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‘I Was Overtaken by Her Beauty and I Actually Said Out Loud — ‘She’s Going to Be My Wife’’

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

SANDRA & JAMES WILKERSON

Live: Pleasant Grove

Married: May 15, 1993

Met: April 14, 1991, in Quantico, Virginia, at a career level school while serving in the United States Marine Corps. “We were both on active duty in leadership school that was required in order to be promoted to a higher rank,” said Sandra. “And the first Monday morning we had to have on our uniform and be outside in formation at 6:30. And out of 100 [marines in the leadership school], only eight of us were women. We got out there and we’re all standing in formation waiting for the Gunnery Sergeant to come and tell us what to do.”

The Gunnery Sergeant split them into two platoons and told them to begin the march. In Sandra’s platoon, the men were slow to take the lead, so the sergeant challenged someone to step up, and Sandra jumped into position and started leading the second platoon to the school and “calling cadences.” This is when she caught James’ eye.

“I was overtaken by her beauty and I actually said out loud— ‘I’m going to marry her, she’s going to be my wife’— and two of her girlfriends who were marching in my platoon and heard me, and once we made it to the school, they told Sandra what they’d overheard,” James said. “ … at some point [over the course of 6 weeks] we got comfortable with one another and it led to us finally having a conversation. It was fruitful. Some days we were in the same class and some days we weren’t. And on those days [that we weren’t … I used to speed the clock waiting for the end of the day because the next day meant I would get to see her again,” he said.

At the end of the six weeks, the two went on their first date right before graduation and before returning to their duty stations: James, to Lexington Park, Maryland, and Sandra, to Norfolk, Virginia.

First date: Golden Corral, in Quantico, Virginia. “We were casually dressed, and we rode together to the restaurant in my car. And we talked about the things that we enjoyed about the Marine Corps being committed, professional Marines, our retirement plans, and making sure we were hitting all the milestones so that when we did retire, we’d be financially stable,” James said.

“And then the conversation turned to what he was looking for: are you ready to settle down, are you looking for a long-term relationship? We were both in our late 20’s, and I wasn’t looking to settle down at the moment, I was furthering my education, dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s…,” Sandra said, “and since my job in the Marine Corp was military police, I was always guarded and conscious about the caliber of people I was around. They were a three-hour drive apart, and alternated weekends going to see one another at their respective stations.

The turn: James’ orders would soon take him to California, while Sandra remained in Virginia. But in 1992, Sandra was sent to Anniston, Alabama, for another training “and that’s when I fell in love with Bessemer,” said Sandra, a North Carolina native.

After finding out about Sandra’s Anniston duties, James asked her to meet his mother — who lived in Bessemer — and Sandra agreed, visited Mrs. Jennie Wilkerson, and the visit cemented the relationship between James and Sandra.

Sandra and James Wilkerson met in 1991, in Quantico, Virginia, at a career level school while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. The couple married in 1993. (Provided Photos)

The proposal: November 1992, while Sandra visited James during the Thanksgiving holiday in San Clemente, California, where he was stationed. James noted that prior to his proposal, he had flown to Charlotte to ask her mother, Lorraine Love, for her hand in marriage, in the absence of her father, the late KW Love.

“We were getting ready to go have dinner at TGI Fridays, and Sandra went in the back to touch up her makeup, and when she returned to the living room, I approached her, got down on one knee and presented her with the ring that I had custom made for her and asked her to marry me,” James said. “I gave a lengthy speech, but I stated that my life had never been more exciting than it had been since the moment I laid eyes on her, and it would be an honor to spend the rest of my life with her. And of course, I ended it with ‘would you marry me?’, and of course, I got a ‘yes’, and a kiss,” he laughed.

“I was overwhelmed,” said Sandra, “it was unexpected. I saw his lips moving but I couldn’t hear anything coming out of his mouth. The ring was big and sparkling, it was a 2-karat diamond ring, and I told myself that when his lips stop moving just say ‘yes’ so you can get this ring on your finger, and that’s exactly what I did,” she laughed.

The wedding: In Vista, California, at The Little Chapel of Light. “We were having our home in California built and opted not to have an expensive wedding and instead put the money into the house. James had a cousin, James Cook III, who was also in the Marine Corps and stationed out there with us, and he and his wife, Martha were our only witnesses,” Sandra recalled. “I didn’t have on a gown, I had on a blue and white jumpsuit, and James wore blue slacks, and a white long-sleeved shirt. After that, we treated them to some Red Lobster, and it was a wrap,” Sandra said.

