Miles College Rides 10-Game Win Streak into Second Round of Division II Playoffs on Sat.

By

-

November 29, 2024

MilesCollege_Lede — The Miles flag flies high as the Golden Bears beat their first-round Division II opponent. (Ta'Ron Williams / Miles College)

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. | Alabama News Center

Miles College Coach Sam Shade’s squad travels to face No. 1 Valdosta State (10-0) on Saturday at noon Central (1 p.m. Eastern) in the second round of the playoffs. The game will be available on ESPN Plus.

Miles continued a historic season last Saturday by hosting and winning for the first time in the NCAA Division II playoffs, taking down Carson-Newman 14-13 at Albert J. Sloan-Alumni Stadium.

During a press conference this week, Jaih Andrews got a chance to celebrate – his 22^nd birthday.

The senior wide receiver on the Miles College football team remembered a sleepover with friends when he turned 9. This particular birthday fell on the day of the Alabama-Auburn football game and Andrews was a big Alabama fan.

“My mom, she actually went to the Iron Bowl game,” Andrews recalled. “It just so happened to be the year that Cam Newton came back from 21-0 (actually 24-0) and won the game.

“She brought me back a picture of the scoreboard because she’s an Auburn fan,” the Miles wideout said. “That’s my most memorable birthday present. I didn’t really like it and I didn’t really want it, but it was the most memorable.”

Derrick Davis, a freshman running back out of Pleasant Grove High, sings in the Miles Choir. Tuesday, he led the team in singing happy birthday to Andrews and others on the team who were born in November.

This year, Andrews shared his favorite birthday present with his fellow Golden Bears.

“I got my birthday wish already,” the Ramsay High School product said during a Tuesday press conference. “I wanted to be playing football on my birthday, so I’m very thankful for that.”

At 10-2, Miles has established a record for most wins in a season, eclipsing the 9-3 mark of the 2019 team. The team’s current 10-game win streak is the best single-season streak at Miles, surpassing the eight-game string of 1950.

Shade, in his third season at Miles, earned his first Coach of the Year award in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Coincidentally, Shade’s first season included the only previous meeting between Miles and Valdosta State – a 55-7 home loss.

But Shade adheres to the principle that past performance is not indicative of future results.

“The thing about football (is) each team and each season is different,” he said. “That was the 2022 edition of the Miles College Golden Bears, and this is the 2024 edition of the Miles College Golden Bears. It’s two different teams.

“Some of our coaches weren’t here during that time,” Shade continued. “A number of players weren’t here. There’s really not a lot that we hang on that game. I haven’t even watched that game. Some of our coaches haven’t watched it because we’re so different now than we were then. And they’re different also. Valdosta is different.”

The coach said the bright lights and big stage of the playoffs don’t intimidate his squad.

Sam Shade, in his third season at Miles, earned his first Coach of the Year award in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and has team on a 10-game win streak. (Miles College)

“I feel like we’ve been in playoff mode for a long time this season,” he said. “When we went down to Tuskegee, we were definitely in playoff mode because we felt like we needed to win and keep winning in order to have a chance to get a home playoff game, to get at least to the fourth seed.”

And then there was the environment of the Tuskegee game, which Miles won 37-7 to take the SIAC crown.

“There were like 40-something thousand that bought tickets at Tuskegee,” Shade said. “I feel like our guys, we can go on the road and play just about anywhere. The crowd’s not going to get us. I don’t think the stage bothers our team.

“The stage doesn’t get too big because these guys enjoy it,” the coach continued. “There’s no pressure. There’s no feeling a little tight or tense. They just enjoy going out playing. I think when you get to that point, you’re past the pressure.”

Tickets to Saturday’s playoff game are available via the Miles Golden Bears website. Tickets are $8 for those 65 or older and young people from age 5 through college age. College students will need to show their school ID. General admission for everyone else is $12 with reserved seating going for $20.

Birmingham’s Yogi Dada a Featured Artist During Museum Store Day at BMA on Sun. Dec. 1

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 29, 2024

0

By Javacia Harris Bowser | For The Birmingham Times

The Birmingham Museum of Art is set to host an art-centered holiday shopping experience on Sunday, December 1, featuring local artist Yogi Dada and others. The event, which begins at noon, is part of Museum Store Sunday, an occasion when museums across the country offer special discounts and perks on items in their stores.

“Museum Store Sunday is the perfect opportunity to support local artists and organizations while finding meaningful gifts for the holiday season,” said Sophie Cosper, Museum Shop Manager at the Birmingham Museum of Art. “We’re especially excited to have Yogi Dada joining us to share her artistic vision with the Birmingham community.”

Yogi Dada is a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans a wide range of fields including painting, poetry, spoken word, and film. She is perhaps best known for her “wearable artwork” – a collection of earrings which she calls “Dadas.”

At this year’s Museum Store Sunday, Yogi Dada will be selling her signature earrings, art prints, and the culturally inclusive greeting cards she created for Mawu Greetings.

