photo credit Stephonia McLinn

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From Bessemer to Kimberly, Alabama. A Few Scenes from Severe Weather and Tornadoes

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The School Superintendents of Alabama (SSA) is proud to announce the high school graduating seniors who are recipients of $9,000 in SSA Student Scholarships and the educators who are recipients of $4,000 in SSA Administrator Scholarships for 2014.
Congratulations to the recipients of SSA’s Student Scholarships who all intend to pursue a degree in education from an in-state public college or university. The student scholarship recipients include SSA District one: Erika Cheyenne Lusk, graduating from Satsuma High School in the Satsuma City School System, plans to attend Faulkner State Community College; SSA District two: Victoria Paige Gandy, graduating from Demopolis High School in the Demopolis City School System, plans to attend the University of West Alabama; SSA District three has chosen to split the scholarship amount between two students in the Dale County School System Callie Gulledge,  graduating from George W. Long Long High School, who plans to attend Wallace Community College in Dothan, and  Tiera Agee, graduating from Dale County High School, who plans to attend Troy University in Troy; SSA District four: Marjorie Louise Scott, graduating from Opelika High School in the Opelika City School System, plans to attend Southern Union;  SSA District five: Johnathan Rattliffe, graduating from Tarrant High School in the Tarrant City School System, plans to attend the University of Mississippi;  SSA District six: Cloey Cate Robertson, graduating from Oxford High School in the Oxford City School System, plans to attend Jacksonville State University; SSA District seven: Ashley Watson, graduating from Hamilton High School in the Marion County School System, plans to attend Bevill State Community College; SSA District eight: Kevin Cooper, graduating from Lawrence County High School in the Lawrence County School System, plans to attend Calhoun Community College; and SSA District nine: Holly Hawkins, graduating from Appalachian High School in the Blount County School System, plans to attend Jacksonville State University.
This is the sixth year SSA’s Student Scholarship recipients have been selected by the Superintendents who were chosen as district finalists of the SSA/Classworks Superintendent of the Year Award. These Superintendents for 2014 include Dr. Joe Walters, Satsuma City; Dr. Al Griffin, Demopolis City; Mr. Donny Bynum, Dale County; Dr. Mark Neighbors, Opelika City; Dr. Shelley Mize, Tarrant City; Dr. Jeff Goodwin, Oxford City; Mr. Ryan Hollingsworth, Marion County; Mr. Heath Grimes, Lawrence County; and Mr. Jim Carr, Blount County.
Congratulations to SSA’s four administrator scholarship recipients who are pursuing higher degrees in school administration from an in-state public college or university. These educators are seeking their higher degrees at the M.S./M.A., AA/Ed.S., or Ed.D/Ph.D. levels. The four recipients selected to receive scholarships for 2014 include:  Deanna C. Hollimon, the Assistant Principal for Russellville Middle School in the Russellville City School System, plans to pursue an Education Specialist degree in Instructional Leadership at the University of North Alabama; Stephanie H. Parker, a Kindergarten/First Grade Teacher at Glen Iris Elementary School in the Birmingham City School System, plans to pursue a graduate degree in Educational Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Robin D. Pharr, a Special Education/State Testing/Guidance Coordinator in the Franklin County School System, is currently pursuing a degree in Instructional Leadership from the University of North Alabama; and Sonya M. Price, a Special Education Teacher at Daphne Middle School in the Baldwin County School System, plans to pursue a graduate degree in Educational Administration from the University of South Alabama.  These SSA Administrative Scholarship recipients will be formally presented with their $1,000 check by their respective Superintendent during an upcoming school event or Board meeting. All Administrator Scholarship applications were scored by SSA’s Awards and Scholarships Committee chaired by Dr. Jeff Langham, Elmore County School Superintendent.
“The major purpose of SSA is to promote high quality public education in every community throughout the state. These scholarships reinforce that mission by helping these high-achieving students become teachers and helping our leaders go back to graduate school too. We are proud of these recipients and their commitment to quality in our schools. It takes investment to make good things happen, and this is an investment we are proud to make,” said Dr. Eric Mackey, SSA Executive Director.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport has earned an ANTN Digicast Excellence in Airport Training award for training completed in calendar year 2013.
The award, presented by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), signifies that Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport  employees have completed a specified amount of federally mandated airport-specific and continuing education training using ANTN Digicast’s Web-based training system. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport is one of only 90 airports nationwide to earn the honor for 2013.
The award levels are based on total training programs watched and total number of employees trained at each airport. Award levels vary based on the airport’s hub size, and each winning airport is presented with a plaque marking its achievement.
 “By earning Excellence in Airport Training awards, these 90 airports have demonstrated their dedication to improving operations, safety, and preparedness,” said Patrick Raker, senior vice president of AAAE’s Training and Technology Services Department. “ANTN Digicast was created for airports of all sizes as a cost-effective, efficient way to help comply with mandated training requirements, and we’re encouraged that so many airports have made it an integral part of their training programs.”
 Airports that subscribe to ANTN Digicast have unlimited access to the service’s training programs, which currently number more than 300 videos. Topics covered range from Federal Aviation Administration required recurrent training in areas including airfield driver training and wildlife mitigation to security-related training, customer service, and more. ANTN Digicast training is designed for airport employees as well as tenants, such as airline workers and subcontractors, who work at an airport.
 ANTN Digicast programming is accessible online via any Web-enabled computer, or mobile device.  The system tracks training on a per-user basis, allowing airports to demonstrate to regulators that their employees have completed required recurrent training.

The historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was the site for the Salute to Youth Excellence and Emerging Leaders presented by Alabama State Representative  Attorney Juandalynn D. Givan and the Metro Birmingham Branch NAACP on Sunday, April 27, at 5:30 p.m. The church was filled with over 500, who braved the threat of inclement weather to celebrate these worthy youth.
In June 2012 an application for educational programming/community grant was made to the State of Alabama for $10,368. Operation New Birmingham, as the fiscal agent, received $2,000 for educational programming and allocated the balance of $8,368 to the NAACP for the same purpose.
The following entities have been funded via the NAACP:
Southside Matrons Scholarship Fund ($450), Minor High School Senior Fees ($385), Miles Chapel C.M.E. Scholarship Fund ($500), Birmingham Board of Education Drop Out Prevention Bus Tokes ($100), Wilkerson Middle School Lion King Tickets for Students ($33) and in conclusion of this education partnership saluting outstanding youth of Metro Birmingham, the sum of $6,900 was presented for 72 deserving students.

Grades 8 – 9 (35 students) – $50 each = $1,750

Grade 8
Kenneth Hudson, Jr. – South Hampton, Brianna Erskine, South Hampton, Alencia Lamb, Wilkerson, Niya Burney, Wilkerson, Kalieb Rice, Bush Hills Academy, Connesha Chambers, Bush Hills Academy, Tayla Sims, Wilkerson, Asia McDaniel, Phillips Academy, Elijah Johnson, Phillips Academy, Tomaya White, Smith, Griffin Hatcher, Smith, Deyonte Rogers, Bush Hills Academy, Laterrica Stephens, Phillips Academy, Trinity Perdue, Phillips Academy, Brian Sims, Phillips Academy, Christian Fells, W.J. Christian, Amber Carter, Jones Valley,Tre’Onna Perryman, Irondale, Alesha Lewis, Clay Chalkville, Amauri Pettaway, Washington, Jeremiah Richey, Hayes, Chelesa Jones, Bottenfield.

Grade 9
Jamesa Miles, Jackson Olin, Denitra Streeter, Ramsay, Anthony Williams, Wenonah, Cameron Shepperd, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Alexis Bayles, Shades Valley, Armani Cunningham, Huffman, Dyleon Wilson, Huffman, Taelor Allen, Huffman,
Jaimee Deese, Huffman, Imen Saunders, Pinson Valley, James P. Thornton, Pinson Valley, Kenetria Banks, Pinson Valley, Isaiah Martin, Center Point

Grade 10 & 11 (22 students) – $100 each = $2,200

Grade 10
Alana Bennett, Jackson Olin, Shayala Henderson, Jackson Olin,
Dana Carson, Woodlawn, Keith Wyatt, A.H. Parker, Joel Ballard, A.H. Parker,
Roosevelt Poole, Holy Family, Gerald Wesley, Midfield, Thomyia Wright, Altamont,
Christian Simpson, Shades Valley, Jason Anthony, Clay Chalkville,
Allison Wrenn, Jefferson County Baccalaureate, Jordan Davis, Altamont.

Grade 11
Amber Green, Ramsay, Brianna Hurt, Fairfield, Jalen Judkins, Jefferson Christian,
Makael Harris, Carver, Andrew Flute, Carver, Nicholas Rice, Jackson Olin,
Queintin Fincher, Wenonah, Davonte Dobosu, Jackson Olin,
Tysun Underwood, Jackson Olin, Johnny G. Stamps, Huffman.

