Latest news with #BirminghamCivilRightsInstitute
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Birmingham Bicycle Club to participate in ‘Ride of Silence' for bike safety awareness
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The 23rd annual Ride of Silence, a world-wide event dedicated to raising awareness of cycling safety, will take place on May 21. The Birmingham Bicycle Club plans to participate. At 6:45 p.m., the Birmingham Bicycle Club invites cyclists to join the Ride of Silence, which will start at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Participation in the event is free. During the ride, participants are asked to ride no faster than 10 mph, wear helmets, follow the rules of the road and remain silent. The purpose of this event is to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured on public roadways. In 2024, Alabama was ranked 46th overall in the League of American Bicyclists' annual 'Bicycle Friendly States' ranking. 'Even though cycling is popular in our state, Alabama continues to be one of the least cycling friendly states in the nation,' the Birmingham Bicycle Club said in a statement. Prior to the start of the Ride of Silence, a brief ceremony will be held. The ride is about eight miles long, and it will be escorted by the Birmingham Police Department. More information about the Ride of Silence can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former MSNBC anchor Joy Reid coming to Birmingham for ‘State of the People Power Tour'
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Joy Reid, a journalist and anchor who formerly hosted three primetime shows on MSNBC before leaving earlier this year, will be part of a panel covering issues regarding Black women in Birmingham May 3. Reid, who was involved with the network in various capacities for over 10 years before her latest show, 'The ReidOut,' was cancelled earlier this spring, will join Jefferson Count Commissioner Sheila Tyson, former Birmingham Civil Rights Institute President DeJuana Thompson and Dr. Nadia Johnson of the Black Women's Health Institute for the 'State of the People Power Tour.' The panel will be held at Carver Theatre at 2:45 p.m. May 3. 'A powerful convening highlighting Black women's essential leadership in movement building, political power, and community transformation,' a description of the event stated. 'This session centers healing, strategy, and bold next steps for advancing justice locally and nationally.' Birmingham is one of 12 stops on the 'State of the People' tour. The event is free. For more information on how to register or get involved, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago White Sox ACE 13U team makes a memorable trip to historic Rickwood Field: ‘You felt magical.'
Robert Sanders walked into Rickwood Field, surrounded by history. 'You felt magical,' the 13-year-old outfielder/first baseman said in a phone interview last week. 'How many old, successful players have been playing on that field.' Sanders and his Chicago White Sox Amateur City Elite (ACE) program 13U teammates recently visited Birmingham, Ala. They won both ends of a doubleheader against the Birmingham Giants at Rickwood Field, which opened in 1910 and where many of the game's best have played. 'I felt like I was an actual MLB player,' 13-year-old center fielder Al Nevers said in a phone interview. The games were just a fraction of the weekend experience earlier this month. The team, with a roster of 14 players, visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. They also had the chance to catch up with ACE alums DJ Gladney and Ed Howard, who are playing Double A baseball for the Birmingham Barons and Knoxville Smokies, respectively. 'When it was offered about taking the ACE boys down, it was a no-brainer,' said Troy Williams, who manages the ACE program, in a phone interview. 'The Civil Rights Institute, it doesn't matter what background you come from, you should visit that place. And then Rickwood Field, there's just so much baseball history. It's a must-see for every baseball fan.' The team first stopped at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on April 4. 'I got to know more about civil rights,' Nevers said. From pre-Jim Crow laws to post-Jim Crow, Williams said there was a lot to take in. 'I had never been to the Civil Rights Institute,' Williams said. 'I had been to many museums, but that one took the cake. The biggest thing was seeing the boys locked in. The kids did not know what to expect, but when we left, we were sitting on the bus and we heard them talking about the things they just learned.' The next day featured the games. 'That's a once in a lifetime experience for any kid,' Williams said. 'To be able to take the field where Willie Mays played, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson. You just kind of felt the history as you entered that place. I got chills myself. As somebody who grew up playing baseball and being able to walk on the field, you just kind of feel it. 'It's the oldest professional ballpark in America, it's super vintage, very nostalgic. You get in and you see this beautiful grass, the nice advertisement signs on the walls, the bleachers. It's like, 'Oh, this is the real deal.' As soon as we walked in, the phones came out and they started recording and trying to capture those memories.' Sanders enjoyed trying out one of the vintage fielding gloves housed at the facility. He also appreciated being at the same location of where scenes of the Robinson movie '42' were filmed. 'And then the opportunity to play on the field, me and my teammates were talking about it even while the game was going on that it felt crazy to do,' Sanders said. Hearing that Mays and Babe Ruth made stops there awed the players. 'I felt like him,' Nevers said, referencing Mays. In addition to playing, the ACE team had the chance to take in a Double-A game between the Barons and Smokies. And it just happened that the squads featured ACE alums. 'The dates, we did not plan it out like that, all the stars had to be aligned,' Williams said. 'For our current players to get the chance to see them, it's representation. 'The biggest motivator is representation and for them to be able to see kids that look like them that played in this program and were once wearing this uniform now playing professional baseball, that's inspiring for a kid.' Gladney's message to the players resonated with Nevers. 'DJ Gladney said he was in my shoes one time and to just keep working and I'll get there where he is,' Nevers said. 'I'm glad to be a part of that.' Sanders added, 'They actually showed that it can actually happen. That you can actually do something on this program and get noticed with everything that you do.' Sanders said he's in his second year with the ACE program. Nevers said this is his third. Both saw the weekend as another experience in the program to remember. 'They give me a lot of opportunities like the one I just had,' Nevers said. 'I'm learning a lot — on and off the field.'
