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North, Suite A-300 Birmingham, Alabama 35203

Contact for Appointment: Ron Thomas at (205) 215-1661

Complete sets of electronic Bidding Documents (Specifications and Drawings) are available at https://www.jeffcoes.org (navigate to “BIDS/CONTRACTS” to “NOTICE TO BIDDERS” to “Asset Management Program – Project Bid Information” for a listing of projects. Prior to downloading the Bidding Documents, Bidders will be required to set up a QuestCDN.com account and pay a $64.00 fee ($22.00 for download-only). Hard copies of the Bidding Documents are the responsibility of the Bidders. Contact QuestCDN at 952-233-1632 or info@questcdn.com for assistance with navigating the website and digital project information.

Bids will only be accepted from pre-qualified contractors who are listed on the Plan Holders List, have purchased a set of documents from the Engineer, and attend the MANDATORY Pre-Bid Conference.

NO BID PROPOSAL SHALL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE TIME STATED FOR RECEIVING BID PROPOSALS IN THIS NOTICE. A FORM CONTAINING THE CONTRACTOR’S NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE FIRM AND THE CONTRACTOR’S ALABAMA LICENSE NUMBER WITH THE DATE OF EXPIRATION IS REQUIRED WITH THE SUBMISSION OF THE BID. THESE REQUIREMENTS SHALL NOT BE WAIVED.

The Contractor is hereby advised that TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE on this project. The Contract Time for this project is four hundred fifty (450) consecutive calendar days from the effective date of the written Notice to Proceed to achieve Final Acceptance. Liquidated damages will be assessed

if this time limit is exceeded. The Contractor may apply for an extension of time in accordance with the Contract; however, such an extension must be approved prior to the Contract Completion Date to avoid liquidated damages.

The Contractor is hereby advised that a Pre-Bid Conference will be held via a virtual video conference on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. This Pre-Bid Conference is MANDATORY for all contractors planning to submit a Bid Proposal on this project. The conference call will be held using Microsoft Teams and can be accessed using a direct invitation link sent via email (request this link from Tad Powell, Hazen, and Sawyer at email tpowell@hazenandsawyer.com). If you are unable to join the call due to technical difficulties, call Tad Powell (Hazen and Sawyer) at 205-957-4151 or Ron Thomas (Jefferson County) at

(205) 215-1661 for assistance.

Questions concerning the meaning or intent of the Bidding Documents shall be submitted to Tad Powell, PE, Senior Associate, Hazen, and Sawyer, at email tpowell@hazenandsawyer.com no later than 5:00 p.m. local time on April 22, 2026. All questions must be in writing on the Bidder’s company’s letterhead.

THE ATTENTION OF ALL BIDDERS IS CALLED TO THE PROVISIONS OF THE STATE LAW GOVERNING GENERAL CONTRACTORS, AS SET FORTH IN ALABAMA CODE SECTIONS 34-8-1 THROUGH SECTION 34-8-28 (1975), AS AMENDED, CHAPTER 4, SECTION 65 TO 82 (INCLUSIVE) OF TITLE 46 OF THE CODE OF ALABAMA OF 1940, AS AMENDED; AND BIDDERS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY SAID LAW INSOFAR AS IT IS APPLICABLE. THE ABOVE-MENTIONED PROVISIONS OF THE CODE MAKE IT ILLEGAL FOR THE OWNER TO CONSIDER A BID PROPOSAL FROM ANYONE WHO IS NOT PROPERLY LICENSED UNDER SUCH CODE PROVISIONS.

THE ATTENTION OF BIDDERS IS CALLED TO THE PROVISIONS OF ALABAMA CODE SECTION 39-2-14 (1975) AS AMENDED, REQUIRING A NONRESIDENT CONTRACTOR TO REGISTER WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE PRIOR TO ENGAGING IN THE PERFORMANCE OF A CONTRACT IN THE STATE OF ALABAMA.

THE ATTENTION OF BIDDERS IS CALLED TO THE PROVISIONS OF ALABAMA CODE SECTION 39-3-5 (1975) AS AMENDED, REGARDING PREFERENCE TO RESIDENT CONTRACTORS.

THE ATTENTION OF BIDDERS IS CALLED TO THE PROVISIONS OF ALABAMA ACT 2016-312 AS AMENDED, REGARDING NOT ENGAGING IN THE BOYCOTT OF A PERSON OR ENTITY BASED IN OR DOING BUSINESS WITH A JURISDICTION WITH WHICH THIS STATE ENJOYS OPEN TRADE.

THE EXCAVATION PORTION OF THIS PROJECT IS CLASSIFIED AS A CLASS “A” (8” through 12” Diameter) SEWER LINE PROJECT. ALL PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS MUST BE PRE-QUALIFIED WITH THE JEFFERSON COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT TO EITHER BID ON CLASS “A” SEWER LINE PROJECTS OR CURED-IN-PLACE PROJECTS IN ORDER TO BID ON THIS PROJECT. TO PRE-QUALIFY WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND TO CONSTRUCT CLASS “A” SEWER LINE PROJECTS OR CURED- IN-PLACE PROJECTS, EACH PROSPECTIVE BIDDER MUST FURNISH WRITTEN EVIDENCE OF COMPETENCY AND EVIDENCE OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO THE COUNTY.

ACCORDINGLY, THE COUNTY WILL NOT ACCEPT PRE-QUALIFICATION APPLICATIONS AFTER April 10, 2026. BID PROPOSAL FORMS WILL NOT BE ISSUED TO PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS WHO DO NOT PRE-QUALIFY.

CONTRACTORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONTACT THE JEFFERSON COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, 716 RICHARD ARRINGTON JR. BOULEVARD NORTH, SUITE A300, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, (205) 325-5496 IN ADVANCE OF THE DEADLINE TO DETERMINE IF THE CONTRACTOR IS PRE-QUALIFIED TO CONSTRUCT CLASS “A” SEWER LINE PROJECTS OR CURED-IN-PLACE PROJECTS, OR FOR OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION.

BT4/02/2026

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Jefferson State Community College

2601 Carson Rd. George Wallace Hall, Room 115 (1^st floor conference room),

Birmingham, AL 35215

UNTIL 2:00 PM Local Time, Tuesday, April 14, 2026

at which time and place they will be publicly opened and read for:

Merritt Building – Multi-Purpose Room and Lobby Lighting

DAVIS ARCHITECTS PROJECT #4068

ACCS PROJECT # 2025 055 JSCC

New lighting fixtures and lighting control systems at Merritt Hall.

A Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference to be held on Tuesday, April 7, at 2:00 PM Local Time at Merritt Hall, Conference Room 127 at the Jefferson State Community College, 4600 Valleydale Road, Birmingham, AL 35242. Prequalification is required.

A cashier’s check or bid bond payable to Alabama Community College System in an amount not less than five (5)

A percentage of the amount of the bid, but in no event more than $10,000, must accompany the bidder’s proposal. Performance and Payment Bonds and evidence of insurance required in the bid documents will be required at the signing of the Contract.

Only general contractors approved to bid pursuant to the Owner’s prequalification procedures and criteria will be eligible to bid for the Project. Written prequaliﬁcation procedures and criteria are available for review at the office of Davis Architects, 120 23rd Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233, or via email at cpittman@dadot.com

Pre-qualification application forms should be emailed to cpittman@dadot.com. Forms will be received until 5:00 p.m. CDT, Monday, 3/30/2026.

Drawings and specifications may be examined at:

Davis Architects, 120 23^rd Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233

Bid Documents may be obtained from the Architect (Engineer) upon deposit of $ 100.00 per set, which will be refunded in full on the first 1 set issued to each general contract bidder submitting a bona fide bid, upon return of documents in good condition within ten days of bid date. Other sets for general contractors, and sets for subcontractors and dealers, may be obtained with the same deposit, which will be refunded as above, less the cost of printing, reproduction, handling, and distribution. Prequalified general contractors may request printed or electronic bid documents from cpittman@dadot.com.

