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$476 Million in Economic Development Investment; 816 Jobs for Jefferson County During 2023

By
Birmingham Times
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The Jefferson County Courthouse, in Birmingham. Economic development investment in the county reached nearly $476 million in 2023. (Contributed)

By Barrnett Wright | The Birmingham Times

Economic development investment in Alabama’s most populous county reached nearly $476 million in 2023 with 40 projects and 816 jobs announced.

Jeff Traywick, economic development advisor for the Jefferson County Commission, said investment in the county reached $475.94 million last year. Among the projects: a refresh of the Wells Fargo data center ($205 million); ReConserve, a contractor/supplier for the giant J.M Smucker Co. plant expected to open later this year in McCalla ($31 million); and the Brasfield & Gorrie headquarters expansion in Birmingham ($19 million).

“The county has been creative in identifying ways to meet the needs of growth projects,” said Traywick, a former vice president of economic development for the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA). “This includes job-based incentives for higher-paying jobs, support for retail and mixed-use development, infrastructure support.”

A rendering of the Brasfield & Gorrie headquarters expansion. (Brasfield & Gorrie)

A number of the projects added up to hundreds of jobs. For example, Mobis US Alabama has two separate projects of automotive parts manufacturing that totaled 138 jobs, according to the county. The Brasfield & Gorrie expansion includes 70 jobs, and Traywick said more projects are on the way.

He noted that the average wage for announced jobs was $62,109, which is “higher than the Jefferson County median household income of $58,330.”

“We are also showing our commitment to quality job creation by investing in a new north Jefferson industrial park that could potentially house several thousand new jobs,” Traywick said.

The county is appealing to a number of businesses because “we have a diverse array of industrial sectors which translates into a well-trained and highly skilled workforce that can meet the diverse needs of businesses,” Traywick said.

He said the county is off to a strong start in 2024 and will look to build on the momentum.

Traywick said two projects have already been announced for the county in 2024, R+L Carriers, and Atlas Tube, that will create almost 100 jobs, with “several near-term announcements that will see more than $350 million in capital investment and another 100 or so jobs.”

“We also are recruiting new industry that provides higher paying opportunities and upskilling for those that might not have the continued education or training needed for more skilled sectors,” Traywick said. “This provides a path for people to gain experience and knowledge and grow their careers here.”

Here are some of the projects that landed in Jefferson County in 2023:

  • Wells Fargo, Data Center Refresh, $205 million.
  • Village Creek Development, mixed use, $32.5 million, 27 jobs.
  • ReConserve, $30.8 million, 29 jobs.
  • Brasfield & Gorrie headquarters expansion, $19 million, 70 jobs.
  • Mobis US Alabama, two projects, $17.76 million, 138 jobs.
  • Ford Service Center, 60 jobs.
  • SecturaSOFT, 50 jobs.
  • Acclinate Genetics, 25 jobs.

 

Andrew Jackson Beard: Former Slave Helped Revolutionize Railroad Industry

By
Birmingham Times
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Andrew Jackson Beard was an African American inventor, who introduced five improvements to the automatic railroad car coupler in 1897 and 1899 and was inducted posthumously into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio in 2006 for this achievement. These are his notable achievements and safety legacy but let’s learn more about the man and his life.

Andrew Jackson Beard was an African American inventor, who introduced five improvements to the automatic railroad car coupler in 1897 and 1899. (PUBLIC DOMAIN)

Andrew Jackson Beard was born to William and Martha Harris Beard on May 29, 1849, in Woodland, Alabama. He had two brothers and five sisters. He spent the first 15 years of his life as a slave on a small plantation in East Lake, Alabama. Prior to the end of the Civil War, Beard was emancipated and released from bondage.

A year later, he married Edia Beard, and they had three sons. He became a farmer and sharecropper on a farm in Pinson, Alabama. He later purchased an 80-acre farm near Center Point, Alabama.

After making a very long three-week trip to Montgomery, Alabama to sell some bushels of apples off an ox cart, he made the decision to become a business owner. He took up roots and moved his family to St. Clair County, Alabama where he built and operated his own flour mill just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. The mill was very successful for many years.

Though Beard had no formal education he was self-taught and had a very keen mind and innovative spirit. After becoming a successful businessman, he began to explore other interests. In 1881, he patented a new double plow which allowed one to adjust the distance between the plow plates (U.S. patent 240,642) which he sold in 1884 for $4,000. This amount is equivalent to around $130,000 in today’s market. He made the decision to return to farming.

In 1887, he designed and patented a second double plow which he later sold for $5,200. In today’s market, his sales would be equivalent to $170,000. He took his profits from his two patent sales and decided to go into real estate. Again, Beard became a successful businessman earning about $30,000. He would continue his innovative projects and in 1892, filed a patent for a new type of rotary steam engine.

Word spread about Beard’s mechanical abilities. He received competing offers for his employment and worked varied jobs before taking a job with the Alabama & Chattanooga Railroad. This was during a time the railroad industry was booming with little or no safety measures for workers. The railroad owners were making huge profits at the expense of their labor force. Railroad workers then had to brace themselves between railroad cars and couple the cars together manually.

One railroad worker was assigned to the dangerous job of squeezing in between the two cars at the right moment and securing the connection with a large pin. This process was known as “coupling.” Most of the workers lost at least one finger, whereas many lost a hand or a limb, particularly arms. Beard became a casualty of this type of coupling injury and lost a leg.