“I will be stationed at my table — a bright orange table — with a big smile and great energy selling artwork and answering questions,” she said. “I always have some music, and I might even have some candy!”

For Yogi Dada, however, being part of Museum Store Sunday is about more showcasing her work.

“I am very cognizant of visual representation in varied spaces,” she said. “As a Black woman artist, my face and presence add a different value to a climate that is usually visually dominated by white culture. People that look like me need to see me doing what I do.”

Representation is also a core mission of Mawu Greetings, the Fort Lauderdale-based stationery company that partnered with Yogi Dada for one of its latest lines of greeting cards – which will be available at the BMA Museum Shop.

“Mawu Greetings features designs by Black, Brown, and other minoritized artists,” explained Tresa Chambers, founder of Mawu Greetings. “I see Mawu Greetings as a channel to expose businesses and brands to more of these Black and Brown artists. We want to help businesses and brands connect authentically to their increasingly diverse customers and constituents. Our designs center the perspective of the artists, which produces unique images that are miniature pieces of art that are collectible, and they give the sender a chance to make a clear statement that they value diversity.”

Chambers met Yogi Dada through Bettina Byrd-Giles, a Birmingham-based interculturalist who was also a college classmate of Chambers at the University of Virginia. The connection led to Yogi Dada creating several designs for Mawu Greetings’ winter holiday collection. Yogi Dada also introduced Chambers to Jahman Hill of The Flourish Alabama, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “planting the seeds to help young artists bloom.”

Mawu Greetings partnered with Yogi Dada for one of its latest lines of greeting cards — which will be available at the BMA Museum Shop. (Provided)

“I pitched Jahman on collaborating to create the 2025 calendar that we now have available as a part of our winter holiday collection,” Chambers said. “The calendar features designs created by the next generation of artists from Birmingham. There’s such a wealth of talent in this community. I’m proud to have the chance to bring it to the world.”

The calendar featuring art by Flourish Alabama will also be available at Museum Store Sunday.

“Birmingham is a city brimming with creative people and ideas,” Cosper said. “The BMA is proud to partner with local artists and artisans to highlight some of the amazing talent our city has to offer, while giving our visitors the opportunity to shop for unique gifts this holiday season.”

The day will also include work by local artist Véro Vanblaere and Indian textiles from J. Catma.

Attendees at this year’s Museum Store Day at the BMA can expect a local artist and vendor market, art activities, light bites, giveaways, and discounts on Museum Shop merchandise.

Though Yogi Dada hopes you’ll cross some names off your list by supporting her, other local artists, and the BMA, she says she wants to do more than sell merchandise at the event.

“I really enjoy meeting different people,” she said. “As I’ve matured as an artist, I’ve learned to take my primary focus off of making sales — and we do want to make some — but rather focus on new experiences with new humans.

“I have met so many amazing humans of all races, belief systems, and economic statuses who valued our face-to-face engagement as we learn from each other’s humanity,” she said. “That’s what happens when I showcase live. I really am comfortable just being in the moment with other humans. They are the reward.”

Museum Store Day at the Birmingham Museum of Art, located at 2000 Rev. Abraham Woods, Jr. Blvd, is set for noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 1.

Updated at 2:30 p.m. on 11/29/2024.

Jimmie Hale Mission in Birmingham to Continue Thanksgiving Tradition; Plans to Serve 600 Meals

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 28, 2024

0

woman volunteer help feed the homeless with free meal. Close-Up. — The Jimmie Hale Mission will continue its tradition of serving the Birmingham community on Thanksgiving Day. (Adobe Stock)

By Sumner Harrell | ABC 33/40

The Jimmie Hale Mission will continue its 80-year tradition of serving the Birmingham community on Thanksgiving Day and serve 600 meals on Thanksgiving Day.

The mission will host the meal event for individuals and families in need and said it will deliver meals to homebound seniors and others who may not be able to leave their homes. All activities will be held at our main campus at 3420 2nd Ave N, Birmingham, AL 35222.

Thanksgiving service will begin at 4:00 a.m. with final meal preparations, followed by breakfast at 6:00 a.m. Meal packing will take place at 8:30 a.m., and meal deliveries to homebound seniors will start at 10:00 a.m.

“The Jimmie Hale Mission thanks our more than 100 volunteers, including entire families, who will help us pack serve, and deliver meals on Thanksgiving Day,” Jimmie Hale Mission Executive Director Perryn Carrol said. “In this season thanks and giving, we are grateful for all the wonderful support from our community.”

Birmingham City Educators Credit ‘Obtainable Goals’ as Grades Improve on State Report Card

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 28, 2024

0

City1128 — Darwanette Levingston, a third-grade teacher at Oxmoor Valley Elementary School, at podium, with Principal Dr. Melvin Love, to her right, during a Tuesday press conference at the Board of Education building. (Sym Posey, The Birmingham Times)

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

Darwanette Levingston, a third-grade teacher at Oxmoor Valley Elementary School, knows why the school’s grade increased from a C to a B on the most recent Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) annual report card.

