Motivational Speaker and OWN Network Star, Iyanla Vanzant Coming to Birmingham

Birmingham Mayor William Bell, Iyanla Vanzant and more gather to honor
Harry Belafonte and unsung female civil rights heroes

(Birmingham, AL – April 11, 2013) – The Power Belle Hat Tea™, which takes place at 11:00 am on Friday, April 12^th at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC) – South Ballroom located at 2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. North will honor women who were unsung heroes in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama.

The SCL Foundation, Inc. will join with Mayor William Bell and Harry Belafonte as they listen to energetic speaker, Iyanla Vanzant in a celebration of the dynamic women who helped change America and ultimately the world. Women from all walks of life will join Belafonte as he pays special recognition to a group of women who have not been fully recognized for their contributions as well as women who are continuing the legacy of helping to make life better for others.  The Power Belle Legacy Award recipients are: Ruby Shuttlesworth, Doris Gary, Lola H. Hendricks, Yvonne Turner, Ruth Barefield-Pendleton, Leola Early, LaVerne Revis Martin, Lois M. Hall and Julia Rainge. The Power Belle Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is Amelia Boynton Robinson. Most of the honorees range from 75 to 102 years of age and have never been recognized fully for their contribution to a very important time in the history of Birmingham. They were the infrastructure of the movement, without which the movement would not have been successful.

Dr. Lucenia Dunn, SCL Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees member and Creative Director of the event says:  “This list does not include all of the women who should be recognized, but it represents a good start.  It was important that the movement had people to march and be willing to serve time in jail. However, other roles and responsibilities were as critical to the success of the movement led by such great leaders as Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The event’s purpose is to salute those who worked in the trenches to keep things moving.”

The Power Belle Bold Hat Award recipients are: C. Virginia Fields, Lajuana Bradford, Nyya Parson-Hudson, Katie Davis, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Sunnetta “Sunny” Sheppard, Judge Carole Smitherman and Isabel Rubio. These women are following the tradition of courageous and gallant action that improves the lives of others. They are involved in helping to eliminate HIV/AIDS, human trafficking and discrimination and represent the realization of the dreams promoted by the women who so bravely fought for the ability of these women to occupy their present status.  It is 50 years forward.

The cost is $60.00 per ticket (available at the door) with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to a Birmingham organization that focuses on providing support services to women who are living with HIV/AIDS. Attendees are encouraged to wear hats in homage to the “crowns of glory” worn by many women in 1950s and 1960s.

 All event tickets may be purchased online at http://www.jazzhall.com/events.htm.

Harry Belafonte, Iyanla Vanzant as well as SCL Foundation, Inc. members welcome and are available for interviews and media requests. Please contact Toya Winder at 877.687.7251 or media@sclfoundation.org for scheduling and availability.

SCL Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization established in 1966 by
Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier.

“Building Today for a Better Tomorrow Through Purpose-Program-Progress”

The SCL Foundation’s focus has evolved into a service organization that works to reduce health disparities with a focus on HIV/AIDS, the plight of human trafficking and the empowerment of a new community-minded generation.

Singer, Actor and Activist Harry Belafonte To Be Inducted Into Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

Induction, Film Festival and Other Appearances Are Part of the 50th Anniversary
Commemorations of the 1963 Birmingham Civil Rights Movement

(BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, April 2013) – Famed activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte comes to Birmingham on April 11 to be inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame as an honorary member.

Induction is usually reserved for Alabama natives, but the 86-year-old singer, film and TV actor, and producer is receiving the honor because of his vital role in the Civil Rights Movement, particularly in Birmingham.

In his book, Why We Can’t Wait, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said Belafonte volunteered to be a strategic financial organizer for the historic 1963 Birmingham Campaign:

“Harry Belafonte organized a committee, and money was pledged the same night. For the next three weeks, Belafonte, who never does anything without being totally involved, gave unlimited hours to organizing people and money… It would be hard to overestimate the role this sensitive artist played in the success of the Birmingham crusade.”

To celebrate his role in the Birmingham Movement 50 years ago, the Jazz Hall of Fame is hosting several events on Thursday, April 11.

The Harry Belafonte Film Festival is set from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with screenings of “The World, The Flesh and the Devil” (1959), “Island in the Sun” (1957), “Carmen Jones” (1954) and “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974). Tickets for the film festival are $5 per movie; an all-day pass is $25.

Belafonte will attend the induction ceremony, which starts at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception and screening of “Sing Your Song,” the 2011 HBO documentary about Belafonte’s life, including his role in the Movement. After the screening, he will hold a question-and-answer session with audience members, followed by the induction ceremony and a musical tribute by the UAB Jazz Ensemble. Admission to the induction ceremony is $40.

