Photo: Ralph Daily (CC)

Local media outlets have seen big changes in their news
operations. But not all the changes have been for the better
for the audience.

•

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Details at the end.

•

Close to a year ago, I gave a talk at a conference here in town about the state of the media. It’s one of the most depressing presentations I’ve ever given.

The talk has become badly out of date: The news has gotten much worse.

Birmingham, once a small haven for media, is a smoking crater. With each passing year, the crater grows a little wider, a little deeper.

That’s not to slight some of the fine folks left to hold down the fort. The decisions that got us to this ruination were made largely out of state, without regard to subscribers, advertisers, journalists or citizens.

I find that painful to accept as a media consumer, producer, observer and fan.

Local media outlets, whether broadcast, print or Web, have embraced a common playbook: Get eyeballs any way possible. No headline too outrageous, no teaser too wild, no rumor too preposterous. Let us click and bait, for tomorrow we die.

The tyranny of the popular dictates coverage, meaning complete annihilation of watchdog reports on government at every level. Tin-pot mayors from Tarrant to Fairfield, rejoice: Absolutely no one is guarding the henhouse, and better than that, no one cares.

I live in Birmingham proper, but even the city hall coverage here is superficial. While I may know what happens in council meetings, I lack the proper context to understand how it affects me, my wallet, my neighborhood and our future.

We’ve been on this path in Birmingham for a decade or so.

Ten years ago today, on Sept. 23, 2005, my newspaper closed for good. The Birmingham Post-Herald’s death provided a preview of the mass layoffs to come for hundreds upon hundreds of reporters, editors, photographers, copy editors, producers, designers and more.

We see a steady stream of new faces as replacements, cheap disposable labor with no ties to the community. We’re told they’re good at generating content and engaging the audience.

What have we lost in this clumsy transition to all-out digital one-upmanship? That’s the most difficult category to measure, the absence of reportage.

We are completely on our own. And it’s only going to get worse.

I couldn’t do any better. Invest a million dollars into a fantasy news operation I lead, and it would either barely break even or steadily bleed money, even with talented reporters on the cheap. It would gain a small but loyal audience with above-average income, featuring stories that win accolades and awards.

And sooner rather than later, it would fold.

The future of Birmingham is year-round coverage of Alabama and Auburn football, with breaks for viral memes and copy-paste media releases. It’s more airtime for newscasts with lucrative commercials. It’s Sunday-only print editions with 6-day-old news.

It’s the manufacture of outrage and delight to provide dwindling profits for outsider owners, at the expense of an informed citizenry and service as fearless guardians against corrupt government and business.

No one is coming to save us — not newspaper publishers, not partisan bloggers, not seasoned journalists, not Facebook gossipmongers — from our crater of ignorance.

• • •

The full version of this essay and many more are available in the free ebook, “The Future of Birmingham.”

All you need to do is fill out this simple form. We’ll email you a link to download the book. (And, at no extra charge, we’ll add you to the mailing list for the free Y’all Connect newsletter.)

• • •

Read more essays in our special 10th anniversary series, The Future of Birmingham.

My superpowers
are procrastination and
working on deadline.

• • •

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Photo: Elizabeth Swift (CC)

A giant crane is a sign of progress along Birmingham’s skyline.
More than 30 projects are under way in or near downtown.

•

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Details at the end.

•

By Rod Walker

After several decades of decline, the people of Birmingham are finally starting to shed the inferiority complex that so many have felt for so long. We’re seeing cranes on the skyline, the old, long empty buildings being restored with new eateries, music venues, spaces for the arts, for recreation and for residence. We may be on the threshold of living up to the “potential” talked about for so many years.

When state laws changed in 2009 making small breweries possible, a new art form arrived: craft beer. Avondale Brewing Company was the first building block for the renovation of the neighborhood, which now includes several eateries, art galleries and a new music venue, Saturn.

Railroad Park seems to have been the beginning. Then came the Barons’ new stadium. Then more new projects: the Uptown restaurant district; the Westin; the living spaces, restaurants, arts and entertainment in the loft district.

The change now seems to be happening exponentially with more than 30 projects under way in or near downtown, either new construction or renovation. They include the Thomas Jefferson Hotel, the Pizitz building, the Booker T. Washington Insurance building, the Lyric Theatre, the Powell steam plant, the Merita Bread building and the Publix supermarket.

