A New Leader for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Tuesday Birmingham will mark the 52 anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which killed 4 girls and helped galvanize support for passage of the Civil Rights Act. For staff at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, they’ll observe this anniversary under new leadership.
Andrea Taylor began as the new president and CEO of the institute last week. She’s a Massachusetts native, a Boston University graduate and trustee of the school, and most recently an executive at Microsoft. Her career has included stints in media and philanthropic organizations.
Taylor says she wasn’t necessarily looking for a new job.
“I was asked to look at a job description and see if I could recommend some other people for consideration,” said Taylor. “When I looked at it I said, well, maybe I might have some interest in it.”
Taylor says she believes the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute could gain more recognition on a national and international level. She found the organization is well known around the city, Alabama, and to a certain extent in the South, but less so outside the region.
“Everyone who does know about it and who has visited here has nothing but positive things to say,” said Taylor. “It’s something that I think is a jewel that is not as widely known as it could be and should be.”
Taylor says she hopes the institute can move beyond the reputation among some as simply a history museum. “One of the things that I would hope we can do is make it more of a organic, living, breathing center and locus of activity,” said Taylor.
She says the organization can be a place where people understand the history but spur conversations about current civil and human rights issues.
Marathon Woman
Taylor is also proud of finishing the New York Marathon in 2009. She had never been a runner and trained for two years for the event. She says it’s a matter of pursuing a goal, not unlike a career goal.
“I came away from that experience with a new sense of confidence as a mature adult about your ability to set a goal, see something out on the horizon that you think you want to achieve,” said Taylor. “There’s no reason why you can’t get started, achieve that goal and then feel very good about it.”
Hear an extended interview with Andrea Taylor:
House panel releases report on sexual misconduct allegations against Matt Gaetz
The move is a reversal for the committee, which deadlocked on the issue last month.
9 movie scenes I couldn’t stop thinking about in 2024
From a heart-wrenching epiphany in the drama Tuesday to a meme-able moment in Challengers, these were the lines that critic Aisha Harris has remembered all year.
For young adults, caregiving isn’t just hard. It can shape you for life
Caregiving responsibilities can cut young people off from peers and interrupt their emerging life story. And there's been little research or support directed at this group. That's starting to change.
‘We are not California’: New Jersey dealers push back on electric truck rules
Vehicle dealers are pushing back on rules that would increase the number of electric trucks sold in New Jersey. It could be a preview of a brewing fight over state rules about cars.
The fun — and confusion — of celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah on the same date
Christmas and Hanukkah rarely fall on the same date, but this year they do. One mixed-faith family in Oakland, Calif., doubles down for double whammy holiday.
What the Israel-Hezbollah war did to Lebanon’s cultural heritage sites
Part of a Crusader castle crumbled. An 18th century minaret felled. Church mosaics burned. Archaeologists are assessing damage to UNESCO World Heritage Sites from Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Syria.