He decided to invent a safer method of connecting railroad cars and came up with a device known as the “Jenny Coupler” (It should not be confused with the Janney Coupler invented by Eli Janney and patented in 1873). Beard’s “Jenny Coupler” eliminated human involvement between the cars by engaging horizontal jaws that automatically locked together when two cars bumped into each other. He patented his invention on Nov. 23, 1897. This former slave sold his revolutionary invention back to the railroad in 1897 for $500,000. This sum is equivalent to $1.8 million in today’s market.

In 1897, Congress passed the Federal Safety Appliance Act, which made it illegal to operate any railroad cars without the automatic coupler. This invention would become his most famous invention and dramatically reduced serious injuries and the loss of lives of railroad workers. Modern versions of his coupler are still in use today.

After the sale of his “Jenny Coupler” patent, he purchased real estate in Jefferson County and started a taxi service. Reportedly this brilliant man became impoverished in his last years. Beard died in obscurity at the Jefferson County Alms House on May 10, 1921, and was buried in an unmarked grave in the Woodlawn Cemetery.

“I learned the value of team building and collaborating and I wanted to instill that perspective and … help other Black and minority-owned companies reach their full potential.”

By
Birmingham Times
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JASON BURROUGHS; THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES, FEB. 29.

PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS

By
Birmingham Times
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Lady Woo (Provided)

WITH GWEN DERU

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY…every day!

TODAY

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

**TINY MAKERS SERIES 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.

**PARTY WITH THE CANDIDATES, 5-8 p.m. at The Dannon Project, hosted by Jeh Jeh Pruitt. Vendors and food trucks wanted. For registration, call 205-873-4572. Tell them Gwen sent you.

**SPIRIT NIGHT Benefiting Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 5- 9 p.m. at iCantina, 162 Oxmoor Road, Homewood.

**BIRMINGHAM BLACK ECONOMIC ALLIANCE – Bi-Monthly Business Mixer, 6-8 p.m. at Sienna, 1025 20th Street South. Guest Speakers are EVAN JEFFERSON, Virtual Dispensary Owner and NIECKO GLOVER, Community Organizer/Advocate.

**FILM – 7 p.m. at the Sidewalk Film.

**LOCKJAW: THE RELENTLESS TOUR with HILL ST. at the Nick.

**LARRY FLEET, 8 p.m. at Iron City.

**THIRST TRAP THURSDAY, 5 p.m. at 2400 7th Avenue South.

**KEVIN JAMES, 7:30 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre.

**MENUS PLAISIRS – LES TROISGROS, 4:45 p.m. at 1821 2nd Avenue North.

**SAM JOLT BAND presents REMEMBERING MIKEY AND TODD, 8 p.m. at Avondale Brewing Company.

**LIVE BAND KARAOKE hosted by ELLE JAI at Perfect Note.

**KIKSTART at WaterMark in Bessemer with Free Food Boxes, 9 a.m.

**COMPUTER CLASSES AT THE FIVE POINTS WEST LIBRARY every Tuesday and Thursday.

**EACH AND EVERY THURSDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5-8 p.m. at D’ZIRE with SPECIALS.

**MOVIES EVERY THURSDAY at Sidewalk Fest.

**THIRSTY THURSDAYS at D’ZIRE Bar and Lounge.

**KARAOKE, 5-9 p.m. at Courtyard Alabaster Bar and Grill.

**THIRD THURSDAY BLUES JAM, 7 p.m. at True Story Brewing.

**TASTEMAKER THURSDAY – Every Thursday at Blaze Ultra Lounge, 228 Roebuck Plaza Drive, 8 p.m.- 12 a.m. with DJ Ace Twon (95.7 JAMZ) in the mix hosted by Audio Life and GMC Promo.

**THIRSTY THURSDAY at Hookah 114 17th Street No.

**TEQUILA THURSDAY at the Vibe Bar & Lounge.

**THROW BACK THURSDAY at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge, 3801 Richard Arrington, Jr., Blvd.

**FILMMAKER HAPPY HOUR- Every 3rd Thursday, at Sidewalk Film Fest. Meet with other filmmakers and discuss your newest projects.

**EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT KARAOKE, 6:30 at Ruth’s Place hosted by LADY WOO and with DJ SHAY.

FRIDAY

**EVERY FRIDAY DURING LUNCH – FRIDAY COUPON CHEAT DAY WITH HOT107 at 1918 Catering. (Use the coupon ANY DAY.)

*THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.

**FRIDAY NIGHT WRITES, 8 – 11 p.m. at 7611 1st Avenue North.

**LADIES SOIRAVE at The Nick.

**GUITARIST ADAM HAWLEY and SAXOPHONIST DALEN MINNIFIELD at Perfect Note.

**R&B ONLY LIVE at Iron City.

**KEVIN JAMES: OWLS DON’T WALK, 7:30 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre.

**EVERY FRIDAY – R&B FRIDAY, at The Chandelier, 212 Cahaba Valley Road in Pelham with DJ MANISH mixing live. FREE Entry.

**EACH AND EVERY FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5-8 p.m. at D’ZIRE with SPECIALS.

**FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY at City Hall, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. at the short 20th Street North.

**RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.

**QUE’S BAR & GRILL GROOVIN’ on 19th Street in Ensley.

**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.

**AFRO CARIBBEAN NIGHTS (Every Friday Night) at Ash’s on 2nd, 7 p.m. until with Reggae, Afro Beats, Dancehall and Top 40 Hits.

**FIREBALL FRIDAY at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge.

**FRIDAY NIGHT RAP, Every 1st and 3rd Friday at Crescent Cultural Center, 1121 Tuscaloosa Avenue, W.

SATURDAY

**EVERY SATURDAY at BIRDSONG FARMERS MARKET, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., 2824 5th Avenue South at Automatic Seafood.

**WINE DOWN HAPPY HOUR, 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Saferoom Lounge Bar.

**EACH AND EVERY SATURDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5-8 p.m. at D’ZIRE with SPECIALS.

**EVERY SATURDAY SOLD OUT – THE SATURDAYS JUMP OFF, 10 p.m. at Onyx of Bham, 615 8th Avenue West.

**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.

**MUSIC ON THE WATER, 5 p.m. at Helena Hollow in Helena.

**AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH DAVID FOSTER AND KATHARINE McPHEE at Alys Stephens Center.

*BACKWOOD SHINERS, DANIEL BOWDEN, ERICA RYLEIGH at The Nick.

**JAZZ FLUTIST RAGAN WHITESIDE at Perfect Note.

**BRISTON MARONEY – ULTRAPURE TOUR at Iron City.

SUNDAY

**WORSHIP AT THE SIXTH, 9:30 a.m. at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church.

**COTTONTAILS ARTS, CRAFTS & GIFTS SHOW,  NOON at the BJCC.

**EVERY SUNDAY – SOUL FOOD SUNDAYS, 1-5 p.m. (Every Sunday) at 1918 Catering, 197 Vulcan Road.

**SUNDAY FUN DAY at DZIRE BAR AND LOUNGE, 4120 3rd Avenue South. Call 205-266-2594 for more.

**SUNDAY FUNDAY for the grown Folks Kickback at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge.

**EVERY 3rd SUNDAY JAZZ JAM SESSION, 4-8 p.m. at the Ferus on 41st.

**CITY WIDE PRAYER MEETING, Every 4th Sunday, 4 p.m. for one hour at Birmingham Easonian Baptist Bible College. The Lord’s Supper will be served and hosted by the Knights of Pythias & Court of Calanthe.

**SUNDAY FREE TUNES with KYLE KIMBRELL at The Nick.

**THRU IT ALL & BLOOD MOON RIOT at The Nick.

**SOULFUL SUNDAY with SHERRY REEVES at Perfect Note.

**CHAPPELL ROAN at Iron City.

MONDAY

**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.

**BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND at the Nick.

**RNB MONDAYS, 10 p.m. at Onyx of Bham, 615 Eighth Avenue West.

TUESDAY

**KIKSTART at Water Mark in Bessemer, 9 a.m. with Free Food Boxes…until all gone.

**COMPUTER CLASSES AT THE FIVE POINTS WEST LIBRARY every Tuesday and Thursday.

**DIAPER GIVEAWAY every Tuesday, 10 a.m. at the Titusville Library.

**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.

**EVERY TUESDAY – SPECIAL TUESDAYS with Food, Drinks Specials at 1918 Catering, 197 Vulcan Road.

**EVERY TUESDAY is SOUL CAFÉ Happy Hour introducing the Soul Café Happy Hour, 5:30-9:30 p.m. with Soul Goodies, Soul Spirits and Soul Music including $5 Titos and Redmont, at The Vault.

**JOSE CARR’S JAZZ JAM, 7:30 p.m. at True Story Brewing Company.

**TITO’S TUESDAY at Dirty Ash’s 8 p.m. with DAVID TALLEY IV.

**CARIBBEAN NIGHTS with Reggae, Caribbean and Island Vibes, 9 p.m. – until… with DJ Serious Mixing and hosted by KJ and MANNY at The Vault, downtown.

**EVERY TUESDAY – TRUE STORY BREWING JAZZ SESSIONS, 7- 10 p.m., 5510 Crestwood Blvd.

**TASTY TUESDAYS at Platinum of Birmingham.

**EVERY TUESDAY – BIRMINGHAM SONGWRITER’S ROUND with Host SUSANNAH SEALES at the Nick.

WEDNESDAY

**INTERFAITH NOONDAY PRAYER SERVICES every Wednesday, Noon at Linn Park in Downtown Birmingham.

**WORKOUT WEDNESDAY at Five Points West Library at 10:30 a.m. for chair yoga and other chair exercises.

**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.

**WEDNESDAY NIGHT POOL TOURNAMENT AND KARAOKE NIGHT, 5 p.m. at Carter’s Hookah Lounge and Grill, hosted by Jo Sweetz with the Pool Tournament, at 7 p.m. and Karaoke at 8 p.m.

**EVERY WEDNESDAY, YOU, ME & RNB, 6 p.m. at 2206 Bar & Lounge, 2206 31st Street, with DJ You, Me & Playlist.

**GOD’S NOT DEAD, 7 p.m. at UAB, Hill Student Center (Alumni Theatre)

**D’ZIRE WEDNESDAYS, EACH AND EVERY WEDNESDAY with Free Mimosas, 8- 10 p.m. with DJ GORGEOUS in the Mix at 4120 Third Avenue South.