Most memorable for the bride was sharing a meal with their cousins after their nuptials. “Treating our cousins to Red Lobster to thank them for being there with us and telling them how much it meant to have some biological family there to share that moment with us made it so special, and that was perfect for me,” Sandra said.

Most memorable for the groom: “After we departed, we went to our home, which was under construction, and we crossed the threshold as husband and wife. We walked about the house holding hands and sharing a conversation about how blessed we were to be in this union and for God allowing us to share this life together. It was a moment of reflection, thanksgiving, gratitude, and feeling so blessed to start our family in California,” said James.

The couple settled in California at Camp Pendleton and raised their two sons until their retirement from the military in 2003. Throughout their military careers, both James and Sandra had deployments that took them separately to several countries.

Asked about their honeymoon, Sandra said — “No honeymoon then, but that’s why we honeymoon so much now.” They’ve been to Greece, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Hawaii, and more. “And we’re headed to Dubai next month in April. We also enjoy a lot of statewide travel, we love the NBA and we like to travel for games…,” Sandra said.

Words of wisdom: “Don’t take yourself too seriously, every issue cannot be an issue. Choose your battles wisely and at the end of the day look your mate in the eye and know in your heart that you’re in it together and you’re in it to win it,” Sandra said.

“Never stop dating. Always reflect upon the moment you guys met and the things that brought you joy in the beginning; they are the things that will sustain you over the long haul. Be cognizant of the things important to your spouse: birthdays, anniversaries, favorite meals, movies, etc. And as Sandra said, ‘don’t take life too seriously,’ but find time in your relationship for spiritual enrichment, James said.

Happily ever after: The Wilkerson’s moved to Birmingham from Columbia, South Carolina after retiring from the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2018 and 2019, had their retirement home built in Pleasant Grove and took residence in January 2020. They attend Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer, where James serves a Deacon, a member of the security team, teaches adult Sunday school, and sings in the male chorus. Sandra is a Deaconess, and serves on the missionary, hospitality, and security team. They have two adult sons, James and Steven, and four grandchildren.

Sandra, 62, is a Charlotte, North Carolina native, and attended The University of Phoenix where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business management, Central Michigan University, where she obtained a master’s degree in education, and Webster University, where she received a master’s degree in human resource management. She retired from active duty with the United States Marine Corp in 2003, as a First Sergeant, after 20 years of service. Sandra then retired from the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2019, as a supervisor at the National Call Center, and now enjoys a life of leisure and travel.

James, 64, is a Bessemer native, and McAdory High School grad. He attended The University of Phoenix, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business management, Central Michigan University where he obtained a master’s degree in education, and Webster University, where he received a master’s degree in human resource management.

“We completed our second master’s degree together and took all the same courses and shared one book,” James added. James is a 33rd degree Mason and retired from active duty with the United States Marine Corp in 2003, as a First Sergeant after 22 years and 9 months of service. He then retired from the Department of Veteran Affairs in 2018, as a supervisor from the accounting department of the fiduciary hub. James is currently running for City Council government in Pleasant Grove.

Also, the couple hosts a marriage group of six couples from different states that they do life with. Last year, the Wilkerson’s hosted a marriage retreat for their marriage group in their home, converting all of their guest bedrooms into “honeymoon suites”, and had a weekend of planned activities that included a group vow renewal performed by their pastor, Pastor Angelo Hines Sr. of Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer.

“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.

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Birmingham’s Revenues Have Increased, So Have Some Neighborhood Complaints  

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Birmingham Times
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With members of the Birmingham City Council in the front row, Mayor Randall Woodfin speaks during the City’s second annual budget town hall last week at Boutwell Auditorium. (Sym Posey, The Birmingham Times)

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times

Robert Walker, president of the Wahouma Neighborhood and East Lake community, said his neighborhood has a problem that “affects overall neighborhood vitality” and only the City of Birmingham can address it.

“A lot of properties sitting there are dilapidated, they’re investment properties. There is not much we can do about that, but we look to city hall to do something about that,” said Walker, during the city’s second annual budget town hall last week at Boutwell Auditorium.

Mayor Randall Woodfin spoke to a crowd of community leaders, representatives, and Birmingham residents on the city’s 2024-2025 spending plan which he said addresses some of Walker’s concerns.

“Our priorities are your priorities. … The things you desire, the things you complain about, are the things we spend the most money on in neighborhoods,” Woodfin told the audience.