I’m very excited about what Birmingham is becoming. The magic is back, only without the choking pollution and the barbaric racial segregation laws. We should be happy about all the good things without losing sight of lingering challenges.

The first challenge is jobs. What it takes to get new Birminghamians to stay are good-paying, stable careers. For cities like Austin that have experienced rapid growth, many jobs have been in technology. If we could add high-tech jobs to our health care and banking sectors, we would have an easier time attracting transplants.

The second challenge is old perceptions. Many people around the world have a negative perception of this city for several reasons:

• The resistance to the 1960s civil rights movement;
• The horrid air pollution for most of the city’s history;
• The crime wave of the 1990s;
• The fact that it’s located in Alabama, perceived by many to be backward.

The best way to overcome negative stereotypes is to create a new positive image that overshadows the old images. If we try, we can do that.

The last challenge is inequality. Birmingham is much more than just downtown or Avondale or Southside. Neighborhoods such as Ensley, Titusville, North Birmingham, Fountain Heights and Collegeville are just as much a part of this city. We should use our newfound prosperity to improve the lives of all citizens. By upgrading the infrastructure everywhere. By improving public transportation.

People from more prosperous areas of the city should reach out to those in less prosperous areas to help those neighborhoods improve themselves. We should invest in new businesses that provide goods, services and jobs in areas that need them most.

If we keep our heads up, if we never give in to the negativity spouted by some, and if we never forget our neighbors in all parts of the city, the future of Birmingham is brighter than ever!

• • •

Rod Walker is a driver for Yellow Cab and a blogger at Birmingcabbie.

• Website | Facebook | Twitter @RodWalker2 | Instagram

• • •

The full version of this essay and many more are available in the free ebook, “The Future of Birmingham.”

All you need to do is fill out this simple form. We’ll email you a link to download the book. (And, at no extra charge, we’ll add you to the mailing list for the free Y’all Connect newsletter.)

• • •

Read more essays in our special 10th anniversary series, The Future of Birmingham.

Authorship is dead.
Digital miscreants take
anything for fun.

• • •

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A look at Birmingham in videos …

The World Cup Champion U.S. Women’s National Team beat Haiti 8-0 on Sunday in front of 35,753 fans at Legion Field, the largest ever for a stand-alone women’s national team match in the Southeast. From U.S. Soccer.

•

The Guiding Light Church choir of Irondale sings “All Lives Matter” at the Glenn Beck rally. From the Blaze.

•

Tracia Jones on the runway at Birmingham Fashion Week 2015 (our vertical video of the week). From Tjs D.

•

Birmingham band String Theory plays covers of “Billie Jean,” “Rollin’ in the Deep” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” From Alex Cape.

•

Music video for North Carolina R&B singer-songwriter Steven A. Clark’s “Can’t Have.” From Dustin Lane.

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A car on fire in North Birmingham between 18th and 19th Streets North at Ninth Avenue, next to I-20/59. From highlandparkninja.

•

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson speaks at the Gridiron Men’s Conference in June at Legacy Arena downtown. From Spa Guy.

•

Hunter College students from New York tour civil rights sites in Atlanta, Montgomery, Selma, Little Rock, Memphis and Birmingham. From Crystal Waterton.

•

Bob Friedman participates in the 2009 “My Favorite Poem” event at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. From Bob Friedman.

•

A look at Confederate Motors, 10 years after coming from New Orleans to Birmingham following Hurricane Katrina. From Alabama NewsCenter.

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The ROSA robot helps UAB doctors detect the source of seizures in patients with epilepsy. From UAB News.

•

More than 100 members from motorcycle clubs left Fairfield for a fund-raising ride for sickle-cell disease research. From Dejon Henry.

•

Landing a small plane at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. From bombud1.

•

Sanspointe Dance Company performs “An Opening” at its 2015 Dance-a-Bama tour in June at the Dance Foundation in Homewood. From Sanspointe Dance.

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A Periscope rant on the All Lives Matter rally. From Nappy Natural Girl.

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Mountain Brook Baptist Church’s Stephen Fryrear performs “The Badlands,” the title track off his album of worship songs. From Starnes Publishing.

