ACTOR AND BIRMINGHAM-NATIVE TOBIE WINDHAM WHO RECENTLY SHOWCASED HIS SKILLS IN SEASON 2 OF NETFLIX’S “THE VINCE STAPLES SHOW,” BIRMINGHAMTIMES.COM, DEC. 15.
Plans for the Jimmie Hale Mission’s $4.4 million downtown expansion moved forward Tuesday after Birmingham approved $1 million in funding for the project.
Under the agreement, Birmingham will provide $250,000 a year for four years to support construction of the new service center. The city had pledged the funding in October. Jimmie Hale Mission will complete the project, which is designed to provide safe shelter, supportive services and pathways to stability for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
“This investment reflects our commitment to compassionate, practical solutions that move people from crisis to stability,” said Alanah Melton, the director of unhoused strategies for the city of Birmingham. “This project will serve as a bridge and a beacon of hope – connecting our most vulnerable neighbors to housing, healthcare and the support they need to move forward.”
Executive Director Perryn Carroll told WBRC in October that the new two-story facility will sit along 2nd Avenue North, directly across from the Mission’s existing men’s campus. The planned facility will serve as a centralized hub for services currently scattered across the city.
Once completed, the year-round service center will include nearly 100 shelter beds, family rooms, dining and social spaces, laundry facilities and dedicated areas for case management, health care, legal assistance and employment support.
The center will also provide accommodations for pets, recognizing the barriers pet ownership can create for individuals seeking shelter
“Jimmie Hale Mission appreciates the City of Birmingham’s contribution of $250,000 per year for four years toward the total construction cost of $4.4 million and we remain committed to working hard to raise the remaining funds to make this vital service hub a reality for our area’s most vulnerable citizens who need a hand up to be able to return to being healthy, contributing members of their families and the community,” said Perryn Carroll, executive director of Jimmie Hale Mission.
The Birmingham Times
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Deborah V. Bowie as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.
Bowie is no stranger to Birmingham. Earlier in her career, she served as Chief of Staff to a former Birmingham mayor Larry Langford, Vice President at the former Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (now the Birmingham Business Alliance) and worked as a news reporter for multiple media outlets serving the metro region.
“It is deeply meaningful to return to the city where I once had the privilege of working alongside dedicated civic partners,” said Bowie. “Birmingham’s history as a beacon of change has influenced my work for many years and has remained close to my heart.”
“In a time of significant societal change, BCRI must stand firm as both a guardian of truth and an active convener of community dialogue,” she continued. “I am committed to restoring trust, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring that this institution reflects, elevates, and serves the community it belongs to.”
In the years since leaving Birmingham, Bowie has led several nationally recognized nonprofits, including the United Way of North Central Florida, the onePulse Foundation, and served as Interim City Manager for the City of Gainesville. Most recently, she oversaw a $5.8 million federal grants programs portfolio at the University of Central Florida supporting low-income, first-generation, and disabled college students in the Ginsburg Center for Inclusion and Community Engagement.
“We are honored to welcome Deborah Bowie back to Birmingham,” said Board and Search Committee Chair Rosilyn Houston, who also served as the interim CEO during this period of transition for the Institute.
“Deborah’s proven ability to stabilize organizations, strengthen governance, and build trusted relationships makes her arrival especially significant. She understands Birmingham’s civic fabric, its challenges, and its opportunities — and she is uniquely equipped to help reintroduce BCRI as the community-rooted institution it is meant to be.”
Houston noted that Bowie was selected following a highly competitive national search that drew an exceptional pool of candidates, reflecting both the significance of the role and the moment facing the Institute.
“Deborah’s prior experience and knowledge of Birmingham was reassuring to the Board of Directors that she could hit the ground running and be ready to lead the Institute on ‘day 1,’” said Houston, adding that the CEO selection comes after significant shifts in the charitable landscape driven by economic disruption, changing philanthropic priorities, and an increasingly polarized political climate.
