Birmingham Makes Decision on Whether to Keep Street Barriers in East Lake to Help Curb Record Crime

January 17, 2025

Neighborhood 1 — The city has put up barriers at 18 entry points and alleys within the neighborhood as part of the Safe Streets initiative. Since the initiative’s launch in July, the barriers have been a hot topic for many East Lake residents. (Alaina Bookman, AL.com)

This is another installment in the series “Beyond the Violence.”

Street barriers in a Birmingham neighborhood targeting public safety improvements are officially staying up.

Alanah Melton has lived in East Lake for four years and her home has been shot into twice. She said she remembers the day bullets were sprayed into her son’s bedroom, shattering his window, striking his bed and toys.

In public hearing Tuesday, the Birmingham City Council voted to continue an initiative, Project Safe Streets, which has blocked off streets and pushed resources for addressing violent crime and blight in the neighborhood.

“I’m really sorry for my neighbors who don’t have the same experience, but the barricades have been a welcome experience for us,” Melton said. “I am in favor of the project with barricades because without the barricades we would not see these results.”

Melton said she feels safer since the launch of Project Safe Streets. She said traffic has slowed and gun violence has decreased.

Project Safe Streets is a city of Birmingham pilot program that aims to make the neighborhood and city safer by deterring speeding, shootings, theft, prostitution and violent crime. The project also includes cleaning and revitalizing East Lake and limiting access points throughout the neighborhood with barriers at 18 entry points and alleys.

The project has been a controversial issue for residents with some seeing the initiative as an answered prayer and others feeling trapped by the barriers. After hearing 17 impassioned speeches from East Lake residents on both sides of the issue, Mayor Randall Woodfin promised to consider the residents’ concerns while moving the project forward.

“This is not perfect. When we look at public safety and keeping people safe, we always look at the toolbox. This is a tool from the toolbox. This is not a one-fix-all or the end-all. There’s still ample work to do for those who are not for it. We have to continue to listen to you. We have to continue to get your feedback,” Woodfin said.

Birmingham ended 2024, the deadliest year in the city’s history, with 151 homicides, breaking the city’s all-time homicide record. As the Magic City enters a new year, community members and public officials are working to make Birmingham safer.

A look at the numbers

The hearing started with a presentation of the work done throughout the pilot program, from knocking on more than 900 doors for public input, to blight removal and code enforcement throughout the neighborhood.

Since the launch of the East Lake program in July 2024, the city of Birmingham has tracked their cleanup work:

1,777 bags of litter picked up
843 tons of trash picked up
183 lots cut and treated
196 potholes repaired
64 housing violations
25 structures identified for condemnation
7 houses demolished

The city also worked to reduce speeding through traffic calming efforts, which include:

13 new stripings, crosswalks and intersections
9 four-way stop signs
7 speed cushions
2 streets paved

According to police, a large volume of narcotics were seized, numerous stolen vehicles were recovered and multiple firearms, including Glocks with machine gun switches, were confiscated.

The Real Time Crime Center deployed cameras and license plate readers and the Birmingham Police Department conducted targeted traffic violation operations throughout the area.

Alpha Phi Alpha Members Speak on the Legacy of Brother MLK, Jr.

Birmingham Times

January 17, 2025

King 11 — Martin Luther King Jr. with Freedom Riders as they prepare to leave Montgomery, Alabama, for Jackson, Mississippi on May 25, 1961. (Norman Dean, The Birmingham News/Alabama Department of Archives & History)

The Birmingham Times

(This post originally appeared Jan. 18, 2022 on birminghamtimes.com)

The celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday in Birmingham and across the nation on Monday, January 20 is a proud moment for many including members of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first and oldest collegiate fraternity for African American men.

King became a member of the Sigma chapter while he was a doctoral student at Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts in 1952. Other prominent Alphas include Frederick Douglass, anti-slavery activist; Thurgood Marshall, Civil Rights activist, Supreme Court Justice; W.E.B. Dubois, writer, historian, Civil Rights activist and Paul Robeson, activist, scholar, singer, and football player.

“To me, Dr. King’s legacy is one of resilience and extreme selflessness,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin who joined the Alpha Rho chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha at Morehouse College spring of 2002. “Dr. King literally gave himself, his whole self, to the cause of equality. We often forget that the reverend was not as revered then as he is today. He faced criticism from almost every angle, yet he was true to his vision of a fair and equitable society.”

The fraternity was founded in 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It initially served as a study and support group for minority students who faced “racial prejudice, both educationally and socially.”

Operating under the guiding principles of “scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity”, the fraternity recognizes Thurgood Marshall, W. E. B. Du Bois, and King among its notable members.

Early Beginnings

King entered Morehouse College at the age 14, leading to the completion of his undergraduate degree in sociology in 1948. In 1951, he earned his divinity degree from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.

When he moved to Montgomery, Alabama in 1953, he joined the Alpha Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha.

“When he relocated that’s when he really started to make a name for himself within the fraternity,” said District Director of the Alabama district of Alpha Phi Alpha, Clinton L. Johnson. Johnson joined the Kappa Alpha chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha at The University of Alabama spring of 2004. “He married Coretta and became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Church, which was also the highlight of his work because that church was the birthplace of a lot of his famous speeches and sermons.”

