Randall Woodfin: One Year Later
Birmingham is about the power of people.
Our city’s history is a tribute to that power. The rise of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, beginning in the mid-1950s, and the election of Richard Arrington Jr. as the city's first Black mayor in 1979; are landmark events in the journey towards progress that continues today.
That path has rarely been easy, and our steps have not always been sure. There have been constant challenges and occasional setbacks, as there will continue to be in the future. There have also been times when ability, opportunity, and purpose have met in ways that have transformed Birmingham.
At each of these pivotal points, the difference has been made by people.
When acting collectively as an instrument of progress, the people of Birmingham have always moved our city forward — even at times when the City was not ready or willing (or, in some cases, just didn't think it was ready). At other times, the people and the City have worked hand-in-hand to ensure that the values of equality, inclusion and, ultimately, justice are central to our definition of progress.
This is what I think about today, when I reflect on the events of a year ago: the protests in Birmingham and other cities across the country that erupted in response to George Floyd’s murder. Here in our city, in response to community demands, I ordered the removal of the Confederate monument that had stood at the southern entrance of Linn Park — the seven-acre public space between Birmingham City Hall and the Jefferson County Courthouse — since 1905.
Think about that for a second: For 115 years, just about anyone entering Linn Park from downtown — many of them on business with either city or county government — passed in the shadow of a monument to the Confederacy. That strange fact gets even stranger when you stop to remember that the Civil War ended in 1865, and that Birmingham wasn't founded until June 1st, 1871 -- 150 years ago today. In other words, we had a highly visible public memorial to the losing side in a war that took place before Birmingham even existed.
Crazy, right?
But, for more than a century, we lived with it. We all did — every person who passed by the monument was subjected to this perversion of history, even if they never stopped to look at it or wonder why it was there. For me, there is no other way to describe giving a place of honor in Birmingham's signature park to individuals who fought to maintain and extend the institution of slavery. Having that monument in a public space runs counter to everything I was taught about the meaning and purpose of America.
As I've said, those are my thoughts in reflection, a year removed from the latest of those moments where the people of Birmingham took it on themselves to bend the moral arc towards justice. Their demand for immediate removal of the monument was not only reasonable, but also a rightful test of Birmingham's commitment — and my commitment as Mayor — to our responsibility as heirs to a history of collective action by progressively and righteously engaged citizens.
Being in Linn Park with my fellow citizens that night was an emotional moment for me, and I want to share with you some of my thinking in those hours after the circumstances of Floyd's death became public, and our city departments began to prepare for accommodating the protest — and when I began to consider all that factored into our preparations and any necessary response on the part of the city, and of me as Mayor.
First and foremost, I determined what we would NOT do: Birmingham would not repeat history with police violence and other repressive tactics against lawful protesters.
I also thought about what we would do. Those thoughts were centered on the city not just supporting and protecting our citizens, but joining them in standing in the face of injustices both historic and all too current. I've always believed in being willing to take risks in the service of what is good, and I thought it was important to demonstrate appreciation for those who were taking the risks associated with protest.
That's why I chose to go and join the activists in the park. People were demanding action, and they needed the leader of the city to assure them that immediate action would be taken.
I don't mind telling you that the atmosphere in the park was intense. Some have said that I took an unnecessary risk going there, that the situation could have turned dangerous for me and everybody there. My answer to that is that I'd do it again in a heartbeat, because for one thing, danger was not what I felt.
What I felt was the need to lead with empathy. I needed to feel what the people in Linn Park were expressing. And while anger certainly was in the mix of emotions, I felt much more hurt, fear, sadness in the crowd — as well as the inextinguishable flicker of hope that has sustained Birmingham in times of trouble and lit our way towards always being the best we can be.
Feeling those emotions, I thought of something Birmingham's own Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth said about the hard work of change. He said that change occurs "on an evolutionary path, where each victory in faith helps us [toward] the next victory to win."
May 31, 2020, was that kind of victory. The kind that changes the way we think about the future, and opens eyes and minds to new possibilities. The kind that reminds us progress comes one step at a time.
In that sense, my removal of the Confederate monument from Birmingham's public space is a fitting companion to the priorities of my administration. Living out our commitment to Putting People First, we are improving and enhancing neighborhoods across the city, creating unprecedented economic and cultural opportunities for our citizens, and investing in the future of Birmingham.
The signature initiatives of my administration are tied to these priorities, including Birmingham Promise, Pardons for Progress, the creation of the Mayor’s office of Social Justice and Racial Equity, and sustained investments in minority and women-owned businesses.
In its first year of operation, Birmingham Promise has helped over 400 BCS students attend the college or university of their choice, and about 600 more students are on track to participate this year. On 4/20, I announced pardons for 15,000 people convicted of marijuana possession in Birmingham. My social justice team leads the Tuhska Lusa Initiative, which works to reduce recidivism and gun violence by providing justice-system involved Black men with culturally-centered group support for life skills development, career development as well as mental health..
The City spent over $24 million with minority and women-owned businesses in FY2020, and has a target of spending an additional $150 million by 2025. We are formalizing our commitment to minority and women-owned businesses by initiating a disparity study that will form the basis of the City’s new Diverse Business Opportunity Program.
Reflecting on our accomplishments and on where we go from here, I am reminded of the importance of thinking and planning for the long-term vitality of our city. I am reminded that true success, the kind of success we want for Birmingham, happens not overnight, but over generations. Making sure that everything we do contributes to that process has been my daily objective for the past four years -- as it will continue to be for the next four.
At this historic moment, fittingly symbolized by the removal of the Confederate monument and the ongoing conversation it ensued, the best thing we can do as a city is to keep moving without hesitation or fear to make opportunities for the next generation of Birmingham's citizens better in every way.
As we go about that task, we must always look to the lessons taught by those whose courage and dedication helped bring Birmingham to this point in history. We must also continue to apply those lessons — along with our own insights and ideas and innovations — to our pursuit of the best possible future for our city and its people.