“These pressures make BCRI’s mission — and its need for strong, stabilizing leadership — more urgent than ever,” Houston said. “The Board understands the responsibility of this moment, and we are confident in Deborah’s leadership.”
In her first year, Bowie said she will lead a focused agenda centered on community listening, donor and stakeholder re-engagement, operational stabilization, enhanced educational programming, and renewed collaborations with Birmingham’s neighborhoods, schools, faith communities, and cultural organizations. Her experience leading complex, high-impact organizations equips her to bridge history with contemporary needs and guide the Institute toward a stronger, more sustainable future.
BCRI’s Board will collaborate closely with Bowie on advancing governance reforms, increasing transparency, and expanding community input and participation as core elements of the Institute’s renewal.
BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times
LORETTA & FRED HILL
Live: Margaret, Ala. [near Leeds/Argo]
Married: April 11, 1987
Met: Late August 1986. Loretta, a “PK’ [pastors’ kid], attended her father’s church, Miracle Hill, in Pell City, while Fred attended, Refuge Church, in Talladega where his uncle pastored. The pair had long known of each other. Loretta knew his brothers and was four years older than he was.
That summer in 1986, Fred and Loretta were preparing to go to an international convention for their church organization [Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ (COOLJC)], and Fred was asked to assist Loretta in preparing the registration packages for the convention.
“He came to my house to help me put the packages together and I fed him dinner, so that was brownie points right there,” Loretta said. “And while we didn’t ride to the convention together, once we got there, he kept up with me. He wanted to know where I was going to dinner, where I was eating lunch, etc. And at the end of the convention, I told him, ‘Now you have taken up my time here at the convention, so what are your intentions with me once we get back,” Loretta laughed. “So, we rode back together, and planned our first date”
“I had to keep up with her to protect me from all the other women,” Fred said. “I’m joking, but that’s the truth. I was trying to get to know her and spend some time with her.”
Fred said he was a bit hesitant because Loretta “smiled too much and you know what they say, ‘a smile ain’t nothing but a frown turned upside down’ and in my mind, too much smiling meant somebody was masking something.”
But the more he got to know her the more he liked her and wanted to take her out, he said.
Loretta added, “And while he was thinking I smiled too much, I was thinking he was arrogant, a know-it-all, and a real matter-of-fact type of person; he was very rough around the edges.”
“It’s called cultural differences,” Fred clarified. “We had different family dynamics. I came from a large family and we didn’t have time to [explore feelings] …
“And I only had one brother, and believed in being politically correct, and nice in how you say things,” Loretta added.
The opposites were obviously attracted to one another and set their first date.
First date: Fall 1986, at Six Flags Over Georgia. At the time, Loretta lived in Birmingham and was a nurse at Children’s of Alabama, and Fred was living in Lincoln, Ala. [near Talladega/Anniston] and working at a factory so Loretta drove up and stayed with her parents so they could go on their date.
“It was a really good time for us,” Loretta said. “Waiting in line, we got a chance to talk and get to know each other better. We got on some water rides and by the time we got back home [to Lincoln], my hair was a mess,” she laughed.
“It was the first time it was just us spending time together without interruption. It was a day of relaxation, we just walked and talked and enjoyed the rides. On the way back, we stopped and had a nice dinner. It was a great day,” said Fred.
The turn: After Six Flags, the pair essentially skipped a traditional courtship, and days after their first date, Fred proposed. Loretta said she had been praying God would send her husband, and that was why Fred’s fast proposal didn’t startle her.
“He came to see me one day after he got off work [from the factory in Lincoln] and we went to the park and walked and talked, and we knew we were really attracted to one another and wanted to do what was right and didn’t want to be tempted to be sinning … Fred asked me will you marry me, and I thought he was kidding at first, but he was serious. So I said ‘yes,’ and we kind of kept it to ourselves for a little while because we knew it would seem like it was quick to everybody,” Loretta recalled.