In 1955, King received his doctorate from Boston University and also became the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycotts.

“At this time, he had a lot of support fraternally,” Johnson said. “He was networking with different chapters all across the South. Brothers believed in the work he was doing within the civil rights movement. They all had the same goal of unity and were determined to make that happen along with him.”

During the Montgomery bus boycott trial in 1956, Alpha Phi Alpha’s national president, Frank L. Stanley Jr., stayed with King at the courthouse during his trial and presented him King with a check for $1,000 dollars.

In a letter to Dr. King, Stanley wrote “Alpha is proud of the leadership that you have given to the bus segregation protest movement in your city. We realize the trying hours you are experiencing as the object of a white council-controlled police department, and bomb wielding segregationists… But by the grace of God, you have been spared to continue the fight.

“Twenty-four thousand Alphas and millions of other Negroes fight with you, even though removed from the immediate scene of your battlefront. You have but to call on us, your Brothers, if we can be of any material assistance. We are already with you spiritually. At least, I personally and officially want to keep in close touch with you in this period of peril.”

At Alpha Phi Alpha’s 50th Anniversary celebration in 1956, King was honored with the fraternity’s highest honor: the Alpha Award of Merit, for appreciation of the “tireless efforts on behalf of African Americans.”

“As I look over the audience I see so many familiar faces and so many dear friends that it is a real pleasure to be here,” King began in his address. “I only regret that certain responsibilities elsewhere made it impossible for me to be in on the other part of the sessions…I am very happy to share the platform with so many distinguished Alpha men and so many distinguished American citizens and I say once more that this is a high moment in my life.”

“The award and its description speak for itself, said Woodfin, “However, the significance of the designation to me is in Dr. King’s age at the time. He was only 27 years old when he received the award. This is significant to me because, for some reason, we as a community have stopped lifting and trusting the vision and leadership of our greatest asset, its youngest generations.”

Throughout the early 1960s, King dedicated himself to the civil rights struggle. He famously wrote his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, in April of 1963 after being arrested for ignoring an Alabama state court injunction against demonstrations. The letter detailed a defense of nonviolent resistance to racism.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” King said in the 21-page essay. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Martin Luther King Jr. speaking to journalists outside the Dallas County courthouse in Selma, Alabama, during a Civil Rights demonstration on January 19, 1964. The Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth is to Dr. King’s left and the Rev. Ralph David Abernathy to the right. (Ed Jones, Birmingham News/Alabama Department of Archives & History)

MLK In Memory

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the King Holiday which made King’s birthday a federal holiday. Shortly thereafter, a grass-roots campaign began to honor the Civil Rights icon with a memorial on the National Mall.

President Bill Clinton signed congressional legislation authorizing the memorial in 1996. It would take another 10 years before the ground was broken on the $120 million project.

Alpha Phi Alpha members donated $3 million to the project. Those funds joined with schoolchildren’s donations of coins, contributions from individuals, large checks from 100 corporate sponsors, and $10 million in funds from the federal government.

“The memorial project was a really big deal for us,” said Birmingham Municipal Court Judge Andra D. Sparks, who joined the Gamma Phi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha at Tuskegee University in the fall of 1982. “We used to have to take up money a lot during that time to see the project through. We wanted to see it happen.”

A ceremony dedicating the memorial was scheduled for Sunday, August 28, 2011, the 48th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, but was postponed until October 16 (the 16th anniversary of the 1995 Million Man March on the National Mall) due to Hurricane Irene.

The Fraternity’s private dedication on August 26, 2011, took place as planned with more than 5,000 Alpha Phi Alphas and their families and friends in attendance.

“For me, it’s almost emotional for me to go to DC and stand by that statue. It was a fulfillment of a lot of years of a lot of brothers and people, not just alphas, but people working hard to make sure that his work was memorialized,” said Sparks.

“I was so proud to have that picture of me standing by Dr. King’s monument and I feel I contributed to it from the very beginning. The amount of money I gave was nothing, but I participated in it from the very beginning from the foundation. We had so many people involved, but it was a nationally Alpha led project, and we’re thankful to everybody involved… all the multimillionaires who helped with it including Bill Clinton. It’s really a sight to see,” he said.

Why MLK’s Powerful ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ Remains a Masterpiece of American Literature

Birmingham Times

January 16, 2025

1 - Main frame — The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., left, and Pastor Wyatt Tee Walker at a press conference at the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, AL on May 10, 1963. (Alabama Department Of Archives And History. Donated By Alabama Media Group. Photo By Tom Self, Birmingham News)

By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times

In the solace of a Birmingham jail in April 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. penned what many consider “one of the greatest documents ever written by an American.”

King came across an article in the afternoon edition of The Birmingham News headlined “White Clergymen Urge Local Negroes to Withdraw from Demonstrations.” That inspired the Civil Rights giant to craft a jewel of American literature — “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

The City of Birmingham and the nation observe King’s birthday on Monday, January 20 and more than 60 years later, his heartfelt letter is considered the preeminent document of the Civil Rights movement, appearing in hundreds of anthologies and designated as required reading for many students worldwide. It has been translated into more than 40 languages.