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Driving through downtown Birmingham. From J Utah.

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Racing go-karts at the Autobahn Indoor Speedway in Bessemer. From Brandon Cruise.

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Birmingham writer Ashley M. Jones wins a $30,000 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award (at 2:02). From Rona Jaffe Foundation.

•

Slice Pizza’s Terrill Brazelton makes pickled shiitake mushrooms (our other vertical video of the week). From Slice Pizza and Brewhouse.

•

Filming outside the FBI building downtown. From Bama Camera.

•

Hanging leg raises. From rigorousmedia.

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Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck marched with more than 20,000 supporters in August through downtown for his All Lives Matter march. From al.com.

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MunaLuchi Bridal City-to-City Tour stops in August at Woodrow Hall in Homewood. From Danny Kang Austin.

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Gadsden rapper Big Henry performs in August at the Nick on Southside. From 226 Film Production.

•

A Periscope video of Yohance Owens of the Village Creek Society (our other other vertical video of the week). From People, Places and Things with Isis M. Jones.

•

Move-in day for the Class of 2019 at Birmingham-Southern College. From Birmingham-Southern College.

• • •

Send us links to your videos. | More videos on the Birmingham channel.

Photo: Bahman Farzad (CC)

The historic Alabama Theatre has been home to many color
films over the years. It anchors a growing cultural scene
in Birmingham.

•

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Details at the end.

•

By Candie A. Price

I may be showing my age, but when I was younger, I remember watching old movies that boasted a color process called Technicolor. Upon further research, I found the words “candy-colored,” “boisterous” and “lush” used to describe its various effects, moods and sensations.

This process monopolized cinema’s first half-century, accurately producing the full spectrum with amazing results. Although it’s not used nearly as much in today’s filmmaking, the idea of something being in Technicolor intrigues me still.

How do I relate this to Birmingham? As a Philly girl in the South, I am fully aware of Birmingham’s history and need to shed her ugly images, specifically the ruthless acts of domestic terrorism during the civil rights movement. However, 13 years here, I see a Birmingham that is learning, growing and attempting to move forward from her stigma of 1963.

Our city is moving from the black-and-white photos of segregation, hate and racial disunity toward a more welcoming collage in Technicolor. Of course, we have room for improvement in many areas — socio-economic disparity, racial relationships and other issues — that also exist in many cities. Birmingham has a unique opportunity to show the rest of our country, especially in such volatile times, that change, forgiveness, resiliency and vibrancy can happen everywhere, especially in a place formerly dubbed “Bombingham”!

The future of Birmingham is candy-colored, boisterous, lush: a vibrant city wherein people of all walks of life can enjoy the city center; Railroad Park; Uptown; CityFest; a growing foodie scene; neighborhood revitalization via REV Birmingham; museums; top-notch medical research and educational facilities; countless conferences and events for small businesses and entrepreneurs; one of the most philanthropic cities in the country; affordable cost of living; impressive banking center; and a growing diverse cultural climate. Just a few of the strides made in the last five decades.

We still have much work to do, but we are no longer seeing life in Birmingham in terms of black and white. The colors, representing all of our citizens working together and in tandem, can produce a more accurate depiction of what a community should look like. A diverse spectrum, resulting in a dazzlingly rich quality of life for all … in full Technicolor! Our future depends on it, and just like 50 years ago, the world is still watching.

• • •

Candie A. Price provides public relations and marketing services to Christian authors, entrepreneurs, ministries and businesses. Her blogs include Your PR Diva and Philly Girl in the South.

• Website | Facebook | Twitter @YourPRDiva | LinkedIn | Instagram

• • •

Essays from other contributors are available in the free ebook, “The Future of Birmingham.”

All you need to do is fill out this simple form. We’ll email you a link to download the book. (And, at no extra charge, we’ll add you to the mailing list for the free Y’all Connect newsletter.)

• • •

Read more essays in our special 10th anniversary series, The Future of Birmingham.

Coffee and good books,
jazz and blueberry pancakes.
Not a soul for miles.

• • •

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Photo: Liz Parker (reprinted with permission)

Tina, left, and Maya are pet stars on Instagram. They are
among thousands of companion animals in Birmingham.