“And people would ask me how I knew she was the one so quick, and I said I knew a bad relationship when I saw one, and I knew a good one when I was standing in front of it,” Fred said.
The proposal: Two weeks later, Fred presented Loretta with a ring. People began to notice her newly decorated finger. “At first, we had set the date for June [1987], and then we said, ‘what we are waiting for? why so far out?’ So then we moved it up to April the 11th, three days before my 30th birthday,” Loretta said.
The wedding: At Loretta’s father’s church, Miracle Hill Church in Pell City, officiated by Fred’s uncle/pastor, Bishop Milton Hill of Refuge Church, in Talladega. Their colors were blue and apricot.
Most memorable for the bride was arriving at an undecorated sanctuary the day of her wedding. “The church was not decorated because the wedding planner’s van broke down on the interstate, so the wedding started 30 minutes late. But what meant the most to me was that the day had finally come,” Loretta said. “When they opened the doors for me to walk down the aisle and I saw Fred standing at the altar, he was looking so fine,” Loretta laughed, “and I was like, ‘it’s happening, it’s really happening’.
Most memorable for the groom was “seeing Loretta walk up the aisle. I was like, ‘there she goes, here comes my woman’,” Fred reminisced. “And one thing that stood out was that there was no doubt or nervousness, I felt good about the whole thing. I was relaxed and smiling. We were both smiling.”
Honeymoon: In Panama City, Florida. “The day after the wedding we woke up and went to breakfast at Morrison’s [in Panama City, FL] and looked at each other and said, ‘we’re married’. It had really hit home for us,” Fred said.
“And I said, ‘do you feel any different?’,” Loretta added. “We were happy, but we were wondering if we were supposed to feel different on the inside,” she laughed. “And I had been living on my own for years, and I remember sleeping with Fred the first night and sleeping in his arms felt like I was sleeping on a log. He was muscular, and I wasn’t used to sharing a bed. But it was a nice feeling knowing that we could sleep together and God be pleased.”
Words of wisdom: “It’s important to learn how to effectively communicate with each other, and even the timing of those conversations because you’re going to have to have some critical conversations and they’re crucial…,” Loretta said. “And we truly believe that God has to be in the center of your relationship, and that you keep building on that foundation. And you keep the spark alive by still doing things together and not allowing yourselves to grow too distant. Continue to work on your relationship because you have to continue learning each other as you grow.
“God’s math is different from our math. It takes one whole person, plus one whole person to make a whole [union]. You can’t come into the relationship half a man and half a woman and think you’re going to make one. That’s not ‘God-addition’,” Fred said. “And the reason why is because although you’re growing together, you still have to have freedom within the marriage to still grow [individually]. And you have to support each other in that growth process because if one grows and the other doesn’t, then you’ll have an unequal marriage.
Happily ever after: The Hill’s pastor Greater Refuge Church, in Pleasant Grove, and Loretta serves as the Alabama Diocese Missionary President of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ [COOLJC]. They run a couples ministry called ‘YouNiquely One’, where the couple administers relationship coaching, and have one daughter and a son-in-law, Jasmine and Isaac Jones, and four granddaughters.
Loretta, 68, is a Lincoln, Ala. native, and Talladega County High School grad [Lincoln, Ala.]. She attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham [UAB], where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, and Samford University where she obtained a master’s degree in nursing education. Loretta is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society of Nursing and retired from Children’s of Alabama as a nurse educator after 40 years, and also worked for Central Alabama Community College [Childersburg], as an associate nursing professor. Loretta is a published author, and ‘A Call to Prayer’ is available on Amazon. “It tells of a great miracle in my life,” she said.