“King initially intended the Birmingham letter as a response to the eight clergymen, but it became the most cogent and influential defense of nonviolent resistance ever written,” said Clayborne Carson, director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University.

Barry McNealy, Historical Content Expert at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI), said the letter is “one of the greatest documents ever written by an American … on par with the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address,” McNealy said. “The ideals that were contained in it completed the rhetorical journey that was set out by Thomas Jefferson and continued by Abraham Lincoln … “

Both the Gettysburg Address and the Declaration of Independence share a theme of freedom as the ultimate goal and emphasize the fundamental importance of individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness as guiding principles in the United States.

In his “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” King connects with those ideas by writing, “We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom.”

Written Without Notes

King’s response was even more impressive because it was written without notes or other reference materials, say historians.

Jonathan Rieder, a professor at Barnard College and Columbia University and author of “Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation,” said King composed the letter “like a painter, like a sculptor.”

“His ability to draw fragments together into these always-new compositions and permutations was part of his artistic brilliance,” Reider said. “Forget about whatever intellectual and spiritual brilliance went into it. To me, what is extraordinary is that he does it without notes. It’s all deep in his soul and his spirit.”

McNealy said the letter was telling for another reason.

“[It] says more about the nation and the people who challenged Dr. King’s academic prowess, who challenged his intellectual level and said that he didn’t earn any of his credentials that he worked for other the years,” said McNealy.

And King’s scholarly letter remains relevant because some of the same arguments made against King then were made against Vice President Kamala Harris who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. President in 2024, the historian said.

“When you think on a present-day level one of the things that was dropped on Vice-President Harris repeatedly was how she couldn’t answer a question and how unintelligent she was; and she graduated with honors from Howard University and became a lawyer and a state attorney general,” McNealy said. “This is a tired trope that has been used about Black people and people of color, marginalized people since the very beginning.”

He added, “So when we think about [King] sitting in that cell with nothing but his experience and his education that he garnered up to that point in his life and he creates a document like that without any type of assistance, not even a dictionary it shatters that myth that marginalized people are less when it comes to intellectualism in academia.”

‘My Dear Fellow Clergymen’

King and others were arrested on Friday, April 12, 1963, for violating a court injunction prohibiting Civil Rights demonstrations in the city. He was released eight days later, and April 16 is the date placed on “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”

The clergymen were critical of “outsiders” who were leading protests in segregated Birmingham. The clergy called the demonstrations “unwise and untimely.”

King’s response began: “My Dear Fellow Clergymen. While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities ‘unwise and untimely.’ Seldom do I pause to answer criticisms of my work and ideas.”

King wrote on scraps of writing paper supplied by a Black jail trusty and yellow notepads surreptitiously brought into the jail by his attorneys, said Stanford’s Carson.

“Under these difficult circumstances, King drafted the most crucial public statement of his career, benefiting from the fact that he had been preparing for many years to write such a statement,” Carson said.

King was intentional about addressing the clergymen who were standing on the sidelines, McNealy said.

“You had people that were vociferous in terms of their white supremacy and their racism like [Alabama governor] George Wallace or [Birmingham Public Safety Commissioner] Bull Connor … you had those people, but you also had the people who were cowed by them … Dr. King was talking to those people who were on the fence, who knew right from wrong but they were afraid to act on it. He started criticizing them for hiding behind the stained-glass windows.”

Columbia’s Rieder said the letter is from a man who is concerned about his own people but at the same time has great love for humanity.

“He speaks to all oppressed people, and that’s his basic Christian concern,” Rieder said, “That’s why he’s upset about the appalling silence of the good people.”

Some things haven’t changed more than 60 years later, McNealy said.

“When you think about Dr. King, he said the minute that you refuse to speak towards injustice you begin to die. In other words, living a lie is poison. It doesn’t necessarily poison your body, it poisons your spirit, it poisons your soul and everything you do from that moment when you compromise, you don’t stand up to the truth, everything you do is a spiral down. And this is what he was trying to get people to see.”

Document Never Sent

Samford University history professor S. Jonathan Bass said King gave bits and pieces of the letter to his lawyers to take back to movement headquarters, where the Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker, King’s top assistant, began compiling and editing the material, Bass explained. The final version was dated April 16, 1963.

The 21-page, typed, double-spaced “Letter” appears as though it is personal correspondence addressed to the eight white ministers, Bass said. The document was never sent to them, however, which led some to question whether the letter was intended for the clergymen.

“King and Walker had discussed writing a jailhouse epistle while in Albany, Ga., in 1962,” said Bass, who wrote “Blessed are the Peacemakers: Martin Luther King Jr., Eight White Religious Leaders, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

“In addition, King had previously preached a sermon entitled ‘Paul’s Letter to Christians in America.’ This was something they wanted to do, but the occasion never presented itself until Birmingham.”

The white ministers were the perfect symbolic audience for the letter, Bass said. “After all, the Apostle Paul wrote letters from jail to fellow believers. On the surface, the letter is a public relations document. It served as the symbolic finale to the Birmingham movement when it was published by the media beginning in May 1963.”

From left, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; the Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy hold a press conference at the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, on May 10, 1963. (Alabama Department Of Archives And History. Donated By Alabama Media Group. Photo By Tom Self, Birmingham News)

‘Warrior Spirit’

Rieder believes the letter may have been tweaked after King’s release from jail, but the words are heartfelt.