Bids must be submitted on proposal forms furnished by the Architect (Engineer) or copies thereof. All bidders bidding in amounts exceeding that established by the State Licensing Board for General Contractors must be licensed under the provisions of Title 34, Chapter 8, Code of Alabama, 1975, and must show evidence of license before bidding or bid will not be received or considered by the Architect (Engineer); the bidder shall show such evidence by clearly displaying his or her current license number on the outside of the sealed envelope in which the proposal is delivered. The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive technical errors if, in the Owner’s judgment, the best interests of the Owner will thereby be promoted.

Courtney Pittman, AIA

ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM ARCHITECT/ENGINEER

BT4/02/2026

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LEGAL NOTICE

In accordance with Chapter 1, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, as amended, notice is hereby given that: Specialty Turf Supply Inc. has completed the contract for the renovation for Baseball Field Renovation for Shades Valley High School #25-67at Shades Valley High School, for the State of Alabama, and the County of Jefferson, and have made request for final settlement of said contract. All persons having any claim for labor, materials, or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify:

Lathan Mokee

Michael Hill

120 Metrock Circle, Helena, AL 35080

BT4/02/2026

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LEGAL NOTICE

INVITATION TO BID

ITB# 33-26 “ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT TESTING AND INSPECTION SERVICES”

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL

Bids will be received by the Jefferson County Commission Purchasing Agent, Michael D. Matthews, Ph.D., C.P.M., until 4:00 (CST) p.m. on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, for ITB 33-26 ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT TESTING AND INSPECTION SERVICES.

All solicitation information, including forms and specifications, is available for free download at https://jeffcobids.jccal.org/Search.aspx. Interested parties must meet the bidder requirements and qualifications specified in the bid documents on or before the bid due date.

All questions must be submitted in writing to procurementservices@jccal.org attention Charles Lindsey.

A pre-bid conference will be held Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. (CST) in Purchasing Suite 830 of the Jefferson County Main Courthouse, 716 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd. N., Birmingham, AL 35203.

BT4/02/2026

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INVITATION TO BID

The City of Birmingham will accept sealed bids for the 35th Street Bridge Painting Project, Project # ENG 2025-026. Bids will be received by the City Engineer in Suite 220 of City Hall, Birmingham, Alabama, until Wednesday, April 22, 2026, by 2:00 p.m. Sealed bids will be time-stamped at the time of arrival. Bids will then be publicly opened and read in the Suite 220 Conference Room beginning at 2:00 pm. It is the bidder’s responsibility to make sure that the bid is in the possession of the City Engineer on or before the time set for opening. Bids received after this time will not be considered. Bids can be dropped into the bid box located in Room 220, City Hall, hand-delivered to the City Engineer in Room 220 of City Hall or brought to the bid opening.

This is a bridge painting project for the 35th Street Bridge steel span, which crosses 1st Avenue North in the North Avondale Neighborhood. The primary items of work are approximately: blast cleaning, coating the existing bridge, erosion control, and traffic control.

A MANDATORY PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at 3:00 pm (CST) in Conference Room 220, City Hall.

Bid documents are open to public inspection at the Office of the City Engineer in the Department of Capital Projects — Suite 220 of City Hall, 710 20th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203. Bid documents may be viewed and purchased through the City of Birmingham online plan room site at https://www.birminghamplanroom.com/under the above project name. Any cost for reproduction shall be the responsibility of bidders. Prospective bidders are advised to check their source of bid documents frequently for any addenda to the bid documents. It is the bidder’s responsibility to bid on the correct set of bid documents.

Bids shall be accompanied by a cashier’s check drawn on an Alabama bank, or a bid bond executed by a surety company duly authorized and qualified to make such bonds in the State of Alabama, in an amount equal to 5% of the bid (subject to a maximum of $10,000) and payable to the City of Birmingham. Bid bonds of the three (3) lowest bidders will be held for a period of ninety (90) days unless bidders agree, in writing, to a longer period of time. No bid may be withdrawn after the scheduled closing time for the receipt of the bids for a period of ninety (90) days.

A performance bond and a payment bond, each equal to 100% of the contract amount, will be required of the successful bidder during the award process. Said bonds shall be executed by a surety company duly authorized and qualified to make such bonds in the State of Alabama.

Liability insurance certificates shall be required of the successful bidder during the award process, and such certificates shall list the City of

Birmingham, its officials, agents, and employees, are additionally named insured.

Only bids submitted by General Contractors licensed in the State of Alabama in accordance with Alabama Code Chapter 8, Title 34 (inclusive) will be considered.

Bids shall be submitted in a sealed envelope marked “35th Street Bridge Painting” on the outside of each envelope. Contractors shall also write on the outside of the sealed bid envelope their State of Alabama general contractor’s license number as well as the name of the company submitting the bid.

The sealed bid envelope shall contain the following documents: (1) the Form of Proposal, (2) Sales Tax Attachment, (3) the Authorization to Execute the Form of Proposal, (4) fully executed bid bond or certified check, (5) MBE/DBE Forms A, C, and D, (6) a copy of the contractor’s State of Alabama General Contractor’s License, (7) a current City of Birmingham Business License, (8) E-verify documentation, (9) list of subcontractors, and (10) Transparency in City Government form.

This project is subject to the requirements of the Birmingham Plan-Construction Industry Program, which is designed to encourage the utilization of Minority Business Enterprises and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“MBE/DBE”) in City of Birmingham construction projects. The program is administered by the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority (BCIA), which establishes a system of floating MBE/DBE goals that may differ from year to year and project to project. Overall, these goals shall not be lower than the historical participation of MBE/DBEs in City and agency construction projects.

Special attention is called to the requirement of all bidders to identify trades and activities for which it will solicit and accept bids from potential MBE/DBE subcontractors. Potential bidders are encouraged to contact the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority (BCIA) to request a list of potential subcontractors and submit the required MBE/DBE forms by contacting the Executive Director, Birmingham Construction Industry Authority at 601 37th Street South, Birmingham, AL, 35222; telephone (205) 324-6202 or info@bcia1.org.

As a matter of public policy, the City of Birmingham agrees to make opportunities available to the maximum extent possible, to actively include Historically Underutilized Business Enterprises (HUBEs) such as architectural firms, engineering firms, investment banking firms, other professional consultant services providers, and construction contractors as part of business, economic, and community revitalization programs.

The City of Birmingham reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to waive any informality in any bid.

Jesse Miller, PE City Engineer

BT4/02/2026

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Notice

“Gabriel Azar’Yah Esra EL

Rising on October 23rd, 2021 at 2:32am. Weight 6lbs even and Length of 19.5 inches. His creation was on Turtle Island and nativity on The Republic of Alabama.”

BT4/02/2026

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Sealed proposals will be received by the Alabama Community College System at:

Jefferson State Community College

2601 Carson Rd. George Wallace Hall, Room 115 (1^st floor conference room),

Birmingham, AL 35215

UNTIL 2:00 PM Local Time, Tuesday, May 12, 2026

at which time and place they will be publicly opened and read for:

Optic Fiber Upgrades – Jefferson Campus

DAVIS ARCHITECTS PROJECT #4068

ACCS PROJECT # 2025 024 JSCC

Fiber optic conduit and cabling at Jefferson campus.

A Mandatory Pre-Bid Conference to be held on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 2:00 PM Local Time at 2601 Carson Rd. George Wallace Hall, Room 115 (1st floor conference room), Birmingham, AL 35215. Prequalification is required.

A cashier’s check or bid bond payable to Alabama Community College System in an amount not less than five (5)

percent of the amount of the bid, but in no event more than $10,000, must accompany the bidder’s proposal. Performance and Payment Bonds and evidence of insurance required in the bid documents will be required at the signing of the Contract.

Only general contractors who have been approved to bid pursuant to prequaliﬁcation procedures and criteria established by the Owner will be eligible to bid for the Project. Written prequaliﬁcation procedures and criteria are available for review at the office of Davis Architects, 120 23rd Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233 or via email at cpittman@dadot.com

Pre-qualification application forms should be emailed to cpittman@dadot.com Forms will be received until 5:00 p.m. CDT, Monday, 4/13/2026.