Fred, 64, is a Lincoln, Ala. native, and Talladega County High School grad [Lincoln, Ala.] He attended Southeastern Bible College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Leadership Ministry, and a Master of Divinity in Theology and Apologetics, and Liberty University [Lynchburg, Virginia], where he obtained a Doctorate of Ministry. Fred is a published author, A Proactive Approach to Leadership Transition in Ministry’, and has been in ministry for the last 36 years and has pastored Greater Refuge Church for more than 30 years. Fred has served as a hospice chaplain for Amedisys Hospice Services for the past 13 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.
citycouncil@bhamal.com
Members of the Birmingham City Council last week volunteered at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama and loaded five palettes — 351 boxes of food — which will feed 351 families for a week.
Councilor Crystal N. Smitherman partnered with New Hope Baptist Church and the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama to provide holiday food boxes to more than 100 families this weekend.
“This past week, my colleagues and I on the Council were able to stock over 350 food boxes at the Community Food Bank,” Smitherman said. “So to be able to see this process through, and be out here with our neighbors today, it’s a really special time. This is what the season is all about: spreading love and gratitude throughout our communities.”
Did you know:
▪️The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama packs 10,000 of these boxes every month
▪️They are designed to feed a family of 4 for 7 to 10 days
▪️The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama provides food for those who need it across 12 counties in Central Alabama
If you would like to get involved in volunteering or donating, check out how you can help here: https://feedingal.org/volunteer/
If you are in need of food, you can also head to the website below.
There is a ‘find food’ button where you can put in your zip code and find a distribution site near you: https://feedingal.org/find-food/
The Birmingham Times
U.S. Reps. Terri A. Sewell (AL-07) and Shomari C. Figures (AL-02) on Monday sent a letter to University of Alabama President Dr. Peter Mohler calling on the University to restore two student-run publications that were recently suspended ostensibly for state and federal compliance. Sewell and Figures requested a meeting with university leadership to discuss their concerns.
The University this month announced to staff of student-run publications Alice Magazine and Nineteen Fifty-Six that the magazines would be suspended, effective immediately, in compliance with federal regulations.
In their decision, UA officials cited a memo released by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi this summer claiming that DEI initiatives can be considered discriminatory and may be in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.
Sewell and Figures wrote in part, “The discontinuation of Nineteen Fifty-Six and [Alice] is not merely a procedural decision; it is a decision with profound implications for free speech, academic freedom, and the University’s stated commitment to fostering an inclusive campus environment. This decision undermines the significant progress made by the University over the last six decades towards fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all students.”
The lawmakers continued, “We are particularly alarmed by the suggestion that these publications functioned as a “proxy” for discrimination. They did not. They serve as vehicles for student storytelling, creativity, and scholarship, not for the advantage or disadvantage of any one group. Treating them as proxies for discrimination represents a dangerous slippery slope. If student expression can be deemed impermissible simply because it reflects the experiences of women, African American students, or other underrepresented groups, what comes next?”
Alice Magazine, which celebrated its 10th year this month, describes itself as “a fashion and wellness magazine,” on its website.
“Our mission is to help students learn how to feel comfortable in their journey of navigating college life during this transition from teen to adult years,” the site reads.
“It is so disheartening to know that so many of us have put so much hard work into these magazines that are now being censored,” Gabrielle Gunter, editor-in-chief of Alice Magazine, told student news outlet The Crimson White.
1956, which was established in 2020, describes itself as “a student-run magazine focused on Black culture, Black excellence, and Black student experiences at The University of Alabama.”
Read the full letter from Sewell and Figures here and below:
President Mohler:
As Members of Congress representing the State of Alabama and as proud supporters of the University of Alabama, we write to express our deep concern regarding The University’s decision to discontinue the student-run publications Nineteen Fifty-Six and [alice] because of compliance with the guidance in a July 29 memo from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. Given the seriousness of this matter, we request a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss the decision and the steps needed to restore Nineteen Fifty-Six and [alice] as student-run publications.