According to the city’s official operation budget for FY25 , total revenues increased to $582 million from the previous year, which was $576 million.

Woodfin said neighborhood investments increased to $21 million from $18.2 million. Of that spending, sidewalk projects grew the most, from $200,000 to $1 million. Traffic calming doubled from the previous year, to $500,000.

Other highlights included:

• Costs for city departments increased to $505 million from $464 million. Non-departmental spending — which includes everything from pensions to employee parking — fell by more than half, to $10.4 million.

• Youth services spending has remained steady for the past three fiscal years, at about $6 million. However, the 2025 fiscal year did include an additional $250,000 put toward the Small Magic early childhood education program.

• Transportation spending also stayed steady from the previous fiscal year, at $16.7 million. Woodfin said he would like to expand public transportation, but the state constitution has been an issue, saying it directs public funds to roads and bridges, but excludes funding for buses.

“We live in the state of Alabama where a significant amount of people, who live in urban and rural Alabama, are working class Alabamians who simply need to get to their job or simply need to get to their doctors’ appointment, or need to get somewhere,” said Woodfin. “They deserve more efficient public transportation. The best way to do that is have the state fund public transportation.”

The city soon will be drafting a budget for the 2025-2026 year, due by July 1.

T.D. Jakes Stepping Aside as Lead Pastor at Dallas Megachurch The Potter’s House

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Birmingham Times
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Bishop T.D. Jakes in Atlanta in 2022. (File)

NBC Dallas-Fort Worth Staff

A major shakeup is coming to one of the biggest churches in Dallas, as Bishop T.D. Jakes announced Sunday he’s handing over leadership of The Potter’s House congregation to his daughter and son-in-law.

The emotional announcement comes months after Jakes had a massive heart attack while delivering a sermon on stage at the church.

“You have been faithful to God, and you have been faithful to me,” T.D. Jakes told the congregation during Sunday morning’s service at The Potter’s House. “And I’m so grateful.”

Holding back tears, Jakes thanked his church family and announced he’s stepping down as head pastor of The Potter’s House. His daughter and son-in-law, pastors Sarah Jakes Roberts and Toure Roberts, will take over as soon as July.

“I’m grateful, I’m honored, as your daughter,” said Sarah Jakes Roberts. “I’m so happy you’re going to get some rest.”

T.D. Jakes founded The Potter’s House in 1996. The church said this move had been years in the making, but it came just months after a near-tragedy.

During a sermon in November, Jakes was hospitalized after having a massive heart attack on stage. He told NBC’s TODAY show that doctors said if he’d arrived five minutes later, he would have died.

“I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me and you be sheep without a shepherd,” said Jakes.

Members of the congregation said they were left feeling a mix of emotions after the announcement.

“I was sad, it’s hard to replace an icon like Bishop, I mean, it’s just hard to do that,” said Patrick Moore. “It’s actually impossible to do that, so very sad.”

Church members told NBC 5 that although losing a pastor who’s impacted the community for years hurt, they hoped the change would help The Potter’s House into the next generation.

“Transition is always tough, in anything we do, it’s a tough thing,” said Moore. “So I have trepidation about it, but it’s still an exciting time too.”

The Potter’s House says Jakes will remain chairman of the church’s board and spiritual overseer. More information about the transition can be found here.

After BSC Closed its Doors, Samford University Opened its Arms for Jay Raby

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Birmingham Times
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Jay Raby on the Samford University campus with the dome of Divinity Hall in the background. (Solomon Crenshaw, Jr. For The Birmingham Times)

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. | For The Birmingham Times

J’Maureai “Jay” Raby didn’t see it coming. In no way would he have had winning the 2025 Mr. Samford Contest on his scorecard, even if he’d had a scorecard.

The senior health science major at Samford University figured the winner would be the Crowd Favorite who won the talent contest. Or maybe the guy who raised the most money in the Think Pink Breast Cancer Initiative.

But there was Raby, a transfer from the now-closed Birmingham-Southern College (BSC), standing near the end of the March 2025 competition on the stage of Samford’s Wright Center holding hands with the other finalist.

“Then they called my name, and I was like, ‘What?’ It was crazy. I was shocked,” recalled Raby. “I definitely did not think I was gonna win.”

Raby spent the first three years of his collegiate career across town at BSC, but the institution that he loved from his first visit didn’t survive its money woes. After growing up in the Jefferson County, Alabama, cities of Bessemer and Hueytown and graduating from John Carroll Catholic High School, he figured his next graduation would be from BSC. But it wasn’t meant to be.