All tickets can be purchased in advance through the Jazz Hall’s website. For more information, call 205-327-9424.

Belafonte’s appearance for the Jazz Hall of Fame induction is one of several others planned in Birmingham as part of the official celebration of the 1963 Birmingham Movement’s 50th Anniversary Commemoration. He is a co-chair of the city’s “50 Years Forward” campaign that marks the historic milestone.

About Harry Belafonte

In the music world, Harry Belafonte (born March 1, 1927) is best known as the singer of “The Banana Boat Song,” one of the songs from his 1956 Caribbean-infused album, “Calypso.” Because of the song’s wide popularity and its signature call “Day-O!” the Harlem-born son of a Jamaican-born housekeeper was dubbed “the King of Calypso.”
Belafonte started his career as a jazz singer, but his songs also include show tunes, standards, blues, folk and gospel music. His 1965 album recorded with legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba won a Grammy for best folk recording.
As an entertainer most famous for his music, Belafonte also had a long and successful acting career.

Belafonte made his film debut, co-starring with Dorothy Dandridge in “Bright Road” (1953) and the following year in his first Broadway musical, John Murray Anderson’s Almanac, for which he won the 1954 Best Actor Tony Award.

He starred in the Broadway show “3 For Tonight” (1955) co-starring the legendary dancers Marge and Gower Champion. That year, they went on a national tour during which Belafonte, as the only African American in the company, faced significant opposition and hardships. Those difficulties fueled his life as an activist for social and economic justice.
His film and TV work has run the gamut, from the 1954 Otto Preminger film “Carmen Jones” (his most famous role with Dandridge) to “Islands in the Sun” (1957) with James Mason, Joan Collins, Joan Fontaine and Dandridge, to famed actor Sidney Poitier’s “Buck and the Preacher” (1972), with Poitier and noted actress Ruby Dee, and “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974), also with Poitier.

In 1996, the New York Film Critics Circle named him best supporting actor in Robert Altman’s “Kansas City.” His final dramatic role was in Emilio Estevez’ 2006 film “Bobby,” for which he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award.
Belafonte helped to break color barriers for Blacks in the entertainment industry. He later became the first African American TV producer with his Emmy-winning special in 1960, “Tonight With Harry Belafonte.”

Acting and activism were one in the same for Belafonte. He used his celebrity as an American pop idol to promote the cause of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and ‘60s. He helped organize performers and celebrity speakers in 1963 for the historic March on Washington 50 years ago. At great personal risk, he and Poitier flew undercover to Greenwood, Mississippi, in 1964 to deliver thousands in cash to support civil rights workers in the state. He and Poitier founded the Southern Christian Leadership Foundation specifically to raise funds that financially supported Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

Belafonte was also a driving force in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa in the ‘60s, decades before it was fashionable in America and worldwide.

As a Peace Corps cultural advisor appointed by President John F. Kennedy and in 1987, as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and every day since, Belafonte has worked tirelessly to promote human rights causes and continues to do so to this day.

The Community Economic Empowerment Service presents The Empowerment Expo and Career Fair

COMMUNITY ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT SERVICE

IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

Leria Jordan

1800 John Rogers Drive

Birmingham, Alabama 35210

838-1386 Ext. 213

2013 EMPOWERMENT EXPO – CAREER FAIR, COLLEGE FAIR, ENTREPRENEURS SEMINAR

It’s time for Growth and Advancement! The 2013 EMPOWERMENT EXPO hosted by THE COMMUNITY ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT SERVICE will provide a full day of networking opportunities with business and academic professionals. Participants will be exposed to new business strategies and learn about new tools to shape their professional and academic future.

WHEN:    

Saturday, April 6, 2013 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

WHO:      

Metropolitan Birmingham and surrounding cities

WHERE: 

The Campus of The Guiding Light Church |  1800 John Rogers Drive | Birmingham, Alabama

WHAT:

CAREER FAIR – The opportunity to connect with multiple employers seeking qualified candidates

COLLEGE FAIR – Local and statewide colleges will be available to address
college admissions questions

ENTREPRENEURS SEMINAR – Learn the basics of starting, financing,
managing, and marketing a business through the Empowerment Shark
Tank

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! All are welcome for this FREE EMPOWERMENT EXPO on Saturday, April 6, 2013, 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. There will be a media team on site to assist with your live Saturday morning newscasts, as well as, sound bytes from the seminar facilitators before, during, and after the event. For assistance with your media needs contact, Leria Jordan at 838-1386, Ext. 213 or email leria.jordan@guidinglight.org.

