Today’s guest columnist is Chervis Isom.
As a young boy I always enjoyed my visits to the Johnson barbershop on 12th Avenue North in the Norwood neighborhood of Birmingham.
I liked the place because it was a man’s world where men talked about men stuff—sports and politics—and there were no women around to hold them accountable. Continue reading A Birmingham barbershop–Where men spew hate
Today’s guest columnist is Josh Carpenter.
Three weeks after I joined Southern Research as president and CEO, a 12-story condo building collapsed in Miami, killing 98 people and raising alarms about the structural integrity of buildings across the country. Continue reading Painful for Birmingham to lose landmark castle
Today’s guest columnists are John Hardin and Barry Smith.
It’s really quite unique!
Jefferson County is home to one of the neatest cities in America–a Mayberry-like town that enjoys incredible diversity and embraces that diversity.
Diverse, yet has one of the best, if not the best, school system in Alabama. Continue reading One of neatest cities in America in Jefferson County
Today’s guest columnist is Jennifer L. Greer.
Think about the worst thing you have ever done. Does it define you?
No. And it doesn’t define Daoud Boone, a military vet, theatre major in college, aspiring poet/playwright, and an incarcerated Alabama man serving a life sentence — without parole. Continue reading Life in prison can’t hold this Alabama man down
Today’s guest columnist is Charisse Stokes.
Since childhood, I’ve been surrounded by few females and minorities in my academic and work environments, unfortunately, that’s typical in the technology field.
Being ‘the only’ black female in the room has encouraged me to expose more women and minorities to tech and innovation fields. Continue reading Opportunity for young Alabama minorities to succeed
Today’s guest columnist is Memphis Vaughan.
Recently ComebackTown published a column on the possibilities of a bullet train from Birmingham to Atlanta.
The response on social media was wildly positive.
Hundreds of commenters wanted to know why high speed rail and other visionary projects are dead on arrival in Alabama. Continue reading Imagine our future if Alabama leaders had vision
Today’s guest columnist is Terry Barr.
Recently a friend sent me a copy of Blake Ells’ history of Birmingham music, Magic City Rock: Spaces and Faces of Birmingham’s Scene.
It’s a cool read, especially if, like me, you haven’t lived in Birmingham for decades and, at best, have only heard rumors of the continuing Rock and Pop and DIY music scene. Continue reading My heart aches for Birmingham’s old music scene
Today’s guest columnist is Jay Glass.
When you read about lynchings and the KKK in Alabama, you expect to be reading about incidents that happened 100 years ago. But this chain of events happened between 1979 and 1987–just 34 years ago.
Certain acts can have important unintended consequences.
An example of such a profound delayed effect with far-reaching social ramifications would have its origin in downtown Birmingham on the afternoon of November 29th, 1979 in front of Newberry’s in the 200 block of 20th Street North. Continue reading 1979 Birmingham murder leads to lynching and end of Alabama KKK
Today’s guest columnist is Richard Friedman.
Two weeks before he died, Myron Radwin was in his room at Grandview Hospital recovering from surgery when something unexpected happened.
Shortly thereafter, at home and in declining health, Myron and his daughter Holly Mazer, who was in his hospital room that day, recounted the story. Continue reading 100-year-old Birmingham man meets angel two weeks before his death
Today’s guest columnist is Don Erwin.
To those of us optimistic about Birmingham (city and metro), the 2020 census numbers were like a bucket of cold water thrown in our faces.
Why weren’t the numbers better? Continue reading Census numbers kick Birmingham in the gut–but…