Drawings and specifications may be examined at:

Davis Architects, 120 23^rd Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233

Bid Documents may be obtained from the Architect (Engineer) upon deposit of $ 100.00 per set, which will be refunded in full on the first 1 set issued to each general contract bidder submitting a bonafide bid, upon return of documents in good condition within ten days of bid date. Other sets for general contractors, and sets for subcontractors and dealers, may be obtained with the same deposit, which will be refunded as above, less cost of printing, reproduction, handling, and distribution. Prequalified general contractors may request printed or electronic bid documents from cpittman@dadot.com.

Bids must be submitted on proposal forms furnished by the Architect (Engineer) or copies thereof. All bidders bidding in amounts exceeding that established by the State Licensing Board for General Contractors must be licensed under the provisions of Title 34, Chapter 8, Code of Alabama, 1975, and must show evidence of license before bidding or bid will not be received or considered by the Architect (Engineer); the bidder shall show such evidence by clearly displaying his or her current license number on the outside of the sealed envelope in which the proposal is delivered. The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and to waive technical errors if, in the Owner’s judgement, the best interests of the Owner will thereby be promoted.

BT4/02/2026

_________________________________

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

Sealed Bid Proposals will be received by the Environmental Services Department, Jefferson County, Alabama, online at QuestCDN (eBidDoc #10127657), until 2:00 P.M. local time on Wednesday, May 06, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. and then publicly opened and read via virtual video conference using Microsoft Teams for the 2026 AMP16 – 2026 SANITARY SEWER CLEANING. Microsoft Teams can be accessed using a direct invitation link sent via email (request this link from Tad Powell, Hazen and Sawyer, at email tpowell@hazenandsawyer.com).

The scope of work includes the cleaning of 883,000 linear feet of 6-inch through 16-inch diameter sanitary sewer and the accurate quantification and documentation of the type and amount of debris found in each sewer segment. Cleaning may include the removal of moderate and heavy amounts of roots, grease, and/or debris. The scope of work will also include television inspection of approximately 88,300 linear feet of the cleaned pipe as a means of quality control.

Bidding Documents are on file for inspection, by appointment only, at the following location:

Jefferson County Environmental Services Department

716 Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North, Suite A-300

Birmingham, Alabama 35203

Contact for Appointment: Ron Thomas at (205) 215-1661

Complete sets of electronic Bidding Documents (Specifications and Drawings) are available at https://www.jeffcoes.org (navigate to “BIDS/CONTRACTS” to “NOTICE TO BIDDERS” to “Asset Management Program – Project Bid Information” for a listing of projects. Prior to downloading the Bidding Documents, Bidders will be required to set up a QuestCDN.com account and pay a $64.00 fee ($22.00 fee for download only). Hard copies of the Bidding Documents are the responsibility of the Bidders. Contact QuestCDN at 952-233-1632 or info@questcdn.com for assistance with navigating the website and digital project information.

Bids will only be accepted from pre-qualified contractors who are listed on the Plan Holders List, signifying that they have purchased a set of documents from the Engineer, and who attend the MANDATORY Pre-Bid Conference.

The Contractor is hereby advised that TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE on this Project. The Contract Time for this Project is three hundred sixty-five (365) consecutive calendar days. Liquidated damages will be assessed if this time limit is exceeded. The Contractor may apply for an extension of time in accordance with the provisions of the Contract; however, such an extension must be approved prior to the Contract Completion Date to avoid the imposition of liquidated damages.

The Contractor is hereby advised that a Pre-Bid Conference will be held via a virtual video conference on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. This Pre-Bid Conference is MANDATORY for all contractors planning to submit a Bid Proposal on this project. The conference call will be held using Microsoft Teams and can be accessed using a direct invitation link sent via email (request this link from Tad Powell, Hazen and Sawyer, at email tpowell@hazenandsawyer.com). If you are unable to join the call due to technical difficulties, call Tad Powell (Hazen and Sawyer) at 205-957-4151 or Ron Thomas (Jefferson County) at 205-325-8725 for assistance.

Questions concerning meaning or intent of Bidding Documents shall be submitted to Tad Powell, PE, Senior Associate, Hazen and Sawyer, at email tpowell@hazenandsawyer.com no later than 5:00 p.m. local time on Friday, May 01, 2026. All questions must be in writing on Bidder’s company’s letterhead or email.

THE ATTENTION OF BIDDERS IS CALLED TO THE PROVISIONS OF ALABAMA CODE SECTION 39-3-5 (1975) AS AMENDED, REGARDING PREFERENCE TO RESIDENT CONTRACTORS.

THE ATTENTION OF THE BIDDERS IS CALLED TO THE PROVISIONS OF ALABAMA CODE SECTION 41-16-161 AS AMENDED, REGARDING NOT ENGAGING IN ECONOMIC BOYCOTTS.

All prospective Bidders who were not prequalified under the 2023 AMP12 – 2023 Sanitary Sewer Cleaning Project that bid on March 1, 2023, must complete and submit a “Statement of Bidder’s Qualifications” to Hazen and Sawyer, Attention: Tad Powell, PE, Senior Associate, Two Chase Corporate Drive, Suite 170, Birmingham, Alabama 35244. The deadline for the submission of a “Statement of Bidder’s Qualifications” is Friday, April 24, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. local time.

The “Statement of Bidder’s Qualifications” shall fully address, in the same sequence, each of the following items:

Location, telephone number, and fax number of the prospective Bidder’s headquarters and any other offices.

The bidder shall have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in the type of work specified. List all experience required.

The bidder shall have a minimum of one million linear feet of sewer line cleaned in the last five (5) years. List all projects with footage.

The bidder shall have completed three (3) other projects similar in scope with references. References shall include company, address, contact name and phone number, footage cleaned and date range of project.

List jurisdictions and trade categories in which the prospective Bidder is legally qualified to do business. List all applicable license numbers.

A list and description of all judgments, claims, and suits pending or outstanding against the prospective Bidder that are associated with the projects listed in Item 4.

A list of all lawsuits associated with the projects listed in Item 4 filed by the prospective Bidder.

A list of names and experience records of key project management personnel, field supervision personnel, and field laborers proposed to work on this Project. Experience records for proposed personnel shall demonstrate compliance with the required qualifications specified in Section 33 01 36 – Sewer Line Cleaning and Section 33 01 32 – Sanitary Sewer Television Inspection.

List any restrictions placed on the prospective Bidder by local, state, or federal government barring the Bidder from doing work for those bodies.

Provide a statement of bonding capacity from Surety Company.

List major construction equipment currently owned or leased by prospective Bidder proposed for pipe cleaning and television inspection as outlined in these Specifications.

Attach prospective Bidder’s financial statement from the most recent fiscal year.

Attach any other pertinent documentation to substantiate prospective Bidder’s competence and financial responsibility.

The Owner may make such investigations as deemed necessary to determine the ability of the prospective Bidder to perform the Work, and the prospective Bidder shall furnish to the Owner all such information for this purpose as the Owner may request. The Owner reserves the right to reject any “Statement of Bidder’s Qualifications” if the evidence submitted by, or investigation of, such prospective Bidder fails to satisfy the Owner that such prospective Bidder is properly qualified to carry out the obligations of the Agreement and to complete the Work under this Contract. Such evidence should include, but not be limited to, successful completion of three (3) projects as the prime contractor within the last five (5) years. The “Statement of Bidder’s Qualifications” will be rejected if this requirement is not met.

BY:

David Denard

Director of Environmental Services

Jefferson County, Alabama

BT4/02/2026

_________________________________

Birmingham’s ‘Home for All’ Village Offers New Beginning for First Resident

Birmingham Times

April 2, 2026

04.01 HOMEa_21 — Michael Tolliver is the first resident of the City of Birmingham’s new “Home for All” micro-shelter village, unveiled Wednesday at Faith Chapel Care Center. (City of Birmingham)

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

On the day before his 64th birthday, Michael Tolliver received something he hadn’t had in more than a decade: a place to call his own.

“Number 11. This is my house right here,” Tolliver recalled, describing the moment he first stepped inside his new micro-shelter and looked up at the artwork on the walls.

“I thought the mural provided a nice view.”

For Tolliver, a Birmingham native who has spent the last 11 years unhoused, the moment felt almost unreal.

Did he ever expect to have a home again?

“No… I found it… crazy,” he said, shaking his head at the thought.

Tolliver is the first resident of the City of Birmingham’s new “Home for All” micro-shelter village, unveiled Wednesday at Faith Chapel Care Center.

