Rosa Parks statue for Alabama State Capitol grounds gets final approval
Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector The Alabama Women’s Tribute Statue Commission Friday approved the final design for a statue of Rosa Parks statue that will sit near the entrance of the Alabama State Capitol. Several members of the commission traveled to sculptor Julia Knight’s studio in Decatur, Georgia to see the working model of the statue of the civil rights icon. Knight said that designing the statue has been a “labor of love.” “I am feeling a little tired, but I’m also feeling a little sad that now I’m going to let go of Rosa,” Knight said. Commission members, present both in Georgia and virtually, praised the 15-foot model of the statue. It shows Parks stepping up on a raised platform, looking forward with her coat blowing in the wind. She will face South Bainbridge St. at an angle towards the steps leading up to the Capitol, allowing visitors to see her as they walk up. Parks will be the first woman depicted on the Alabama State Capitol grounds. Tracy Morant Adams, a Birmingham banker and member of the commission, said the statue captures Parks’ determination. “When you look at [her braid], it is very detailed in the back, and then also the momentum, the movement of the coat of the cult shows progression. I think that you capture that quite well,” she said. Annie Butrus, a Birmingham-based painter and member of the commission who attended the meeting virtually, said that Knight accomplished “a nearly impossible feat of creating this incredibly powerful yet delicate” design. “I love the way you’ve modeled her feet; that really shows the strength and the determination, and the absolute assurance of where she was heading,” Butrus added. Adams agreed. “Just from looking here — it seems absolutely beautiful and you’re right, Annie, regarding her stance — her feet so firmly planted with so much power. I see power there. It’s beautiful,” Adams said. The commission is also tasked with erecting a Helen Keller statue on the Capitol grounds. The Keller statue will be to the left of the back entrance, facing the current statehouse. That building is expected to be demolished after a new statehouse is completed sometime in the next three years. It is expected to be replaced by green space. The statues are expected to cost about $611,000. The commission has raised about $700,000 for the statues. Remaining money will pay for any additional costs. The Parks statue was funded in part by a $300,000 grant from the Alabama Power Foundation. The grant cannot be used for the Keller statue but will likely be used for ongoing maintenance on the Parks’ statue. Funding for the Keller statue, expected to cost almost $300,000 ($245,000 for the sculptor and $50,000 for site preparation), was not clear earlier this year. In the spring, the Alabama Legislature approved HB 125, a supplemental appropriations bill sponsored by Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, and spearheaded by Hall that allocated $200,000 towards the Keller statue. The commission is also accepting donations for the statue. Parks, a longtime civil rights activist, was arrested on Dec. 1, 1955, for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. Parks’ arrest led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, considered the start of the modern civil rights movement. Montgomery’s Court Square, where Parks caught the bus on Dec. 1, 1955, features a life-size statue of Parks. A statue of Parks also resides in the U.S. Capitol. The Alabama Women’s Tribute Statue Commission was formed in 2019 to plan and erect statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller on the grounds of the Alabama State Capitol. The commission consists of six members and is chaired by Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville. The statue will be cast at a foundry, which could take six months to complete the statue. It could be unveiled by the middle of next year, though it is not known when it will be ready for installation. “She is going to just be this beacon of feminine strength. It’s just great,” said Butrus. Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Follow Alabama Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
Steve Flowers: University philanthropists
In the past two to three years, we have had some very generous benefactors make some very magnanimous contributions to their university alma maters in Alabama. One of those philanthropist is Alabama businessman Jim Kennemer. Thanks to a $2 million gift from Kennemer, the University of Alabama funded the James C. Kennemer Center for Innovation and Social Impact. Jim and I were in school together at the University of Alabama in the 1970s, where we became friends, and we have remained friends. Many of his close friends call him “Robo,” a nickname he picked up while a fraternity pledge at the University. Why? Because he was so proficient and efficient at washing the older active member’s cars. I remember, quite vividly, that Jim was involved in an unheard-of secret university endeavor called “computers.” As students, most of us vaguely knew that these strange new machines existed, but that is about all we knew. Jim would disappear and show up for breakfast. When asked about these nocturnal activities, he would curiously respond that he had been at the computer center where he had been “programming.” Now, understand that this was in the early 1970s, and these computers were very new. Little did we know what an impact these machines would ultimately have in our daily lives. Jim Kennemer is from Tuscumbia. His wife, Nancy Pettus, is