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Details at the end.

•

By Joey Kennedy

The future of Birmingham has to involve animals. A progressive city — and our city is a progressive one — can’t put animals, especially companion animals, in second place.

A society can be judged on how well it treats its animals. If so, Birmingham would be judged poorly.

Many people dump their dogs and cats in neighborhoods, knowing that somebody is likely to take care of them. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Animal control is a hell into which they go. Often, they never come out. Animal control officers take strays to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, where they’re more likely to be adopted than under previous systems. Still, most strays that enter the system are put down. Killed. Doesn’t matter if they’re healthy and adoptable. So many animals come in that they have to be killed for space.

Most animals in Jefferson County taken in by animal control come from the City of Birmingham. Many are pit bulls, the Satan of dogs. That’s a shame, because pit bulls are among the most gentle breeds. Golden retrievers, cocker spaniels and Chihuahuas are much more aggressive. Yet, the pit bull gets that bad rap.

Part of the problem is that pit bulls are used for fighting. Collateral dogs — pugs, cockers, other pit bulls, Labrador retrievers — are used as bait dogs, to make the fighting pits more vicious. I can train pugs to fight; that’s a human flaw, not an animal one.

This happens in Birmingham every day.

So for our future, the city council needs to adopt these measures to make life better for all animals:

An anti-tethering ordinance. Homewood recently passed one, setting a time limit that dogs can be chained outside without supervision. Keeping them on chains 24/7 makes them mean. Birmingham should put limits on how long dogs can be chained outside without adequate food, water and shelter.

A licensing program for pets. Owners who have them spayed or neutered would pay a nominal cost, say $5, for licenses. Those who insist on foregoing this process would pay a much higher fee, $25 to $50.

Feral cat colonies. Instead of ignoring this persistent problem, let’s encourage TRN: trap, neuter and return. This would fund rescue groups to trap these cats, spay or neuter them and release them into their colonies. They won’t reproduce, eliminating the problem.

Recognition of animal rights. We must acknowledge that dogs and cats are sentient beings. They deserve life like we deserve life. They think and plan, feel pain, hope and love. Birmingham’s future must include companion animals as part of the culture and positive benefits of the city. These animals need love, not derision. They need care, not indifference. They know what we’re doing.

No-kill policies. No upside exists for killing thousands of dogs and cats a year when they could be saved. It’s not a budget question; it’s a humanitarian question: Are we humans, or are we something else? The city should include the Greater Birmingham Humane Society in all levels of animal control and care. The organization has the resources and know-how to save these animals from certain death.

We need to treat the city’s animals as we treat ourselves. They want to live. To simply collect and kill them is not what we want the future of Birmingham to be. That’s a cruel future. That’s an unacceptable future. That’s a future of demise for the city we love.

• • •

Joey Kennedy is a Pulitzer-winning editorial writer and a veteran journalist for four decades. He teaches composition and American literature at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, serves as the back-page columnist for B-metro magazine, writes a weekly column for Alabama Political Reporter and is co-founder of Animal Advocates of Alabama.

• Website | Facebook | Twitter @JoeyKennedy | LinkedIn

• • •

Essays from other contributors are available in the free ebook, “The Future of Birmingham.”

All you need to do is fill out this simple form. We’ll email you a link to download the book. (And, at no extra charge, we’ll add you to the mailing list for the free Y’all Connect newsletter.)

• • •

Read more essays in our special 10th anniversary series, The Future of Birmingham.

Photo: Marketa (CC)

My picks for #sundayread for Sept. 20, 2015:

• The Future of Birmingham Is Compassion, by @JoeyKennedy #futureofbham #bham
• Growing Up Black, Female Meant Depression Was Forbidden, by Margo Jefferson (RT @ColumbiaSchArts)
• 7 hard-won lessons from creating my latest blog series and ebook
• The birth and evolution of the bicycle, by @AlexQArbuckle (via @PamelaWilton)
• The Future of Birmingham: a special Wade’s 101 #futureofbham #bham
• The Meaning of Serena Williams, by Claudia Rankine (RT @ColumbiaSchArts)
• Kary Delaria on the secrets of social selling
• The Timothy Hunt Witch Hunt, by @JonEForeman (via @KipkemboiKoech)
• My Life as a Telepresence Robot, by @EmilyDreyfuss (via @kickpointinc)
• They Pretend to Be Us While Pretending We Don’t Exist, by @Jennybagel (RT @KateBomz)

•

Don’t miss our new 26-part series:
★ The Future of Birmingham ★

•

More posts from Wade this week:

• The Birmingham channel: Their causes and ours

The latest #sundayread tweets

#sundayread Tweets

• More #sundayread recommendations from me

When does fall start? Ask
a weather forecaster, a
poet and a child.