On Friday, May 2, Raby will walk across the stage at the Pete Hanna Center on the Samford University campus with fellow graduates to receive their degrees. He and the other former BSC students will wear a BSC stole. And about a week before graduation, they were given special permission to meet on the BSC campus for photos at the bell tower in the academic quad of the west side college.

“BSC is always going to have a special place in my heart,” he said. “I got to attend the last BSC graduation [in 2024]. I had a lot of friends graduating and, at that moment, all I could think was that I wouldn’t get that feeling, that sense of belonging.

“In a sense, with [BSC] being gone and the fact that they’re having a stole made for us, it really just means a lot,” Raby continued. “It feels like I have a piece of what I won’t get, if that makes sense.”

Jay Raby on the Samford University campus with the school library in the background. (Solomon Crenshaw Jr., For The Birmingham Times)

Spring Break to Heartbreak

In 2024, BSC’s board of trustees announced that the private liberal arts school in the Bush Hills community on the west side of Birmingham would close for good, turning students’ spring break into heartbreak.

“We went on spring break, and we knew that the future of the college was up in the air,” Raby recalled. “I believe it was the middle of spring break when we received the email saying they voted to close the school. It was a shock. It was eerie when we got back to school, … just different.”

After three years at BSC, the health science major would need to find a new home to complete his bachelor’s degree.

“Samford, specifically, had a transfer deal for us where they would match the tuition we paid at BSC and they would waive and accept a lot of the courses they wouldn’t normally accept if you were transferring under other circumstances,” said Raby, who also considered the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Troy University.

Samford proved more comfortable for Raby, a member of the Tau Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, which was established at Samford and BSC. The open feel of Samford helped him feel at home, he said.

“We have cadres, … BSC student-only cadres,” said Raby. “There’s over 60 BSC seniors here currently. Samford went out of their way to set up things like that to make sure we succeeded in a new community, a new environment.”

But Raby wasn’t content to simply be at Samford. He wanted to be involved.

“In my time being here, transferring as a senior, there wasn’t a lot that I could get involved in. It was kind of hard. It was rough because I was involved in so much at [BSC],” said Raby, who had been a resident advisor and a member of the Black Student Union at BSC.

“I told my fraternity brother, ‘I haven’t had the chance to be involved in anything and really leave my mark on Samford,’” he said. “[I wanted to] do just one thing and make someone smile and leave Samford with something like it gave me.”

Went to BSC, Samford Grad

Mr. Samford, a spring fundraiser of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, provided that stage and Raby took advantage. The competition included lip-synch performances, a talent show, and an interview question.

“The lip sync was fun,” said Raby. “All 18 guys had one minute to perform a lip-synch of their choice and in character as well.”

The transfer student chose to do “Single Ladies” by R&B megastar Beyoncé, which he did during freshman orientation at BSC.

“I got to compete in that competition and ultimately ended up winning it with that song,” he said. “So, why not?”

For his talent, Raby recreated the “Carlton Dance,” made famous by actor Alfonso Ribeiro on the television show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” It was a daring move, considering he did it while wearing an oversized cutout mask of Samford President Beck Taylor, who helped judge the competition.

The school president enjoyed the performance so much that he shared it on his Instagram account, jokingly posting, “While I didn’t win Mr. Samford today, I left it all out there on the stage!”

Raby’s interview question likely also scored points. “He was able to kind of share his heart behind coming to Samford as a senior and how that can kind of be hard as well,” said Abbey Duke, vice president of philanthropy for the sponsoring sorority. “He was just outstanding. The judges definitely saw that and saw his charisma on stage. He was OK with looking a little bit silly to show that he was into it and having a good time. I think that made everyone else have a good time, too.”

Mr. Samford 2025 is already planning his response to an expected question.

“Whenever people ask me where I graduated from, where I got my undergrad [degree], I’ll say I went to [BSC], but I graduated from Samford. That’s my answer,” said Raby.

Miles College Responds to New White House Initiative on HBCUs

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Birmingham Times
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Miles College has been selected as the pilot site for the national rollout of the MentorPRO platform. (File)

By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times

President Donald Trump last week announced a new White House Initiative on HBCUs, and some of Alabama’s 14 HBCUs are in a state of uncertainty as they scramble to secure their futures.