from Birmingham. They met and bonded at the University. They have been married for 50 years, have built an empire together, and have given back to their alma mater, the University of Alabama. The University of Alabama recently hosted a reception to announce the gift and the naming of the Kennemer Center. The Center will be housed within the UA Honors College. After leaving UA with a BS and MBA degrees, Jim settled into the back of a warehouse in Birmingham and designed the first fully programmable payment processing workstations. The first customer was the largest bank in the country. Within a few years, systems were installed at major banks, utilities, and other large processors throughout the United States. At one point, roughly 12% of the U.S. GDP flowed through these systems that Jim designed. When that company was acquired, Jim and a partner pursued an opportunity in England that ultimately grew into a company he took public on the London Stock Exchange. Back in Alabama, Jim continued with a series of successful companies. After one of these companies had been acquired, Jim came across a revolutionary NASA-developed technology for early detection of eye problems in children. Thus, Vision Research Corporation was launched. Vision research became Jim’s real love. Jim originally had an entrepreneur’s interest and intent with the company. However, after seeing thousands of children’s lives made so much better after correction of their vision problems, he was hooked for life with his project. Hundreds of thousands of kids are screened each year, and over the years, almost one million children have been helped. Jim Kennemer grew up about a mile from Helen Keller’s birthplace. I have always thought that she was an impetus towards Jim Kennemer’s Vision Research Center. Recently, Crowne Health founder and CEO Billy Jones and his wife Frances gave $2 million to Troy University, his alma mater. Troy University will use the gift for a new building on the Troy campus. The building will be named in honor of Billy Jones of Monroeville. It will be a center for research in the area of polymers and polymer recycling. The building named in Jones’s honor will also primarily and appropriately be a Health Science building. Dr. Jack Hawkins, Chancellor of Troy University, has been known for his prowess at fundraising during his 35-year reign as Chancellor of Troy University. He made an elegant presentation in his remarks honoring Jones at the ceremony, bestowing the Jones name upon the building. He said succinctly, “Billy Jones is a cornerstone in the quality of healthcare in Alabama. As President and CEO of Crowne Health Systems, he has been a legend in Alabama, and he is a Troy product. With 18 nursing homes and 2000 employees, he has made a remarkable difference in the quality of care given to many thousands of people. It is appropriate that his name will be reflected on a building that is dedicated to the development and education of healthcare workers. He has been a great supporter of this university, and we are very proud of the relationship we share with him.” The saying that Alabama is one big front porch continues. Dr. Jack Hawkins and Billy Jones grew up together in Mobile. They have known each other since their days together at Murphy High in Mobile. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
The 2023 Alabama Legislative Session has begun
Tuesday, the Alabama State Legislature returned to Montgomery for the start of the 2024 Alabama Regular Legislative Session. The Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate gaveled in at noon for the first legislative day and then joined the governor that night for a joint session where she presented her state of the state address. Senate Pro Tem. Greg Reed told members of the Senate, “I appreciate you being willing to serve the people of Alabama.” “The sacrifices made by the family of those who serve is not insignificant,” Reed added, thanking the families of the 35 Senators for their sacrifices. The Senate opened the journal to introduce bills, selected a committee to inform the governor that the Senate was now in session, and passed a resolution in honor of March being Women’s History Month. The resolution “celebrates the contribution that Alabama women have made to American history.” The resolution honors a number of Alabama women, including Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, and Condoleezza Rice, for their contributions to the state as well as the governor. “Current governor Kay Ivey is the longest serving woman governor in history and the second after Lurleen Wallace.” State Sen. Rodger Smitherman said, “This resolution inspired me. That resolution is a cosmic picture of the state of Alabama. It does not matter whether you are Black or White. It was a cosmic picture of all the people of Alabama.” “That’s our state,” Smitherman said. “All of us, we represent the state. Look around this room. This is what our state looks like. I am looking forward to voting for this resolution with a smile on my face.” Senate Joint Resolution 4 passed unanimously. Senate Joint Resolution 5 honoring former U.S. Senator Richard Shelby for his decades of service to the state passed. State Sen. Gerald Allen sponsored this. A second resolution supporting the oil and gas exploration by Allen was held over and referred to the Rules Committee after State Sen. Bobby Singleton asked for more time to study it. Reed announced that the Senate needed to address statutory requirements at the start of the session. The Senate held a Legislative Council election and selected Sens. Clyde Chambliss, Steve Livingston, and