• • •

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Photos: Christine Prichard. Reprinted with permission.

The Birmingham Barons celebrate winning the Southern League
Championship in 2013, the team’s first year back in Birmingham.

•

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Details at the end.

•

By Christine Prichard

Nearly all of the innovative things that have popped up in the ’ham since I dropped anchor here in 1997 exist because of creative collaboration.

So many productive partnerships are out there, including Jones Valley Teaching Farm + the Birmingham City Schools + Southern Living and Cooking Light. Or Innovation Depot + UAB + entrepreneurs. Or McWane Science Center + corporate sponsors + volunteers.

Collaboration is what created Railroad Park and Regions Field. Collaboration is at its best during the Sidewalk Film Festival, where the rich talent of our local film production community plus enthusiastic volunteers and filmgoers work together to create one of many celebrated arts events in Birmingham.

Shella Sylla is the founder of Birmingham company Sister Golf,
which teaches the game’s fundamentals to busy professionals.

And think of metro area youth who passionately participate in arts, sports and academic activities. This wouldn’t be possible without the joint efforts of teachers, coaches, parents, volunteers and the students themselves.

Metro Changers, a Birmingham-based nonprofit group,
takes a moment for prayer.

All of these projects, places and people collaborate and thereby create a vibrant community for all who call Birmingham home.

A gala benefitting the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham.

Just think what could happen if this collaborative spirit were more influential in areas where Birmingham needs to improve, such as air quality and mass transportation.

Habitat for Humanity site supervisor Chris Cosby, left, works
with a volunteer while constructing a house in Avondale for
World Habitat Day.

Collaboration is what makes us great and is the future of Birmingham.

• • •

Christine Prichard is a Birmingham-based photographer and photography educator who collaborates with solo entrepreneurs and small businesses to create custom photography, mobile apps and mobile websites.

• Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

• • •

The full version of this photo essay and many more are available in the free ebook, “The Future of Birmingham.”

All you need to do is fill out this simple form. We’ll email you a link to download the book. (And, at no extra charge, we’ll add you to the mailing list for the free Y’all Connect newsletter.)

• • •

Read more essays in our special 10th anniversary series, The Future of Birmingham.

Cleanup and paving
crews show up every 4 years
before elections.

• • •

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Photo: Greg Willis (CC)

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Details at the end.

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[Share on Twitter]