**WEDNESDAYS WEEKLY JAZZ JAM, 7- 10 p.m. at True Story Brewing Company, 5510 Crestwood Blvd. Food until 9 p.m., Music until 10 p.m. and Drink until 11 p.m.

**EVERY 4th WEDNESDAY at FACE’S LOUNGE KARAOKE hosted by ARETTA, 6:30 p.m. at 7070 Aaron Aronov Dr. in Fairfield.

**DALE HOLLOW with BHAM BLUES EXPLOSION (TAYLOR GOODWIN, LEIF, RYAN & GARY EDMONDS) at the Nick.

NEXT THURSDAY

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

**TINY MAKERS SERIES 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.

**FILM – 7 p.m. at the Sidewalk Film.

**CODY PARKS & THE DIRTY SOUTH & THE MUMMY CATS at the Nick.

**THIRST TRAP THURSDAY, 5 p.m. at 2400 7th Avenue South.

NEXT FRIDAY

**EVERY FRIDAY DURING LUNCH – FRIDAY COUPON CHEAT DAY WITH HOT107 at 1918 Catering. (Use the coupon ANY DAY.)

**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.

**FRIDAY NIGHT WRITES, 8 – 11 p.m. at 7611 1st Avenue North.

**ALL CAPS: MF DOOM TRIBUTE at The Nick.

**FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE WITH SHARRON COLLINS at Perfect Note.

**MOM JEANS at Iron City.

NEWS TO USE

**WOMEN IN FILM WEEK is March 5 – 10 at Sidewalk Film, 1821 2nd Avenue North.  This event celebrates the women’s voices in film.

GWEN’S SPOTLIGHT

**LEST WE FORGET…IMAGES OF THE BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT – The National Civil Rights Museum, in Memphis, has opened a new exhibition that will be on display until May 6. This traveling collection showcases 35 powerful portraits and images by ROBERT TEMPLETON, captures key figures and moments from the Black civil rights movement, spanning from the Niagara Movement to the 1970s. Templeton’s firsthand experiences cover events for CBS News and TIME magazine, including the New Haven Black Panther trial and the Detroit Riots, lend an authenticity that are the hallmarks of his work. He captured not only national figures like President Jimmy Carter but also local leaders, cementing his dedication to the collection — a lasting tribute to the fight for equality. First shown at Atlanta’s Emory University in 1986, Lest We Forget is a stirring portrayal of an era worth remembering. In Memphis for the first time, the Lest We Forget exhibition is included with museum admission. Visit civilrightsmuseum.org for more information.

FOR BOOK LOVERS

**BOOK: MAGIC CITY: HOW THE BIRMINGHAM JAZZ TRADITION SHAPED THE SOUND OF AMERICA by author BURGIN MATHEWS tells the story of one of American music’s unsung places – Birmingham, Alabama as the birthplace of a distinctive and influential jazz heritage. Mathews tells how Birmingham was the cradle and training ground for luminaries as big band leader ERSKINE HAWKINS, cosmic musician SUN RA and a list of soloists, arrangers and sidemen. He celebrates the contributions of local educators, club owners and civic leaders who nurtured a culture of Black expression in one of the country’s most segregated cities. Mathews says that in Birmingham, jazz was more than entertainment long before the city emerged as a focal point in the national civil rights movement. He says that its homegrown jazz heroes helped set the stage, crafting a unique tradition of independence, innovation, achievement and empowerment. He tells the stories of figures like JOHN T. “FESS” WHATLEY, the pioneering teacher-band leader who emphasized instrumental training as a means of upward mobility and community pride. The reader gets a view of the high school band rooms, fraternal ballrooms, vaudeville houses and circus tent shows that shaped a musical movement. Burgin Mathews is a writer of music history, radio host and founding director of the Southern Music .

FOR ART LOVERS

**NOW THROUGH MAY 10 – ROOTS & RENAISSANCE, an African American Journey Through Art, at C.A. Kirkendoll Learning Resource Center, 5500 Myron Massey Blvd., Fairfield, Miles College. The Roots And Renaissance Art Exhibition at Miles College LRC is open Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. www.fairfieldblackartcollective.com.

AROUND TOWN

**PUBLIX VILLAGE 2 VILLAGE RUN 2024 is March 9th in Mountain Brook. This premier road race offers both 10k and 7.5k option. Finishing in Lane Parke, the race culminates with the Race Village, complete with vendors, food, beverage, music and a kids’ zone. For more, visit www.village2village10k.com.

**3RD ANNUAL GREAT BIRMINGHAM BAKE OFF is April 6, 2-4 p.m. at Cahaba Brewing. Sample baked goods made by competing teams of local bakers. All baked goods start with one of the WE made Southern Staples baking mixes. Your ticket lets you sample each of the competing baked goods plus you will receive a Cahaba Brewing beer. There will be live music, food trucks and the Junior Board will be selling WE Made mixes and other products. Support how you can. Sign up at bakeoff.swell.gives.

HAPPENINGS AT SIXTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH

…SEE YOU AT THE SIXTH…EVERY SUNDAY!
**EVERY MONDAY MORNING MEDITATION WITH PASTOR CANTELOW, 7:15 a.m. Contact the church at (205) 321-1136 or (205) 321-1137.

**CHILDREN’S CHURCH & COLLISION CHURCH, each First Sunday at 9:30 a.m. for K-5th (Children’s Church), 6-12th (Collision).

Well, that’s it. Tell you more ‘next’ time.