“King was so exasperated by these preachers. These eight white clergymen, they embodied everything that had been building up with him for years with white moderates,” Rieder said.

King’s anger at the moderates who said “go slow” was rising. King “was depressed; he was in a panic,” Rieder said. “He had this terrible time in solitary. He reads this [newspaper article], and they are telling him to ‘wait,’ and suddenly his indignation just pushes him out of that depression. It’s like he got his warrior spirit back.”

Another brilliant aspect of the letter, according to historians, is the multitude of perspectives that King brings to his response.

“He expressed empathy with the lives of millions over eons and with the life of a particular child at a single moment,” writes Taylor Branch in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Parting the Waters, America in the King Years, 1954-63.”

“He tried to look not only at white preachers through the eyes of Negroes but also at Negroes through the eyes of white preachers. By degrees, King established a kind of universal voice, beyond time, beyond race,” Branch writes. “As both humble prisoner and mighty prophet, as father, harried traveler, and concerned leader, he projected a character of nearly unassailable breadth.”

Birmingham Filmmaker Roderick McClure’s First Feature Opens Jan. 17 with Top Hollywood Talent

Birmingham Times

January 16, 2025

RodMcClure 1 — Birmingham filmmaker Roderick McClure credits a credible script for attracting a strong cast of actors to his first feature film. (Provided)

By Je’Don Holloway-Talley | For The Birmingham Times

Roderick McClure, CEO of RodFather Productions, may be a newcomer to filmmaking, but he’s no stranger to turning dreams into reality—including his own. The Birmingham native, who has decades of experience in sales, organizational management, and ministry leadership, has now embarked on a journey to fulfill another dream: becoming a filmmaker.

This month he’s seen that goal realized.

McClure teamed up with his son-in-law, Joshua Ferrell, to launch RodFather Productions in 2024, and they’ve already produced their first feature, “Both Eyes Open,” which will hit theaters on January 17.

The film is a psychological thriller that stars Gail Bean, known for her role as Wanda in the FX television series “Snowfall,” and veteran actor Taye Diggs, celebrated for his work in “The Best Man” franchise and the CW network’s “All American.”

“Both Eyes Open” not only showcases McClure’s ability to assemble top-tier talent but also reflects his lifelong passion for storytelling.

“They call me ‘The RodFather’ for a reason—I know how to get things done. I know how to make things happen. I know how to pull people together. From one lunch meeting in November 2023, [our team] successfully casted everyone we wanted to appear in the movie, got everybody locked in, and signed cast and crew. By April 2024, we were shooting the movie. We filmed in Atlanta, [Georgia],” McClure told The Birmingham Times.

Both McClure and Ferrell are credited as executive producer/producer on the film, according to IMDB.

McClure — who is part of Birmingham’s prominent McClure family, his brother is Pastor Mike McClure Sr. of Revelation Church Ministries, and his nephew is Stellar Gospel Music Award-winning artist and pastor of The Rock City Church, Mike McClure Jr., affectionately known as “PMJ,” — said filmmaking is a passionate hobby and it’s much better than a never-ending vacation: “I’ve always felt like early retirement was overrated. This is the next chapter.”

“Both Eyes Open” centers on Ally (Bean), a woman who emerges from an abusive relationship hoping for a fresh start. Haunted by persistent hallucinations of her abuser, she begins to receive mysterious messages that suggest her tormentor may still be lurking in the distance. As the cryptic messages escalate and the ground beneath her starts to crumble, Ally discovers that the answers she seeks may lie closer to home than she could have ever imagined.

In addition to Bean and Diggs, McClure was able to secure other television and film actors, including Joy Brunson (NBC’s “This is Us”), Michael Oloyede (“This is Paradise,” streaming on FuboTV), Tristan Mack Wilds (films “Red Tails” and “The Secret Life of Bees”), Carla Fisher (film “Trouble with the Curve”), and Christie Leverette (Tyler Perry’s “Sistas” on BET+).

Asked how a brand-new independent film company could score such talent, McClure, 62, said it’s all about the script, which was written by Ariel Julia Hairston (films “The Comeback and “Boxed In” and television series “Outlandish,” streaming on Peacock), who also is credited as the director and an executive producer on the film.

“It takes a really credible script in order to attract a cast of that caliber,” McClure said. “We presented the script first to [Bean], and once we received word that she liked the script we knew we had a key piece toward building the cast.

“And then I had a good friend of mine—Jack Carter, CEO of Freeli TV—who had recently done a movie with [Diggs]. We asked [Carter] to cast [Diggs], who liked the script and agreed to the role, as well. [When] we landed [Bean] and [Diggs], it was just pretty easy from there to cast the other actors,” McClure explained.

“Both Eyes Open” will be available for viewing in nearly 50 theaters across the country and locally at Regal Trussville, AMC Patton Creek 15, and AMC Classic Lee Branch 15 theaters. Check out the trailer at final teaser.mov and follow on Instagram @botheyesopenmovie. You also can follow Roderick McClure on Instragram @rod.mcclure and @rodfather_productions.