1. Hipsters forced to sit in the back of the (solar-powered) (karaoke) bus.
2. Automated city council pay raises with compounded interest.
3. Newspaper printed three times a month on super-secret schedule.
4. CrossPlex holds IronTribe CrossFit Games; nerds hide in basements.
5. Drivers use bike lanes as intended … “emergency” parking.
6. Barbecue-flavored craft beer.
7. And deep-fried gourmet popsicles.
8. And throwed trolls.
9. Our inevitable annexation by Atlanta.
10. City lands not one but two NFL franchises fleeing gently used stadiums.
11. UAB football team disbanded for second time, during winning drive of national championship game.
12. Vulcan gets a tattoo!
13. No more toxic dumps — cancer injected directly into North Birmingham residents.
14. Farm-to-table movement grows crops directly in dirt pile on your dinner plate.
15. Newly rebuilt I-20/59 collapses after looters strip it for copper wiring.
16. Illegal immigrants escape impoverished Hoover to sneak into the land of promise, McCalla.
17. Nightly races between Taco, Hot Dog and recently out-of-work Finebaum. (Spoiler: Finebaum cheats.)
18. As Millennials turn 30, indicated by flashing crystals in their hands, they come to Boutwell for the renewal of Carousel.
19. The Combloggerator Matrix comes online, mercilessly assimilating all posts and bloggers.
20. The new Publix? All bread and milk.
21. The new Trader Joe’s? Speculoos Cookie Mayo.
22. Fusion-powered Bank for Savings rooftop sign visible from space.
23. MTV arrives to film an episode of “Pimp My Airport.”
24. New sport diathlon from combining firing ranges and trampoline parks.
25. Bessemer revolts, dumping sweet tea into Alabama Splash Adventure.
26. Airwaves ruled by wacky morning team of Barkley and Bubba.
27. The gUber app: Users get rides from ’82 Camaros with flame decals (seat belts and airbags optional).
28. Tiny trailers infest Homewood … with cuteness!
29. Schools sort children into bins: Soylent Green, Soylent Teriyaki, Soylent Gluten-Free.
30. St. Paul and the Nicely Mended Bones, thanks to rehab at UAB Hospital.
31. “Welcome to the Courteney Cox-Kwon Museum and Muffler Shop!”
32. Everyone lives in at least two condos and parks in their living rooms.
33. The zoo’s biggest attraction? Man!!!
34. Advanced parking meters simply explode at random.
35. A lone survivor crosses the food desert in search of rhubarb.
36. Self-driving city buses take payment in cash, tokens and stray animals.
37. Prize2theFuture … ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!
38. In Trussville, you’re either eastern Walmart or western Walmart.
39. Loudspeakers from every corner blare sports talk radio nonstop.
40. “The Walking Dead,” but with fatter, slower zombies.
41. Drone delivery of tacos is a thing. Like, straight to your greedy tacohole.
42. City flag? Magician’s hat with a dead rabbit.
43. City mascot? Diabetes.
44. Bus terminal smell upgraded to “uptown funk.”
45. Steel plants converted into discotheques.
46. Segregation limited to humans, cyborgs and robots.
47. We finally land a car factory. It’s for the Kia Mucus.
48. #HashtagCity
49. (No, seriously. That’s our new nickname.)
50. Water/sewer bills in convenient podcast form.
51. Kiddieland reopened to genetically engineered dinosaurs that can never ever go berserk and devour their human masters.
52. Meat and four, baby.
53. (The four are also meats.)
54. Montgomery takes Birmingham’s lunch money, holds the city upside-down over a toilet.
55. Mayoral debates via Dubsmash.
56. Quantum technology allows pork to be simultaneously chopped and sliced.
57. Some dissension over 50-foot Larry Langford bronze statue in Linn Park.
58. Cyber attack exposes everyone’s real names from al.com usernames.
59. The World Games never leaves. IT NEVER LEAVES.
60. Secret NASCAR races inside Century Plaza.
61. Pop-up eating contests.
62. Baptists now greet each other at the liquor store and the strip club.
63. Richard Scrushy holds city hostage with a mustache ray and taunts a helpless public.
64. Lacrosse, but with balled-up copperheads.
65. Prominent websites continue to include Birmingham in Top 10 lists, but only ironically.
66. The Barons move to Mt. Olive.
67. Giuseppe Moretti LXXXIII discovers the remains of the tiny Statue of Liberty and the horrifying origin of the City of the Apes.
68. Rectal vaping not only encouraged but mandatory.
69. Annual city budget is one part speed traps, one part business licenses, one part GoFundMe campaign.
70. Dome built in wrong shape.
71. The final phase of gentrification goes perfectly, as every house in Birmingham costs at least $500,000.
72. The Regions Park Supermax Correctional Facility.
73. Megachurches become sentient, overcharge for coffee.
74. Birmingham Bowl played to the death, as per ESPN rules.
75. Public spaces: dog park, cat park, skateboard park, hoverboard park, Confederate dog park, sacred Indian burial ground park.
76. Everyone finishes the new Metric Mercedes Marathon, a bracing 26.2 meters.
77. Clone of Lou Wooster saves city after Ebola epidemic.
78. Elevated 280 barely used by hover cars.
79. Paying sales tax requires installment plan.
80. One-way streets all head north-northeast.
81. Mountain Brook grows clones each fall for fresh harvest of domestic servants.
82. The last locally owned company does, in fact, turn off the lights.
83. GMOs hold Pepper Place hostage.
84. Thanks to stern billboards, human trafficking down 70 percent.
85. Everything is as Sun Ra predicted.
86. By the light of the full moon, Condoleezza stalks the city streets, a grim avenger of the night.
87. The Second Life version of Birmingham suffers from clone flight.
88. Graffiti king Moist becomes artist laureate.
89. We feed the poor feral cats.
90. Correction: We feed the poor to feral cats.
91. A revitalized Ensley still only one-third full.
92. Trains merely slow down at station, as passengers expected to hop off and on quickly.
93. Bonnaroo juggernaut leaves our festivals with drummer from Blink-182 plus Kenny Chesney.
94. County bankruptcy paid off, but debt collectors keep calling at all hours.
95. School days and sporting events begin with civic anthem, “Do I Make You Proud?”
96. Civil Rights Heritage Trail selfie stations.
97. Police body cam footage powers entire season of “Cops” and “The First 48.”
98. Plasma force fields shield buildings from tornadoes, debris and other outside agitators.
99. Home schooling expanded to home churching, home sporting.
100. Upon sudden impact, cars equipped to deploy business cards for Alexander Shunnarah.
101. Red Mountain renamed Peak Birmingham.