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why funding was cut in the state budget for Magic City Classic, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — In her budget recommendation, Gov. Kay Ivey cut funding for some line items. This includes money for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Magic City Classic, and Jazz Hall of Fame. Some see it as an attempt to suppress conversations about race. But, others reassure funding will be restored. The state's General Fund made it's way through the House of Representatives this week. Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) said a software program determines what cuts are made. And, some have to be reinstated. He said some were one time appropriations made with COVID relief money and that's why they didn't appear in this year's budget. Sen. Bobby Singleton said he's been assured funding will be restored. 'We thought that was just a stomp in the face to those events that's there, that's most important to those of us in the African American community,' said Singleton. 'Because, it seems like those were the only ones that got struck.' New book on 'Saturday Night Live' creator Lorne Michaels touches on Chris Farley's time in Alabama trying to get clean But, Reynolds said funding for the Law Enforcement Medal of Honor Awards also had to be restored. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R) commended Reynolds for his work on the budget this year. He described in a statement that the budget process is calculated and transparent. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is urging Alabamians to call their lawmakers. In a statement, they said in part quote, 'The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute will continue to be a beacon of truth, a space for courageous dialogue, and a guardian of the stories that shape our democracy.' Sen. Singleton said they will continue to keep a watchful eye on the budgets. 'We've been seeing how we've been hit over at UAB, and research dollars,' he said of federal cuts. 'And, we're possibly losing doctors, and things of that nature. And, no one in our state is stepping up and talking about it. So, we gotta be the voice for those who need to understand. Because, it's hurting people.' The General Fund passed in the House yesterday without allocations for the Magic City Classic, and those other line items. Reynolds said Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), budget chairman in the Senate, will make the changes when they get the budget sometime next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Birmingham offers NCAA tournament fans historic sites to visit
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Thousands of fans are expected to arrive in the Magic City later this week for the NCAA women's basketball Sweet 16. Landing the NCAA tournament is expected to generate $12.3 million for the Birmingham metropolitan area, according to the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. There are some places in Birmingham that can only be found in the Magic City. CBS 42 News stopped by during batting practice at Rickwood Field on Tuesday morning. Visitors will be able to see the oldest professional baseball park in the U.S. for themselves. Rickwood Field was the former home of the Birmingham Black Barons and offers self-guided tours. For more information on the historic sports site, click here. Visitors will also have the opportunity visit the historic 16th Street Baptist Church and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Dry weather through Friday, Weather Aware Sunday night through Monday morning for strong to severe storms 'This city is a classroom,' said Tiffani Saxton, vice president of strategy and engagement for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. So between Kelly Ingram Park, A.G. Gaston Motel, 16th Street Baptist Church and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and all of the historic sites surrounding here, we have a tremendous opportunity to not just be entertained here in the Magic City but to learn to be inspired.' For more information on how to visit the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, click here. The Rev. Arthur Price Jr. is the pastor at the 16th Street Baptist Church. He talked about the significance of the terrorist attack Ku Klux Klan members caused that happened at the church September 15, 1963. 'Where a bomb went off on Sept. 15, killing four little girls, who lost their lives,' Price said. 'A fifth girl was blinded.' Their names were Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair, Carole Rosamond Robertson and Cynthia Dionne Wesley. For more information on visiting the 16th Street Baptist Church, click here. 'This was the spot where Dr. Martin Luther King mobilized young people to go out from this church 15 at a time to be arrested in Kelly Ingram Park, so he could talk about injustice, inequality and inequity that forced President Kennedy to bring his brother down to broker a deal,' Price said. The Sweet 16, which starts Friday, will bring visitors to Birmingham from Maryland, Indiana, North and South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee. The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau will offer a fan zone at City Walk. There will be DJs and food trucks. It will be free and open to the public. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