The new initiative will “prioritize private-sector partnerships, institutional development, and workforce preparation in high-growth industries like technology, health care, manufacturing, and finance.”

The goal is to foster research, improve affordability and retention and “building pipelines for students to attend HBCUs.”

The initiative includes an annual meeting and a board of advisors within the Department of Education “from philanthropy, education, business, finance, entrepreneurship, innovation, private foundations and current HBCU presidents.”

Miles College President Bobbie Knight said in a statement her institution “is not confused about the intent or importance of the executive actions regarding HBCUs.”

“We fully recognize and appreciate the efforts of the current and past administrations to support and invest in our institutions,” she said. “We acknowledge the establishment of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, prioritizing partnerships, workforce development, and critical industries such as technology, health care, manufacturing, and finance.”

Knight added that “education is not a partisan issue, and the success of HBCUs should be a national priority. When we thrive, America thrives. We appreciate both orders and actions supporting our nation’s HBCUs and look forward to working with the current administration to advance growth and sustainability for future generations.”

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) expressed appreciation for the executive order, stating that it reaffirms President Trump’s support for investment in HBCUs. TMCF President & CEO Dr. Harry L. Williams emphasized that the order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, and lawmakers to support HBCUs and their students.

Trump has sent mixed messages to HBCUs, who focus on educating Black Americans but who also support a wide array of research, scholarship and jobs.

Recent executive orders banning diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and pausing many avenues of federal funding have left some HBCU administrators in a difficult position.

HBCUs contribute billions to local economies and produce influential leaders. And they rely heavily on federal funding, both for research and teaching and for student support. An estimated 70 percent of students at HBCUs receive Pell grants and are considered financially high-need, according to the United Negro College Fund.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture temporarily canceled and then reinstated a $19 million scholarship program for HBCUs. The cancellation jeopardized the financial status of dozens of Alabama students.

The expected lifetime earnings of 2021 Alabama HBCU graduates is more than $15 billion, according to the United Negro College Fund’s HBCU Impact Report. Local and regional economies gained $1.4 billion from HBCUs in 2021. More than 13,000 jobs were created on and off campus.

Among the Black American population in the country, 40 percent of Congress, 50 percent of lawyers and 80 percent of judges graduated from an HBCU, according to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

A 2023 federal per-student funding analysis showed Alabama land-grant HBCUs were underfunded compared to other land-grant schools by more than $500 million, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Alabama Native and First Black US Secretary of Labor, Alexis Herman Dies at 77

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Birmingham Times
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Alexis Herman, the first Black U.S. Secretary of Labor, died Friday at the age of 77. (AP File)

By Patrick Darrington | pdarrington@al.com

Alexis Herman, the first Black U.S. Secretary of Labor, died Friday at the age of 77.

Herman, a native of Mobile, served as the labor secretary in President Bill Clinton’s administration in 1997 until 2001.

Bill and Hillary Clinton released a statement regarding Herman’s passing saying they were “deeply saddened” while describing her many accomplishments.

In 1977, under former President Jimmy Carter, Herman became the youngest person ever to serve as the director of the Women’s Bureau, a role she accepted at 29 years old.

Current U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer released a statement following Herman’s death saying her career was, “defined by her commitment to public service and her dedication to American workers.“

“After previously working at the department, Herman became the U.S. Secretary of Labor from May 1, 1997, to Jan. 20, 2001 — the first African American to do so,” Chavez-DeRemer said.

“As a leader in business, government, and her community, she was a trailblazer who dedicated her life to strengthening America’s workforce and creating better lives for hardworking families. All of us at the Department of Labor are grateful to Herman for her service and leadership, and we extend our sympathy to her family and many friends.”

The NAACP called Herman a “pioneering leader” who provided “trailblazing leadership.”

As a child, her father sued to integrate the Democratic Party in Alabama and later became the state’s first Black ward leader.

On Christmas Eve when she was five, they were run off the road as her father drove her home.

He put a pistol in his young daughter’s hands and stepped out of their car to confront the Ku Klux Klan.

Her father told her to shoot anyone who opened the door. She crouched down and listened as he was beaten.

“He taught me that you have to face adversity. He taught me to stand by my principles,” she told a reporter in 1997.

A 1968 graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans, she was a marketing consultant who owned her own business in Washington. Herman considered an expert in the field of multiculturalism and diversity management involving mergers and acquisitions.

In 1992, at age 45, she was appointed one of two deputy directors of President-elect Clinton’s transition team, following her role as chief executive officer of the Democratic National Convention.

