Interfaith Prayer Service held to commemorate “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – June 7
An interfaith prayer service was held in Tuscaloosa Friday to commemorate the historic “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”. The University of Alabama hosted the program to celebrate the role of the faith community in the civil rights movement. The event also recognized and honored the courage and dedication of Vivian Malone and James Hood, the two African-American students who enrolled at UA on June 11, 1963. It was nearly 50 years ago, when former Governor George Wallace stood at the entrance door to the University, to block Malone and Hood from enrolling in the University. Throughout 2013, UA has hosted a series of activities and events designed to honor the desegregation of the University, and another event is scheduled for June 11, 2013. Today’s event was held in the Bryant Conference Center, and featured speakers such as Rev. Charles Spencer, Director for Community Development, Center for Community-Based Partnerships, The University of Alabama, and Brother Arzo X, Coordinator for Muhammad Study Group of Tuscaloosa.
Fox 6 (Live Shots from Bryant Conference Center)(Birmingham) – June 7 (6:30 a.m.; 7 a.m.; 8 a.m.)
UA set to commemorate 50th anniversary of stand in the schoolhouse door
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – June 6
The University of Alabama is set to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the University’s desegregation. There are two events planned, as well as, a special program for high school students around the state. On Friday there is the Interfaith Prayer Breakfast at Sellers Auditorium in the Bryant Conference Center. The breakfast kicks off at 7:30 a.m. The program is to celebrate the role of the faith community on the civil rights movement. The master of ceremonies will be Rev. Christopher Spencer, Community Development director in UA’s Center for Community Based Partnerships. On Saturday there is the Champions of Change conference. The conference will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Rast Room of the Bryant Conference Center. This is an educational program set up for high school students from around the state who have been nominated by their high schools to participate.
WHNT-19 (Huntsville) – June 6
Birmingham holds Summerquest Program to help high school students prepare for college
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – June 6
If you’re a high school student in Birmingham, listen up; there’s a free summer program that can help prepare you for the future. Today, Mayor William Bell and Regions Financial launched Summerquest – a four week challenge where high school students can learn more about financial literacy and college readiness. The whole idea is to engage high school students and make important information available about applying to and paying for college. All you need is a computer to sign up-and you’ll be partnered with area college interns who will serve as mentors.
Program being produced about Sylacauga marble
Talladega Daily Home – June 6
The story of Sylacauga’s marble is headed to the small screen, thanks in part to a recent grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation. “Discovering Alabama,” an Emmy award-winning documentary series exploring Alabama’s natural history and heritage, was awarded a $17,500 grant from AHF to support production of a half-hour program featuring the city’s famous white stone … The series is a production of the Alabama Museum of Natural History, The University of Alabama in cooperation with the Alabama Center for Public Television and Radio, and Alabama Public Television.
Cut Defense, and You Cut the Heart Out of Dixie
Fiscal Times – June 7
Alabama might not seem like a hub of Defense Department activity. But the Pentagon sends billions of dollars to the Heart of Dixie each year, making the defense industry part of the lifeblood of the state and its 4.8 million residents. There are 15,500 people working at Redstone Arsenal, the base where the Army develops and tests missiles. There are another 1,900 workers at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, the state capital; 3,000 at Anniston Army Depot in Bynum; and 2,200 at Fort Rucker. In total, more than 33,000 people work for the Department of Defense in Alabama. In 2010, the last year for which information is available, DOD spent $5.7 billion in the Huntsville area alone … So when furlough notices were handed out across Alabama last week, a sense of dread began to set in, according to Ahmad Ijaz, director of economic forecasting for the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research … “The federal budget sequester and continuing uncertainty about fiscal policy and cuts in federal spending are clearly dampening Alabama business confidence,” Ijaz told The Fiscal Times. “For the state as a whole, the Alabama Business Confidence Index registered 47.7 on the second quarter 2013 survey. Although up 2.3 points, the index remains below 50 and signals a negative outlook for the third consecutive quarter.”
Send us your photos celebrating 50 years of desegregation at UA
Al.com – June 7
The University of Alabama will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door throughout 2013 with a series of activities and events designed to honor the desegregation of UA in June 1963, and we’re asking you to help with your own photos. To celebrate the courage and dedication of James Hood and Vivian Malone — the two African-American students who enrolled at UA on June 11, 1963 — as well as honor the school’s ongoing commitment to change over the past 50 years and to continued progress in the next 50 years, we’d love to see photos of you outside the doors of Foster Auditorium on campus. Photos could include you simply standing in front of the doors of Foster Auditorium, or anywhere in scenic Malone-Hood Plaza including under the Lucy Clock Tower to celebrate desegregation on campus.