“It was hard work, but the first thing we had, we had a vision, then we set goals. We tried to set obtainable goals, and we bought into those goals,” said Levingston, during a press conference on Tuesday. “The main thing we did is mix a little old school with the new school with the strategy we have.”

And it worked. Not just for Oxmoor Valley Elementary but for the Birmingham City Schools district which maintained an overall C, moving from a score of 72 last year to a 74 on the state’s report for 2023-24.

Said Dr. Mark Sullivan, BCS Superintendent, “We’ve seen an increase in our test scores. We are not satisfied with a 74, but it’s the highest grade that BSC has ever made since we had an academic report card in the state of Alabama.”

Levingston, who has spent 27 of her 30 years teaching third-graders, had more good news to report. More than 80 percent of students in third grade were at reading proficiency. The Alabama Literacy Act requires all third-grade students to show sufficient reading skills before moving on to the next grade.

“It’s just a testament to the work that the teachers are doing, the work that the administrators are doing, and our students, as well as our community who come together to make sure our school system is number one,” Sullivan said Tuesday.

In addition, Birmingham City Schools say the number of schools receiving an A on the report card increased. Arrington Elementary, Wylam Elementary, and Inglenook K-8 improved its scores from a grade of F to C while both Oxmoor Valley Elementary and South Hampton K-8 improved their grade from C to B.

“We’ve had a lot of schools that have made A’s and B’s and typically these are magnet schools, but this year we had two schools score a level B, South Hampton, and Oxmoor Valley, and what that says is that no matter where you students come from, your students can achieve high levels,” said Sullivan.

Last year, 15 schools received a grade of an F. This year that number was cut in half to seven. “Seven schools are far too many, our goal for next year is to have zero schools receiving a letter grade of F,” said the superintendent.

Sullivan said his focus is to continue to make sure that high school students are college and career ready once they cross the stage in May.

“We are trying to ensure that our high school students are graduating college and career ready,” he said. “We’ve invested a lot in our post-secondary success, particularly targeting our ninth graders. In our middle schools we are trying to make sure that those students are doing math and literacy at grade level.”

Sullivan said a number of programs are underway to prepare students for the future.

“[We] are now introducing algebra one to middle school, so that those students are prepared for high school math. For our elementary schools, making sure that kids are not needing to be remediated in those early grades, teaching kids how to read in grades K-3, so that that they can read to learn in upper grades,” Sullivan told The Times.

BCS administrators said they will continue gathering data through assessment programs such as i-Ready in grades K-8, which will be conducted during December before the holiday break and will also continue offering programs that provide support for students recovering from learning loss, as well as opportunities for enrichment. Tutoring initiatives and programs will also continue throughout the school year.

“These homes will soon become spaces where memories are made, stories are told, and roots are planted in the East Lake community.”

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 27, 2024

0

PAM BATES, ELI THRIVE’S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AFTER THE GROUP HELD THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR ITS NEW HOUSING INITIATIVE IN THE EAST LAKE NEIGHBORHOOD; BIRMINGHAMTIMES.COM, NOV. 22.

In Video, Woodfin Pushes for Birmingham Voters to Have a Say in Ridding City of Deadly Weapons

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 27, 2024

0

Woodfin_Guns — Mayor Randall Woodfin, surrounded by nearly 150 firearms, delivered a video message on gun violence from Birmingham's Real Time Crime Center. (Facebook Screengrab)

By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times

Continue

Birmingham’s Urban Purpose Counts Thanksgiving Blessings With Family and Friends

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 27, 2024

0

0S0C6230 — Urban Purpose, a non-profit dedicated to empowering the homeless through ministry, relationships, and service, hosted an early Thanksgiving lunch last week that offered turkey, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, candied yams, green beans, and homemade pound cake. (Provided)

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

Anthony Crawford received more than a delicious meal when Urban Purpose, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the homeless through ministry, relationships, and service, welcomed visitors to its day shelter in downtown Birmingham.

The 74-year-old also got a chance at free painting lessons and to fellowship with volunteers. “They didn’t look at you as good or bad. They looked at you in truth and who you are,” said Crawford, of the many volunteers who have worked with the organization throughout the years that kept him coming back.

Urban Purpose held an early Thanksgiving lunch last week that offered turkey, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, candied yams, green beans, and homemade pound cake for more than 100.

“Typically, at our [day shelter] what you normally see when you come in is our friends doing laundry or getting a hot shower,” said Allison Strickland, Director of Community Engagement for Urban Purpose. “We have clothing closets, hygiene kits. You’ll also see friends sitting around watching movies or a TV show, reading a book, playing chess, or scrabble.”

Urban Purpose hosted an early Thanksgiving lunch last week that offered turkey, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, candied yams, green beans, and homemade pound cake. (Provided)

But last week was different. “We don’t always serve meals. We normally have pre-packaged nutrient snacks but today we did something special for Thanksgiving [including] free painting and teaching people a couple of different ways to paint with different brush strokes,” she said.

The painting was led by Larry Thompson, Associate Dean of the School of Arts at Samford University. One of the goals was to build a little confidence, he said.