More Pet Safety Tips for Frigid Winter Temperatures

Birmingham Times

January 15, 2025

Alabama is located in the southern region of the country with fairly short winter season. Each region of the state has its own unique weather patterns depending on the season. During the winter season the state appears to have an invisible line of demarcation. The upper northern counties usually are the coldest with more frigid winters, the counties in the middle of the state can be cold but usually not as frigid and the southern counties winters are far more mild and less frigid than the other regions in the state. This was evident last week during our state’s winter weather storm.

If you must keep your dog outside for any period of time, make sure you provide a dry, draft free shelter. (Adobe Stock)

We are able to make the necessary weather adjustments, but our four-legged hairy friends are dependent upon us to help keep them safe and warm during frigid weather conditions. Therefore, it is essential that you are knowledgeable of the do’s and don’t for your pets. Last week we shared five key pet safety tips for winter weather. This week we are highlighting five additional ones you should familiarize yourself with as well. Beginning with:

Do not allow your pet to venture onto frozen bodies of water. The ice may be too thin to support your pet’s weight and water rescues can be difficult and dangerous for you both.
Be a good Kitty Samaritan and slap the hood of your car before starting it: cats often climb next to a warm engine during the night to stay warm.
Keep snowdrifts from piling up next to your fence providing your dog a way to escape. Make sure your pets are microchipped, and registration is current, if applicable. If your pet does get away during the frigid winter weather, contact the humane society for information about animal rescues.
If you must keep your dog outside for any period of time, make sure you provide a dry, draft free shelter. It should be large enough for your pet to sit and lay down comfortably but small enough to hold his body heat. The floor should be off the ground and covered with cedar shavings or straw. Turn the shelter away from the wind and cover the door with waterproof burlap or heavy plastic.
Lastly, if you are flying with a pet make sure the airline provides for your pet’s safety and warmth. Note, some airlines restrict pets from flying when the temperature dip below a certain point. Call early to confirm.

It is important to Keep an Eye on Safety for your pets also. Many people make the mistake of believing that pets are better equipped to handle cold weather just because they are animals. They are not just animals; they are your pets and a member of your family. So, keep your entire family warm during frigid winter temperatures.

PEOPLE, PLACES & THINGS

Birmingham Times

January 15, 2025

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. (File)

BY GWEN DeRU | The Birmingham Times

CELEBRATING MARTIN LUTHER KING’S BIRTHDAY!!!

LET’S KEEP HIM AND HIS WORK ALIVE!

TODAY…

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

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

**PARACHUTE PUNK SHOW featuring MIRANDA ANDDD THE BEAT at Saturn.

**THE WHOLESOME BOYS WITH ZACH AUSTIN & THE LONESOME at the Nick Rocks.

**DRAG NIGHT benefitting the Yellowhammer Fund at The Nick Rocks.

**THURSDAY NIGHT WITH ALABAMA SO & SO MACHINE at the Nick Rocks.

**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…

**UNDERGROUNDBOOKING 4^th ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BASH with BIG PO, CREMRO & WHITE GOLD at The Nick Rocks.

**CAN’T FEEL MY FACE: 2010s DANCE PARTY at Saturn.

**RUMOURS ATL: A FLEETWOOD MAC TRIBUTE at Iron City.

**LATE NIGHT FRIDAYS with DJ JACK BAMA at The Nick Rocks.

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

SATURDAY…

**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.

**EDDIE 9V at Saturn 200 41^st Street South.

**BELLA’S MANIA BURLESQUE NIGHT at The Nick Rocks.

**FUNERAL PARTY GOTH NIGHT with DJ BLESSED DREGS at Saturn.

SUNDAY…

**WICKED – DRAG BRUNCH at StarDome Club.

**SINGO BINGO EVERY SUNDAY, 1 p.m. at Cahaba Brewing Company.

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

**2^nd SUNDAY WITH RICKY TATE at The Nick.

**TAYLOR HOLLINGSWORTH at The Nick Rocks.

**FOUR BANDS – FOUR DOLLARS at Saturn.

MONDAY…

**BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND with Special Appearance by MOON MEDALLION (Austin, TX) at the Nick.

TUESDAY…

**COMEDIAN RICKEY SMILEY’S KARAOKE at the StarDome Comedy Club.

**SUPERSTAR KARAOKE TUESDAYS, 10 p.m. at The Nick Rocks.

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

**CANDYMAN at Saturn.

WEDNESDAY…

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

**SUNDROP, EVERY WEDNESDAY at the Nick.

NEXT THURSDAY…

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

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

**MON ROVIA with OLIVER HAZARD at Saturn.

**NICK DITTMEIER AND THE SAWDUSTERS with KYLE KIMBRELL at the Nick Rocks.

**THURSDAY NIGHTS WITH ALABAMA SO & SO MACHINE at The Nick Rocks.

**TRAMPLED BY TURTLES at Iron City.

NEXT FRIDAY….

**KPOP CLUB NIGHT with DH CHEN at Saturn.

EVENTS AROUND BIRMINGHAM CELEBRATING DR. KING…

**FRIDAY – BIG MAMA THORNTON: ALABAMA KID is an APT documentary premiere at the historic Carver Theatre, 7 p.m. about the extraordinary life and legacy of the legendary Blues singer. FREE!

