GWEN DERU
TODAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**THIRSTY THURSDAY at Hookah 114 17th Street No.
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Get all the latest news.
**WATCH LOTS OF MOVIES – Check out the Sidewalk Film Fest for lots more.
FRIDAY…
**ART FOR A CAUSE, at Renaissance Hotel, 5-9 p.m.
**SAXOPHONIST MARQUEAL JORDAN at Perfect Note.
**MOVIE NIGHT: Rent and Watch movies at Sidewalkfest.com.
**COMEDIAN EDDIE GRIFFIN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE with at Perfect Note.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
**MOVIE NIGHT: Rent and Watch movies at Sidewalkfest.com.
SATURDAY…
**WOODLAWN STREET MARKET, 12 p.m.
**SATURDAYS IN THE GARDENS at Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
**WINE DOWN HAPPY HOUR, 4-9 p.m. at Saferoom Lounge Bar.
**FLUTIST KIM SCOTT at the Perfect Note.
**COMEDIAN EDDIE GRIFFIN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**FUN, GAMES, YARD AND HOUSE WORK including Uno, Monopoly, Solitaire, Shopping, Eating. Times are changing soon.
SUNDAY…
**THE GATHERING – A Divine Movement for family and friends, Sunday at 5 p.m. in Railroad Park (Hillside).
**FLUTIST KIM SCOTT at the Perfect Note.
**COMEDIAN EDDIE GRIFFIN at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**STRAIGHT OUTTA OF QUARANTINE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**FAMILY TIME, GOOD FOOD AND MOVIES.
MONDAY…
**LIVE FROM THE STARDOME WITH RICKEY SMILEY KARAOKE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**REGGAE MUSIC EVERY MONDAY NIGHT with DJ DUSTY, 8 p.m. at Black Magic 2904 Lomb Avenue.
**READ A GOOD BOOK…There are a few on the bookshelves, just lying around are some to read.
**EVERY MONDAY is MONSLAYYY – THE CARIBBEAN WAY, 8 p.m. at the Vault with TRINI and BRENT TRINI-FRESH PIERRE. FREE.
TUESDAY…
**LIVE FROM THE STARDOME WITH RICKEY SMILEY KARAOKE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**TASTY TUESDAYS TEACHERS APPRECIATION Night at Platinum.
**EVERY TUESDAY – TRUE STORY BREWINGS PRESENTS TUESDAY JAZZ SESSIONS, 7- 10 p.m., 5510 Crestwood Blvd.
**LIT AND JAZZ with DAVID TALLEY AND FRIENDS, every Tuesday, 7 p.m. at Lit on 8th, 518 Rev. Abraham Woods Blvd.
**READ A REAL GOOD BOOK…You might like cookbooks, to-do books, game books, picture books, history books.
WEDNESDAY…
**INTERFAITH NOONDAY PRAYER SERVICES every Wednesday, Noon at Linn Park in Downtown Birmingham.
**REGGAE WEDNESDAY NIGHTS, 8 p.m. at Blue Onyx.
NEXT THURSDAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**COMEDIAN RON WHITE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
NEXT FRIDAY…
**MOVIE NIGHT: Rent and Watch movies at Sidewalkfest.com.
**COMEDIAN RON WHITE at the StarDome Comedy Club.
**MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE at Perfect Note.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
FOR LOVERS OF FESTIVALS, FATHERS, FOOD AND MUSIC…
FOR JUNETEENTH…SATURDAY…
**MAGIC CITY FLAVORS LIBERATION BAKE SALE AND STORY HOUR, 10 a.m. at Homecoming Coffee & Book Store, 3112 Ensley, Five Points West Avenue.
**NATIONAL JUNETEENTH COMMEMORATES at 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. in Kelly Ingram Park.
**JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION in the Birmingham Civil Rights District, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. is a day long festival of heritage and culture celebrating the emancipation of enslaved people in America,
**COMMEMORATING JUNETEENTH WITH BLKFREEDOM.ORG – BLKFreedom Continues the Tradition of Exploring Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in America on June 18 at 11 a.m. CDT. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis will virtually join nine leading Black museums and historical institutions from coast to coast for BLKFREEDOM.org to commemorate Juneteenth, the day that the Emancipation Proclamation was officially enforced, ending enslavement in Texas. The annual collaboration has produced a film documenting the national exploration of the deep-rooted anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” through the eyes of historic museums and anthropologists from across the United States. The film will premiere on partnering sites starting June 15 at 12 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. CDT. BLKFREEDOM.org will commemorate the anniversary of Juneteenth. Juneteenth dates back to June 19, 1865, when union soldier, Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with the news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This announcement was more than two and half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The virtual event will explore the historical influences on the evolution of being Black in America using the context of the national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. Streaming audiences globally will explore the pride of over 200 years of Gullah culture, perseverance of Little Africa through Black Laws, tenacity through industry and pop culture in Detroit, and resiliency during the COVID Era. Additional performances will feature the African American Cultural Ensemble (ACE), West African Dance, and poetry. For more, go to: https://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/.