Vivian Figures to represent the Senate on the Council. For the Committee on Public Accounts, the Senate elected Sens. Arthur Orr, Clay Scofield, and Jabo Waggoner. On the Sunset Committee, Sens. Garlan Gudger, Keith Kelley, and Figures were elected. Sens. Orr, Scofield, Waggoner, Figures, and Singleton were elected to the Senate Ethics and Conduct Committee. Ivey called a special session beginning on Wednesday for the Legislature to focus on appropriating over one billion dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds that the federal government sent to the state of Alabama. “This evening, I am calling a Special Session of the Alabama Legislature to begin tomorrow so that we can urgently address these endeavors,” Ivey said. “We are, once again, tasked with allocating our taxpayers’ dollars that are part of the second round of the American Rescue Plan Act from Congress.” “This is not free money,” Ivey warned legislators. “And we must invest these one-time funds wisely. Last year, thanks to you, members of the Alabama Legislature, we put these dollars to work, meeting some of Alabama’s biggest challenges. I commit to the people of Alabama we will once again take a smart approach and put it towards major and needed endeavors like expanding broadband access, improving our water and sewer infrastructure, and investing in our health care – including telemedicine.” Tuesday was the first day of the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session, but since Ivey has called a special session, the second legislative day of the regular session will not begin until Tuesday, March 21. The Alabama Constitution of 1901 limits the Legislature to just thirty legislative days in a regular session. Members worked on Tuesday, introducing their bills for the regular session. At the close of the day on Monday, 98 bills had been pre-filed ahead of the session. By the end of the day on Tuesday, that had grown to 174 bills. Reed explained to reporters that it takes a minimum of five legislative days for a bill to pass both Houses of the Legislature, so it will take the rest of this legislative week and next week for the ARPA appropriations bill to pass and go to Gov. Ivey for her signature. Once that is done, the special session can end, and the Legislature will be poised to remove the 2023 Alabama Regular Legislative Session. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Mo Brooks vows to vote no on H.R. 3005
Tuesday, Congressman Mo Brooks announced Tuesday that he will vote “No” on H.R. 3005. The bill calls to replace the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the United States Capitol with a bust of Thurgood Marshall. It also calls to remove certain statues from areas of the United States Capitol that are accessible to the public and remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in the United States Capitol. Chief Justice Taney became best known for writing the final majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sandford in 1857. The court declared that African Americans were not citizens of the United States and could not sue in Federal courts. This decision further declared that Congress did not have the authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. H.R. 3005 states, “Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s authorship of Dred Scott v. Sandford, the effects of which would only be overturned years later by the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, renders a bust of his likeness unsuitable for the honor of display to the many visitors to the United States Capitol.” The Bill also states, “While the removal of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s bust from the United States Capitol does not relieve the Congress of the historical wrongs it committed to protect the institution of slavery, it expresses Congress’s recognition of one of the most notorious wrongs to have ever taken place in one of its rooms, that of Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney’s Dred Scott v. Sandford decision.” Rep. Brooks argues that the bill will allow other states to determine what statues other states can display. Currently, the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Collection has 100 statues, 2 from each state. Alabama’s two statutes are Helen Keller and Joe Wheeler. Wheeler was a Confederate general who later become a United States general. General Wheeler oversaw Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Alabama also has a third statute honoring Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks. Both the General Wheeler and Rosa Parks statutes are in places of prominence in the old House Chamber (now known as Statuary Hall). Helen Keller is prominently honored and displayed in the Capitol Visitor’s Center. The 1864 law establishing the National Statuary Collection provides that each state may “furnish statues…of deceased persons who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services such as each State may deem to be worthy of this national commemoration.” Brooks stated, “The 1864 law that establishes the National Statuary Collection defers to states the power to determine who they wish to honor with a Capitol statue. And that makes perfect sense. Just as it would be wrong for Alabama and other states to dictate to New York and California who they must honor, it is similarly wrong and repulsive for New York, California, or other states to dictate to Alabama who we must honor. Yet, H.R. 3005 seeks to do exactly that by empowering other states to dictate to a single state who that state can, or cannot, honor.” Brooks continued, “Cancel