People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column.
Send events, your things of interest and more to my emails: gwenderu@yahoo.com and thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com.

 

The Search Continues for Birmingham’s Oldest African American Genealogy Group

By
Birmingham Times
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Dora Marrisette is President of The Birmingham African American Genealogy Group Inc. (BAAGG) and helps members of the organization trace their roots. (Barnett Wright, The Birmingham Times)

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

As February comes to a close, Black History continues for Dora Marrisette, President of The Birmingham African American Genealogy Group Inc. (BAAGG) and members of the organization.

“We are a group of people [who] are curious about our roots, where we came from, and our people,” said Marrisette. “We are trying to extend that out into the community, where we help other people who are interested in the same thing. We try to point them to the right direction like the library, the archives in Montgomery, [and] the different archives at the Historically Black colleges.”

BAAGG was founded in 1999 and the oldest such organization in Alabama.

Marrisette, who has been a part of the group since 2000, has been able to “research her paternal side of my family back to 1870,” she said. “I thought that was a big accomplishment. I was able to locate the slave owner and identify my family in the slave owners’ will when his property was distributed,” said Marrisette.

At the time of BAAGG’s founding a growing number of African Americans expressed a desire to research their family’s “roots” in the Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama areas. The first meeting was held in February 1999 at the downtown Birmingham Public Library and this month the group celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Originally from Prichard, Alabama, in Mobile County, Marrisette attended Mattie T. Blount High School and recalled an interest in her roots even back then.

“When I went to high school we went to homeroom based on our last names and there were several people in my class that had the same last name but with different spellings,” she said. “I never really knew if we were related … and that started my quest to find out.”

Marrisette said the family would move to Birmingham and her father had a stroke losing his communication skills. “He couldn’t speak so I really couldn’t have the conversation with him that I wanted about his family.  My father passed last year … and I don’t have anybody to confirm anything that I find from his side of the family now.”

Marrisette attended Alabama State University where she studied biology.  “I wanted to teach science, but I think I sort of lost my patience my second day of observations in the classroom,” she said. “… After graduation I got a job here in Birmingham.”

For 43 years she worked for Southern Research – a nonprofit scientific research organization founded in Birmingham in 1941 and retired in December.

Asked what she’s doing in her free time, Marrisette said, “I have time to travel. I want to visit some of the places where my ancestors lived.”

Last year she started with her grandmother.

“She moved to Gary, Indiana and that is where she lived for a few years. She died there and she is buried there. We went to the cemetery and to her neighborhood. Her home was not there but it did give us a sense of belonging and fulfillment. I just like to go to other places where they have planted roots. Sometimes I just want to get in my car and just drive or ride with no destination in place to just see what I can see,” said Marrisette, who often finds herself imagining what life could’ve been like for her ancestors.

“The group of slaves that my family were a part of came from Tennessee. They say those slaves walked from that state to this one. Sometimes, when I’m driving, I just imagine [them] maybe as [a] runaway slave. Sometimes I imagine their life and what it could’ve been like,” she said.

Since researching her genealogy, she has found ways to honor her ancestors.

“We have a saying in our group, ‘speak their names’, that way we remember them is we speak their names so that is what I try to do. In my research, I have recorded birthdays and weddings. I get reminders so that I can say ‘happy birthday’ or ‘congratulations’ [to her ancestors’, she said.

Interested in researching your family’s history? Join BAAGG In-Person & on ZOOM. Classes are on 3rd Saturdays of each month at the Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place, Linn-Henley Building, 4th Floor, Computer Room 3 – 5 p.m. 

 

‘She Saw the Ring Box [And] Looked at Me Smiling; I Smiled Back, ‘Will You Marry Me?’

By
Birmingham Times
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K.J. AND GERALDINE JOHNSON

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

Live: McCalla

Married: Sept. 7, 2003

Met: Spring 2000, at Faulkner University. K.J. and Geraldine were in the same history class and wound up in the same study group. K.J. said that Faulkner’s college campus in Birmingham was 70-80 percent women, but he wasn’t looking to find a new mate, as he was a divorced single father, and focused on earning his bachelor’s degree so he could qualify for promotion at his job at UPS.

“When I first saw Geri in class, I noticed her because of her walk it was the motion of her arms with her little shuffle that caught my eye,” K.J. said.

Geraldine said K.J.’s dapperness caught her attention. “…he was very nicely dressed. [K.J.] always came to class in a crisp button-down shirt, slacks, and nice Johnston Murphy dress shoes, and he was very articulate. I wasn’t looking for anyone either, my goal was to go to school at a later age [she was in her 30s] and get my degree. But we ended up in the same study group and things went from there.”

First date: Early fall 2000, at K.J.’s church, New Pilgrim Baptist Church in Titusville.  Geraldine was asked to accompany him to his Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brother’s wedding, which was a move K.J. said none of his friends dared to make.

“Out of my group of friends, none of them would ever take women to a wedding on a date, and I always took women to weddings with me,” K.J. said.

The wedding was largely attended by K.J.’s fellow church members, and he was pleased by Geraldine’s ability to handle his interactions with his friends.

“I can’t deal with anyone with insecurities. I don’t really know a stranger, I like to mingle and talk and move around… And I recognized that she was ok with me not being right next to her every minute while we were at the wedding, that was a plus,” K.J. said.