“For me personally, I find art to be very healing thing,” he said. “I know it’s helped me in my life just as a way of expression to do something positive, even, you know in light of some negative circumstances, and certainly for a homeless person, giving them a moment of beauty and a moment of joy, maybe it just lifts them up in some way and makes their day better. If that’s what is accomplished, then it was a good day.”

Thompson said he also learned about gratitude.

“One of the [volunteers] said something about how she was thankful for that day and then she asked everybody at the table to share what they were thankful for … I said I was thankful for my two dogs and then I explained my reason that my wife has recently died of cancer and my two dogs, while they certainly haven’t taken the place of my wife, there’s just a love and caring relationship that has helped me heal with my dogs.”

“When I said that, two other people at the table spoke up and shared that they had also lost their spouses relatively recently. Just through that conversation you find that even though my circumstances are very different … we had some common thing that we could share. Just finding those human connections where you can have empathy for someone in their circumstances. “

Urban Purpose, dedicated to empowering the homeless through ministry, relationships, and service, hosted an early Thanksgiving lunch last week that offered more than food — the nonprofit also provided free painting lessons. (Provided)

Cordaro Simmons, a member of the Distinguished Brothers of Pride of North Birmingham Lodge No. 319, was another volunteer who came away touched by the visit.

“We got a chance to help serve Thanksgiving lunch to a lot of people who are in need that were grateful,” he said. “A lot of them thought we were very warm and welcoming. It was good to have a place that was very warm, comfy, and felt like home and sitting down to dinner with family and friends.”

Roy Wood Jr.; Rick Bragg, Storytellers Extraordinaire, Will be Honored Dec. 2 in Birmingham

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 27, 2024

0

alabamahumanities.org

Roy Wood Jr. mines both past and present for his material as a comedian, writer, and producer. The Birmingham native got his feet wet at 95.7 JAMZ-WBHJ before launching a career as a stand-up comic. He has released three specials, with a fourth due out in 2025, and became a nationally known satirist thanks to his eight-year-run on the Emmy-winning “The Daily Show.”

On December 2 in Birmingham, the Alabama Humanities Alliance (AHA) will recognize Wood and Rick Bragg, a Pulitzer Prize winner who as authored more than a dozen books, as 2024 Alabama Humanities Fellows — the highest humanities honor in the state.

The two will be honored during a ticketed event at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center. The evening will feature an in-depth conversation between Bragg and Wood Jr., two of Alabama’s finest, and funniest, writers and storytellers. The event will also see additional individuals receive awards for supporting the humanities in Alabama, as well as a celebration of AHA’s 50th anniversary.

Wood Jr.’s father was the renowned civil rights journalist, Roy Wood Sr., and it’s no surprise the son’s humor intersects often with history, news, and civic engagement.

In 2021, Wood Jr. produced the Emmy-nominated documentary, The Neutral Ground. In 2023, he headlined the White House Correspondents Dinner. And just this fall, he has begun hosting a new show on CNN, “Have I Got News For You.”

Wood Jr. has also returned often for projects in his beloved Alabama, including: filming a TV project in Birmingham; narrating Alabama Public Television’s Alabama at 200 documentary; serving as an ambassador and correspondent for the MLB at Rickwood game in 2024, and hosting the “Road to Rickwood” podcast on the field’s baseball and civil rights history.

In an essay for AHA’s Mosaic magazine, the UA American Studies professor Jeffrey Melton, Ph.D., noted that Wood Jr.’s work covers a lot of the same terrain his father did, albeit with humor:

Wood Jr.’s method is clear: ‘If I can get you to laugh at it, then I can get you to listen.’

Bragg has long been lauded as one of the most distinct, illustrative storytellers in American literature. He’s authored more than a dozen books, but it’s his first, All Over but the Shoutin’, that became a sort of anthem for the people of the mountain South — and it is that regard, more than any award he has won, that Bragg holds most dear.

Still, the native of Possum Trot, Alabama, has won awards aplenty, including a Pulitzer Prize for reporting, as well as a James Beard Award, the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer, and the Fitzgerald Literary Prize. For the past two decades, Bragg has also served as the Clarence Cason Professor of Writing at the University of Alabama

In an essay for AHA’s Mosaic magazine, the author Cassandra King — and Alabama Humanities Fellow herself — had this to say about Bragg:

Rick’s works aren’t just important, they’re the essence of why we need the bond of storytelling today more than ever.

King also noted something that applies as much to Wood Jr. as it does to Bragg: “There is a commonality in our stories,” King wrote, “in the way the past has formed who we are and how we got here. No Southern storyteller can truly tell the tales of his or her life without delving into the past.”

For more info: alabamahumanities.org/honors-bhm

For tickets: my.alysstephens.org/3382

EVENT DETAILS:

WHAT: The Alabama Colloquium: Honoring Rick Bragg and Roy Wood Jr.

WHERE: Alys Stephens Center’s Jemison Concert Hall | Birmingham

WHEN: December 2, 2024 | 6:30 p.m.

