Tag: Selma

How to celebrate Black History Month in Birmingham + surrounding cities

Students from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s (BCRI) Legacy Youth Leadership Program at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. Photo courtesy of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Every February we celebrate Black History Month—a time to reflect, celebrate and honor the achievements of African Americans. What was originally “Negro History Week,” turned into a month-long celebration of Black history because DUH! Black is beautiful, courageous, inspiring and so many other adjectives that I don’t have room to list. Before I start bragging about my heritage, here’s how you can observe the month in Birmingham and around Alabama.

Continue reading “How to celebrate Black History Month in Birmingham + surrounding cities”

Teams Selected for the 2017 Alabama Launchpad Startup Competition

The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) holds an annual competition to provide the top three winners with funding for their startup.

Now, 9 more startups, one of which is based in Birmingham, will be competing in the 2017 round.

Related image
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and other officials pose with award winners at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference in Birmingham, part of the Alabama Launchpad program.

Continue reading “Teams Selected for the 2017 Alabama Launchpad Startup Competition”

Author Wade Cline -

Jews and the Civil Rights Era: Selma (I)

Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is tomorrow. This is the first part of two pieces recapping some of the Jewish involvement in the Civil Rights Era.

Abraham J. Heschel and MLK Jr.

The history of the Jews in Alabama is one that is long, silent, and largely unrecognized. For one, the population of Jews has decreased by a large margin in the last three generations. Many left for Atlanta and Memphis, many stayed only as long as children weren’t in yeshivas (religious schools) before moving North, and many lost their Jewish identity for marriage, assimilation, the reasons go on and on. And while the journey of the Jews in the South is fascinating, I will be focusing only on the 1960s in Birmingham.

Continue reading “Jews and the Civil Rights Era: Selma (I)”

Author Liz Brody -

3 Little Known Facts about the Okra Festival – And Annie Mae’s Art

img_3960

Fact #1: It exists!  The Okra Festival is held annually, the last weekend in August, in Burkville, Lowndes County, AL about 20 miles west of Montgomery.  When I heard about it, I had to go, as fresh okra is one of my favorite things and the festival rated as one of the top things to do in August in Alabama, other than drink iced tea and sit under a fan.

Continue reading “3 Little Known Facts about the Okra Festival – And Annie Mae’s Art”

Author Bham Now -