The $2.4 million project is a partnership between the City and Faith Chapel Care Center, a ministry of Faith Chapel Christian Center, working together to help the unsheltered population gain independence while offering a safe, temporary place to stay.

City leaders and community partners gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and guided tour, introducing a new model aimed at addressing homelessness through private, dignified housing paired with support services.

Michael Tolliver, the first resident of the City of Birmingham’s new “Home for All” micro-shelter village, helps cut the ribbon for the development. (City of Birmingham)

“This village represents hope… it represents innovation, and it represents the love that Birmingham has for our fellow man,” said Cory Stallworth, the city’s senior deputy director for Community Development.

For Tolliver, the opportunity is life changing.

“It’s a great feeling. A blessed feeling. Thank God, things are finally coming together for me,” he said.

After years of instability, he says even the simplest comforts now feel extraordinary.

Asked what he’s looking forward to most, Tolliver smiled and pointed to the basics—safety, rest, and a place that’s his.

“I won’t feel…,” he began, trailing off, but the meaning was clear: relief from the uncertainty he’s carried for over a decade.

City officials say the “Home For All” initiative is designed to be more than just temporary shelter.

“Housing is not just about walls and a roof,” said Megan Venable Thomas, the city’s Community Development Director. “It’s about stability. It’s about dignity and the opportunity to heal.”

City of Birmingham’s new “Home for All” micro-shelter village, was unveiled Wednesday at Faith Chapel Care Center. (City of Birmingham)

The village offers wraparound services, including workforce development, healthcare access, and case management — tools intended to help residents transition into permanent housing.

Pastor Michael K. Moore of Faith Chapel emphasized the human impact behind the project.

“Every statistic represents one person’s story,” Moore said. “Our hope is that people will walk in one way but leave out transformed.”

City Councilor Darryl O’Quinn added that solutions like this are critical in addressing the complexity of homelessness.

“Our response cannot be one-size-fits-all,” he said.

Mayor Randall Woodfin called the initiative “a step in the right direction.”

“Shelter is not a luxury — it is a basic human need,” Woodfin said.

Tolliver said he learned about the opportunity through community connections and outreach, a reminder of how critical those networks can be.

Standing outside his new home, he reflected on the journey that brought him here—from years without stable housing to a door he can finally open and close on his own.

Now, as he prepares to move in on his birthday, Tolliver is focused on what comes next.

For more information on the Home For All initiative, go to www.birminghamal.gov/homeforall.

Nation’s First FIFA Arena Opens in Birmingham Ahead of 2026 World Cup

Birmingham Times

April 2, 2026

Screenshot 2026-04-02 at 2.44.07 PM — FIFA Arenas allow for small-sided games on a high-quality surface and have already been created in all six continents. (Provided)

KultureCity

The city of Birmingham, Alabama, celebrated a historic milestone ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ with the official opening of the first FIFA Arena facility in the United States.

The facility represents a major investment in the local community and arrives just 72 days before the start of the FIFA World Cup™ — a reminder of the strong legacy impact of the tournament.

The project is part of a global commitment to install at least 1,000 mini-pitches by 2031 to provide sustainable football infrastructure, particularly for those living in disadvantaged inner-city or rural areas. A parallel FIFA Arena was also unveiled in Oakland, California, reflecting a shared national commitment to invest in communities through the game.

In a video message to those in attendance, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the FIFA Arena would provide sustainable and safe access to the sport for young people, opening up opportunities within the sport.

“As is common in many regions across the world, football in Alabama is built mainly around youth participation and has a large, organised and growing grassroots ecosystem. Through the FIFA Arena, we, along with our partners in constructing this facility, can provide them the opportunity to do so,” he said.

Chris Richards, center, gets ready to cut the ribbon at the FIFA Arena. (Nathan Watson, BhamNow; KultureCity)

First FIFA Arena in the United States

FIFA Arenas allow for small-sided games on a high-quality surface and have already been created in all six continents as part of FIFA’s commitment to develop the game and make football truly global.

The Birmingham venue was delivered through a collaboration between FIFA, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) through its Soccer Forward programme, the Soccer Forward Foundation, local professional club Birmingham Legion FC, and KultureCity.

The inauguration event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony and youth community engagement game and was attended by VIPs such as United States national team and Premier League player Chris Richards and the Mayor of Birmingham, Randall Woodfin.

“I hope it’s an inspiration. I wish I had somebody from Birmingham who was doing this when I was growing up,” said Birmingham native and Crystal Palace FC star Richards. “Now that I can be that person, hopefully it inspires the next generation to pick up a soccer ball or just to be active.

“I think it’s cool to put it here in downtown. This place is so historic, and I want to be a part of the future of this city. Hopefully it brings more soccer players like myself.”

The FIFA President emphasised that these facilities serve a purpose beyond sport by facilitating and elevating school and community football.

“We promised we would install at least 1,000 mini pitches across the world by 2031 to further provide sustainable football infrastructure. Importantly, facilities like this do more than just provide access to sport,” he said. “They are designed to provide safe, sustainable access to our beautiful game.”

The facility will boost a growing grassroots ecosystem where the local community uses football as a platform for social impact, educational advancement, and physical wellbeing.

JPMorganChase Launches American Dream Initiative to Expand Economic Opportunity

Birmingham Times

April 2, 2026

Happy couple hugging in car dealership after buying new vehicle — JPMorganChase intends to increase support for local small businesses, prepare more Alabamians for good jobs and help more families achieve their financial goals. (Adobe Stock)

JPMorganChase

New York — JPMorganChase this week announced the American Dream Initiative (ADI) — a multi-year effort to help expand opportunity to millions of Americans and future generations through targeted investments in local communities across the United States.

Building on years of advancing local solutions that deliver results, the firm will significantly expand investments in proven initiatives that help make the economy work for more people, including by helping them start and grow small businesses, find affordable places to live, save and plan for their financial futures, get good jobs, access quality healthcare and strengthen the local institutions on which communities rely.

“The American Dream is alive, but it’s slipping out of reach for too many people — and for future generations,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorganChase. “This slows economic growth, hurts communities and prevents many people from getting ahead. By reigniting the American Dream through smart local investments and policies that we know work, we can work together to make the economy benefit more people — helping them buy homes, get good jobs and build better lives.”

Six Focus Areas

Through ADI, JPMorganChase will help accelerate and scale proven, local solutions by providing financing, facilitating capital, offering advice, training and tools and advocating for policy solutions across the following six areas where the firm has deep expertise and has driven meaningful impact:

Business Growth & Entrepreneurship: Increase access to capital, advice, training or tools for 10 million small businesses.
Housing Access & Affordability: Improve affordability for hundreds of thousands of renters and buyers through increased housing supply and homeownership opportunities.
Financial Health & Wealth Creation: Expand access to financial education, banking products, services, and digital financial health tools — scaling financial education efforts to reach a total of approximately five million cumulative customers, students and small businesses, up from one million served over the past five years.
Careers & Skills: Broaden access to skills-based training through policy and hiring opportunities, including for JPMorganChase employees.
Healthcare: Support efforts that provide better access to healthcare as well as promote better health outcomes, affordability and transparency for all Americans.
Local Institutions: More financing and support for thousands of schools, hospitals, nonprofits and local governments critical to community success in all 50 U.S. states.

