GWEN DERU
CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH!
(CHECK OUT THE EVENTS AROUND TOWN!!)
TODAY…
**READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news!
**TINY MAKERS SERIES 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.
**FILM – 7 p.m. at the Sidewalk Film.
**BOOF, OVER SEASONS & POWERSINK at the Nick.
**MARC RABY’S STAGE PLAY “I’M IN LOVE WITH A COUGAR” at Perfect Note.
**KIKSTART at WaterMark in Bessemer with Free Food Boxes, 9 a.m.
**COMPUTER CLASSES AT THE FIVE POINTS WEST LIBRARY every Tuesday and Thursday.
**EACH AND EVERY THURSDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5-8 p.m. at D’ZIRE with SPECIALS.
**MOVIES EVERY THURSDAY at Sidewalk Fest.
**THIRSTY THURSDAYS at D’ZIRE Bar and Lounge.
**KARAOKE, 5-9 p.m. at Courtyard Alabaster Bar and Grill.
**THIRD THURSDAY BLUES JAM, 7 p.m. at True Story Brewing.
**TASTEMAKER THURSDAY – Every Thursday at Blaze Ultra Lounge, 228 Roebuck Plaza Drive, 8 p.m.- 12 a.m. with DJ Ace Twon (95.7 JAMZ) in the mix hosted by Audio Life and GMC Promo.
**THIRSTY THURSDAY at Hookah 114 17th Street No.
**TEQUILA THURSDAY at the Vibe Bar & Lounge.
**THROW BACK THURSDAY at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge, 3801 Richard Arrington, Jr., Blvd.
**FILMMAKER HAPPY HOUR- Every 3rd Thursday, at Sidewalk Film Fest. Meet with other filmmakers and discuss your newest projects.
**EVERY THURSDAY NIGHT KARAOKE, 6:30 at Ruth’s Place hosted by LADY WOO and with DJ SHAY.
FRIDAY…
**EVERY FRIDAY DURING LUNCH – FRIDAY COUPON CHEAT DAY WITH HOT107 at 1918 Catering. (Use the coupon ANY DAY.)
**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.
**FRIDAY NIGHT WRITES, 8 – 11 p.m. at 7611 1st Avenue North.
**BURLESQUE NIGHT at the Nick hosted by BELLA DONNA at The Nick.
**50 AND FABULOUS with R&B DIVA DEIRDRE GADDIS at Perfect Note.
**EVERY FRIDAY – R&B FRIDAY, at The Chandelier, 212 Cahaba Valley Road in Pelham with DJ MANISH mixing live. FREE Entry.
**EACH AND EVERY FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5-8 p.m. at D’ZIRE with SPECIALS.
**FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY at City Hall, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. at the short 20th Street North.
**RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
**QUE’S BAR & GRILL GROOVIN’ on 19th Street in Ensley.
**LIT FRIDAYS WITH RIPCORD, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m. at 4501 Gary Avenue in Fairfield.
**AFRO CARIBBEAN NIGHTS (Every Friday Night) at Ash’s on 2nd, 7 p.m. until with Reggae, Afro Beats, Dancehall and Top 40 Hits.
**FIREBALL FRIDAY at Tha Vibe Bar & Lounge.
**FRIDAY NIGHT RAP, Every 1st and 3rd Friday at Crescent Cultural Center, 1121 Tuscaloosa Avenue, W.
SATURDAY…
**EVERY SATURDAY at BIRDSONG FARMERS MARKET, 7 a.m. – 12 p.m., 2824 5th Avenue South at Automatic Seafood,.
**WINE DOWN HAPPY HOUR, 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Saferoom Lounge Bar.
**EACH AND EVERY SATURDAY HAPPY HOUR, 5-8 p.m. at D’ZIRE with SPECIALS.
**EVERY SATURDAY SOLD OUT – THE SATURDAYS JUMP OFF, 10 p.m. at Onyx of Bham, 615 8th Avenue West.
**NATIONAL RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY!
**A CALL FOR VENDORS at A Day of Black Excellence, 1-4 p.m. For more, text 205-645-8308.
**CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH, 1-4 p.m. at the Crescent Cultural Community Center for a day of family, fun and education with drum performance by SAHI ONKP DJONY, music, food and Vendors. Speakers are CLARENCE MUHAMMAD, KUNDAIYI BAJIJIKI and KOBINA BANTUSHANGO. For more, contact 256-840-7834.
**ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER at The BJCC, 7 p.m..
**TRIBUTE TO JOHNNIE TAYLOR featuring DENNIS MITCHELL at Perfect Note.
**THE UNKNOWN & ETHER9 at The Nick.
**DIET RIOT & EMMA GOLDMAN SACHS at the Nick.
**MARC BROUSSARD-CARENCRO 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR at Iron City.
**BLACK LENS FILM WEEK at Sidewalk Film.
NEXT FRIDAY…
**EVERY FRIDAY DURING LUNCH – FRIDAY COUPON CHEAT DAY WITH HOT107 at 1918 Catering. (Use the coupon ANY DAY.)
**THE JOE LOCKETT SHOW Live Podcast with NEPHEW CLIFF and MS. DENISE, Monday-Friday at 4 p.m.
**FRIDAY NIGHT WRITES, 8 – 11 p.m. at 7611 1st Avenue North.
**TRISTAN TRITT AND AMERICA PART TWO with MILLENNIAL JONES and LATE NIGHT ROCK SHOW with RASPBERRY PIE & BLOOD MOON RIOT at The Nick.