culture and historical revisionism are precursors to dictatorial government and the destruction of individual liberty and freedom by elitists who claim they know more than regular citizens and, hence, should be empowered to dictate what regular citizens can and cannot think or do. Ultimately, it’s all about political power in the hands of a dictatorial few coupled with the loss of freedom and liberty by the masses. “I reject cancel culture and historical revisionism. I reject Socialist Democrat intolerance. I support federalism and a state’s right to decide for itself who it should honor. As such, I will proudly vote ‘No’ on H.R. 3005. Alabama, not New Yorkers, Californians, or anyone else, should decide who we wish to honor in Alabama’s contribution to the National Statuary Collection. Socialist Democrat states should butt out,” Brooks concluded. Brooks commented on Twitter, “Cancel culture & historical revisionism are precursors to dictatorial government & the destruction of individual liberty & freedom by elitists who claim they know more than regular citizens & should be able to dictate what regular citizens can think or do.” Cancel culture & historical revisionism are precursors to dictatorial government & the destruction of individual liberty & freedom by elitists who claim they know more than regular citizens & should be able to dictate what regular citizens can think or do. https://t.co/63HV28f1O6 — Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) June 29, 2021 The House Press Gallery posted on Twitter earlier today, “A recorded vote was requested and postponed on H.R. 3005.” A recorded vote was requested and postponed on H.R. 3005. https://t.co/IxmDeJmzlN — House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) June 29, 2021
Alabama Book Festival attendees first to see state’s bicentennial children’s book
Attendees of the Alabama Book Festival at Montgomery’s historic Old Alabama Town on Saturday received a special treat: they were the first to see the brand new book, Alabama My Home Sweet Home, by Charles Ghigna. Ghigna, also known as Father Goose, is an award winning author who lives in Homewood, Ala. He wrote Alabama My Home Sweet Home as a bicentennial book for young readers; the book features a bear cub named Camellia who accompanies readers through the book as they come across famous Alabamians like Helen Keller, Rosa Parks and Jesse Owens during their own time and place in history. “We are thrilled to have a bicentennial book especially for young readers,” said Alabama Bicentennial Commission Executive Director, Jay Lamar. “What better time than the celebration of the state’s 200th birthday to introduce them to important Alabama people and places.” Another Alabama native, Michelle Hyde provided illustrations for the book. A graduate of the Ringling College of Art & Design, her work has appeared in The Birmingham News and several other publications. Hyde and her family reside in Birmingham. “It is even more special that Alabama My Home Sweet Home was written and illustrated by two people who call Alabama home,” said Lamar. “Father Goose is, of course, a beloved Alabama children’s writer. Michelle Hyde’s cheerful illustrations clearly show how well she knows the state. They make a great team.” Ghigna is the author of 5,000 poems and more than 100 books from publishers such as: Random House, Time Inc., Disney, Scholastic, and Highlights magazine. He is a former poet-in-residence and chair of creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Art, who currently serves as an instructor for creative writing at Samford University.
National Endowment for the Humanities awards Alabama projects over $300,000 in grants
The National Endowment for the Humanities announced $18.6 million in grants on Monday, several thousands of dollars will be headed to Alabama to fund two projects; and nearly 300,000 will be sent to New York to fund a project close the the Yellowhammer state’s heart. “These new NEH-supported projects deepen our understanding and appreciation of the traditions, values, and historical figures who have shaped our country,” said NEH Senior Deputy Chairman Jon Parrish Peede. The American Foundation for the Blind Inc. will receive $295,000 for a project to digitize scrapbooks and news clippings of Helen Keller. The project, titled “Digitization and Metadata Creation for the Helen Keller Archive Press Clippings and Scrapbooks,” is being directed by Helen Selsdon, an archivist for the American Foundation for the Blind. The project has “digitized a vast portion of the over 80,000 items in Helen Keller’s unique and irreplaceable archive. 160,000 digital images have been created, and by December of this year will be accessible online to blind, deaf, deafblind, sighted, and hearing audiences around the globe,” wrote Selson. Florence Ala. will receive $1,000 which will allow the “NEH on the Road: House and Home” exhibition to visit the Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts. The exhibition seeks to allow visitors to explore how the ideal house and the experience of what it means to “be at home” have changed over time. Mobile, Ala. will receive a $6,000 summer stipends for a project at the University of South Alabama. The funds will allow University professor Claire Cage to continue the “The Science of Proof: Forensic Medicine in 19th-Century France,” project consisting of a book-length study on the relationship between forensic science and law in 19th-century France. These are just three examples of the 199 projects, and $18.6 million the National Endowment for the Humanities, a full list of which can be found here.
