Today’s guest columnist is J. W. Carpenter.
Birmingham has had its ups and downs—but in the 1950’s and ‘60’s racial strife set us reeling.
Now after 60 years we’re beginning to see a new Birmingham—a region with great potential.
Quality of life has come so far in the past ten years. Continue reading Battling a disturbing Birmingham ranking
Today’s guest columnist is Katrin Brand.
Last year, on a bright October day two German travelers arrived tired and weary from their long car drive through the south.
They were late, opening hours were almost over, but they were allowed half an hour to roam around.
The sun was already low, and in front of them the derelict reminders of the long gone age of iron and steel were glowing in a bright and rusty red under a clear blue sky. Continue reading International journalist praises Birmingham’s spirit
By David Sher
“We dare defend our rights.”
Yes, that is our Alabama motto.
But we don’t seem to be given those rights in Alabama. Continue reading Gas prices soar, Alabama denies our rights
Today’s guest columnist is Jay Glass.
Within central Jefferson County near Forestdale there is a wooded elevated area, which at only 699 feet above sea level, belies its name of “Cat Mountain.”
It was there on June 16, 1911 that a Black man named John Holland came to his death at the hands of several white men. Continue reading 1st time JeffCo white men executed for murder of Black
Today’s guest columnist is Daniel Coleman.
Since returning to Birmingham full time in late 2017, I have made a conscious effort to integrate myself into the day-to-day life of my hometown.
I joined the boards of three companies and four non-profits, worked closely with the finance department at City Hall, joined Birmingham-Southern College as an adjunct professor, and then, a year later became its 16th president. Continue reading Birmingham’s colonial economy
Today’s guest columnist is Daniel Coleman.
On our first date – January 1995 in Chicago – Brooke and I talked about Birmingham.
Although we had both believed we had to leave our shared hometown to start our lives – Smith and graduate school at the University of Chicago for her, Yale and the MBA program at the University of Chicago for me – we also both knew we would move home someday. Continue reading Man wakes from 35-year cryogenic freeze to find a new Birmingham
Today’s guest columnist is John Harbert.
Birmingham is one of only a few large metros in the U.S. with no major league sports team. (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, or MLS)
We have the baseball Barons, the basketball Squadron, and now the football USFL Stallions.
But none will likely lead us to major league sports. Continue reading Birmingham’s best bet for major league sports
By David Sher
When I first began publishing ComebackTown ten years ago, comments were often dominated by the Birmingham haters and the so called CAVE people—Citizens Against Virtually Everything.
Birmingham was going nowhere and the Birmingham haters were relentless. Continue reading Birmingham haters—Eat your hearts out
Today’s guest columnist is Mechelle Wilder.
Some 40 years ago, I was a student at Samford University, dating a young pastor of a small Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Norwood.
The church itself was picturesque with its dark hardwood flooring and banisters, beautiful stained-glass windows, and towering ceiling. It set as a sparkling gem amid the deteriorating and crime ridden neighborhood. Continue reading Look out Shelby County–Here comes Norwood
Today’s guest columnist is Jennifer Andress.
The history of the Birmingham area is a complicated one, to put it mildly.
Regional strife led to thirty-five separate competing municipalities in Jefferson County, each operating for its own benefit. Continue reading How we’re overcoming distrust that has plagued Birmingham