How Area Cities and Law Enforcement Are Combining To Provide Security For TWG2022
By Ryan Michaels
Prosper’s Black Ecosystem Report and the Impact on Businesses in Birmingham
By Dee Manyama and Torin Darling Brazzle
Rev. Jesse Jackson: Threats to Our Democracy
By The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson
People, Places and Things
GWEN DERU
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO ALL OF THE FATHERS!!! Let’s Celebrate Father’s Day, all month long!
TODAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**THURSDAY NIGHT WORKOUTS with Live Females at the Blu Onyx.
**LIVE KARAOKE SHOWCASE hosted by LOGAN THE ENTERTAINER, every Thursday at Ruth’s Place in Irondale, 2404 Derby Way. DJ MOSE STOVALL is on crowd control.
**EVERY THURSDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5:30 – 9 p.m. at the Kappa Komplex, 45 6th Avenue South.
**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.
**QUALIFIER, ROUGH DREAMS & EL ESCAPADO at The Nick.
FRIDAY…
**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.
**R&B NIGHT with DEIRDRE GADDIS at Perfect Note.
**MUSTACHE at Iron City.
**DAISY CHAIN + THE LAST REAL CIRCUS + ABBY K at The Nick.
**FREE HOOKAH FRIDAYS at Blu Onyx, 10 p.m.
**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…
**SATURDAYS IN THE GARDENS at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
**WINE DOWN HAPPY HOUR, 4 p.m.- 9 p.m. at Saferoom Lounge Bar.
**MS. JOHNNIE AND THE JAMMERS Live After Five, 7-10 p.m. at Bistro on 19th located at 109 19th St. N., Bessemer. EVERY 2nd and 4th SATURDAY!!
**SOLD OUT SATURDAYS at the Blu Onyx Every Saturday.
**CIROC SATURDAYS at Blu Onyx.
**SKY CREATURE at The Nick.
**FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND WITH LOGAN THE ENTERTAINER at Perfect Note.
SUNDAY…
**WORSHIP AT THE SIXTH, 9:30 a.m. at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church.
**WOODLAWN STREET MARKET, 12 p.m. at Woodlawn Street Market.
**FOODIES, BEATZ, VIBEZ, 2-9 p.m. at 604 Bar & Lounge at 604 9th St. No.
**SUNDAY FUNDAY TUNES with JASON GRUBBS at The Nick.
DRAG NIGHT at The Nick.
**2 SEXY SUNDAY at the Blu Onyx, 8- 12 p.m.
**SUNDAY FUNDAY for the grown Folks Kickback at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge.
**FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND WITH THE LOCKED BAND at Perfect Note.
MONDAY…
**EVERY MONDAY is MONSLAYYY – THE CARIBBEAN WAY, 8 p.m. at the Vault with TRINI and BRENT TRINI-FRESH PIERRE. FREE.
**BIRMINGHAM BANDSTAND (OPEN MIC) at The Nick.
TUESDAY…
**INDUSTRY NIGHT TUESDAY at Blu Onyx, 8 p.m.
**EVERY TUESDAY – TRUE STORY BREWING JAZZ SESSIONS, 7- 10 p.m., 5510 Crestwood Blvd.
**TASTY TUESDAYS at Platinum of Birmingham.
**EVERY TUESDAY LIT AND JAZZ with DAVID TALLEY AND FRIENDS, 7 p.m. at Lit on 8th, 518 Rev. Abraham Woods Blvd.
**FAT TUESDAY at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge.
**YATRA with KAMIKAZE ZOMBIE & DROOD at The Nick.
WEDNESDAY…
**INTERFAITH NOONDAY PRAYER SERVICES every Wednesday, Noon at Linn Park in Downtown Birmingham.
**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.
**OPEN BAR WEDNESDAY, 8 p.m. at Blu Onyx.
**EVERY 4th WEDNESDAY at FACE’S LOUNGE KARAOKE hosted by ARETTA, 6:30 p.m. at 7070 Aaron Aronov Dr. in Fairfield.
**BAKED SHRIMP with CRIMEDOGS at The Nick.
NEXT THURSDAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**THURSDAY NIGHT WORKOUTS with Live Females at the Blu Onyx.