The April Lynn Jamerson Foundation presents Senior Unity Fest Class of 2013

The April Lynn Jamerson Foundation presents Senior Unity Fest – Class of 2013! Who’s the BOSS, hosted by Miss Nikki.

Friday, March 22, 2013 at the Boutwell Exibition Hall.  DJ CJ Da Stickman PLUS a live performance by Rock Mob and the Rich Kidz!

5:00pm, security strictly enforced.

Act on the the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan!

Lessons from the Past: Civil Rights Today, panel discussion set for March 12 at BSC

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The topic of civil rights in Alabama will take center stage during a panel discussion on Tuesday, March 12, at 6 p.m. at Birmingham-Southern College.
“Lessons from the Past: Civil Rights Today” is being held in conjunction with BSC’s “Forward, Ever Birmingham” program created in partnership with the city of Birmingham’s observation of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 civil rights movement.
The event is free and open to the public and will be held in Bruno Great Hall.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Odessa Woolfolk, founding president and chair emerita of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Panelists will include:

• Scott Douglas, executive director of Greater Birmingham Ministries
• Isabel Rubio, founder of the Hispanic Coalition of Alabama
• The Honorable William Bell, mayor of Birmingham
• Carolyn McKinstry, eyewitness to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
• Howard Bayless, LGBT civil rights leader
• The Honorable Helen Shores Lee, judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit

For more information about the event, please contact Erica Brown, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, at 205-226-4733 or ebrown@bsc.edu.

About Birmingham-Southern College:
Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution in Birmingham, Ala., founded in 1856 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls about 1,200 students from more than 30 states and 16 foreign countries. Learn more online at www.bsc.edu.

Exchange Club Family Skills Center presents The Blue Heart Gala

The Blue Heart Gala

BIRMINGHAM, AL- The Exchange Club Family Skills Center presents the 1^st Annual “Blue Heart Gala”, a semi-formal event to help “Break the Cycle of Child Abuse & Neglect” in our community.

Our 1^st Annual “Blue Heart Gala” is an event designed to raise awareness and financial support for the Prevention of Child Abuse throughout the State of Alabama. On Friday, February 15, 2013 from 7-10pm, at Homewood’s prestigious SOHO Rosewood, guest will enjoy an elegant evening of dining, dancing and live entertainment. Entertainment will be provided by “Good Fellas”, D.J. “Professor Beatz” and “Comedienne Joy”. Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win an iPad Mini, a 42’’ Flat Screen TV or a special Spa Package featuring a two-night stay at Ross Bridge. They can also participate in a live auction for a football autographed by Crimson Tide Coach Nick Saban. Tickets are $75.00 or $125.00 per couple, and must be purchased in advance. For more information and to purchase tickets, log on to our website www.ecfsc.com .

The Exchange Club Family Skills Center is a non-profit 501 © (3) agency located in Birmingham. Our mission is to act as the principal child abuse and neglect prevention agency, providing parent education and support to both parents and children in the Greater Birmingham area. Simply stated, our mission is to Break the Cycle of Child Abuse and Neglect. We provide FREE parenting classes, FREE In-home parenting support, Anger Management classes for both parents and teens, and a community outreach Speaker’s Bureau program.

Past President of The Exchange Club Family Skills Center Executive Board of Directors, Judge Andra Sparks, is the event Chair and Ronda Robinson of FOX 6 WBRC will Host the event.

Contact: Sonya Williams, Executive Director

Exchange Club Family Skills Center

(205) 801-5151, (205) 801-6040 (Fax),

Swilliams@ecfsc.com , www.ecfsc.com

Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Exchange-Club-Family-Skills-Center-Birmingham-Alabama/119700601406076

Follow us on Twitter at @ECFSC or http://www.twitter.com/ECFSC

Glorious Gardens Returns to Birmingham Showcasing Seven Magic City Gardens

Railroad Park Will Complement the Tour of Six Private Gardens

BIRMINGHAM, AL – Glorious Gardens returns to Birmingham June 2 – 3, 2012, showcasing six residential gardens and one public garden across the Magic City. The biennial tour allows ticket-holders intimate views of six private gardens from across the horticultural spectrum: from sprawling, ranch-style estates to quaint, self-maintained gardens. On Saturday, June 2, the tours will take place from 10 – 5 p.m., while Sunday will be open to the public from noon – 5 p.m.