**IN MOBILE… THE AFRICATOWN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN IDEA COMPETITION, Registration Opens Juneteenth Day. For more go to www.africatowndesign.com.
HAPPY JUNETEENTH!
FOR FATHER’S DAY…
**FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND CELEBRATION featuring KIM SCOTT, Saturday and Sunday at Perfect Note.
**FATHER’S DAY COCKTAILS & CLASSIC JAZZ featuring BO BERRY QUARTET & FRIENDS at Jazzi’s on 3rd Music Gallery, SUNDAY, 7 – 10 p.m. No Cover. Two Cocktail minimum. Limited Seating. RSVP to jazzison3rd@gmail.com to reserve.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
FOR FOOD…and MUSIC
**EVERY TUESDAY – TRUE STORY BREWINGS PRESENTS TUESDAY JAZZ SESSIONS, 7- 10 p.m., 5510 Crestwood Blvd.
**FRIDAY – 40th ANNUAL ALABAMA BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Brewton at Jennings Park. Go to www.Brewtonchamber.com.
**FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY – KUUMBAFEST 2021 at Majesty Lounge.
**JUNE 26 – TACO-RITA FESTIVAL, 4 – 8 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces Historic Landmark
**JULY 4 – BIRMINGHAM BLACK VEG FEST, 1-6 p.m. at FEVER’S GRILL AND JUICE BAR, 1001 3rd Avenue West, Birmingham
FOR THE COMMUNITY…
**BWWB HYDRATION POP UP DATES: This Friday at Veterans Park in Hoover and June 25 at East Lake Park.
**SELF-CARE SATURDAYS – LADY WOO presents Self Care Saturdays – PUTTING THE U BACK IN BRUNCH, Saturday, at the Vault, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. with Brunch Buffet, Bottomless Mimosas ‘til noon, Self-Care Set Ups for the First 25 to RSVP at www.eventbrite.com/e/self-care/saturdays-brunch-tickets-143911887329.
**SB117 EXPUNGEMENT BILL PASSED – Bill SB117 was passed and will impact the lives of many people who have a criminal arrest on their record that prevented them from getting jobs or advancing in their careers. This state-wide bill, also, allows for municipal and local violations to be expunged OR erased from the record. This bill was a collaborative effort with Senator Linda Foster Coleman-Madison, Rep. Chris England and Senator Rodger Smitherman which will help people move forward and have an improved life.
**JOBS NOT JAIL – Sheriff Mark Pettway has a new jobs mobile program – LET’S PREVENT CRIMES BY PRESENTING OPPORTUNITY. It brings the services to you including FREE in-person services such as employment services, resume writing. Interview skills, dress for success, bus vouchers, identification support, voter registration and addiction and recovery services hotline. For more, go to www.jeffcosheriffal.com.
FOR MOVIE LOVERS…
AT SIDEWALK…
**IN THE HEIGHTS, this weekend and next Thursday, is about the scent of a cafecito caliente that hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop. The likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life. For more, go to sidewalkfest.com.
**FILMMAKER HAPPY HOUR, every First Monday, 5-7 p.m. on Zoom (for Now). Meet creatives, alumni filmmakers and more. Go to Sidewalk@sidewalkfest.con for more.
AT THE ALABAMA THEATRE…
**JULY 8 – MOVIE: GREASE SING-A-LONG, 7 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre.
**JULY 25 – MOVIE: THE WIZARD OF OZ, 2 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre.
AROUND TOWN…
**THE LIGHT by LOY A. WEBB and directed by CHARNELLE BROWN is presented by Encore Theatre and Gallery, TODAY AND TOMORROW. For more, go to encorebham.org.
**23rd ANNUAL SIDEWALK FILM FESTIVAL – The 23rd Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank is returning August 23-29 to its Theatre District roots with a festival footprint that includes the Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema, the Alabama Theatre, the Lyric Theatre, First Church Birmingham, the Alabama School of Fine Arts Dorothy Jemison Day Theatre, Recital Hall and Lecture Hall as well as the Steiner Auditorium at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Go to sidewalk@sidewalkfest.com for more.