**SATURDAY – MLK DAY 5K DRUM RUN. Register at www.mlkday5kbham.com

**SATURDAY – KING DAY PAINTING CLASS at Studio 2500, Inc. 10 a.m. , 11 a.m. and 12 Noon in the Commons Room at BCRI hosted by local artist WILLIE WILLIAMS, JR.. FREE!

**MONDAY – 2025 MLK DAY OF SERVICE BREAKFAST, 6:30 a.m. at The Harbert Center. The program will include a keynote, networking opportunities, inspiring discussions aimed at fostering unity and progress.

**MONDAY -KING DAY 2025, 10 a.m. for a self-guided visit through the historic galleries of the BCRI museum with activities. FREE!

**MONDAY – The BCRI is hosting a celebration, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

**WEDNESDAY – COLLAGE DANCE COLLECTIVE – “Reframing the Narrative: The Arts & Civil Rights” Alabama Dance Festival Community Night at the BCRI, 5-8 p.m. FREE!

FOR BAPTIST MEMBERS…

**NATIONAL BAPTIST CONVENTION USA IN BIRMINGHAM – Birmingham hosted the National Baptist Convention USA (NBC) this week at the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. There was an Installation Service for REV. DR. BOISE KIMBER as the newly elected 19^th President. Pastors, ministers, leaders and members from around the country attended as he shared his vision for the future of the NBC for a revitalized mission and collaborative growth within the organization.

FOR THE JEWISH COMMUNITY…

**BIRMINGHAM JEWISH FEDERATION AND FOUNDATION’S 2025 ANNUAL MEETING AND AWARDS RECIPIENTS are KAREN ALLEN – N.E. Miles Lifetime Achievement Award, STEVEN CORENBLUM – Susan J. Goldberg Distinguished Volunteer Award and CATHY FREIEMAN – Susan J. Goldberg Distinguished Volunteer Award held January 26, 2-5 p.m. at the Temple Beth El. THE Ne Board President is SHERYL KIMERLING. The musical performance is by ARI AXELFORD.

**COLLAT JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES ANNUAL MEETING is Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. at the N.E. Miles Jewish Day School with KAY KORNMEIER (Incoming Board President), FAYE LEVIN (Outgoing Board President), MICKY RUBSTEIN (Remembering the CJFS Founder), BOBBY FIERMAN and BERNARD STERN (both Volunteers of the Year).

AROUND TOWN…

**FRIDAY – SHADES CREEK GREENWAY RIBBON EXTENSION CUTTING – The Phase 2 Extension of Shades Greenway Trail ceremony is 9:30 – 10:30 p.m. at Western Trail Head, 1291 Oak Grove Road South, 35209 Ribbon Cutting is at 10 a.m. The 1.4-mile extension adds connectivity to the Shades Creek Greenway, part of the Red Rock Trail System. The Homewood trail serves as a popular route for walking, running and cycling for Homewood residents, Samford University students and visitors across the region. Open to the public. For more for the Freshwater Land Trust and Homewood Chamber websites.

IN IRONDALE…

**WHAT IS YOUR DREAM? DR. MARTIN KING JR. PUBLIC SERVICE PROJECT – in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day individuals and groups can submit proposals for public service projects that match your passion and will make a positive impact in the Irondale community. Apply at tinyurl.com/irondalemlk. DEADLINE is January 17 tomorrow. Winners announced on January 21.

**PLAY BALL IRONDALE YOUTH SPORTS registration for T-Ball, Baseball & Softball for ages 4-12 is open. This is the inaugural season at the Ruffner Sports Complex in the City of Irondale. Register at irondaleyouthsports.com. Call 205-769-0730 for more.

**FEBRUARY 13 – STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS, 11:30 a.m. at the Church of the Highlands.

AT THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS…

**SATURDAY – WINTER BIRDING IN ALABAMA, 9 – 11 a.m. with Alabama Audubon GREG HARBER who will discuss how you can attract birds to your yards. The class includes a walk to the bird habitat, which is the newest section of the Kaul Wildflower Garden. Binoculars will be provided or bring your own. Registration is required.

**JANUARY 25 – EXPLORE SEED SAVING AT THE COMMUITY SEED SWAP, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on National Seed Swap Day. Discover tips and tricks for growing form seed as you chat with other seed savers. Sign up for the library’s free Seed Exchange. Open to the public. FREE. More info on the website.

**JANUARY 28 – STORYTELLING THROUGH TOPIARY AND PROPERTY ART will be what MIKE GIBSON discusses as he takes center stage at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, 5:30 p.m. reception with the lecture at 6 p.m. Gibson is a renowned self-taught property artist, topiarist and entrepreneur.

**JANUARY 30 – THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL WORLD OF LICHENS, 10 a.m. – Noon with CURTIS HANSEN, curator of Plants at Auburn University’s John D. Friedman Herbarium. Share the walk led by Hansen through the gardens to spot and identify the life forms. Registration is required.

FOR MOVIE LOVERS…

**TODAY – FILM INDUSTRY NETWORKING NIGHTS, 5-7 p.m.

**SO YOU WANNA WORK IN FILM – This in-person workshop, next Thursday, 5-7 p.m. will give you advice and support in moving forward toward your film goals. Go to birmingham365.org for more.