Business Growth & Entrepreneurship: Powering 10 Million Small Businesses

ADI will start with launching a firmwide effort to support 10 million small businesses — up from seven million served today — over the next several years. As the nation’s leading small business bank, JPMorganChase intends to scale its support for small businesses to reach 10 million by providing further access to capital alongside coaching, advice, training or tools that help entrepreneurs overcome obstacles and pursue growth, including:

Increasing access to capital at every stage of growth: Deploying increased capital directly to customers and through partners, including Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and mission-driven lenders, and supporting federal programs such as Small Business Administration (SBA) Microloan, Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) and State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). As part of the American Dream Initiative, JPMorganChase intends to provide nearly $80 billion in lending to small businesses over the next 10 years, including direct lending to customers as well as through community and mission-driven lending partners, helping more entrepreneurs access the funding they need to start, grow and scale their businesses.
Providing advice and resources to help businesses manage and grow:Expanding one-on-one coaching and technical assistance through the firm’s Coaching for Impact program, with plans to mentor and graduate nearly 115,000 total small business owners in more than 80 cities over the next decade — a seven-fold increase in the number of graduates since program launch in 2020. Additionally, the firm aims to hire 1,000 more small business bankers across its network of 5,000 branches and intends to nearly double the number of Senior Business Consultants to 150, including targeted hiring in key markets such as Alabama, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Delivering value beyond traditional banking: Enhancing our suite of value-added services to help small business owners run and grow their businesses, including tools that simplify payroll, cash flow, and invoicing, offer robust 401k solutions, and provide actionable customer insights.
Strengthening local commercial corridors and communities:Piloting revitalization programs along main streets in key markets by working with local partners and leveraging the firm’s commercial real estate and home-lending expertise to help small businesses attract customers, create jobs, and drive neighborhood-level growth.
Connecting small business owners with better healthcare alternatives:Small business customers have a strong interest in providing health insurance for their workers, but deep concerns about high and rising costs. After extensive research and conversations with customers, the firm has created a resource center to help small businesses evaluate healthcare coverage options and continue to invest in growing lower cost alternative plans.
Helping small businesses access supplier programs for defense and government projects:Enabling small businesses to participate in supplier programs, especially for defense companies and government contracts, by leveraging existing firmwide relationships and government contractor initiatives. The goal is to empower small businesses to contribute to critical and growing industry projects such as AI and cybersecurity, while also helping them scale by accessing necessary labor and critical capital.
Advancing policies that support entrepreneurship and job creation:Championing policies that increase capital and reduce red tape for small businesses such as the Small Business Administration’s Made in America Manufacturing Initiative to eliminate $100 billion in red tape costs.

“Small businesses are essential to economic growth and opportunity in communities across America,” said Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business. “We are supporting entrepreneurs by combining local, on-the-ground engagement with the scale, capital, and expertise of the nation’s leading small business bank—so they can start, grow, and scale in the communities they call home.”

Local Solutions, National Impact

From Detroit and San Francisco to Columbus and Dallas, JPMorganChase has a 225-year track record of investing in U.S. communities and working with local government, business and community partners to solve local challenges.

Building on this, ADI will be nationwide with a particular focus on expanding on impactful work already happening in certain markets, such as Atlanta, Alabama, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The firm intends to increase its investments — including additional financing and capital facilitation — and expand advocacy for smart policies that widen opportunity, such as easing housing supply constraints, accelerating small business growth, closing skills gaps, expanding healthcare and banking access, and upgrading local infrastructure. By coordinating local investment, policy engagement and partnerships, JPMorganChase aims to continue developing solutions that can be replicated and scaled nationally.

Alabama Spotlight

For over 50 years, JPMorganChase has helped drive economic and job growth, support businesses of all sizes and put the American Dream within reach for more Alabamians.

With 150 employees across the state, the firm serves more than 590,000 consumer customers and over 29,000 small businesses and has provided over $15 billion in capital and credit to medium and large size clients since 2021. The firm also banks Auburn University, the University of Alabama, Children’s Hospital of Alabama and Infirmary Health System, and is financing critical infrastructure like the West Alabama Corridor project.

Going forward, the firm intends to increase support for local small businesses, prepare more Alabamians for good jobs and help more families achieve their financial goals, including:

Strengthening small businesses: Help local entrepreneurs and business owners secure access to capital, compete for supply chain contract opportunities and other essential resources to thrive, especially in Alabama’s growing aerospace, defense and government industries.
Connecting Alabama workers to high-growth industries: Leverage partnerships with employers in key local industries and colleges to prepare more people for in-demand jobs including expanding existing work with veterans and strengthening pathways to apprenticeships.
Helping Alabamians achieve their financial goals: Help more people save money, build credit and achieve their financial dreams through new branches and increased access to financial education workshops, digital tools and banking products.

The firm will open new branches in Decatur, Foley and Trussville this year as part of its plan to triple the number of Chase branches to 35 by 2030. The firm will also open its first Community Center in the state, which is designed with extra space for community events, financial health workshops facilitated by the firm’s Community Managers, as well as skills training and small business pop-ups.

“JPMorganChase has been helping Alabamians pursue their American Dream for more than 50 years, and we know we have a role to play in the decades ahead,” said Brian Lamb, Head of Specialized Industries and Co-Head of Impact Banking & Advisory at J.P. Morgan. “By working with local partners to expand access to capital, affordable housing, financial education and meaningful job training, we can do more to help families and businesses turn opportunity into prosperity.”

What’s Next

The firm will continue to make new local business investments, partnerships and policy solutions in local communities across the six focus areas in the months and years ahead including Business Growth & Entrepreneurship, Housing Access & Affordability, Financial Health & Wealth Creation, Careers & Skills, Healthcare and Local Institutions.

Strengthening America’s Economic Security

The American Dream Initiative also builds on JPMorganChase’s recent $1.5 trillion Security & Resiliency Initiative, which focuses on investing in industries critical to America’s competitiveness, including manufacturing, energy, infrastructure and healthcare. Together, these efforts reflect the firm’s recognition that a strong economy depends on resilient systems, national security, thriving communities, and broad-based opportunity — and that economic growth and economic security go hand in hand.

Why Bryan Stevenson is Fighting to Protect Black History With ‘The Legacy Sites’

Birmingham Times

April 1, 2026

Screenshot-2026-02-04-at-10.51.21-AM — Bryan Stevenson, founder of The Equal Justice Initiative and The Legacy Sites in Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo by theGrio)

The acclaimed lawyer and author of “Just Mercy,” sits with theGrio in Montgomery, Alabama to discuss The Legacy Sites and telling truth that America can’t ignore.

By Natasha S. Alford | theGrio

Acclaimed defense attorney Bryan Stevenson has about 10 million new clients on his roster.

While you may remember him as the subject of the film Just Mercy, played by Michael B. Jordan, a Harvard Law graduate turned lifesaver who got clients off death row, Stevenson’s need to get to work isn’t driven by his résumé.

His expanded client roster is more spiritual than literal. Rhetorical rather than contractual.

In Stevenson’s mind, these clients never got the just mercy they were due, and it’s his mission to make it right.

“I feel like I’m now representing the 10 million Black people who were enslaved for 246 years who endured hardship, immense suffering, and constant sorrow,” Stevenson told TheGrio in an exclusive interview in Montgomery, Alabama, in January. “I think they need an advocate when people are trying to erase their pain and suffering.”

That erasure is the biggest story of our nation in this moment.

History exhibits tied to Black culture are being removed at the request of the Trump administration. Edits to accepted facts are being made, most recently in Mississippi, where the Trump administration has asked the National Park Service to remove references to racism in an exhibit about civil rights leader Medgar Evers, who was killed by a Klansman as he stood in the driveway of his home.

“We’re at a moment where the politics of fear and anger are raging. And when people allow themselves to be governed by fear and anger, they start tolerating things they should never tolerate. They start accepting things they should never accept.”

While there is a collective mourning throughout Black America, coupled with outrage over the insult to memory and the historical record, Stevenson has created his own sacred grounds, where Black history is preserved and protected.

They are called The Legacy Sites, and they are a group of three sacred grounds in Montgomery dedicated to telling the unvarnished story of racial injustice and Black resilience in America: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Legacy Museum, and the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park.

Steel monuments to lynching victims hang above visitors at The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. (Courtesy of The Legacy Sites)

“We realized we were going to have to continue our legal work but also get outside the courts and start doing this narrative work. The work we’re doing here in Montgomery is a manifestation of a commitment to engage narratively with the history of America — the identity of America.”

Before I could even sit with Stevenson, it was required homework to visit the sites to understand his work, which he calls “narrative work” — a mission so powerful, it seeks to right a wrong in America that existed long before the anti-diversity era led by the Trump administration.

“The people who enslaved other people didn’t want to think of themselves as immoral or unjust. So, [they] created a false narrative — that Black people were less worthy, less human,” Stevenson tells theGrio. “That narrative is what survived the Civil War. It’s what continues to create many of the issues we are dealing with today.”