The invite did not add pressure to their early courtship. Geraldine said, “I was kinda surprised when he asked me to go, but I didn’t read anything into it. I was just excited to go and go out to eat afterward,” she said. “I realized the wedding was at his church and was happy to get to see him in his element at his church.”

After that wedding, they went to Baumhowers on Lakeshore Drive, and “we really got a chance to know each other better,” Geraldine said. “We sat at the bar, and we talked about our kids, I had been divorced and he had been divorced, we were both single parents, we both had sons… and it’s really uncommon for a single father to have custody of [his kids]. That impressed me, that showed me his character…,” she said.

“I was a single parent with two of my three sons [ages 13, and 15] living with me, and she was a single parent with her only son [age 11] living with her,” K.J. said.

The turn: October 2001. A year into their courtship. “A lot of things were put on the table on the first date about our [individual] plans. Her plan was to go to school, get a degree, move up in her company, and buy a house. And my plan was to get a degree and get promoted [at UPS] because I was a driver and you couldn’t get promoted to management without a degree.,” K.J. said.

“I already owned a house, but I was actually in the process of trying to move my mother into my house and build another one for myself. [It seemed] our goals were aligning. I’m a real big proponent for taking it kinda slow [in regards to marriage] because you never want to make the same mistakes twice. But our goals were aligned and there was so much similarity, and that drew us closer,” K.J. said.

“When I met his mom and he met my mom, that’s when we knew we were going someplace,” Geraldine said. “It was at that cookout in October when I met his sons, his mother, his sisters, and aunts, that let me know we were moving to the next level in our relationship.”

The proposal: May 2002, in Hawaii. The pair went on a trip to Honolulu and K.J. proposed at a restaurant on the beach. “I had bought the ring and the plan was to do it [on vacation]. I had a high school buddy that was in the Army and that’s where he was stationed so I involved him and his wife in setting it up,” K.J. said. “His wife was going to video it, and I told the [restaurant] manager what I was doing and gave him the ring, and he was supposed to bring it out with one of those big silver tins on top, but what he did was brought everyone else’s meal out on plates, and brought Geri’s out in a to-go box, and she was clueless and asking why was her meal in a to-go box… the manager played along and said, ‘I thought yours was to go, but open the box first, you may want to eat it.’ And when she did she saw the ring box and she looked at me smiling and I smiled back and said, ‘Will you marry me?’ and she said ‘yes’.

“I was in shock. I had a little bit of an attitude because I couldn’t understand why everyone else’s food was presented to them on plates and mine was in a Styrofoam box… so I was very caught off guard. How he had everything planned out was perfect, the scenery (from where we were sitting you could literally walk right onto the beach), the atmosphere and we had people there that we really cared about and wanted to share [the moment with]… having my sister-in-law, Diedra there, Mike and Jackie, they’re like brothers, so it was just perfect for me,” Geraldine said.

K.J.’s sister, Deidra was invited along on the vacation because both she and K.J. were grieving the recent passing of their mother at the time, and Hawaii made for a great change of scenery.

The wedding: In the chapel at New Pilgrim Baptist Church in Titusville, officiated by the [former] associate pastor, Robert Bearden. K.J. wore a black suit and grey tie, and Geraldine wore a black two-piece dress suit. “It was just a small intimate wedding with our immediate family and close friends,” Geraldine said.

In February of the following year [2004], the newlyweds had their wedding reception at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and moved into the new home they had just finished building.

Most memorable for the bride was going out to celebrate with their family after their nuptials. “All the family that was at the wedding went out to dinner with us at Copper Grille in Brookwood Village, and for me, it was the family celebrating our union that was memorable for me,” Geraldine said.

Most memorable for the groom was the reception a few months later.

“The pastor and I were very good friends, and that was a big deal for him to be marrying Gerry and me. He was 10 years older and believed that Gerry and I had a very strong foundation. We were sincere in what we wanted and what we were bringing to the table so [the wedding ceremony] was just the final formality. I was already looking down the road and making plans and I saw how we were both enhancing each other’s lives. But the reception was a lot more memorable, we had a lot of family there to celebrate our being married. Gerry’s mother flew in from Chicago…,” K.J. recalled.

“We had [the works] at the reception, we had the wedding cake, the photographer, my mother was able to attend, it was wonderful,” Geraldine said.

They returned to Hawaii for their honeymoon. “It was the perfect way of bringing us full circle. We went there in our dating stage and went back when we were married, and I felt the difference in being there with my wife versus my girlfriend. I had to get used to [hearing people] referring to us as Mr. and Mrs. Johnson,” K.J. said.

Words of wisdom: “You’ve got to communicate,” said Geraldine. “Always put God first. I make her priorities my priorities and she makes my priorities her priorities. We took several Bible classes together, and that really goes to the basis of our foundation… I think that put a foundation on both of us because I understood that she was going to follow the principles in the Bible when it came to marriage, she knew I was, and she started attending my church [New Pilgrim Baptist Church, in Titusville] during the dating stage and that had a lot to do with me looking at her as a potential wife that surpassed her having some goals that lined up with mine,” K.J. said.

Happily ever after: The Johnsons attend New Pilgrim Baptist Church in Titusville, where K.J. serves as the senior class Sunday school teacher. They are a blended family with four adult sons, K.J. Jr., Jason, Jamarious, and Aaron, ages 39- 27, and have one granddaughter, Jayla.