AT SIDEWALK FILM FEST…

TODAY …

-NOSFERATU starring Bill Skarsgard, Nicholas Hoult and Lily-Rose Depp and directed by Robert Eggers.

-NETWORKING NIGHTS. FREE

-MONTHLY MOVIE TRIVIA, FREE.

TODAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY…

-THE LAST SHOWGIRL starring Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista and directed by Gia Coppola.

TODAY AND SUNDAY …

-PEDRO ALMODOVAR: VOLVER starring Lenelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas and directed by Pedro Almodovar.

FRIDAY …

-BAD MOVIE NIGHT. FREE.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY …

-PEDRO ALMODOVAR: WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A -NERVOUS BREAKDOWN starring Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Julieta Serrano and directed by Pedro Almodovar.

FRIDAY AND SUNDAY …

-PEDRO ALMODOVAR: ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, starring Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, Candela Pena and directed by Pedro Almodovar.

SATURDAY …

-PEDRO ALMODOVAR: PAIN AND GLORY starring Antonia Banderas, Asler Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia and directed by Pedro Almodovar.

-ALL ABOUT ALMONDOVAR w/SARAH VALENTIN-SANCHEZ

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY -…

-PEDRO ALMODOVAR: TIE ME UP! TIE ME DOWN starring Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, Loles Leon and directed by Pedro Almodovar.

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.

“I am honored to have been selected by my Democratic colleagues to lead our work on the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee,”

Birmingham Times

January 15, 2025

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, TERRI SEWELL, THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO SERVE IN THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEAN SUBCOMMITTEE LEADERSHIP; BIRMINGHAMTIMES.COM, JAN. 10.

Residents Got Chance to Grill Birmingham Mayor Woodfin. They Rarely Mentioned Crime

Birmingham Times

January 15, 2025

Woodfin 0115 — Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin meets residents during State of the Community address at the Boutwell Auditorium. (Marika N. Johnson, For The Birmingham Times)

By Sym Posey and Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin spent the better part of Tuesday delivering his State of the City address in the afternoon to business leaders at the Harbert Center in downtown and in the evening delivering his State of the Community to residents at the Boutwell Auditorium.

Woodfin, delivering his annual State of the City message before the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham at the Harbert Center, spent much of his talk about recommendations from the city’s crime commission to curtail record-breaking homicide numbers and what the city is already doing.

Birmingham ended 2024 with 151 homicides, the highest number in the city since 1933.

As Woodfin seeks a third term in August the issue of crime has already become a central political theme from critics and challengers.

But five hours later when he appeared before residents and opened the floor for questions at the Boutwell, surprisingly crime was rarely mentioned by those in attendance.

The mayor began his State of the Community address at the Boutwell with the same speech he delivered earlier in the day to the Kiwanians, which included his administration’s focus on crime reduction. And as he did earlier, he began a question-and-answer portion with those in attendance at the Boutwell.

Cards were handed out for residents to write their questions which were then read to the mayor by his Director of Communications, Rick Journey.

The first question from a Druid Hills resident: “What are we doing about blight on 23^rd street?”

The second question from a North East Lake resident. “What can be done about the trash that is being dumped in some of the alleys?”

And that’s the way it went for nearly an hour. The mayor took a dozen questions from those who lived in Belview Heights; Norwood; Wylam; Spring Lake/Huffman, West End and other areas.

And the questions read were mostly about belongings left outside of vacant houses; can a program be put in place where Foot Soldiers can go door to door to promote cleanliness and neighborhood obligations? what the city would do about homelessness in the Spring Lake/Huffman community? and new sidewalks.

That doesn’t mean crime didn’t come up. The final question of the night? From North East Lake: “Would it be possible to have more police presence in the neighborhood?”

“Yes,” replied Woodfin. “It’s the shortest answer I will give tonight,” he said.

Birmingham Biotech Hub Awarded $44 Million ‘Breakthrough’ for Workforce and Economic Development

Birmingham Times

January 15, 2025

SR-General-Stock-15 — The Trump administration has rescinded the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub Grant, which is led by Southern Research, funding. (Provided)

By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times

A group of biotechnology research companies based in Birmingham has been awarded $44 million in federal funding to advance the state’s biotechnology ecosystem, a “breakthrough” in future growth for the city, said Mayor Randall Woodfin.

The U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration awarded the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub Grant, which is led by Southern Research, funding to use artificial intelligence to shorten drug development to provide affordable drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics.

Woodfin made the announcement Tuesday during his annual State of the City address before the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham at the downtown Harbert Center.

“Those are game-changing dollars,” he told the Kiwanians. “…on top of the dollars, on top of bringing thousands of jobs over the next decade to the city limits of Birmingham…this will be a breakthrough that can shatter a generational cycle of poverty, produce thousands of jobs, increase our city’s population and grow our city in the way you all want it to be known for.”

Almost $20 million of the grant will fund Southern Research’s Catalyst program, launched in October 2024 with support from the State of Alabama and City of Birmingham. (Provided)

The funds are being awarded to Southern Research and University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to create artificial intelligence drug discovery platforms and to Alabama Community College Systems, Lawson State Community College, and The PROPEL Center to provide advanced biotechnology training and workforce development.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, said the grant was a huge victory for the city of Birmingham and the state of Alabama.