Stevenson points out that while many countries, like Germany and South Africa, removed relics of the past that celebrate abusers and murderers, in the United States, Confederate monuments are openly preserved — the Confederate flags of red with starred X’s being some of the last images that Black people saw before they were lynched or burned to death.

Inside The Legacy Sites, that terror and brutality are front and center, contextualized for all to see and understand.

At the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a sprawling six-acre park on a hill, visitors slowly ascend toward molasses-colored monuments of steel, greeted by hints of the stories they will encounter at the top.

The kidnapping and brutal exploitation of slavery, embodied in a sculpture of chained African victims, one mother holding a baby and screaming in terror, is placed at the entrance.

The Legacy Museum displays jars of clay where Black lynching victims died. (Courtesy of The Legacy Sites)

Once you reach the top of the hill, you get close enough to see that each corten steel rectangular structure has a single county listed, and below it, the names of all the victims of lynching in that county.

Some of the most haunting contain unknown names, but here on the Legacy Sites’ hallowed ground, they are counted. Visitors realize that as they walk down into the site, the steel monuments start to suspend over their heads, and their heads tilt up in the same way witnesses of a lynching would see bodies swinging above them.

Inside the Legacy Museum, visitors start with a haunting and sobering sight — a tribute to enslaved ancestors who perished in the ocean, with lifelike sculptures spread across the sea’s bottom and the sound of waves crashing, booming through the speakers.

The museum smoothly transitions from era to era, weaving a story of how slavery morphed into Jim Crow and lynching, providing firsthand accounts of what people witnessed and stated. Medium-sized jars contain soil from the grounds where Black victims were lynched and took their last breaths.

There are quotes displayed on walls that explain the extent of the hatred Black Americans encountered simply in trying to live their daily lives:

“In this state we are committed to segregation by custom and law; we intend to maintain it,” one grand jury wrote.

The quotes also show Black Americans speaking for themselves about what they endured:

“To be a man and not to be a man, a father without authority, a husband and no protector, is the darkest of fates. Such was the condition of my father, and such is the condition of every slave throughout the United States. He owns nothing, he can claim nothing. His wife is not his. His children are not his. They can be taken from him and sold at any minute…,” wrote John S. Jacobs, who was enslaved as a child in North Carolina.

Stevenson says these quotes and displays are intentional and meant to challenge some of the whitewashing of slavery, as well as more sophisticated arguments about why learning about the past is allegedly divisive or not even necessary.

The Legacy Museum features real signs, testimonies and quotes from the slavery and Jim Crow eras. (Courtesy of The Legacy Sites)

“This is not new — during every era of our history, the response to ending slavery was, ‘Oh no, it’s fine. The enslaved people, they’re happy. This is good for them. We don’t hate them, we’re taking care of them, and it’s you abolitionists that are stirring things up, that are creating problems.’ There’s always a counter-narrative to basic human rights and basic dignity.”

It’s a powerful statement that Stevenson is so well-regarded and well-organized that he has been able to independently fundraise and sustain the operations of the Legacy Sites, which bestows a narrative freedom to him that not all museums have.

No one person can tell him to remove an exhibit, nor soften the truth.

As I mentally prepared myself for what I expected to be complete heaviness paired with grief while walking through the Legacy Sites, I found myself encountering something else — hope.

The Legacy Sites are intentionally designed with testimonies of resisters and revolutionaries. In fact, what better land to host these museums and sacred sites than on the same ground Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Rosa Parks, and Claudette Colvin once marched on.

At the new Elevation Convening Center and Hotel, which officially partners with the Legacy Sites, visitors can look down the famous road where protesters marched.

Their struggle for rights and freedom is why Stevenson says he won’t stop working — both for the 10 million ancestors who endured unspeakable pain and for those who gave their lives securing justice for all.

“I’m going to represent the 50,000 Black people in Montgomery in 1955 who chose to stay off the buses by creating a Montgomery that honors their struggle and sacrifice.

“When you take on a relationship like that to history, I think you feel like you’re ready to go. Like you’ve got to push, not that you can give in to fatigue. And yes, it’s challenging and exhausting and unfair — it’s all of those things. But that is both the burden we must overcome and the opportunity we have to contribute to a future where people don’t have to be tired by the challenges that have been created for us.”

Natasha S. Alford is an award-winning journalist, author, and media executive, currently serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer at theGrio. She is the author of American Negra, an International Latino Book Award–winning memoir. Follow her at @natashasalford across social platforms for the latest.

PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS

Birmingham Times

April 1, 2026

567669882_1399027928894766_271556105474281149_n — Irondale Senior Activity Center has activities Monday-Friday starting at 8 a.m. (City of Irondale)

By Gwen DeRu | The Birmingham Times

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!

**LEARN TO HELP COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AIDE TRAINING, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at 105 Vulcan Road, the Addiction Prevention Coalition. Learn how to recognize signs of mental health challenges and respond with confidence and compassion. FREE.

**JOB FAIR, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Boutwell Auditorium, 2^nd Floor.

**WOMEN OF POWER LUNCHEON, 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces with Alabama Black Women’s Roundtable featuring COMMISSIONER SHEILA TYSON and Keynote Speaker MAYOR YOLANDA LAWSON.

**GOT SUN? GROW FOOD! 11 a.m. – Noon with Advance Master Gardner KAREN MITCHELL at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. You must register.

**JAZZ HAPPY HOUR with JOSE CARR AND HIS BAND, 5 p.m. at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

**JUVENILE’S BOILING POINT ALBUM RELEASE TOUR WITH THE 400 DEGREEZ BANDS at Iron City.

**FREE INTERCEPTOR at Saturn.

**WARREN ZEIDERS w/LAKEVIEW at Avondale Brewing Co.

**KARAOKE KICKBACK EVERY THURSDAY, 6 – 9 p.m. at Jazzi’s on 3^rd.

**BLUES JAM EVERY 3rd THURSDAY, 7- 10 p.m. at True Story Brewing.

**THAT’S MY JAM THURSDAYS KARAOKE & MINGLE at Platinum with music by DEVYBE BAND and hosted by Jirus Horton. Line Dance with DESI KEITH & D2 at 6 p.m.

**SPECIAL EVENT: COMEDIAN CHARLESTON WHITE at the StarDome Comedy Club.

**ALABAMA SO & SO MACHINE at The Nick.

**RnB POETICALLY LIT, 5-7 p.m. at Lit on 8^th, 518 Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd. with HUNCHO ZAVY, KD MCQWEEN, CAROL HOOD, DKMODE, BRIANNE SHARDAW and hosted by HEMP THE ARTIST. Every Thursday.

**3^rd THURSDAY at the Nick with RAMBLIN’ RICKY TATE at The Nick.

**FILMMAKER NETWORKING NIGHTS, 5 p.m. at 1821 2^nd Avenue North

**THAT’S MY JAM THURSDAYS, 7 p.m. at Platinum of Birmingham with DJ Slugga.

**ALABAMA BLAZIN BINGO, 6 p.m. at Overtime Grill and Bar.

**KARAOKE, 7 p.m. at True Story Brewing.

FRIDAY, APRIL 3

IT IS FRIDAY…the weekend starts…

**ADULT EASTER EGG HUNT at The Nick, 2 – 9 p.m.

**FISH FRY FRIDAY at Lil Mama’s, 1200 Hall Avenue EVERY FRIDAY, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.

**COMEDIAN SPECIAL EVENT: COMEDIAN ATTELL at the StarDome Comedy Club.

**FLESHWATER at Saturn.

**SUNDROP & FRIENDS at The Nick.

**IN COLOR – MOVED TO ALL GOOD BEVERAGE C at Avondale Brewing Co.

**FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, 5 p.m. at Howard’s Unlimited Lounge & Cocktail Bar at 4010 Avenue I with food by 1918 Catering Food Truck. Happy Hour at 5 p.m. Call 205-213-9097 for more.

**GOOD PEOPLE & GOOD MUSIC WITH GOOD PEOPLE BREWING at Dave’s, 6 p.m. at Dave’s Pub.

SATURDAY, APRIL 4

**RUFFNER PARK SPORTS COMPLEX OPENING DAY, 9 a.m. -2 p.m. in Irondale.

**MOUNTAIN BROOK EASTER EGG ROLL, 10 a.m. on the Grassy Field by the O’Neal Library in Mountain Brook. INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING? Email chamber@mtnbrookchamber.org.