Grade 12 – (13 students) – $150 each = $1,950
Tamia DeRu, Wenonah, Victoria Pinkins, A.H. Parker, Ke’Ariel Rice, Alabama School for the Deaf & Blind, Julius E. Hammie, Shades Valley, Jamari Rice, Woodlawn, Andrea Reese, A.H. Parker, Devon Johnson, Huffman, Deion Sanford, Jackson Olin, Buka Anwah, Shades Valley,  Sidney Smith, Shades Valley, Elizabeth Anderson, Clay Chalkville, Christin Henderson, McAdory, Breanna Dunning, Hueytown.

Emerging Leaders of the Year (2 students) – $500 each = $1,000
James Lewis, III, Grade 12 – G.W. Carver High
Chole’ Giles, Grade 12 – P.D. Jackson Olin High

Metro Birmingham Branch NAACP #5006
Scholarship Screening Panel Committee

Dr. Charles Whatley, Chair; Mrs. Laquita Middle Holmes, Co-Chair; Mr. Hezekiah Jackson, IV; Mrs. Angene Coleman; Ms. Bertha Nettles; Mr. Freddie Williams, Jr.;
Rev. Harry Turner

Alabama State Representative Juandalynn Givan will present educational
programming grants to Hillview Elementary ($3,000), A.H. Parker High
($3,000), Wilkerson Middle School ($3,000), Bush Hills Academy
($3,000) and Minor Elementary during the month of May, 2014.

April Whitfield has been promoted to Loan Administration Manager for a FDIC Member Bank and will be relocating  to Atlanta, Georgia.
She earned her promotion through her dedication to success in productivity, quality and teamwork.
Ms. Whitfield is a graduate of The University of Alabama and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Birmingham, Alumnae Chapter.
She is the daughter of Andrea Billingsley Whitfield and Oliver Carl Whitfield and also the sister of Andrenetta Dennis and Amber Whitfield.

 To commemorate National Law Day locally on May 2, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Bessemer Justice Center, the legal community will recognize a few notable individuals, including Attorney David Hood (1919-1985). Attorney Yusuf S. Olufemi, Mr. Hood’s son, currently practices law in Bessemer, Ala. and will deliver a brief presentation honoring his father. About the posthumous recognition, Attorney Olufemi shares: “. . . As [David Hood] loved, sacrificed, and labored not only for Bessemer but for Alabama, it is fitting that Bessemer remembers that if she has progressed, there was a price. In honoring David Hood, you honor the people he loved and the city he loved. In remembering David, you remember the best in yourselves.”
David Hood was born in Bessemer to David and Perl Hood, owners of local businesses, and grocers.  Mr. Hood had one brother and three sisters, all of whom finished college and worked as nurses, educators, and dieticians. He attended the local Dunbar High School, and graduated from Alabama A & M University, where he was a football standout and Hall of Famer. He then served in the United States Armed Forces. Mr. Hood was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 1948 after earning a Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law.
During a long and stellar career, Mr. Hood was a stalwart in advocating for the cause of Civil Rights. His home was bombed on several occasions in the late 1950s and early 1960s for his unwavering efforts in advancing civil rights. Mr. Hood was instrumental in spearheading suits that resulted in the desegregation of the Jefferson County school system, Bessemer school system, and Bessemer city parks. He was responsible for gaining equal employment and pay for Black workers at the B. F. Goodrich Plant in Gadsden, Ala. He also successfully pursued and obtained the release of Calip Washington, a Black man charged with killing a local white policeman and given the death penalty.
When asked to share some of the professional experiences held dear by his father, Attorney Olufemi responds: “Attorney Hood was for better than 20 years the President of the Jefferson County Progressive Democratic Council, a political organization which advanced civil rights through the use of the ballot and empowered the disenfranchised. As a result of Attorney Hood’s work in working for the election of President Jimmy Carter, he received an official invitation to the inaugural services and [held] several pictures with President Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn Carter, which he cherished. Attorney Hood also was Attorney for the Alabama State Baptist Convention, Selma University, the Masons and Grand Order of the Eastern Stars. In addition, Attorney Hood sat on the Board of Directors of Citizens Federal Bank, [and] was Judge for Roosevelt City, Brighton City, and Hobson City, Ala.”
Attorney Olufemi shared words by Alma Androzzo by which his father lived: “If I can help somebody as I travel along . . . If I can help somebody from doing wrong . . . If I can do my duty as a good man ought . . . If I can spread Love’s message as the Master taught, then my living shall not be in vain.”
Law Day is designed to bring judges, lawyers and the community together to teach the community about law day and the legal system, and to celebrate the American heritage of liberty, justice, and equality. On this day, let us join in honoring the life of this great man, David Hood. May God bless his memory and keep him in peace.