TICKETS: Available online, by phone, or in person via the UAB Box Office:
my.alysstephens.org/3382 | 205.975.2787

Note: Copies of Rick Bragg’s books will be available for sale in the Alys Stephens Center lobby, thanks to our friends at Thank You Books.

While they utilize different mediums and styles, Bragg and Wood Jr. share something at their core: They are insightful storytellers who challenge us all to think, to empathize, and to explore what it means to be human.

This event is offered as part of AHA’s Alabama Colloquium series. Earlier this year, the Alabama Humanities Alliance honored musicians Brittany Howard and Jason Isbell in a similar event in Huntsville.

The Alabama Colloquium series is made possible due to the support of presenting sponsors Regions Bank, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Huntsville Utilities, and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. All proceeds from the series support AHA programming that helps Alabamians connect with each other, our shared history, and the vibrant, complex communities we call home.

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance: Founded 50 years ago, in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. AHA promotes impactful storytelling, lifelong learning and civic engagement. Through our programs and grantmaking, we provide Alabamians with opportunities to connect with each other, with our shared history, and with the vibrant and complex communities we call home. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

About the Alabama Colloquium: Each year, the Alabama Humanities Alliance presents the Alabama Colloquium to celebrate how the humanities lift up our state and bring Alabamians together. We also bestow the title of Alabama Humanities Fellow on individuals whose outstanding work in the humanities has positively impacted our state, nation, and world. Honorees include the likes of Harper Lee, Bryan Stevenson, E.O. Wilson, Odessa Woolfolk, W. Kamau Bell, Wayne Flynt, and more. alabamahumanities.org/honors

‘I Gave My Mom 3 Options for a Ring And He Got the One I Wanted Most’

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 27, 2024

0

BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times

JENNIFER AND ANTHONY JACKSON

Live: Vestavia Hills

Married: Sept. 1, 2019

Met: March 2010. The pair initially met while working together in the financial care department at the T-Mobile call center in Hoover. They did not have a romantic connection then, but reconnected in June 2017, via social media. Jennifer reached out to Anthony after he posted on Facebook about providing swimming lessons and she asked about some for her daughter, Chrislyn, then 6 years old.

“Jennifer jumped in my DM’s allegedly wanting swim lessons… The lessons were great, and Chrislyn was super bossy during them, just like her mama… and at the end, Chrisyln said ‘Mr. Anthony, do you know my mom makes the best spaghetti in the world? You should come over to our house’,” Anthony recalled.

“Chrisyln was basically our matchmaker,’ said Jennifer. “During the lessons, Anthony mentioned that he had an upcoming job interview so I texted him ‘Good luck on your interview’, and he replied ‘Thank you. Now, tell me a little about Jennifer’, and we’ve been here ever since.”

First date: September 2017, at The Breakout Room in Homewood. They went on a double date with one of Anthony’s friends and his wife.

Anthony vividly remembers the fun night, “We definitely broke out,” he laughed, “with about five minutes to spare. I enjoyed working with Jennifer to figure out the clues and find the keys/codes… And to be honest, she spearheaded the team. Jennifer is a leader and a thinker; she’s a natural-born leader and that was one of the things that was really attractive about her,” said Anthony.

“We had fun, and Anthony was supportive and encouraging of me figuring out how to get us out of there,” Jennifer said. “He’s a lot more analytical than me, he was figuring out the thinking part of the clues and I was keeping track of time. It was a good time, we made a good team,” she said.

Jennifer and Anthony Jackson met in March 2010 while working at T-Mobile. The couple reconnected in 2017, and married in 2019. (Provided Photos)

The turn: Anthony and Jennifer dated without Chrislyn’s knowledge for a year before letting her in on their secret. Easter 2018, the pair tested the waters with Chrislyn by participating in a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt in Anthony’s subdivision in McCalla. After that went well Jennifer invited Anthony to come along on a trip with her and Chrislyn to Georgia the following weekend.

“Jennifer’s thing was keeping Chrislyn safe and not letting her get attached before we knew what we were doing,” Anthony said. “But after the trip to Georgia, I knew we were locked in and things got more serious,” said Jennifer.

The proposal: Nov. 30, 2018, at family and friends game night at Jennifer’s parent’s home in Pinson. This date was also the commemoration of Jennifer’s grandfather’s death, which Anthony selected so that he could give her a happy memory to associate with the day. The group was playing the game ‘Speak Out’, a guessing game played while wearing a mouthpiece that makes it difficult to speak clearly, leaving the others to guess the phrase.

“I set it up for Buggy [Anthony’s nickname for Chrislyn] to ask her mom if she would marry me during her turn, and the question that she asked was ‘Will you marry Coachie?’ [Chrislyn’s nickname for Anthony], but Chrislyn couldn’t get it out because of the mouthpiece … So it was lights, camera, action for me, and I gave Buggy a hand clap and told her good job, and I got down on one knee and said ‘Will you marry me?’,” Anthony recounted. “Jennifer couldn’t believe it and kept saying ‘what?’ and then said ‘of course’, and I slipped the ring on her finger and she ran out the room.”

