BCRI Board Gets 12 New Members, 5 Reappointed
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Board received a makeover Tuesday with the City Council’s appointment of a dozen new members and reappointment of five current members.
The former board faced local and national criticism after it rescinded the presentation of the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award to activist Angela Davis in January. Three board officers resigned amid community outcry. Following the controversy, the BCRI reversed its decision and reoffered the award to Davis.
The BCRI recommended new appointments for council approval.
Andrea Taylor, the institute’s CEO, says 50 people were nominated and 20 were interviewed.
The new board includes corporate leaders and community activists, among them Gwen Webb, a civil rights foot soldier who was jailed in Birmingham’s 1963 civil rights protests.
In addition to Webb, the board members are:
Cassandra W. Adams, Samford University, Cumberland School of Law; Dr. Tamera Coyne-Beasley, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Nyesha Cheyenne Black, Noire Analytics; William H. Burgess III, The Burgess Group; Yolanda Clayton, Alabama State University & Alabama A&M University/Clayton and Associates, LLC; Robert Dickerson, Birmingham Resource Center; Daryl R. Grant, KPMG Advisory Services; Rosilyn Houston, BBVA USA; Danny Markstein, Markstein; Angela D. McKenzie, Regions Bank; J. John Oros Jr., Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau; Jonathan Porter, Alabama Power Company; Richard A. Rice, The Rice Firm, LLC; John D. Saxon, John D. Saxon, P.C.; David A. Thomas, Starbucks; and Rev. Thomas L. Wilder Jr., Bethel Baptist Church.
BCRI wants to expand the board to 21 members and there will be more board nominations, Taylor says.
Atmospheric rivers aren’t new. Why does it feel like we’re hearing about them more?
In recent years, "atmospheric river" has become used much more frequently in scientific papers and in media coverage. According to experts who study climate and weather, a few reasons may explain why.
NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia’s attack with new missile
NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked the city of Dnipro with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war.
What to know about Trump’s picks for CDC, FDA and surgeon general
In a flurry of picks on Friday evening, Trump named three choices for top health jobs. Together they would help the incoming president shift the priorities of agencies that are key to public health.
Storm lashes Northern California after leaving thousands without power in Seattle
The storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, mostly in the Seattle area, before moving through Northern California.
Florida health official advises communities to stop adding fluoride to drinking water
Florida's surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, cited developmental concerns from higher levels of fluoride than are found in most U.S. water supplies.
A ‘lynch mob’ did not come for Matt Gaetz, but the phrasing remains powerful
Even as a young child, I could understand the idea that words have meaning, which is why when Sen. Lindsey Graham referred to a "lynch mob" coming after Matt Gaetz, I felt my stomach drop.