Glorious Gardens not only educates visitors about plants, arts, gardening and various aspects of landscape design, it also benefits The Gardens’ mission to promote public knowledge and appreciation of plants, gardens and the environment. Tickets to the event will be available to the public in April for $25, with availability at www.bbgardens.org/gloriousgardens and at retailers throughout the metro Birmingham area including: Leaf & Petal at The Gardens, Leaf & Petal at the Summit, Leaf & Petal at Mountain Brook Village, Oak Street Garden Shop, Colliers Nursery, Sweet Peas, Myers Plants and Pottery and Plant Odyssey. For more information, contact Shelly McCarty at 205.414.3965 or smccarty@bbgardens.org.

Host Gardens

Barbara Saurer and Brad White – The Saurer/White garden sits on a deceptively large lot in the Hollywood area of Homewood. With mature Japanese maples and other uncommon specimens, the front garden greets guests with a fish pond. Rough, native stone repeats in a shaded patio. Take the side path past the outdoor shower, to the back of the property, which contains an herb bed, large composting area, chicken yard and a variety of other garden spaces rich with plantings.

John and Catherine Close – The Close garden is tucked into a hillside behind the house, offering no clues to its existence from the front. Clean and simple lines are the hallmark of this private, compact and serene getaway designed in the manner of a stylized Italian villa. Espaliered pears spire-like arborvitae and container accents frame the intimate swimming pool and sitting area.

Jane R. and Neil Ross – Built in 1947, the Ross cottage and its accompanying garden have continually evolved, but outdoor living space has always been immediately accessible to indoor rooms. Doors often stay comfortably open, inviting guests to move freely from the main rooms to the surprisingly detailed courtyard garden nestled in the pedestrian-friendly community of Edgewood.

Ginger and Charles Clark – The Clark garden is a seamless blend of the styles preferred by the homeowners. He prefers a more manicured look which is expressed in the stately terrace and elegant plantings in front. She prefers a more liberal approach, utilizing unusual plant materials with contrasting colors in the back gardens, where herbs and unusual vegetables cavort with espaliered fruits and shrub borders.

Mark and Caroline Clark – Magnolias, hollies, hydrangeas, fruit trees and other traditional Southern garden plants are the bones of the Clark garden. The front garden features Knock-Out® roses, gardenias and a wildflower garden overlooking a gorgeous view of the valley. In the back, behind a massive hedge of Leyland cypress, an extensive daylily collection borders the rear lawn Raised beds hold tomatoes, herbs, cut flowers and bearded iris.

Ernest and Vivian Cory – Located on Vestavia Drive with a view of the City of Birmingham, the Cory home was built with gardening and outdoor living as a priority. The loggia at the rear of the house spills onto a bluestone terrace and black-bottomed pool where the family often gathers to spend time together. With a small, formal herb garden, an abundant flower border reminiscent of those found in the English countryside, and raised vegetable planters, visitors will find plenty to inspire.

Railroad Park – Located downtown, Railroad Park is Birmingham’s newest park and it’s made quite an impression. With more than 600 trees onsite, including more than 50 Princeton elms alone, its trails and walkways among meadows of annuals, biennials and perennials provide breathtaking views of the Magic City throughout every season.

About Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is Alabama’s largest living museum with more than 12,000 different plants in its living collections. The Gardens’ 67.5 acres contains more than 25 unique gardens, 30+ works of original outdoor sculpture and miles of serene paths. The Gardens features the largest public horticulture library in the U.S., conservatories, a wildflower garden, two rose gardens, the Southern Living garden, and Japanese Gardens with a traditionally crafted tea house. Education programs run year round and more than 10,000 school children enjoy free science-curriculum based field trips annually. The Gardens is open daily, offering free admission to more than 350,000 yearly visitors.

COORS LIGHT CELEBRATES MAGIC CITY CLASSIC WITH HIP-HOP LEGENDS DOUG E. FRESH AND BIZ MARKIE

Build your future by learning a trade!

It has been said by Construction Craft professionals and company owners that to have learned a Construction Trade is to have “Something that can’t be taken from you.” Learning a trade gives you the knowledge to build your own future.

The CEFA Craft Training classes are taught using the nationally recognized and standardized NCCER curriculum. The same Curriculum used in Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship Training Programs across the state as well as many High Schools, Career Technical Programs and Community Colleges.

CEFA has the support, direction and curriculum to provide you with the CRAFT specific trade training that construction employers want, need and expect.

Unemployed individuals entering the classes are entered into the CEFA database that is sent to contractors in YOUR area.

Getting our youth to work

Birmingham Builds: Open to Jefferson County Residents over the age of 18, the Birmingham Builds program is to help train workers to rebuild the tornado damaged areas of Birmingham. This is a night time class, held two nights a week.

CEFA
Ph:  205-956-0146
Fx:  205-956-0149
PO Box 130220

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