**TRIBUTE TO JOE featuring DONALD SHIPMAN at Perfect Note.
**FLATLAND CAVALRY-WANDERING STAR TOUR at Iron City.
**BLACK LENS FILM WEEK at Sidewalk Film.
NEWS TO USE…
IT’S 2024! NEWS TO USE…CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH…
**BLACK LENS FILM WEEK is February 21-25th at Sidewalk Cinema in Birmingham. Get ready for a week-long celebration of Black cinema. It is more than just movies, it is a family reunion, a cultural feast and a whole lot of fun. Black Lens is all about showcasing the brilliances of films directed by, produced by and/or starring Black filmmakers. There will be stories that reflect the beauty and diversity of the Black experience and celebrate the Black/African American culture. So your presence at the Black Lens Film Week makes it real and makes it family…just like it has always been.
**CONGRESSWOMAN TERRI SEWELL SPEAKS TO DESCENDANTS OF CIVIL RIGHTS ICONS AND FIGURES AT FIRST BLACK HISTORY EVENT IN THE WHITE HOUSE – Rep. TERRI SEWELL joined Vice President KAMALA HARRIS, White House Director of Public Engagement Mayor STEPHEN BENJAMIN and Congressional Black Caucus Chairman STEVEN HORSFORD in welcoming more than two dozen descendants of civil rights icons and historical figures to a reception honoring their ancestors’ legacies in the fight for racial equality. This was the first time these descendants and families gathered at the White House to discuss existing civil rights issues in America. The families’ descendants included: Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., Martin Luther King, Jr, Emmett Till, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Ida B. Wells, Dred Scott, Homer Adolph Plessy, Sally Hemings, Oliver Leon Brown, Rodney King and George Floyd. This event comes as others are trying to restrict voting access, ban books, dismantle affirmative action, attack diversity and equity initiatives and limit the teaching of Black History.
GWEN’S SPOTLIGHT – AT BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS…
**CELEBRATING ANNE SPENCER HOUSE AND GARDEN, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on Thursday. The BBG is honoring the rich legacy of African-American Heritage during Black History Month and will welcome Shaun Spencer-Hester, the executive director of the Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum in Lynchburg, Va. as the guest for the evening.
IN FEBRUARY… LET’S CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY, CULTURE & EXCELLENCE…
**FEBRUARY 20 – 25 – BLACK LENS FILM WEEK at Sidewalk Film.
**FEBRUARY 24 – BIG MACHINES DAY 2024 at the McWane Science Center.
**FEBRUARY 24 – KATT WILLIAMS, 8 p.m. at The BJCC.
**FEBRUARY 29 – BIRMINGHAM BLACK ECONOMIC ALLIANCE – Bi-Monthly Business Mixer, 6-8 p.m. at Sienna, 1025 20th Street South. Guest Speakers are EVAN JEFFERSON, Virtual Dispensary Owner and NIECKO GLOVER, Community Organizer/Advocate.
INTERESTED IN POLITICS, CANDIDATES AND ELECTIONS…
**FEBRUARY 29 – PARTY WITH THE CANDIDATES, 5-8 p.m. at The Dannon Project, hosted by Jeh Jeh Pruitt. Vendors and food trucks wanted. For registration, call 205-873-4572. Tell them Gwen sent you.
FOR ART LOVERS…
**NOW THROUGH MAY 10 – ROOTS & RENAISSANCE, an African American Journey Through Art, at C.A. Kirkendoll Learning Resource Center, 5500 Myron Massey Blvd., Fairfield, Miles College. The Roots And Renaissance Art Exhibition at Miles College LRC is open Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. and Sunday 2 p.m. www.fairfieldblackartcollective.com.
AROUND TOWN…
**FEBRUARY – YOGA IS FOR EVERYBODY, Every 1st and 3rd THURSDAYS at Crescent Culture Community Center, 1121 Tuscaloosa Avenue, S.W. with OPTION 1 – 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Flexible) and OPTION 2 – 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. (Work Tension Relief and Relaxation). These self care yoga classes are with YAMALA MA’ATMAN Trauma Informed Yoga for all ages and genders. Suggested Donation is $5. Light snacks available.
FOR COMMUNITY LOVERS…
**CHIEF DONALD LEWIS JONES MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP – $500 SCHOLARSHIP FOR ONE BIRMINGHAM AREA GRADUATING SENIOR, Deadline is March 1. For more: www.magiccitypoetryfestival.org.
**MONTHLY POP-UP – BE KIND BIRMINGHAM (with you name it), EVERY First Wednesday, 10 a.m. at Titusville Library; Second Wednesday 10 a.m. at West End Library; Third Wednesday, 10 a.m. at Smithfield Library; Fourth Wednesday, 10 a.m. OR 3 p.m. at Five Points Library, and Fourth Wednesday, 4 p.m. at Harrison Park Rec Center.
HAPPENINGS AT SIXTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
…SEE YOU AT THE SIXTH…EVERY SUNDAY!
**EVERY MONDAY MORNING MEDITATION WITH PASTOR CANTELOW, 7:15 a.m. Contact the church at (205) 321-1136 or (205) 321-1137.
**CHILDREN’S CHURCH & COLLISION CHURCH, each First Sunday at 9:30 a.m. for K-5th (Children’s Church), 6-12th (Collision).
Well, that’s it. Tell you more ‘next’ time. People, Places and Things by Gwen DeRu is a weekly column. Send events, your things of interest and more to my emails: gwenderu@yahoo.com and thelewisgroup@birminghamtimes.com.