**ANNIE DUKES with SICKHOT at the Nick.
NEXT FRIDAY…
**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.
**TRIBUTE TO R&B 2000s at Perfect Note.
**MUSTACHE at Iron City.
**SCATTERED HAMLET with ALABANDITS at The Nick.
NEWS TO USE…IN JUNE…
FOR BUSINESS LOVERS…
**TODAY AND TOMORROW…2022 ENTREPRENEURS & INNOVATORS CONFERENCE – CHALLENGE REALITY TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS. Join the BIRMINGHAM METRO BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CONFERENCE, at Tuxedo Ballroom, 2001 Avenue D, Birmingham with Breakouts and so much more, Thursday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
JUNETEENTH EVENTS IN JUNE…
**INAUGURAL JUNETEENTH EMPOWERMENT LUNCHEON, TODAY, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at 1531 First Avenue South. With speakers, networking and powerful content.
**BLACK DIAMOND JUNETEENTH EVENTS – Moving Forward While Looking Back, this weekend… FRIDAY- Juneteenth Banquet, 7-9 p.m. Mistress of Ceremony is CHRISTINE LEE, KUNDAI BAJIKIKAYI of AAPDEP Huntsville and Keynote Speaker KWABENA LUMUMBA, a community activist and photographer from Atlanta. SATURDAY- Film Festival and Music Festival hosted by TIMBUKTU DA POET, 1-9 p.m. and SUNDAY- the Film Festival and Music Festival, 1-5 p.m. at the Crescent Cultural Center located at 1121 Tuscaloosa Avenue SW. For more information call (205) 267-2505.
**NEPTUNE FROST AT SIDEWALK through June 23 at 1821 Second Avenue North.
**BACKYARD BOOGIE AT BCRI, SATURDAY, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at 520 16th Street North, FREE. Check out the BCRI’s newest mobile application, THE MOVEMENT and THE COLOR OF BASEBALL, an exhibit featuring iconic members of the Negro Leagues. You can also participate in “MAGIC WALKS” throughout the Civil Rights District.
**THE INAUGURAL JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL, SATURDAY, 12 Noon – 5 p.m. at 857 Main Street, Gardendale, AL 35071. FREE with Vendors, food and music.
**OMEGA PSI PHI JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION is SUNDAY at the Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens with music by LOGAN THE ENTERTAINER, Health screenings, financial literacy, home buying symposium, vendor shopping, food trucks, fireworks and more.
**THE LIFTING AS WE CLIMB FOUNDATION, SUNDAY, 2 – 9 p.m. at 331 Cotton Avenue S.W. with food trucks, financial advisors, real estate professionals, DJs, scholarship giveaway, fireworks, networking and more.
**JUNETEENTH IN THE MAGIC CITY FESTIVAL, SUNDAY, 4 – 10 p.m. at 521 Third Avenue West. Simone’s Kitchen ATL is bringing the hottest food trucks to celebrate Juneteenth in Birmingham with African dancers, music and a fire show.
**OFFICIAL NATIONAL JUNETEENTH OBSERVANCE FOUNDATION OF ALABAMA COMMEMORATION, SUNDAY, 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 500 17th Street North. FREE with music, education, games, food at Kelly Ingram Park.
**A TASTE OF JUNETEENTH, TUESDAY, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Ben Brown Plaza, 800 Lakeshore Dr., Homewood on Samford University’s campus. FREE.
FOR MUSIC LOVERS …IN JUNE…
**ARETTA WOODRUFF, Father’s Day SUNDAY, at Perfect Note.
**FACE’S LOUNGE KARAOKE hosted by ARETTA, EVERY 4th Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. at 7070 Aaron Aronov Dr. in Fairfield.