U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, also released a statement mourning Herman’s passing saying she was a “true hometown hero, legendary trailblazer, family friend, and mentor,” Figures said.

Figures said he grew up knowing Herman and she served as a mentor to him as he sought advice from her before running for Congress and joining former President Barack Obama’s campaign.

“She was a fighter for civil rights and women’s rights, a giant in DC political circles, especially amongst Black women, and an all-around dynamic woman,” Figures said.

“Born and raised in Mobile, she came of age with a generation of Black people who all went on to break through color barriers and become the “‘firsts’ of many things throughout their careers.“

This fight for civil rights led Herman to return home after college to help desegregate parochial schools in Mobile.

”Along the way, she never forgot where she came from, and always reached back to help,” Figures said.

“Whether it was raising money to save historical Black private schools in Mobile, or supporting local charitable initiatives. But perhaps her greatest contribution was helping advance career opportunities for young people. Countless people from Mobile to DC can attribute their career success in whole or in part to Alexis Herman.

“I am proud to have known her, and blessed to have had her life and career to serve as inspiration for my own. Thank you, Ms. Herman, and job well done.”

Hoover (AL) High Grad, UAB Drum Major Cameron Rodgers-Johnson is Composing a Career in Music

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Birmingham Times
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UAB drum major Cameron Rodgers-Johnson has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music, with a concentration in instrumental music education. (UAB)

By Shannon Thomason | UAB News

Cameron Rodgers-Johnson left no crumbs while earning his degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The award-winning composer and arranger, 23, explored every opportunity he could in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music, playing with the Symphony and Wind Symphony Concert bands, Jazz Combo and Jazz Ensemble, and in the Marching Blazers, becoming a drum major in 2023. Alongside that, Rodgers-Johnson participated in chamber ensembles such as UAB’s Trumpet ensembles and in the Blazer Brass Quintet.

Rodgers-Johnson has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music, with a concentration in instrumental music education, and with high distinguished honors in Global and Community Leadership from the UAB Honors College. He will walk in UAB’s commencement Saturday, May 3, and after graduation will study music composition; so far, he has been accepted to graduate programs in at least two schools.

During his UAB college experience he learned how to teach and inspire others, and not give up, even in the face of failure. He rose to meet challenges with dedication and hard work.

Rodgers-Johnson began playing trumpet in sixth grade and was in Hoover High School’s Marching, Concert, Jazz and Show Choir bands before graduating in 2020. Prior to that spring, he was set on going away for school after living in Birmingham his whole life. His mom, a nurse, has worked at UAB for 24 years, and Rodgers-Johnson knew and respected the Department of Music’s Cara Morantz, Ed.D., who supports local high school bands in the area and does a great deal of recruitment for the department. She was a big part of why he chose music education at UAB. In hindsight, choosing to stay close to home was a blessing in disguise, he says.

“I do not think I would have had half of the opportunities I got here at UAB had I left to go even to another university in state,” he said. “It was the best decision I could have made for my musical development and just my development as a person up until this point.”

His original plan was to be a band director, a job that has given a lot of meaning to his life. While earning his degree, from 2022 to 2024 Rodgers-Johnson worked in band camps and as visiting band staff for Hoover High School, Gardendale High School and at UAB, teaching basic marching fundamentals.

At UAB, he earned the Global and Community Leadership Honors Program Dean’s Scholarship and the UAB Marching Band Dean’s Scholarship and was in the McNair Scholars Program. A resident assistant at UAB since 2021, he helped connect residents to resources at UAB and to their peers.

Rodgers-Johnson auditioned for drum major every single year in high school and failed. He auditioned every year since he was a freshman at UAB — and was told no three times. His answer to his peers who questioned why he would keep going?

“Yes, I’m crazy enough to still keep trying after being told no this many times,” he said. “Finally having that dream realized and getting to do it with my other two drum majors, Gavin Bell and Caroline East, two people who I now call my best friends for life, was a dream come true.”

Throughout his degree program, he studied classical trumpet with James Zingara, DMA, jazz trumpet with Steve Roberts, DMA, and composition with William Price, DMA. Rodgers-Johnson had always been interested in music composition, and tried in high school, but says he did not yet have the theory knowledge plus the formal music training to understand how it works. After undertaking more training, and dedicating more time to exploring music, he decided to try his hand at it again and see what happened. In spring of his sophomore year, he won his first composer’s award.