The discontinuation of Nineteen Fifty-Six and [alice] is not merely a procedural decision; it is a decision with profound implications for free speech, academic freedom, and the University’s stated commitment to fostering an inclusive campus environment. This decision undermines the significant progress made by the University over the last six decades towards fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for all students. While we fully understand the fear and uncertainty caused by the unprecedented pressure and threats to public universities the Trump Administration is applying to institutions across the country—including threats to limit or cancel federal funds—we believe the University’s interpretation of the July 29th guidance sets a troubling precedent. It sends a message to students and faculty, regardless of intention, about where the University stands on protecting free speech for certain students and the lengths to which the University will go to appease the Trump Administration in their efforts to stifle diverse voices and differing opinions on college campuses.
We are particularly alarmed by the suggestion that these publications functioned as a “proxy” for discrimination. They did not. They serve as vehicles for student storytelling, creativity, and scholarship, not for the advantage or disadvantage of any one group. Treating them as proxies for discrimination represents a dangerous slippery slope. If student expression can be deemed impermissible simply because it reflects the experiences of women, African American students, or other underrepresented groups, what comes next? Will African American Studies, Women’s Studies, or other academic programs be subjected to similar scrutiny? How far is the University willing to go in the name of “compliance” with the Trump Administration’s agenda?
The University’s pledge to replace these two magazines with a single, consolidated publication intended to “reflect all students’ perspectives” is not an adequate solution. While we appreciate efforts to promote unity by combining distinct voices into a single publication, this action dilutes and diminishes the culture, contributions, and personal experiences of women and Black students, over half of your campus student population.
We believe deeply that universities play a vital role in preparing students to thrive wherever they choose to go upon graduation. Rather than fostering an environment where all students can share, understand, and learn from diverse perspectives, the University’s decision signals those perspectives are unwelcome, unworthy and somehow threaten and undermine the experience of other students.
We look forward to the opportunity to meet with you. We hope to better understand the University’s interpretation of the guidance and how those interpretations can be aligned with the fundamental principles of free expression, academic integrity, and student empowerment. We look forward to your prompt response and to working together to ensure that the University is a place where all students are valued, supported, and heard.
By Safiyah Riddle | Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A group of students and professors at public universities across Alabama are asking an appeals court to halt a state law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public schools and prohibits the endorsement of what Republican lawmakers dubbed “divisive concepts” related to race and gender.
The Alabama measure, which took effect in October 2024, is part of a wave of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses.
The state law prohibits public schools and universities from using state funds for any programs or curriculum that endorse “divisive concepts” related to race, religion, gender identity and religion. Instructors are also prohibited from “encouraging” a person feel guilt because of those identities.
U.S. District Judge David Proctor allowed the law to remain in place, writing that a professor’s academic freedom does not override a public university’s decisions about the content of classroom instruction.
He wrote that the law “does not banish all teaching or discussion of these concepts from campus or, for that matter, even from the classroom,” Proctor wrote. “To the contrary, it expressly permits classroom instruction that includes ‘discussion’ of the listed concepts so long as the ‘instruction is given in an objective manner without endorsement’ of the concepts.”
The appeal comes on the heels of a July mandate from the Department of Justice that outlines similar required changes on public school campuses across the country. In 2025, student affinity groups have shuttered their doors, professors have been put on leave, Black student publications have closed and curriculums have changed.
Antonio Ingram, a Legal Defense Fund lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview that the law doesn’t clearly outline what endorsement entails, making professors vulnerable to frivolous investigations and limiting their ability to present vetted research.
“Truth becomes what the state says versus what independent researchers and theorists and academics have spent decades crafting,” Ingram said.
If allowed to stand, Ingram said, the law makes “universities mouthpieces of the state that could be used for propaganda, that could be used for things that are not accurate and empirically based.”
Dana Patton, a plaintiff who teaches political science at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, said in an interview that the state law led her to change curriculum that she has taught for decades.
“We feel very constrained by the vagueness of the law,” Patton said, since some students might misinterpret a lesson for endorsement of a certain viewpoint.