“Not only will it ensure that Birmingham remains a leader in the biotechnology sector, but it will also help us make strides toward greater representation for African Americans and other minority communities in clinical trials,” she said on Tuesday. “Hats off to Southern Research, UAB, and the city of Birmingham for the many years of hard work and collaboration that made this announcement possible.”

Sanjay Singh, Birmingham Bio Innovation Corporation Interim Regional Innovation Officer, said the funding provides a great opportunity “to train Alabamians in the biotech jobs of the future, advance technology and make life-changing and life-saving discoveries. The work of the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub promises to benefit our local and state economies while improving health across Alabama and far beyond,” he said.

The hub was designated as one of the 31 Tech Hubs designated in October 2023 by the Biden administration.

“To out-innovate and out-build the rest of the world, we need to ensure we’re investing in America’s talent and workforce to succeed in a 21st century economy – that’s how America maintains its competitive edge,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement on Tuesday.

Almost $20 million of the grant will fund Southern Research’s Catalyst program, launched in October 2024 with support from the State of Alabama and City of Birmingham. The initiative seeks to provide patients across Alabama with access to free genetic tests and clinical insights about medications and risks for certain chronic diseases, making the latest health innovations available in rural and underserved communities.

Almost $10 million will go to the UAB Center for Innovation Platforms and Therapeutics to develop advanced AI and biological platforms that speed up drug discovery. Matt Might, Ph.D., director of the Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute, will lead that work.

“Precision medicine — using patients’ unique DNA and individualized biomarkers to provide personalized, more effective medical care — allows us to save and improve lives like never before; it is truly the future of medicine,” Might said. “Using AI will help us reach that future faster — discovering new drugs and identifying new and more precise uses for existing ones — much sooner than we previously thought possible.”

The Lawson State Community College Biotech Early Career Workforce Development Program was awarded $7.26 million, and The PROPEL Center— a technology and innovation hub that supports HBCUs — has been awarded $5 million to support its Biotech Advanced Upskilling Project.

Birmingham Creates Office of Resilience and Sustainability, Names National Leader to Direct

Birmingham Times

January 15, 2025

Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop was named the Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer for the City of Birmingham. (Provided)

birminghamal.gov

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin recently named Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop the Chief Resilience and Sustainability Officer for the City of Birmingham. This is a new role for the City and makes clear the intent to accelerate climate-centric solutions, say city officials.

“Sherry-Lea is a proven strategist in addressing social, economic, and physical challenges in communities on a local, national and global level,” Woodfin said. “Not only does she bring her 15 years of expertise, but she also brings a heart of compassion and commitment to making our community a better place.”

The Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability, led by Bloodworth Botop, will develop a comprehensive framework to enable our community to become more resilient to acute shocks such as natural disasters, infrastructure failures or economic shifts and stresses such as systemic inequality, lack of affordable housing or accessible public transportation. This framework will provide guidance that will enhance public safety, strengthen emergency response systems, and ensure the security of all residents.

“Recognizing the rich diversity of Birmingham, this plan will view actions through the lens of social equity, cultural preservation and economic empowerment,” she said. “It seeks to address systemic disparities, uplift marginalized communities and ensure that all residents—regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status—benefit from sustainable growth, resilient infrastructure and access to renewable resources.”

Days after Hurricane Katrina tore through her native New Orleans in 2005, Bloodworth Botop saw a slew of inequities rise to the surface. The poorest communities were without food, water and support while those resources were being distributed to more affluent areas with lesser need.

“There was a disconnect, and it was tragic,” she said. “It lit a fire in my belly.”

That fire fueled Bloodworth Botop to jump into action. The working mom organized and led evacuation and relocation efforts for more than 900 people. And she didn’t stop there. She then directed her efforts toward supporting the underserved on a national level.

Bloodworth Botop has worked with local city and county governments to develop and implement plans and programs aimed at improving the quality of life for all residents with a focus on the natural and built environment, transportation, disaster mitigation and housing. She has raised significant capital for and led large-scale post-disaster recovery and rebuilding efforts including affordable housing, access to healthcare and critical infrastructure both nationally and globally. She also testified before the 110th Congress about impediments in federal disaster programs and policies.

Bloodworth Botoop is a Harvard National Preparedness Leadership Initiative alumna, former Clinton Global delegate, George H.W. Bush Points of Light recipient, and President Obama’s inaugural White House Innovation Initiative committee member. She created and led the National Resilience Initiative, a partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities, American Institute of Architects, Palantir, ARUP and Swiss RE. She was part of the team that worked with The Rockefeller Foundation to launch 100 Resilient Cities, the international program that created the Chief Resilience Officer role in 100 urban cities around the world.

“I care about this community, the rich history and culture here, the people,” she said. “I look forward to the opportunity to work with Birmingham’s leaders and stakeholders and to implement strategies to help protect and grow this great city in ways that benefit the whole community.”

Bloodworth Botop will collaborate with departmental leaders across the City, as well as agency partners, residents, and other stakeholders to create a more sustainable and resilient Birmingham. For more information, contact the Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability at ors@birminghamal.gov.

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