MORE MUSIC….IN AUGUST…
**TASTE OF 4TH AVENUE JAZZ FESTIVAL will return to Birmingham’s Historic 4th Avenue Business District on Saturday, August 27 with music, art, food and vendors. It is FREE and open to the Public.
FOR OUTDOORS LOVERS…
**SATURDAY WATERFALL WALK – Meet 8:45 a.m. with Southeastern Outings Waterfall Walk, Stream Wade and Long Swims at South Caney Creek in the Bankhead National Forest – DETAILS: This will be hikes to two beautiful waterfalls on South Caney Creek. Swim at both of the falls. These falls are exceptionally lovely. Walk through the woods to one waterfall, stop, have lunch overlooking the waterfall and swim there and get underneath the waterfall if you wish. Then, wade for about a mile IN the creek to a second, larger waterfall, swim and stand under the waterfall. Then, walk from that second waterfall through the woods back to the cars. In order to prevent traffic congestion at the usual public trail head, vehicles will be parked at a remote location during the entire outing. Outing participants will probably not be able to walk unguided back to their cars before the outing is completed. The walk through the woods portion is completely off trail. For the hikes through the woods, wear long pants. This will reduce your contact with ticks and chiggers and prevent your legs from being scratched. You may wear hiking boots or sturdy water or wading shoes for the in-woods walks. Bring two sturdy hiking poles for wading in the creek. Using poles as you walk in the stream will substantially reduce the chance of your falling! For the creek wade, wear old shorts or a swim suit and sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, loose slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable! Bring a towel along with your picnic lunch and water. After the outing, go to a restaurant for an optional dinner, bring soap, a washcloth, towel and a complete change of clothes with you to be kept in the car during the hike. After the outing is completed, you can wash up and change clothes in the spacious restrooms at the restaurant in Double Springs. Well-behaved, properly-supervised children age 7 and over welcome. Meet 8:45 a.m. at the Floor and Décor Store on Green Springs Highway in Homewood. Depart at 9 a.m. or you may meet the group at 10:30 a.m. at Jacks in Double Springs.Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.netor 205/631-4680.
AT RED MOUNTAIN PARK…
**TUESDAY NIGHT TRAILS through September 13, 5:45 p.m. at Red Mountain Park.
AT THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS…
**STORYTIME AT THE GARDENS is Fridays for preschool-age children designed to promote a love of reading, creativity and gardening while gaining the benefits of visiting the Gardens and being outdoors.
**SUMMER CAMPS is now through July 29 for age 4 – 6th grade with fun themes such as Monet’s Gardens, Wild and Wonderful and Summer Gardeners: From Bees to Trees.
AT VULCAN PARK AND MUSEUM…
**BIRMINGHAM WALKING TOURS – The tours are fun for all ages and cover a variety of topics including local history, architectural styles and influences, preservation efforts and city planning/design and just maybe, a little bit of gossip.
FOR ART LOVERS…
AT SPACE ONE ELEVEN…
**CALLING SUMMER ART CAMP VOLUNTEERS – Space One Eleven is looking for volunteers to help with summer art camps for rising 2nd through 12th grade students. *Rising Grades 2-5 – *I’M AN ALABAMA ARTIST, TOO! for dates June 20 – 24, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Daily.
*Rising Grades 6-12 – *SPECIALTY CAMPS including CAMP Drawing, Digital Art and Clay Camps, June 27-July 1; CAMP Clay, Finding Your Creative Voice and Sew Cool Fashion Camps, July 11-15; CAMP Sew Cool Fashion, Architecture and Portfolio Development Camps, July 18-22; and CAMP Photography Camp, July 25-29. All camps are 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Daily. For more information, go to spaceoneeleven.org.
AT BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART…
**ONE NIGHT ONLY – ART ON THE ROCKS is back for its 16th year on July 15, 7-11 p.m. ONE NIGHT ONLY! ERIC BELLINGER is the featured performer. (Interested in volunteering? Contact artontherocks@artsbma.org.)