**THE STOLEN FACES – CELEBRATING THEMUSIC OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD at Avondale Brewing Co.

**COMEDIAN SPECIAL EVENT: COMEDIAN DAVE ATTELL at the StarDome Comedy Club.

**BROADWAY RAVE at Saturn.

**CODY BOLDEN at The Nick.

**CUT THROAT FREAK SHOW at The Nick.

**BINGO LOCO at Iron City.

SUNDAY, APRIL 5

**HOWARD’S UNLIMITED LOUNGE & COCKTAIL BAR, 4010 Avenue I, in Belview Heights with our own favorite son radio personality D.J. CHRIS COLEMAN. Check it out for Sunday Brunch with food by 1918 Catering, music and more!! For more, call 205-213-9097. 1918 Catering is the best food for lunch, dinner or your special event. (Take my word.)

**JOSE CARR performing at JAZZ IN THE GARDEN SUNDAYS, Every 1^st and 3^rd Sunday, 5-8 p.m. at Denim on 7^th, 2808 7^th Avenue Suite105.

**EASE BACK 4th SUNDAYS, 5 p.m. at True Story Brewing.

**2^ND SUNDAY FREE SHOW with ZACH AUSTIN at The Nick.

**4^th SUNDAY FREE SHOW with our favorite TAYLOR HOLLINGSWORTH at The Nick.

**MOTION SUNDAYS at Platinum, 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. with DJ CUZZO X DJ A1 Controlling the Vibes.

**KYLE KIMBRELL at The Nick.

MONDAY, APRIL 6

**WEEKDAYS – IRONDALE SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER has activities starting at 8 a.m. with a Hot Lunch served for Seniors Monday – Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Call 205-951-1418 for details about the FREE program.

**MONDAYS – THURSDAYS – CFJS CARES RESPITE PROGRAM, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Call 205-278-7113 for more info.

**MONDAYS – GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP, 10-11:30 a.m. at CJFS Conference Room. Open to survivors who have experienced loss within the past 2 years. Call 205-278-7101 to sign up.

**MONDAYS – DEMENTIA CAREGIVER VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUP, 3 p.m. and/or

Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Call 205-278-7113 for more info.

**RYAN DAVID + THE ROADHOUSE BAND at Saturn.

TUESDAY, APRIL 7

**TACO TUESDAY R & B NIGHT, EVERY TUESDAY at Hemings on 2^ND Avenue.

**PODCASTING 101 at CREED63, EVERY TUESDAY at 5:45 p.m. Learn how to launch and create your own podcast at 1601 5^th Avenue North, Birmingham 35203.

**JOSE CARR EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT at True Story Brewing.

**SONGWRITER’S NIGHT EVERY 2ND TUESDAY at The Nick.

**REAL FUNNY COMEDY WEDNESDAYS at True Story Brewing. Sign up at 7:30 p.m.

**REMEMBER SPORTS with UOUBET and CLOVERS at Saturn.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8

**REAL FUNNY COMEDY WEDNESDAYS at True Story Brewing. Sign up at 7:30 p.m.

**SPECIAL EVENT: GRITS & EGGS PODCAST: THE FIRST COUSINS TOUR at The StarDome Comedy Club.

**FREE – OLD CITY CHAMPS with GUTHRIE ECHOES, ALSOTHE BAND, and MARK ROBINSON at Saturn.

**MARIAH THE SCIENTIST at Avondale Brewing Co.

**FREE-SUBSTRATE BINGO with JACKIE LO at Saturn.

**OPEN MICK NIGHT at StarDome Comedy Club.

NEXT THURSDAY, APRIL 9

**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!!!

**JAZZ HAPPY HOUR with JOSE CARR AND HIS BAND, 5 p.m. at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.

**OLE 60 – SMOKESTACK TOWN TOUR w/ PLHIL KANE & CIGARETTES @ SUNSET at Avondale Brewing Co.

**KARAOKE KICKBACK EVERY THURSDAY, 6 – 9 p.m. at Jazzi’s on 3^rd.

**BLUES JAM EVERY 3rd THURSDAY, 7- 10 p.m. at True Story Brewing.

**THAT’S MY JAM THURSDAYS KARAOKE & MINGLE at Platinum with music by DEVYBE BAND and hosted by Jirus Horton. Line Dance with DESI KEITH & D2 at 6 p.m.

NEXT FRIDAY, APRIL 10

**FISH FRY FRIDAY at Lil Mama’s, 1200 Hall Avenue EVERY FRIDAY, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. and music with Chef Dwayne “BIG DADDY” Thompson.

**COMEDIAN SPECIAL EVENT: COMEDIAN JB SMOOVE at the StarDome Comedy Club.

**COMEDIAN MALIKE B at the StarDome Comedy Club.

**ALL YOUR FRIENDS: THE INDIE PARTY at Saturn.

**Late Night at The Nick with WAVY AWAKENING, DELUSION ZOO and CASEY & THE CATS PAWS.

NEWS TO KNOW AND USE – PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS TO WATCH

**HOMEWISE EXPO – CALLING BIRMINGHAM HOMEOWNERS. If you live in an older home… Join Carol Clarke, Neighborhood Services of Birmingham and NAREB on April 18, 10 a.m. – 4p.m. at the Bill Harris Arena for practical, homeowner-focused guidance and trusted local resources to help you protect your home and plan your next repair with more confidence. Older homes come with real challenges like aging wiring, plumbing, drafts and high-energy costs, roof and foundation issues and “What to fix first decisions.” Discover resources and tools for improving and maintaining your home. Neighborhood Housing Services of Birmingham and FREE.

FOR OUTDOOR LOVERS

**SATURDAY DAYHIKE, at the Paul Grist State Park, near Selma Alabama with Southeastern outings. – Meet at 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria to depart at 10 a.m. Hiking distance is approx. 5.5 miles. Prior to the walk, meet at the smaller pavilion near the park office to eat picnic lunches. Bring your picnic lunch and park admission as well as a beverage. Walk around the lake and some additional trails in the park. For more info contact southeasternoutings@gmail.com or call 205-631-4680.

**APRIL 12 – SUNDAY DAYHIKE at Oak Mountain State Park with Southeastern Outings.- Meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot. Depart from there at 2 p.m. Bring park admission fee and something to drink. For more, call 205-7719.

UAB ARTS WEEK

**TODAY – FACULTY OPEN STUDIOS, 5-8 p.m. at 2300 Building on Seventh Avenue South.

**FRIDAY – DEAR EVAN HANSEN Opening Night, at Red Mountain Theatre through April19.

**FRIDAY – JAZZ ENSEMBLE SPRING CONCERT, 7 p.m. at UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. FREE.

**APRIL 7 – BFA EXHIBITION at the UAB’s Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts open Tuesday through Saturday, Noon – 5 p.m. FREE.

**APRIL 8 – MERSMANN POETRY AWARDS, 6 p.m. in University Hall, Room 2007. Students will read an original and/or a poem by another poet.

**APRIL 9 – MEDIA AND FILM Open House, 4-6 p.m. at the Media Commons in the Heritage Hall, 1401 University Blvd.

** APRIL 9 – MAGIC CITY SHORTS: STUDENT FILM SHOWCASE, 6 – 8p.m. in the hill Center Alumni Theater.

**APRIL 9 – HONORS RECITAL by the UAB Department of Music, 7 p.m. in the Mary Culp Hulsey Recital Hall, 950 13^th St., So. FREE.

IN IRONDALE

**KEEP IRONDALE BEAUTIFUL – SPRING TRASH Amnesty Weeks: District 1 -March 30-April 2; District 2 – April 6-9; District 3 – April 13-16;

District 4 – April 20-23; District 5 – April 27-20.

COMING SOON

**APRIL 11 – YARD SALE, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Sardis Missionary Baptist Church, 1615 4^th Court W, supporting the youth ministry.

**APRIL 17 – A TRIBUTE TO BABYFACE, 7-10 p.m. at Jazzi’s on 3^rd featuring BT Collective, Eclectic Soul and Abraham The Voice.