“The first green light of validation, OK, maybe I am not completely bad at this, let’s explore this,” Rodgers-Johnson said. “And then I just kind of took that rope and ran with it.”

Rodgers-Johnson directs the Marching Blazers during band camp on the Intramural Fields. (UAB)

The Alabama Music Educators Association chose Rodgers-Johnson as a finalist in the Young Composers Competition each year since 2022. In 2024 he was a semifinalist in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards Competition. His work “Impetus” for brass quintet was commissioned by Alabama Symphony Orchestra President Mark Patrick. In 2023, Rodgers-Johnson was named one of the Call for Scores winners for the Diversify the Stand/Trumpeter’s Multitrack Competition with his piece for Trumpet Ensemble titled “All Shall Come.”

In 2023, his work “An American Outcry” was featured and performed by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Wind Symphony at the National Council on Undergraduate Research’s annual Conference. Other commissioned works include “Down Where the River Flows” and “Geometric Force,” both for concert band; “On an echo,” for flugelhorn and trumpet; “The Princess of Pop,” for concert band; and “Shelter Tree,” for marimba and clarinet, commissioned by his drum major colleagues Bell and East. He would go on to arrange several of the stand tunes currently being performed by the Marching Blazers at football games and with the Blazer Band in Bartow Arena.

A graduate degree in music composition typically entails learning the craft of writing music for all types of mediums such as band, choir, orchestra, chamber groups and more. To Rodgers-Johnson, it means investing time into the history and traditions of writing music, learning the craft and what made the composers and arrangers of the past successful. He will tailor that into how he wants to carry himself as a composer and what he wants his musical voice to be, he says.

“Whatever I do, I just want to be able to give back to the music community in some aspect in the way that it fulfilled and gave back to me,” Rodgers-Johnson said.

Morantz says she is “bursting” with pride reflecting on Rodgers-Johnson’s journey.

“Cameron has always known exactly who he wants to be, and his success is a tribute to his unwavering pursuit of that vision,” Morantz said. “With his deep love of composition, I could not be more excited to see him enter graduate school and allow those skills to fully blossom. He has a very bright future ahead.”

Updated at 11:58 a.m. on 6/9/2025 to correct the byline.

Op-Ed: We’re Fixing the Birmingham Water Works. SB 330 Would Set Us Back

By
Birmingham Times
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On Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law legislation that re-shapes the Birmingham Water Works Board. (File)

By Tereshia Huffman and Butch Burbage

The Birmingham Water Works serves over 770,000 residents across five counties. With a new leadership team in place over the past year, we’ve taken major strides to rebuild public trust, modernize this critical infrastructure and deliver better service – and our customers are noticing. Customer complaints have dropped by more than 95 percent, reflecting real, measurable progress. But now, all this progress is threatened by Senate Bill 330, which would derail improvements we’ve made and diminish the voices of people we serve.

SB 330 will pause, and in many cases completely cancel, critically important work that is underway to benefit our customers in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount, and Walker counties.

SB 330 is an example of government overreach. It consolidates power over one of Birmingham’s most important utilities in the hands of a few people who have no knowledge of the system or its true impact on its service area.

Over several decades, the Birmingham Water Works experienced multiple issues as an organization because prior boards did not focus on system priorities but instead fell into personality conflicts and ethical lapses. The organization has been a political punching bag for decades – and deservedly so in some instances. However, there is a new board and new leadership that puts customers first.

Across the board improvements in customer service, communication and water infrastructure are being made. At this key moment in our history, when this board has demonstrated consistently that providing the best quality water to our customers is our only priority, now is not the time for legislators to make this ill-advised and short-sighted decision.

The makeup of board appointments, as currently constructed, is an accurate reflection of our customer base. Nearly 92 percent of our customers reside in Jefferson County, with 41 percent of those in the City of Birmingham. Shelby County makes up 8 percent and Blount County less than 0.17 percent. These are the facts, and they completely counter the “statistics” some legislators have used to justify SB 330.

SB330 would take this accurate makeup of the board and instead replace it with a board that includes appointments from the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and counties that represent only a small fraction of our customer base. This sudden and dramatic change would effectively silence the majority of Birmingham Water Works customers. SB 330 would place outsized power in the hands of those who represent only 1/10th of the people we serve and politicians who live far away.

Senator Roberts’ bill creates a dangerous precedent for legislators in the capitol injecting themselves into very local matters not in their districts. If this bill is passed, what is to stop legislators from North or South Alabama enacting legislation that drastically impacts only Central Alabama without their input?