AT PAUL R. JONES MUSEUM…in Tuscaloosa…
**FLOW with KELLY TAYLOR MITCHELL and TONY M. BINGHAM, now through July 27. Call (205) 345-3038 for more at Paul R. Jones Museum, 2308 6th Street, Tuscaloosa, AL.
**INAUGURAL ALABAMA TRIENNIAL EXHIBITION – This exhibition is now through August 12 and will feature some of the best and brightest contemporary Alabama artists. The Lydia Cheney and Jim Sokol Endowed Director of AEIVA John Fields and AEIVA Assistant Curator Tina Ruggieri curate the first iteration of the Alabama Triennial. Guest curators from around the region will curate future iterations. Selections will include a wide range of artists of different ages, cultures, interests and artistic mediums. The show includes painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, neon, video, sound art, printmaking and more. Artists featured in the 2022 Alabama Triennial at AEIVA include: Tony Bingham, Jillian Marie Browning, Annie Kammerer Butrus, Tameca Cole, Derek Cracco, Lauren Frances Evans, Steven Mark Finley Jr., Sydney A Foster, Roscoe Hall, Chintia Kirana, Jonathan Lanier, Jasper Lee, Erin LeAnn Mitchell, Lily Reeves, Missy Roll and Lily Ahree Siegel. Each triennial will present a solo exhibition alongside the bigger exhibit to recognize and feature an Alabama artist of particular significance. For the inaugural event, a solo presentation of works by Mitchell, titled “What you don’t have in your head you’ve got to have in your feet,” will accompany the exhibition. Mitchell’s exhibition will occupy AEIVA’s Gallery One. A Free Screening of selected films by artist Lily Ahree Siegel is 6 p.m., July 28. Free Closing Reception and Alabama Triennial book release party is Friday, August 12 with rapid fire artist talks from many participation Alabama Triennial artists.
FOR FILM LOVERS…
**FREE FRIDAY FLICKS at Veterans Park in Homewood.
AT SIDEWALK FILM FESTIVAL…
*Films for Kids and Parents on SATURDAY, July 9 and July 23. The Family Book and Film Club is for families with children of all ages. Register.
*Films for Teens ONLY on SATURDAY, July 9 and July 23. The Teen Book and Film Club is for teens in middle school and High school to read YA books and come to the cinema to view the film and discuss both works. Register.
*Learn: Why No One Wants to Read Your Script with Screenwriter and Script Doctor BRAD C. HODSON on June 29, 7 p.m. In this course, you’ll learn tried and true tips from writers in the trenches actually pitching, optioning, and selling scripts, tips for letting your voice and personality shine through on the page, even when it can’t be filmed and more. Register.
*June Book and Film Club –
Book: She Found It at the Movies: Women Writers on Sex, Desire and Cinema. Film: Set It Off. Screening Date is June 29, 7 p.m. Register.
Book: The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. Film: The Devil Wears Prada. Screening on July 12, & p.m. Register.
*Learn: How to Analyze a Film Without Being a Jerk featuring GARETH JONES every Saturday July 16 – August 6. This is a four-session course on thinking deeper about film in a fun way – Learn a few terms, a bit of film history and have insightful and entertaining discussions. You know, the opposite of how most films are discussed online. Register.
*Filmmaker Happy Hour – Every 3rd Thursday with other filmmakers and discuss your newest projects. Free.
2- Just Films, Deadline is Ongoing. Sidewalk Film Festival support artist-driven film and new media storytelling projects that explore aspects of inequality, as well as the organizations and networks that support these projects.
3- Creator Fund, Deadline is Ongoing. Kickstarter, Creative Capital and Skoll Foundation have partnered to launch a $500,000 Creative Capital x Skoll foundation Fund that backs projects by Asian, Blacks Indigenous and Latinx creators on the crowdfunding platform. Effective immediately funds will be awarded on an ongoing basis to creators with active projects across all of Kickstarter’s categories: Arts, Comics & Illustration, Design & Tech, Film, Food & Craft, Games, Music and Publishing.