Geraldine, 54, is a Chicago, Illinois native, from Goshen, Ala., and a Goshen High School grad. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Faulkner University [Birmingham campus], an associate degree in medical office administration from Virginia College [Birmingham campus], and an associate’s degree in nursing from Lawson State Community College [Birmingham campus]. Geraldine is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and has worked as a business analyst for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, for the past 20 years.

K.J., 57, is a Memphis Tennessee native, from Birmingham, and an A.H. Parker High School grad. He attended Faulkner University [Birmingham campus], where he earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources, a master’s degree in the science of management from Troy University [Troy, AL], and a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of Phoenix. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and served in the US Marine Corps for eight years in the Second Marine Division, 2nd Tank Battalion.  He recently retired from UPS as an industrial engineer after 33 years.

“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.

https://www.gusterlawfirm.com/

 

Donna Dukes, Founder of Birmingham School for Critically At-Risk Students, Shares the ‘Way to Hope’

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Birmingham Times
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Donna Dukes will hold a pre-launch of her book — “The Way to Hope: The Challenges, Hard Truths & Triumphs of Working With Critically At-Risk Students” — Wednesday at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) beginning at 5 p.m. in the Abraham Woods Community Meeting Room. (File)

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

Donna Dukes, Founder and Executive Director of Maranathan Academy in Birmingham, knows about the hard truths and triumphs of working with critically at-risk students in the metro area.

Founded in 1991, Maranathan Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit school and learning center that caters to critically at-risk students — some with little or no support system, others who have been expelled from school, had trouble learning, or may not have the best home life.

Dukes said she’s often asked at speaking engagements and conferences about some of her proven techniques to help young adults and now she’s found a way to share some of what she knows.

On Wednesday, (Feb. 28) Dukes will hold a pre-launch of her book — “This Way to Hope: The Challenges, Hard Truths & Triumphs of Working With Critically At-Risk Students” — at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) beginning at 5 p.m. in the Abraham Woods Community Meeting Room.

The book is geared “to bring insight into the plight of critically at-risk students to inspire educators, social workers, all professionals that work on the front lines of the critically at risk [population],” she said.

“My prayer and my hope is that the book can be placed into the hands of those who need inspiration most, given the mass exodus that is continuing to occur in the teaching profession and the collective burnout that is occurring among social workers and others, I hope it provides some much-needed encouragement,” Dukes said.

Having the pre-launch at the BCRI is special for a number of reasons, she said.

“Given my late father’s [the Rev. Frank Dukes] deep and impactful involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and given the fact that Maranathan Academy was [recognized by] the BCRI for being the first school of its kind in the state of Alabama is an honor,” she said.

The Rev. Frank Dukes, an influential Birmingham Civil Rights Movement leader and President of Miles College’s trailblazing student body in the early 1960’s, died in November at the age of 92.

Maranathan is the only private school in Birmingham and its surrounding cities, that works exclusively with critically at-risk youth, and the only private school in the Birmingham area that accepts students who have been expelled for weapon-related or violent offenses.

When: Wednesday (Feb. 28)

Where: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI)

Time: 5 p.m.-6 p.m.

Description: Dukes will hold a pre-launch of her book – “The Way to Hope: The Challenges, Hard Truths & Triumphs of Working With Critically At-Risk Students.”

The official launch of the book will be held Saturday, April 6 at the Barnes & Noble at The Summit.

UAB Barefield Entrepreneurship Program Hosts National Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference

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Birmingham Times
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The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Entrepreneurship Program recently hosted the 2024 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference. (Adobe Stock)

By Katherine Kirk | UAB News

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Entrepreneurship Program recently hosted the 2024 United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship conference. With approximately 700 educators from across the United States and 15 other countries attending the conference and more attendees online, UAB was the host sponsor and played a key role in connecting Birmingham to a vast audience of entrepreneurs worldwide.“We deliver a world-class entrepreneurship education to our students and learners in our community, so it was an honor to host those from around the nation in Birmingham to learn more about entrepreneurship education,” said Patrick J. Murphy, Ph.D., Goodrich Endowed Chair and director of the Barefield Entrepreneurship Program in the Collat School of Business. “At UAB, we empower students to use that new knowledge to join and launch entrepreneurial ventures to make an impact on our ecosystem and beyond. It was wonderful to share the work at UAB with so many other leading programs in the field.”

According to the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, the conference’s economic impact on the city was nearly $1 million.

“About 90 percent of attendees had not been to Birmingham before,” Murphy said. “The event established many new connections inside and outside our regional economy.”

Established in 2020, the Barefield Entrepreneurship program offers a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship and an Master of Business Administration degree with an entrepreneurship concentration. The program has a strategic alliance with the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and with Innovation Depot, which generate co-curricular and extracurricular educational experiences that magnify the program’s impact on the Birmingham region.

USASBE was founded in 1981 and is the country’s premier entrepreneurship education organization holding its annual conference in different cities around the country.

Darryl Love, Birmingham-Area Chemist, Included in Painting With Black Science Trailblazers

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Birmingham Times
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Retired Evonik chemist Darryl Love is featured in a painting of Black science trailblazers that recently concluded a tour of cities. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Photo, For The Birmingham Times)

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. | For The Birmingham Times

Tour de Love, the journey of a painting featuring Black science trailblazers and local chemist Darryl Love, made it back home last week where it all began a year ago.