This shift would damage the steps we have taken to increase and improve our relationships across our five-county service area. The proactive working relationships our team now has with the municipalities we serve has been very impactful. Communications related to service disruptions, street and property repairs, and major projects have been well-received by elected officials and our customers. This higher level of communication did not exist prior to this current board.

And this board’s primary focus has been, and will continue to be, improving our system and customer service. Customer complaints have dramatically decreased from over 10,000 a month to under 500 due to our expansion of customer service leadership and a rethinking of the best ways to reach our customers. Additionally, this board is implementing a brand-new Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI), which allows for more accurate, frequent readings of customer meters. The delay in starting the AMI project was a failure of past boards and something this current leadership structure is fixing.

Under SB 330, these critically important infrastructure projects, along with dozens of others this leadership team has initiated — including the much-needed rehabilitation of the Lake Purdy Dam, one of the key water sources of the Birmingham Water Works — would be impacted and delayed, meaning higher costs could be passed on to the customer.

We believe the urgency and dedication this board and leadership team has shown in addressing longstanding issues should allow for additional time to see them through. Gone are the days of leadership sweeping issues under the rug or delaying them for another time. This team is taking action to make the system better today and in the future.

We are directing more resources to customer service, critical infrastructure, and the long-term success of the Birmingham Water Works . This board is driven by what is best for our customers and we strongly believe SB 330 will be a major setback to the great progress we are making.

We urge members of the Alabama House of Representatives to vote “no” on SB330. It would replace real progress with more politics.

Tereshia Huffman is Chair of the Birmingham Water Works Board and Butch Burbage is Vice Chair.

May 1 Deadline Nears for Birmingham Promise Scholarship Applications

By
Birmingham Times
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Seniors in Birmingham City Schools face a May 1 deadline to complete their Birmingham Promise scholarship applications. (Adobe Stock)

dcwins.com 

Seniors in Birmingham City Schools face a May 1 deadline to complete their Birmingham Promise scholarship applications and ensure they have an opportunity to attend college tuition-free.

The program covers up to four years of tuition in public Alabama colleges and universities for all Birmingham City Schools graduates. To date, Promise has provided more than $11 million in tuition assistance to more than 1,600 graduates of Birmingham City Schools.

“This is an opportunity that we don’t want any Birmingham graduate to miss,” said Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise. “There’s no grade requirement, but students will need to complete an application process. We urge students and their parents not to wait until the last minute to get started.”

In addition to completing a Birmingham Promise application, students must also fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is commonly referred to as FAFSA. That process has undergone changes and created some challenges, Williams said.

The Birmingham Promise application is simple, and all graduating seniors at Birmingham City Schools should have received a link to the application via their Outlook email school account.

Anyone with questions or needing help can email scholarships@birminghampromise.org or call 205-843-5967.

Birmingham graduates do not have to pursue a four-year degree to benefit from Birmingham Promise, Williams said. Scholarship funds can also be used for students who are interested in completing two-year community college degrees or even shorter certificate programs.

Birmingham Police Department Opens Recruitment for Upcoming Police Academy Class

By
Birmingham Times
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Due in part to a nearly $16M officer recruitment and retention plan, BPD is expected to achieve full staffing in early 2026. (BPD)

Birminghamal.gov  

The Birmingham Police Department (BPD) has officially opened recruitment for its upcoming Police Academy class, which is scheduled to begin July 28, 2025.

As part of the application process, prospective officers must first complete Physical Agility Screening, the first step toward joining the department. The next dates to participate in a physical screening test are today, April 26, and May 3 at the Birmingham CrossPlex. Additional dates are May 17 and June 7.

BPD is seeking motivated, qualified individuals who are ready to serve and make a difference. In an effort to attract top talent, the department is offering a $10,000 signing bonus for all new officers who complete training and join the force.

“Our officers play a vital role in building trust, safety, and connection in our neighborhoods,” said Deputy Chief Rodarius Mauldin. “We’re looking for individuals who are committed to service and ready to step up during a pivotal time for public safety in our city.”

This announcement comes as the department reports a notable reduction in crime across Birmingham in 2025 compared to the same time last year — a positive trend that BPD attributes in part to ongoing training, stronger community engagement, and the dedication of its current officers.

Those interested in applying must first complete one of the scheduled physical agility screenings. After successfully passing the screening, applicants will be invited to begin the full application process.

 For more information about academy requirements call 205-254-1712 

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