4- Reel-Scout. Join Reel-Scout to be listed in the Film Birmingham Crew Database. This allows you to be featured across the City of Birmingham and State of Alabama for film production opportunities.
AT SIXTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
…SEE YOU AT THE SIXTH …
**EVERY MONDAY MORNING MEDITATION WITH PASTOR CANTELOW, 7:15 a.m. Contact the church at (205) 321-1136 or (205) 321-1137.
FOR FOOD LOVERS…
**CCDN FOOD HUBWEDNESDAY, Every Wednesday of each month in Fountain Heights Old Sardis Baptist Church, 1240 4th Street North, 10 – noon. For more, go to www.communitycaredn.org.
**BIRDSONG FARMERS MARKET, Saturdays, 7 a.m. – Noon in downtown Birmingham on 5th Avenue.
**JULY 7-17, 2022 – THE WORLD GAMES 2022 are coming. Look for more!
Well, that’s it. Tell you more ‘next’ time. People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send comments to my emails: gwenderu@yahoo.com and thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com.
Legendary Alabama Sportswriter Rubin Grant Honored With 49 Other Icons
Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
For The Birmingham Times
Rubin Grant vividly remembers the advice he received from his city editor during his news writing internship at Montgomery’s Alabama Journal newspaper in the summer of 1978.
Grant had said he wanted to pursue a career as a sportswriter and his city editor thought he was crazy.
“I asked her why and she said, ‘Because you have a really bright future in news writing,’” he recalled.
But Grant was assigned to cover meetings of the Montgomery County Commission and the aspiring journalist was less than enthused.
“I was bored out of my mind, going to meetings and stuff,” he recalled. “I said I wanted to be where the action is, so to speak, so I’ll just stick to sports.”
Forty-four years later, few who know Grant doubt that he might indeed have been a good news reporter. But fans of his sports writing will give a ringing endorsement that he made the right move.
And some will say he has shown himself worthy of his other calling, as a licensed Baptist minister.
Writing Legend
The 64-year-old Montgomery native who worked a quarter century for the Birmingham Post-Herald, which published its final edition on September 23, 2005, was tabbed in March of this year as one of the 50 sports writing legends as selected by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA).
On Sunday, the ASWA honored Grant along with its other legends at the group’s 50th convention in Birmingham.
Grant is one of just two journalists on that list who is not a white male. Kathy Jo Lumpkin, the daughter of fellow 50 Legends honoree Bill Lumpkin, is the other.
Ginny MacDonald, Grant’s city editor when he interned at the Alabama Journal, laughed when reminded of her sage advice. She wouldn’t change her advice, but is proud of the career Grant has crafted.
“I don’t read a lot of that (sports) but I’m so pleased when I see his name on a sports story because I know it’s going to be well done,” she said, “simply because, like I said in 1978, he’s an extremely good writer. And he’s a really delightful human being.”
The legend status bestowed by ASWA is just the latest accolade for Grant, who in 2008 was inducted into the Birmingham Barons Hall of Fame after 25 years of covering the team. In 1981, he and Paul Finebaum received the ASWA’s Herby Kirby Award for the top sports story, the recruitment of top basketball prospect Bobby Lee Hurt from Huntsville’s Butler High School.
Grant was the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame’s 2021 Mel Allen Media Award recipient for his career as a sports writer. Coincidentally, he writes the bios of each year’s inductees to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF).
The Mel Allen Award brings a bit of irony as it is named for the Birmingham native who was inducted into the ASHOF in 1974 after being known as the “Voice of the New York Yankees” for two decades. Grant thought about taking a similar path.
“I considered broadcasting more so than print journalism because anyone who watches a game with me will tell you that’s where I’m best at,” he said. “I see things, even just watching the television before the commentators even comment on it.”