Last year, five students complained that Patton’s curriculum for the interdisciplinary honors program she administers is in conflict with the law. Patton insists that she has always taken measures to ensure a wide array of view points are represented — but that hasn’t assuaged her fears. She has since taken some material off of her syllabus.
“It’s just safer to not teach certain things and and to avoid potential repercussions or complaints being filed,” Patton said.
David Fleming, President and CEO of the nonprofit economic development agency REV Birmingham and several other local and state officials, said Fannie Mae’s relocation from San Francisco, California to Birmingham brings job opportunities to the Magic City.
“Fannie Mae is a significant agency, an important agency, within the economic ecosystem of this country and to have that located here is certainly prestigious for Birmingham,” said Fleming.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced last week that the giant mortgage financer, also known as the Federal National Mortgage Association, which aims to make homeownership more affordable will save taxpayers money was coming to Alabama.
Fleming said this relocation is a great thing for Birmingham to have, providing more well-paying jobs that contribute to the economy.
“Having more jobs growing here helps to strengthen that importance. A lot of variety of jobs is important. I mean these are jobs that will match where Birmingham has had some strength in federal jobs,” said Fleming.
Officials with Fannie Mae confirmed the relocation to Birmingham, stating it’s a way to cut costs and improve service to lenders across the southeast.
Director of Innovation and Economic Opportunity for the city of Birmingham Coreata Houser released the following statement:
“We’re excited to learn of Fannie Mae relocating to Birmingham and the positive impact on our economy. We look forward to learning more and working with all parties involved. “
Alabama congresswoman Terri Sewell also released a statement about the relocation stating “I heard the senator’s news and look forward to getting the details. Birmingham is an amazing city with so much to offer. It would be a pleasure to welcome Fannie Mae to the Magic City.”
Birmingham Market Executive for Regions Bank Christian White also released a statement saying quote:
“Alabama offers a great economic environment, along with a workforce and quality of life that are second to none. It’s no surprise to see additional investments coming to our home state. This will further bolster professional opportunities here at home while expanding Alabama’s impact on services provided to people across the Southeast and beyond. We look forward to welcoming Fannie Mae. And we are confident Fannie Mae will see what Regions Bank has known for generations – this is a terrific place to grow and do business.”
Fannie Mae officials said the new Birmingham office would likely open early 2026.
By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
While Tobie Windham can credit a lot of people and places for what he’s doing in films, one thing has been a constant, he said: “I’ve always repped Birmingham hard because being from Alabama is a part of why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
Windham recently showcased his skills in season 2 of Netflix’s “The Vince Staples Show,” which premiered on Nov. 6. The program, a semi-autobiographical comedy created by rapper-actor Vince Staples, alongside co-showrunners Ian Edelman and Maurice Williams, has been praised for its dark humor and surreal take on everyday life. Netflix renewed the show for a second season in May 2024, after the first season earned critical acclaim.
“[Staples] is doing some magical Black stuff. I’m not fully privy to know everything that is happening, but I love the story that [Staples] is creating,” said Windham, whose character, Milton, appears in the episode “Country Mane,” bringing his own flavor to the show’s offbeat mix.
Windham said his contributions to acting are deeply rooted in his upbringing in Birmingham. Drawing on his Southern background and experiences, he brings authenticity and depth to every role he undertakes.
“Growing up in Birmingham, Ensley area, gave me an instinct for rhythm, truth, and emotional honesty,” said Windham. “I pull from everyone—my uncles, aunties, cousins, the folks at church over in West End, my karate studio in Pratt City, afternoons at the mall in Fairfield, the neighborhoods that shaped me. Those people live in my work. They remind me to stay grounded. They give my characters weight. And they remind me that characters aren’t concepts, they’re real people with real lives.”
Appearing on a high-profile Netflix series is more than just another credit for Windham. It’s coming home of sorts, he said, a validation of years of hard work and artistic dedication.
“My journey from Alabama stages to mainstream streaming reflects the growing visibility of Southern talent on national platforms,” Windham said.