FOR SHORT TRIPS AND OUTDOOR LOVERS…
**SATURDAY DAY TRIP ON JULY 3 – Meet at 9:15 a.m. with Southeastern Outings Easy River Float at Locust Fork River from (near River Road) the Mount Olive Road Bridge. DETAILS: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River. Float in the river about 3.8 miles downstream to the new Mount Olive Road Bridge possibly stopping at river beaches along the way. Bring something to float on such as an inflatable vinyl float or tube. Bring a picnic lunch with you from home or pick your lunch up BEFORE you arrive at the meeting place. Bring your drink, towel and sunscreen. Pack these items in two plastic garbage bags with twist ties, one bag over the other. Put the bags in your daypack and tie your pack to your float. Wear swimsuit and sturdy foot protection. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable! Lunch will be at a convenient stopping place along the river. Walk for about 15-20 minutes through the woods to get from River Road to the start point of our float. A shuttle will be provided for drivers from the end point back to the start point before we start paddling. You must be able to swim to participate in this outing! Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and up able to swim welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children. Spring floats and inflatable boats are not permitted on SEO river floats! Meet at the Wal-Mart Gardendale parking lot no later than 9:15 a.m. ready to depart promptly at 9:30 a.m. Arriving 15 minutes before departure time will allow time for last minute things. Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680
IN NASHVILLE…SAVE THE DATE
**July 10 – SOUL OF MUSIC CITY, 6 p.m. at City Winery.
FOR LOVERS OF LAUGHTER AND MUSIC…
**OPOV BAND, Saturday, June 26, 7-10 p.m. at Siluria Brewing Company, 145 First Avenue North, in Alabaster, Alabama. Join HOLLYWOOD FATS, LAWRENCE JACKSON, and on site food vendors. With door prizes and give-a-ways.
FOR LOVERS OF ART AND CULTURAL ENTERTAINMENT…
AT PAUL R. JONES MUSEUM…
IN TUSCALOOSA…
**MARIO ANDRES ROBINSON – A BRUSH WITH TIME. An exhibition of one of the leading watercolor artists working today. This will be the first solo show of Robinson’s Work in the State of Alabama through July 30 at 2308 6th Street, Tuscaloosa. Open Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. First Friday of the month Noon – 8 p.m. Social distancing rules apply.
AT THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS…
**SATURDAYS IN THE GARDENS.
**VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES – Aid with watering and plant care in the Gardens’ greenhouses and outdoor lath houses and discover the lush exotic varieties of tropicals and rare beauties. Go to volunteer@bbgardens.org for details.
**HONEY FROM THE GARDENS – The Library at the Gardens have a curbside service, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. weekdays, to purchase locally sourced honey from the Gardens’ hives or flavored in cinnamon, lemon or jalapeno from Ivy Brook Apiary. Call (205) 588-4593 or (205) 533-6062 to schedule a pickup.
FOR BOOK LOVERS…
BOOK NEWS YOU CAN USE… Food, exercise, history, music and so much more plays a part in the health of everyone. Books can be a great resource for people troubled by their lack of understanding about issues as well as anyone wanting to understand others. June is here with music, Juneteenth, history, summer, travel and so much more. JUNE 19th OR JUNETEENTH is a holiday commemorating the final end of slavery in the United States. There is a true story about this. Check some books out…then watch the James Baldwin profile never aired. (Some Taken from Book Riot and Amazon)
Here are a few books of interest:
**BOOK: BLACK SLAVES, INDIAN MASTERS: SLAVERY, EMANCIPATION AND CITIZENSHIP IN THE NATIVE AMERICAN SOUTH is written by BARBARA KRAUTHAMER.
**FESTIVALS OF FREEDOM: MEMORY AND MEANING IN AFRICAN AMERICAN EMANCIPATION CELEBRATIONS, 1808 – 1915 is written by MITCH KACHUN.
**BOOK: A BLACK WOMEN’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES is written by DAINA BERRY and KALI GROSS. (Hot off the Press) A Black Women’s History of the United States reaches far beyond a single narrative to showcase Black women’s lives in all their fraught complexities. Berry and Gross prioritize many voices: enslaved women, freedwomen, religious leaders, artists, queer women, activists, and women who lived outside the law. The result is a starting point for exploring Black women’s history and a testament to the beauty, richness, rhythm, tragedy, heartbreak, rage, and enduring love that abounds in the spirit of Black women in communities throughout the nation.
**BOOK: TO JOY MY FREEDOM: SOUTHERN BLACK WOMEN’S LIVES AND LABORS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR is written by TERA HUNTER. As the Civil War drew to a close, newly emancipated Black women workers made their way to Atlanta–the economic hub of the newly emerging urban and industrial south–in order to build an independent and free life on the rubble of their enslaved past. In an original and dramatic work of scholarship, Tera Hunter traces their lives in the postbellum era and reveals the centrality of their labors to the African-American struggle for freedom and justice. Household laborers and washerwomen were constrained by their employers’ domestic worlds but constructed their own world of work, play, negotiation, resistance, and community organization.