Reoriented
But the would-be broadcaster was reoriented as a freshman at the University of Alabama in the summer of 1975. He was asked if he wanted to pursue broadcast journalism or print and he responded print, because he was familiar with that as the sports editor of his high school yearbook.
“Alabama did not train me to be a sports writer. They trained me to be a journalist,” Grant said. “They formed an investigative reporting team for the Crimson White (student newspaper) and I was on that team. I was actually named political editor for my junior year.”
The student journalist said he got tired of clashing with The Machine – “the Greek system at UA that rules student politics on campus and has a stronghold on politics in the state after students graduate.” He resigned from being political editor with the Crimson White and approached the sports editor about writing for him during Grant’s junior year.
As a senior, Grant was named sports editor, becoming the first Black person to hold that position in the 1978-79 school year.
Since 2004, he has worked as a freelance journalist and now serves as sports editor of the Over The Mountain Journal. He also co-authored “Tales from Alabama Prep Football” with Ron Ingram, the former prep sports editor for The Birmingham News and another of the ASWA 50 sports writing legends.
“We spent about a year putting it together,” Ingram said of the book. “It was a lot of fun putting it together and it was just a real great opportunity.”
Despite working for rival newspapers, Ingram said he and Grant were never rivals. They are great friends, even to this day, who share a love for high school sports.
“That just seemed to be the thing that I really connected with and enjoyed, and Rubin was the same way,” said Ingram, now the director of communications for the Alabama High School Athletic Association. “But Rubin could write about anything. Every Monday, I get a devotional from him that he sends to me that’s almost like a sermonette. It’s well-researched and documented and it really is an uplifting message for the week. It kind of helps me get going.”
Deeper Calling
Those weekly writings – Do You Know What Time It Is?, or DYK for short – give a peek into Grant’s deeper calling. Beyond delivering sports or news, he delivers the good news of the Gospel as a licensed Baptist minister.
Grant was raised in St. James Baptist Church No. 2 in Montgomery. He said his “deep dive” into religion came after watching the movie, The Ten Commandments.
“Cecil B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston,” he said in a booming, majestic tone. But Grant wasn’t content just to watch. Even then, he was fact checking.
“I picked up a Bible,” he said. “I wanted to see if this was an accurate depiction. I knew nothing about poetic license and all of that and the trumped-up romance between Moses and Nefertiti. I started searching the Scriptures to see whether the Ten Commandments lined up with what the Bible said.”
There were people at his church who said, “You’re gonna be a preacher.” He too had that inkling, as did his wife, Wardinia.
“I kind of knew that myself, knew about this calling,” he recalled. “After we got married, Dina prayed — She knew it too – that the Lord would just give us one year together before I went into the ministry.”
Grant preached his trial sermon in September 1981 at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Birmingham’s Riley Neighborhood, and became a licensed Baptist minister under the National Baptist Association that year.
The couple celebrated 42 years of marriage on May 3. They have a daughter Krystal Folkestad, her husband Evan and a grandson, 3-year-old Cyrus Stefan Folkestad.
Grant said he is a three-time graduate of Montgomery’s George Washington Carver High School, having completed elementary, junior high and senior high school there. He was an outfielder on the Carver baseball team and wanted to be the next Willie Mays.
“That’s how I became a (Major League Baseball San Francisco) Giants fan,” he said. “But obviously I didn’t have the ability to go beyond high school.”
But baseball was not his first sports love. That was the NFL.
“I was a Baltimore Colts fan, a diehard Baltimore Colts fan,” Grant said. “My mom used to let me leave church and come home to watch the NFL game that started at noon. I probably would be dead now if we had the availability to watch all the stuff (we do) now. I can hear her saying, ‘You’re not going to sit up in this house and watch TV all day, or watch football all day. You’re gonna have to do some other stuff.’
“If I had protested then, well let’s just say I wouldn’t be sitting here now,” he laughed.
Updated at 9:10 a.m. on 6/14/22 to make edits.