“I was totally caught off guard, and now it was making sense why my mom was pressing me to get my hair and nails done for ‘silk press season’,” Jennifer laughed. “I was excited. He had gotten the exact ring that I wanted. I had given my mom three options to feed him and he got the one that I wanted the most. But what I was moved by the most was the date that he picked and involved Chrislyn.”

The wedding: At The Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham, officiated by Pastor Darius McClure of Rock City Church. Their colors were wine and navy.

Most memorable for the bride was a moment during the ceremony. “After we said our vows, he also said vows to Chrislyn and presented her with a necklace and it made me feel like he was truly accepting her as much as he accepted me. My prayer was always to have a husband who loves my daughter as much if not more than he loves me, and he had proven that. He does not play about her and I was so grateful in that moment,” Jennifer said.

Most memorable for the groom was being surprised by his own emotions. “We had this ongoing bet about me crying when Jennifer walked out in her dress, and I would always say ‘nah, I’m a G’, and my friends were even telling me I was going to cry but [I didn’t agree], and the moment she came down with her father all the emotions and what lead us to that moment surfaced and I boohooed. All I was thinking about was how much I said I wasn’t going to cry and now I couldn’t control my emotions,” Anthony laughed. “The photographer got a real good picture of me in tears, proving everybody right.”

The couple honeymooned in Cabo, Mexico. Anthony enjoyed taking a boat tour and “watching Jennifer dance” while on it, he said. “And we really enjoyed the swim-out pool that was attached to our suite and getting to rest. The rest is a blur,” said Jennifer.

Words of wisdom: “Within the first six months of being married, the pandemic hit so we were together every waking moment for months, and we were grateful that we really liked each other and not just loved each other,” Jennifer said. “I was furloughed from my job during that time, we’ve gone through some things and I feel like we can make it through anything. So be sure that you actually like your spouse and not just love them,” Jennifer said. ‘And we’ve always stood on Romans 8:28– “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’– and we believe no matter what God is always working things out in our favor.”

“We did the love language test and I really didn’t understand it then, but I understand it now. Taking that test allowed me to understand what her love language is, and I try to love her in her love language. [By doing this] she knows I’m trying and giving my best and that has helped us get through a lot of tough times. Put your best effort forward to take care of your spouse and everything else should work out,” said Anthony.

Happily ever after: The Jacksons attend Rock City Church on Valleydale Rd., where Anthony serves on the men’s ministry know as ‘Rockafellas’, and their daughter Chrislyn, 14, participates in the teen ministry.

Jennifer, 38, is a Roebuck native, a Ramsay High School grad, and attended The University of Alabama where she earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management. Jennifer works as director of sales for a major hotel brand.

Anthony, 40, is a Fairfield native, and Fairfield High Preparatory School grad. He attended Miles College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry, and Jacksonville State University, where he obtained a master’s degree in education. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and works at Irondale Middle School as the head football coach, assistant athletic director, and physical education teacher.

“You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Barnett Wright bwright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique.

Birmingham Personal Injury Attorney | Guster Law Firm, LLC

PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS

By

Birmingham Times

-

November 26, 2024

0

By Gwen DeRu | The Birmingham Times

IT’S THANKSGIVING DAY!!! HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!!

TODAY…

**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!!!
**THANKSGIVING DINNER, 11 a.m. at Magic City Acceptance Center.
**MULTI-DIVINCIONAL: THE FIRST ACT at the Nick Rocks.
**THANKSGIVING NIGHT PRE WEEKEND PARTY with ASHTRONIC at The Nick Rocks.
**BLUES JAM EVERY 3rd THURSDAY, 7- 10 p.m. at True Story Brewing.
**EVERY THURSDAY- 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.
**FILM at Sidewalk Film.
**KARAOKE, 7 p.m. at True Story Brewing.

FRIDAY…
IT IS Friday…the weekend starts…
**LATE NIGHT FRIDAYS with DJ JACK BAMA at The Nick Rocks.
**EMO NIGHT BROOKLYN at Saturn.
**ZINGARA – FOR THE CRYSTAL CHILDREN TOUR at Iron City.

SATURDAY…
**HOT TO GO at Saturn.
**SAM AND THE BIG BOYS with SUPERHIGHWAY at The Nick Rocks.
**LATE NIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT with R.1.Y.T. at The Nick Rocks
**KARAOKE SATURDAYS, 3 p.m. at 3605 Gray Avenue, Adamsville with the ALL-EN ONE BBQ with Chef Randy ”Dee” Allen and The Lovely LaToria at the 7 Angels Coffee & Smoothie Café.

SUNDAY…
**MUSEUM STORE DAY, 12 – 5 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
**SINGO BINGO EVERY SUNDAY, 1 p.m. at Cahaba Brewing Company.
**EASE BACK 4th SUNDAYS, 5 p.m. at True Story Brewing.

MONDAY…
**SANTA’S WORKSHOP, 5 p.m. at Trussville Public Library.
**AUSTIN CREEL’S BIRTHDAY BASH & SWEET HOME at BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND at the Nick.