Dreams of Alabama-native Helen Keller gracing the new $10 bill come to an end
Just weeks after it began the campaign to make Alabama-native Helen Keller the face of the new $10 bill in place of Alexander Hamilton has come to an end. POLITICO is reporting Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will announce plans Wednesday that Hamilton will remain on the $10 bill following an unexpected public show of support. Wednesday’s abrupt about-face comes as a disappointment to many. “While we are very disappointed that Helen Keller, ‘America’s Ambassador to the World,’ was not chosen for either of these bills, we remain committed to the legacy, and work of Helen Keller,” Keller J. Thompson, great grand-niece of Helen Keller and VP of Education at the Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education told Alabama Today. “We believe that few people have ever changed the world as she has, and we certainly remain hopefully that she will be chosen for future currency changes that may take place.” In 2015, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced plans to place a woman’s face on the redesigned $10 bill and opened the suggestion process to the public through its website. Instead of changing the face of the $10 bill, Treasury will instead put abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, replacing President Andrew Jackson. “We congratulate Harriet Tubman for her work,bravery and dedication during a very trying time of our nation’s history,” Thompson said of Wednesday’s news. “We hope this exercise will continue to educate America and the world on some of the great women in our history. I am fairly certain that Helen Keller and Harriet Tubman never had the opportunity to meet on another but I think if that had, that would have truly been able to identify with each other, and the obstacles that they overcame in their respective lives.” Earlier this month, state and local officials rallied in Tuscumbia at Ivy Green, the north Alabama home of the late Keller for a press event intended to inform the public of the campaign and to garner public support for a Helen Keller bill.
Campaign launched to put Alabama native Helen Keller on new $10 bill
A campaign for making Alabama-native Helen Keller the face of the new $10 bill has officially begun. State and local officials rallied in Tuscumbia at Ivy Green, the north Alabama home of the late Helen Keller, for a press event Wednesday sponsored by the Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education. The event aimed to inform the public of the campaign and to garner public support for a Helen Keller bill. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Treasury announced plans to place a woman’s face on the redesigned bill and opened the suggestion process to the public through its website, www.thenew10.treasury.gov. “The Treasury wants the selected woman to illustrate ‘America’s values,’ and ‘inclusive democracy’ internationally, since the dollar is also the world’s currency,” explained Laura Beckwith, Executive Director of the Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education. “Eleanor Roosevelt called Helen Keller, ‘America’s goodwill ambassador to the world’ and her legacy remains beloved today, as her story is still taught to literate people worldwide.” Keller was born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia. In 1882, at 19 months old, she contracted a severe illness that left her deaf, blind and mute. Keller overcame the adversity of her physical limitations to become one of the 20th century’s leading humanitarians, as well as a world-famous speaker and author. “If Helen Keller was selected to grace the face of ‘TheNewTen,’ it would lead to worldwide appreciation of why she was selected by Time magazine as one of the 100 most important people of the twentieth century,” Beckwith continued. “”TheNew10′ will also be the first U.S. paper currency with a tactile feature distinguishable by visually impaired persons, making the choice of Helen Keller even more compelling.” The Alabama Legislature is also behind the Keller-bill initiative. In 2015, following Treasury’s announcement of a redesigned bill, the Legislature passed a resolution supporting Keller as the state’s official choice for the new $10 bill. The Resolution includes references to Keller’s numerous accolades including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and her accomplishment as an author of 13 books. The Treasury Department plans to release the next version of the $10 bill into circulation in 2020.