First Major Role
The Magic City native graduated from Minor High School in Adamsville, Alabama.
“I’ve been in the arts since I was young, but I really started to figure out that I was pretty good when I attended Minor [High School]” said Windham. “Minor really allowed me to hone some skills. It gave me my first lead role.”
His first major role at Minor was in a school-wide play, he recalled. “I can’t even remember the name of it now, but I’ll never forget the moment. I was playing a love interest, and me and my scene partner were about to kiss for the first time. Right as we leaned in, Mike McClure, now known as Pastor Mike Jr., [founder of Rock City Church and award-winning gospel music artist], yelled out, ‘No, Tobie, don’t do it!’ and the entire theater erupted. We laughed for a solid two minutes. I stayed in the moment, played with it, stretched that beat for everything it was worth. That was the day I learned the power of presence, timing, and letting the audience carry you.”
After graduating from Minor, Windham earned a theater scholarship to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he gained valuable stage experience, including a lead role in a positively reviewed production of renowned Black playwright August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson.”
“I auditioned for the role of Boy Willie at UAB, and that’s how I landed it,” said Windham. “It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Stepping into a Wilson character changes you. Boy Willie was the role that pushed me toward graduate school for acting, and it’s also the role that introduced me to my wife. That play gave me both a calling and a family.”
Windham earned a Bachelor of Arts in theater from UAB and later a Master of Fine Arts in acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California. His classical training has been the “foundation” for his expansive career across television, theater, and digital media, Windham said. During his time at the American Conservatory Theater, he spent a month in Italy. He has also performed in major festivals, such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF).
Memorable Roles
Two roles shaped him while spending time at the OSF, Windham said.
“One, [playing Antipholus of Syracuse in William Shakespeare’s ‘The Comedy of Errors’]—a wild farce of twins and mistaken identity—gave me a new level of comedic freedom and physical awareness. [The other], the role of [Civil Rights Movement strategist] James Bevel in ‘The Great Society’—a historical drama about [U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.] during the signing of the Civil Rights Act—taught me how to carry history, responsibility, and emotional rigor on stage. OSF is also where my voice as a writer and director started to emerge. Being there stretched every part of me.”
Windham’s first television audition was in 2016, when he landed the lead as Will in “Walk the Prank,” a series that premiered on the Disney XD network. After the show wrapped, its creators Adam Small and Trevor Moore, began work on a new show called “Just Roll With It,” a live-action Disney Channel sitcom that aired from 2019 to 2021.
Windham got the role Byron in “Just Roll With It” and continued his television run with Disney. In 2023, he landed a recurring part in HBO’s dark comedy “Barry,” an acclaimed television series that contained elements of black comedy, crime drama, psychological drama, and tragicomedy.
His extensive resume reads like that of a seasoned stage and screen veteran. Asked his age, Windham said, “Somewhere between 27 and 40 in Hollywood years.”
“The Vince Staples Show” is now available to stream on Netflix.
birminghamal.gov
As temperatures are expected to fall below freezing, the City of Birmingham and Jimmie Hale Mission, will open its nightly warming station Saturday, Dec. 13 through Monday, Dec. 15, from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Men, women and children needing warm shelter can come to the Mission, located at 3420 2nd Ave North. Food will be provided. Shelter for women and children only will be provided at Pathways, located at 409 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd.
Free shuttle service to Jimmie Hale will be available from 6-7 p.m. to assist the mobility challenged and those without transportation. Pickup will take place at the main entrance of Linn Park at the intersection of Park Place and 20th Street North.
Return transportation will be provided each morning. The Mission is also accessible by taking the Metro orange line bus to the Sloss Furnace stop.
The City of Birmingham supports the warming station at the Jimmie Hale Mission with $75,000 and in-kind donations of cots and a police officer presence. The City also supports the Pathways warming station with funding from a $20,000 Emergency Solutions Grant.