• • •

Essays from other contributors are available in the free ebook, “The Future of Birmingham.”

All you need to do is fill out this simple form. We’ll email you a link to download the book. (And, at no extra charge, we’ll add you to the mailing list for the free Y’all Connect newsletter.)

• • •

Read more Wade’s 101.

[Share on Twitter]

• • •

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We act out of fear
to protect ourselves and our
kin, which breeds more fear.

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Photo: Rob Briscoe (CC)

Father and daughter go hiking at Red Mountain Park, which
opened in 2012. Children have a wider array of activities in
Birmingham for learning and growing.

•

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Details at the end.

•

By Angie Cleland

It wasn’t until 2005, when my first daughter was born, that I seriously considered the future of the Magic City and what it would and could offer her and the family that my husband and I were building here. Until this point in my life, my view of my hometown had always been, well, half-empty.

I was a naysayer. I watched the go-getters come and go from a city that lost hope and forgot to look to the future.

No, it wasn’t until my first daughter was born that I realized I wanted more for this city that she would call home. I wanted her to fondly recall the experiences of her youth here. Her birth created in me a new interest in unearthing the magic of our city for her and her generation. I no longer wanted to sit on the sidelines.

So, I started digging in to see what the city already had to offer children and families and created a group for stay-at-home moms like me. I didn’t find too much. I felt this growing need to prove to them that their misinformed perceptions or negative stories about Birmingham weren’t true — even if I didn’t fully believe it myself yet.

Finding events and activities for our children became easier. Our city, my city, was beginning to change. It gave me a renewed sense of pride, one that eventually led to the creation of the site Birmingham Mommy. My weekly events calendar grew, and my family grew, too, with the addition of twins. New places to take the children were opening left and right. I was giddy, and my kids were as well.

Having seen what nearby cities were doing reaffirmed for me that our town, too, was full of potential — we just needed a little more guidance and direction. We needed the right people in place to push us, people who would not give up when their ideas were met with resistance and skepticism.

With a new generation of doers and makers and leaders in place, we’ve witnessed the emergence of the Lyric Theatre, Regions Field and Railroad Park. We’ve enjoyed new breweries like Avondale and Good People, and watched in delight as the food scene has exploded with restaurants like El Barrio and Bamboo on 2nd and Post Office Pies.

Thanks to local artists, we’re sporting our cool new T-shirts that profess our love for the “’ham.” We go to food festivals to support our growing food truck scene, we take in concerts at venues like Iron City and Saturn.

For the first time in a long time, people are actually participating. And as a result, local businesses are thriving.

One of my most favorite things to do with my kids is make a summer bucket list. We used to spend a lot of time away from Birmingham marking the activities off of our list. While “riding a dolphin” might not be possible here (yet!), zip-lining through Red Mountain Park, rock climbing at First Avenue Rocks and cooling off at Alabama Splash Adventure are all within reach.

Now, when I see the Birmingham in which my children are growing up, I’m amazed and proud of all they can experience here. This makes my little Birmingham heart very happy … and maybe more than just half-full.

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Angie Cleland is owner and co-founder of the website Birmingham Mommy.

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