Evonik, one of the world’s leading specialty chemicals companies, celebrated the February 20 homecoming of the painting during a Black History Month ceremony. The event in the Evonik auditorium, drew a room full of staffers who were present for the painting but more for the retired colleague who returned to his old stomping grounds.

The art – Black Resilience: Innovation in the Midst of Resistance by New Orleans-based artist Kenneth Scott Jr. – depicts Love with famous Black scientists like George Washington Carver and Marie Maynard Daly. The artwork was commissioned in 2023 by Blacks United in Leadership & Development, or BUILD. It is Evonik’s employee resource group for Black professionals.

Tracy Cheavious, a business development manager at Evonik, with retired chemist Darryl Love. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Photo, For The Birmingham Times)

Tracy Cheavious, a co-chair of BUILD and business development manager at Evonik, said, “BUILD wanted to highlight Black scientists within the company and thus honor Black excellence. While Darryl Love’s career came to an end, the portrait honoring him will have a positive impact for years to come.”

She added, “We have seen such a tremendous, positive response from employees here at Evonik. It has been amazing. To see it make that tour and make it here right at Black History Month is kind of like a full circle moment.”

The painting depicts several Black scientific pioneers in chemistry, botany and drug development, and Evonik’s Love, who retired from the company.

“I’m much honored to be a part of that portrait and to have people take their picture with it,” said Love, who worked 47 years as a research scientist until retiring last year (although) he hasn’t taken a seat in a rocking chair. He is a research chemist/trainer for E3 Solutions, Inc., a 501(c)(3) [non-profit] that was founded by his wife Debra in 2015.

“The theme of Black resilience in regard to Evonik meant featuring Black pioneers in the sciences,” artist Kenneth Scott Jr. said in a company release. “The botanical foliage with lotus flowers in the painting’s background symbolizes resilience and strength. The style of the foliage was inspired by the paintings of botanist George Washington Carver, who was an artist as well.”

The travels of the painting have come to be known as Tour de Love, which plays off Tour de France, the renowned French bicycle race.

Cheavious said the showing turned out better than she imagined.

“(The painting) toured five of Evonik’s largest sites. Throughout the tour, employees had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the painting and take pictures.”

The painting visited:

  • Mobile, Ala., the company’s largest production site in North America
  • Piscataway, N.J., the North America regional headquarters
  • Allentown, Pa., North America’s Innovation Hub
  • Tippecanoe Labs in Lafayette, Ind., Evonik’s second largest production site in North America, and
  • Richmond, Va., the collaboration hub for hybrid workforce.

“We had QR codes at some of the sites where people [could] scan it and read about it, learn about the artist, things of that nature,” Cheavious said.

Some said the painting received a Taylor Swift reception as several Evonik employees snapped selfies with it. “It would be nice if I could make Taylor Swift kind of money,” Darryl Love joked, calling the experience humbling.

The picture will be framed and mounted in the Lakeshore facility’s lobby. “Every visitor and every employee will see that beautiful painting,” Cheavious said. “It’s a reminder of Evonik’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

Messages of Inspiration Shared with Students at Huffman Middle School Summit

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Birmingham Times
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Investor and entrepreneur Monique Johnson shares tips with students on investing and wealth building during the Huffman Middle School Female Summit. (Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson Photo, For The Birmingham Times)

By Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson | For The Birmingham Times

Nearly 30 professionals in fields representing authors, attorneys, educators and entrepreneurs spoke words of guidance and encouragement to students at the annual Female Summit at Huffman Middle School on Friday, February 23.

Principal Genita Matthews, event organizer, said this year’s theme was “Born to Win With a Purpose” and the summit’s key takeaways were to “elevate, empower and educate,” she said.  “We would like for our young ladies to become successful women and see all the powerful women we have who can come in and share their experiences and careers and encourage them and motivate them,” said Matthews.

Students from the 6th through 8th grades participated and were able to choose three individual sessions.

Entrepreneur and investor Monique Johnson’s session was entitled ‘Get to the Bag,’ where she shared financial investment tips.

“It’s important for us to learn early and utilize these resources,” said Johnson. “Long-term investment is a tool that we can use to set ourselves up for success and attain the things we want in the long run. And once they learn that skill, no one can take it away from them.”

Johnson also works as a mentor to students at Huffman Middle weekdays through the Common Ground program, which teaches conflict resolution and other crucial life skills to male and female students in Birmingham City Schools.

Dr. Emanuel Foster, Huffman Middle School Assistant Principal with Principal Genita Matthews during the Huffman Middle School Female Summit. (Keisa Sharpe-Jefferson Photo, For The Birmingham Times)

Author Dr. Deven Tellis is a veteran teacher and owner of Blooming Books Publishing and currently teaches online and shared messages and affirmations from her book “Who’s to Say …?”, which inspires its readers to visualize themselves in various professions.

Tellis’ class session was titled, ‘Born to Win: Cultivating Self-Love and Self-Awareness through Reading, Writing and Children’s Literature.’

“We had a fun time talking about positive mindset, loving yourself and being aware of yourself and how you talk to yourself and how what you do, affects others and how that determines the trajectory of your success as a young adult and later as an adult,” she said.

Speakers hosted sessions through late morning and the summit concluded just after midday with keynote speaker Attorney Ellise Washington of EMW Law in Birmingham.

Parents and other supporters were also invited to take part in the summit, which featured vendors who sponsored giveaways for the staff and female students.

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