Well, that’s it. Tell you more next time. People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send your questions, contact info with your events, your things of interest and more to: gwenderu@yahoo.com and thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com.

“If equipment needs to be ordered, ORDER IT. If extra work hours need to be approved, APPROVE THEM.”

Birmingham Times

April 1, 2026

CIRCUIT JUDGE FREDERIC ALLEN BOLLING WROTE. BOLLING GRANTED A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER MONDAY REQUIRING ALABAMA’S LARGEST WATER UTILITY TO RESUME FLUORIDATION AT ALL TREATMENT FACILITIES IT OPERATES, WBRC, MARCH 31.

Deidre Clark: ‘Becoming You’ Card Deck Helps Women Regain a Sense of Self

Birmingham Times

April 1, 2026

Deidre Clark’s idea for Becoming You was born out of a life-altering moment when her partner Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins died unexpectedly in his sleep. (Provided)

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

In the quiet, in-between moments of life — after loss, during transition, or in the slow unraveling of identity — Deidre Clark offers something simple yet deeply intentional: a pause.

Her newly released card deck, Becoming You, is described as “a card deck for when life stops, but the world doesn’t.” But for Clark, the project is far more than a reflective tool—it is a deeply personal response to grief, identity, and the long journey back to oneself.

“I think of it as kind of an anchor for the in-between,” Clark said. “A place where you can just be with yourself.”

Navigating Profound Loss

Clark’s idea for Becoming You was born out of a life-altering moment. In 2021, her partner of more than a decade, Birmingham artist and poet Brian “Voice Porter” Hawkins, died unexpectedly in his sleep. Clark was left to navigate life as a mother of two young boys while grappling with profound loss.

“I was standing in my bedroom one day, and I was like, ‘How much of who I am today is genuinely just me?’” she recalled. “And how much of who I am had been in service of my relationship?”

That question lingered. Alongside it came others — quiet, searching, and often without immediate answers.

At the same time, a friend navigating new motherhood expressed a similar feeling: a desire to “get to know myself again.” Clark recognized a shared need—across grief, transition, and change — to reconnect with self in an honest, unstructured way.

So, she began writing questions.

“I sat on the edge of my bed that night and prayed… and every time I woke up, there was another series of questions.”

Self-Remembrance, Not Self-Help

What started as a small collection of just 20 prompts and a few grounding exercises — eventually evolved into something much larger.

Initially imagined as a workbook, the project resisted structure.

“It didn’t feel right,” Clark said. “And it turned into this card deck.”

Five years in the making, Becoming You officially launched in early February, with Clark personally packaging orders and hand-delivering decks to local supporters in Birmingham.

The deck contains about 52 cards, each offering a prompt or grounding word—questions like:

“What parts of yourself have you silenced for acceptance?”

But Clark is clear: there is no “right” way to use them.

“If you’ve got a solid two minutes, you can pull a card,” she said. “If something comes up, great. If nothing comes up, that’s okay too.”

Clark resists labeling Becoming You as self-help.

“It’s not self-help — it’s self-remembrance,” she explained. “We give ourselves out in so many places… What happens when we gather those pieces back?”

That philosophy shapes how the cards are meant to be used — not as a productivity tool, but as a personal container.

“This is a space where you don’t have to perform,” she said. “Not for yourself, not for the culture, not for your family.”

Instead, the goal is something quieter.

“If I had to give it one word,” Clark said, “I would say steady.”

Clark still uses the deck herself, often in the early morning or late at night.

Her practice is fluid — sometimes journaling, sometimes sitting in silence, sometimes responding through poetry or even tears.

“Sometimes I don’t have an answer at all,” she said. “And that doesn’t mean I did anything wrong.”

Inspired in part by the idea of “living a question,” she embraces the uncertainty.

“Maybe the answer comes two weeks later. Or six months later. That’s part of it.”

What started as a small collection of just 20 prompts and a few grounding exercises — eventually evolved into something much larger. (Provided)

Fostering Connection

Outside of Becoming You, Clark serves as Director of Membership and Community Engagement at the Alabama Association of Nonprofits, continuing her long-standing work of building relationships and fostering connection.

Her background includes founding a youth arts nonprofit and deep roots in Birmingham’s creative community — work that, in many ways, laid the foundation for this more inward-facing project.

“I’ve always been building containers for community,” said Clark, who grew up in Ensley. “This is just turning that work inward.”

Looking ahead, Clark hopes to expand the experience through small, intimate circles — spaces where women can gather, reflect, and simply be present with themselves and each other.

“I’m really curious about what happens when women make space for themselves — not for their families or their work — but for themselves,” she said.

Five years after her loss, Clark describes herself as existing in a space that is both shaped by grief and expanded beyond it.

“Grief is not this quiet thing that leaves you alone,” she said. “But on the other side of that, I’m much more interested in knowing myself.”

That commitment to self-knowledge, to honesty, to presence — is the heartbeat of Becoming You. Not a solution. Not a promise of transformation. Just an invitation.

“It creates conditions for women to return to themselves,” Clark said. “Not on a timeline… but at the pace of their nervous system.”

Learn more at becomingyoudeck.com.

Lights, Camera, Opportunity: Dundrill Heights Film Camp Marks 5 Years of Empowering Birmingham Youth

Birmingham Times

April 1, 2026

Now in its fifth year, the Dundrill Heights Film Camp continues to grow as both a creative outlet and a safe haven for young people across the city. (Daniel Hill For Hill Media Productions LLC., Provided)

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

For one week each spring, classrooms at the downtown YMCA transform into film sets, rehearsal stages, and creative labs as students step into roles they may have never imagined for themselves. Now in its fifth year, the Dundrill Heights Film Camp — held March 23–27 this year — continues to grow as both a creative outlet and a safe haven for young people across the city.

What began in 2021 as a small experimental idea has quickly evolved into a sought-after program, attracting educators, industry professionals, and families alike. At the center of it all is camp director Valton Johnson, whose vision for the program is rooted in both purpose and community need.

“The Dundrill Heights Film Camp started because children were asking, how can we get involved in voice acting and acting?” Johnson said during an interview last week at the Youth YMCA in downtown Birmingham. “So my wife and I decided to do a film camp. We didn’t know really what was going on with it.”

That uncertainty didn’t last long. The inaugural camp welcomed about 25 students and introduced them to screenwriting, acting, voice acting, ballet and poetry. By the following year, interest had surged.

“It expanded outward,” Johnson said. “The City of Birmingham Board of Education showed up, and then they asked us to do it for them during the summer.”

Since then, the camp has grown into a year-round opportunity, with partnerships extending into school systems and plans to expand beyond the city. Yet its spring break session remains especially meaningful — a free, weeklong experience designed for students in grades 4 through 12.

“It’s on spring break so that the kids will have something to do that’s productive during their break and not have idle time on their hands,” Johnson explained.

This year’s camp once again blended creativity with hands-on skill building. Students rotated through acting, screenwriting, and even stunt training — guided by visiting industry professionals. Representatives connected to major studios led sessions, while actors affiliated with Tyler Perry Studios worked with students later in the week.

But Johnson’s mission extends beyond performance.

“We’ve added carpentry and electrical,” he said. “Why? Because carpentry would give them a skill set… you got to build stages. And we have electrical because you have to light the room that you’re in.”

Each student, regardless of their interests, is required to experience every aspect of production. By midweek, teams form to write, cast, and shoot original short films—projects they present during a graduation ceremony on Friday.

The structure is intentional: exposure first, specialization second.

“Many of them didn’t know… what they like,” Johnson said. “So, what we’re doing for the full week—they have to go to everything.”

At its core, the camp is about access — removing financial and social barriers that often limit entry into creative industries.

“It is very pricey,” Johnson acknowledged of typical film programs. “But when the Lord gives you something to do, he’s already given you the provision because he gave you the vision. So, I don’t have to worry about money.”

That philosophy has helped sustain the camp as a free program, even as it continues to expand. With new partnerships forming in other cities and a monthlong summer program on the horizon, Dundrill Heights is positioning itself as more than just a seasonal camp — it’s becoming a pipeline.

To learn more about the Dundrill Heights Film Camp, visit cinematiccreations.agency.

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