TUESDAY…
**SUPERSTAR KARAOKE TUESDAYS, 10 p.m. at The Nick Rocks.
**JOSE CARR EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT at True Story Brewing.
**4th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS-TACULAR featuring FEEDERS 2 and WINTERBEAST at Saturn.

WEDNESDAY…
**REAL FUNNY COMEDY WEDNESDAYS at True Story Brewing. Sign up at 7:30 p.m.
**FIGHT CLUB OPEN DECK with Host LEMON BELOVED! Every Wednesday at The Nick Rocks.

NEXT THURSDAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!!!
**HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS AT ARTPLAY, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at 1006 19th Street So. It will feature the big summer camp show announcement and it is Free where youth can have a jolly good time.
**ALL IS BRIGHT, 6 p.m. at Vestavia City Center in Vestavia Hills.
**JEFFERSON COUNTY SENIOR HOLIDAY CHEER CELEBRATION, 9 a.m. at 2340 Crossplex Blvd.
**STEVIE TOMBSTONE at the Nick Rocks.
**MULTI-DIVINCIONAL: THE SECOND ACT at The Nick Rocks.
**BLUES JAM EVERY 3rd THURSDAY, 7- 10 p.m. at True Story Brewing.**SATURN’S COSMIC KARAOKE at Saturn.
**WHO’S BAD – 20th Anniversary Tour at Iron City.

NEXT FRIDAY….
**PICTURES WITH SANTA, 6 p.m. at Deerfoot Church of Christ in Clay.
**ROSS BRIDGE HOLIDAY MARKET, 4 p.m. at 2101 Grand Avenue in Hoover.
**CHRISTMAS PARADE, 6:30 p.m. at Pinson Bicentennial Park in Pinson.
**GROOVE INTO THE HOLIDAYS, 6:30 p.m. at the Woodlawn Theatre.
**HOLIDAY ‘SPLOSION, 8 p.m. at Theatre Downtown.
**ASK CAROL with MILLENNIAL JONES at The Nick Rocks.
**LATE NIGHT FRIDAYS with DJ JACK BAMA at The Nick Rocks.
**GIMME GIMME DISCO at Saturn.

THINGS TO DO…
in town, around the state…

**STORYTELLERS IN CONVERSATION – RICK BRAGGS is one of the recipients of the Alabama Humanities Fellows Award, the highest humanities award in the state. Braggs is being honored at the STORYTELLERS IN CONVERSATION event, by the Alabama Humanities Alliance on Sunday at the Alys Stephens Center. The award recognizes Alabamians who have made the State of Alabama and the nation a smarter, kinder, more vibrant place to live and who challenge us all to think, to empathize, and to explore what it means to be human. Rick Braggs and Roy Wood, Jr. are the 2024 Alabama Humanities Fellows.

**GLOW WILD AT THE BIRMINGHAM ZOO is one of Birmingham’s Top Holiday Activities through January 2025. Enjoy the larger-than-life lanterns lighting your way through the Zoo. Walk through the breathtaking displays and create memories with family and friends. Take photos, enjoy the restaurants that are opened and be sure to try the special adult versions of hot chocolate. There will be special guests and appearances throughout the season. Visit www.birminghamzoo.com

FOR OUTDOORS LOVERS…
**SUNDAY EASY WALK, 1:45 p.m. at the Vulcan Trail. Join Southeastern Outings for an easy walk in the woodlands overlooking Birmingham on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The trail is level, as it is on an old mining railroad right of way just below the crest of Red Mountain. This walk is an ideal activity for those looking for something to do to get out of the house. Meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Vulcan Park and Museum Parking Lot where you would normally park to visit the statue and Vulcan Park. Depart at 2 p.m. Walk from the big parking lot a short distance down some new stairs to the trail-head and then on the trail to Green Springs Highway and back. The Vulcan Trail has recently been widened and resurfaced. There is no charge to participate in this hike and there is no charge for admission to either Vulcan Park or the trail. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk four miles are welcome. After the walk is completed, there will be an optional dinner at Jim ‘N Nick’s 11th Avenue Grill at Five Points South. Bring a friend or friends. For more call 205/631-4680.