**BOOK: CLOSER TO FREEDOM: ENSLAVED WOMEN AND EVERYDAY RESISTANCE IN THE PLANTATION SOUTH is written by STEPHANIE CAMP. Recent scholarship on slavery has explored the lives of enslaved people beyond the watchful eye of their masters. Building on this work and the study of space, social relations, gender, and power in the Old South, Stephanie Camp examines the everyday containment and movement of enslaved men and, especially, enslaved women. In her investigation of the movement of bodies, objects, and information, Camp extends our recognition of slave resistance into new arenas and reveals an important and hidden culture of opposition. Camp discusses the multiple dimensions to acts of resistance that might otherwise appear to be little more than fits of temper. She brings new depth to our understanding of the lives of enslaved women, whose bodies and homes were inevitably political arenas. Through Camp’s insight, truancy becomes an act of pursuing personal privacy. Illegal parties (“frolics”) become an expression of bodily freedom. And bondwomen who acquired printed abolitionist materials and posted them on the walls of their slave cabins (even if they could not read them) become the subtle agitators who inspire more overt acts.
The culture of opposition created by enslaved women’s acts of everyday resistance helped foment and sustain the more visible resistance of men in their individual acts of running away and in the collective action of slave revolts. Ultimately, Camp argues, the Civil War years saw revolutionary change that had been in the making for decades.
**BOOK: ENVISIONING EMANCIPATION: BLACK AMERICANS AND THE END OF SLAVERY is written by BARBARA KRAUTHAMER and DEBORAH WILLIS.
**JAMES BALDWIN: RACE, MEDIA AND PSYCHOANALYSIS – Watch A Never-Aired TV Profile of Author James Baldwin – In 1979, 20/20 director/producer Joseph Lovett was assigned an interview with author James Baldwin topic: James Baldwin: Race, Media and Psychoanalysis. It will air June 24, 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The interview was conducted by journalist Sylvia Chase and included stops at Lincoln Center to watch a rehearsal of Baldwin’s play, The Amen Corner, and at the Police Athletic League’s Harlem Center. In the interview, Baldwin spoke frankly about what it means to be a Black man and a Black author in America and how he outed himself to the general public with his 1956 novel Giovanni’s Room. But the interview never aired. Evidently, at the time 20/20 thought viewers wouldn’t be interested in a “queer, Black has-been.” Upon discovering the interview would not air, Lovett said he was “stunned… because in my mind James Baldwin was no has-been. He was a classic American writer, translated into every language in the world, and would live on forever, and indeed he has. His courage and his eloquence continue to inspire us today.” On June 24, Joseph Lovett is moderating a free virtual panel called James Baldwin: Race, Media, and Psychoanalysis. The panel will discuss his 20/20 profile of James Baldwin, with psychoanalysts Victor P. Bonfilio and Annie Lee Jones, and Baldwin’s niece, author Aisha Karefa-Smart. Register then review at: bit.ly/3vbQ6Oz.
**Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! Summer Reading Camp is Back – Pizza Hut is bringing back its summer reading program Camp BOOK IT! for a second year. The free, virtual camp is open to kids ages 4-12 and runs from June to August. Parents can track their children’s reading goals via a digital dashboard, and when kids meet their goals, they will receive a voucher for a free one-topping personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Sorry, grown-ups. This reading program is just for the kids. But if you’re feeling nostalgic for your childhood BOOK IT! days, Pizza Hut is selling vintage-style T-shirts with the retro logo for $10. Parents can sign the children up at: https://www.bookitprogram.com/book-it-for-parents.
FOR COMEDY LOVERS…
AT THE STARDOME COMEDY CLUB…
**TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY…COMEDIAN EDDIE GRIFFIN…A popular comedian turned actor who started his career on-stage as a dare, funnyman Eddie Griffin has built an ever-growing fan base since jumping onto the comedy scene in 1990. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Eddie was voted class clown three years in a row in high school. His first love was always dance and by the young age of 16, he opened his own dance studio and was choreographing the Kansas City Chiefs’ half-time shows. But all of that would soon change when one night his cousin dared him to go on stage at the local comedy club Sanford and Sons where he was told to do three minutes. He performed off-the-cuff for 45 minutes successfully. It was then that Griffin purchased a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a stand up. He played The Pastor opposite Dave Chappelle, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in 2018’s Academy Award Winning feature film A Star is Born. His Showtime Comedy Special Eddie Griffin: Undeniable is currently airing on Showtime to rave reviews.
**SUNDAY…STRAIGHT OUTTA QUARANTINE…Prince T-Dub and Mojo Brookzzz a.k.a. Mr. James are teaming up to bring this hilarious show to the StarDome stage.
**TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY… LIVE FROM THE STARDOME WITH RICKEY SMILEY KARAOKE.
**NEXT FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY… COMEDIAN RON WHITE.
COMING SOON…
**JULY 7-17, 2022 – THE WORLD GAMES are coming. Look for more!
Well, that’s it. Tell you more ‘next’ time. People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send comments to my emails: gwenderu@yahoo.com and thelewisgroup@bi