FOR CHRISTMAS LOVERS…

**SUNDAY…ARTIST YOGI DADA at the Birmingham Museum of Art, Museum Store Day, 12 – 5 p.m. with her wearable artwork, dadas and Mawu greeting cards.
**NEXT THURSDAY – BRIAN NABORS -MAKING HISTORY TOGETHER – The Alabama Symphony Orchestra, The Carver Theatre and Brian Nabors are partnering for the First Concert in The Carver Theatre since 1935. It is featuring the World Premiere Birmingham Concerto No 1 composed by Birmingham’s Native Son COMPOSER BRIAN NABORS plus Bach & Respighi at 6:30 p.m. For more details, visit alabamasymphony.org.
**NEXT FRIDAY – POLAR EXPRESS ADVENTURE IN IRONDALE, 6 p.m. at Irondale City Hall. Free photos with Santa, hot cocoa and cookies. Tree Lighting Celebration follows the parade.**NEXT FRIDAY – UAB ARTPLAY: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at 1006 19th Street South.
**NEXT FRIDAY…ART AFTER 5: DIE HARD, 5 p.m. 2000 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
**NEXT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ANNUAL HOLIDAY ARTIST MARKET, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at 105 West College Street in Columbiana by the Shelby County Arts Council.
**DECEMBER 7 – BE KIND BIRMINGHAM’S 3rd ANNUAL CHRISTMAS POP-UP FREE STORE, 10 a.m. at the Ensley Recreation Center, 2800 Avenue K. A day of holiday cheer, community support and free resources for those in need.
**DECEMBER 7 – NUTCRACKER TEA at The Kelly featuring The Alabama Ballet, 12:30 p.m. at 2027 1st Avenue North.
**DECEMBER 7 – CHRISTMAS AT THE STATION, 1919 9th St., Calera.
**DECEMBER 7 – A NIGHT TO REMEMBER HOLIDAY GALA, 6 p.m. at The Avondale West in Midfield.
**DECEMBER 7 – PJ PARTY: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, 10:30 a.m. at 1821 2nd Avenue North.
**DECEMBER 7 – THE CITY OF MIDFIELD CHRISTMAS PARADE, 10 a.m. at the Midfield Recreation Center.
**DECEMBER 7 – AG GASTON BUSINESS INSTITUTE HOLIDAY YOUTH POP- UP MARKETPLACE, 12 p.m.at Innovation Depot.
**DECEMBER 7 – BRUNCH WITH SANTA, 12 p.m. at 800 Highway 87 in Calera.
**DECEMBER 7 – A WALK THROUGH BETHLEHEM, 5:30 p.m. at Homestead Hollow I Springville.
**DECEMBER 8 – 2nd SUNDAYS CHRISTMAS MARKET, 11 a.m. at 3186 D Pelham Parkway, in Pelham.
**DECEMBER 8 – MERRY GRINCHMAS! FREE GRINCH PHOTOS, 1 p.m. at Steel Hall Brewing in Grayson Valley.
**DECEMBER 8 – BERNIE MASKMAN presents SA HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR, 6:30 p.m. at True Story Brewing Company.
**DECEMBER 10 – PARENT EXPO – The UAB Educational Opportunity Center and Birmingham City Schools present Parent Expo, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. You can apply for a job, info on housing and home ownership, ID assistance, GED sign up, small business info, FAFSA help, BIOA assistance AND you can find a career plus at the Lincoln Development Professional Center, 901 9th Avenue No. For more info: 205-224-7571 or email rdrakes@uab.edu
**DECEMBER 10 – HOLIDAY BLAZER BINGO, 6 p.m. at 1301 10th Avenue South.
**DECEMBER 11 – ARTBREAK: WHAT IS COLOR THEORY? 11 a.m. at 2000 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd. at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
**DECEMBER 11 – TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA returns with their all-new how “The Lost Christmas Eve”, 7 p.m. at the Legacy Arena at the BJCC

AT HOMEWOOD…
HOMEWOOD FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!
**DECEMBER 7 – BREAKFAST WITH SANTA, 9 a.m. alongside Samford University with breakfast, activities and a complimentary photo with the jolly man himself.
**DECEMBER 10 – LIGHTING OF THE STAR AND CHRISTMAS PARADE, 6:30 p.m. at the top of 18th Street.

FOR YOUTH…FOR STUDENTS…
**JCAC SCHOLARSHIP 2025 – The Jefferson County Alumna Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is accepting applications for its annual scholarship from December 1 – February 9. For more info: hhttps://dstjcac.org.
**AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM with Safe Haven Initiative, Monday – Wednesday, 3:30 – 7 p.m. providing reading initiative, chess club, homework help, creative writing and tutoring at Central Park, Ensley, Hawkins, Fountain Heights, ML King, Memorial with the Birmingham Park and Recreation Centers. For more, call 205-254-2391.
**GIRLS MENTORING for 8-12 grade young ladies every 2nd Saturday through May 2025, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. FREE. Participants will learn practical tools for positive personal development. Registration is required. To learn more: FRC@ywcabham.org or call 205-949-5550.
**STRIVE BIRMINGHAM Career is a Healthcare program. It is a 10 weeks, NO-COST Program that includes training, certifications and job placement assistance with ‘earn as you learn’ incentives for students and lifetime support services for graduates. For more info on enrollment: www.goodjobsbham.com.
**NAVIGATION2SUCCESS STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES is offering Tutoring for homework help enrichment mentorships. For more info, 205-683-5218 or www.navigation2success.com.

FOR FILM LOVERS…

**FILM – DAHOMEY, starring Gildas Adannou, Habib Ahandessi, Josea Guedje and directed by Mati Diop. The film is about thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom were taken by French colonists in the 19th Century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students and one of the repatriated statues himself.

**FILM – A REAL PAIN, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. The film – Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

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