Today’s guest columnist is Charlie Beavers.
We are a nation which is divided in just about every respect and institution.
This has been evidenced by the recent elections and the many months of rhetoric and discord leading up to the elections.
Much of the division, in all regions of the country, has centered around race.
Birmingham’s reputation around the country, and in many parts of the world, seems to be viewed through the lens of police dogs, fire hoses, and Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail, as a place of racial discrimination, suppression, and division.
But, within the City of Birmingham, there are many people of different races who are coming together for healing, grace, hope, and unity transcending racial and political divisions.
For instance, at The Fish Market Restaurant on the Southside of Birmingham, four men of different races, two black and two white, met to share a meal and discuss their hopes for racial harmony.
The two white men asked their friends to share how their lives had been impacted by the color of their skin; and to help them understand what that was like. They heard accounts of exclusion, disrespect, and being marginalized – for no reason other than their race.
After some three hours of questioning, sharing, and discussion, the men took it to prayer, asking for guidance and direction on how they might, in some manner, present a message of change, reconciliation, and hope, for people of all races and walks of life, and to help us all see that we are in fact one people, all of whom should be shown respect and dignity.
In the weeks and months after the meeting, the discussion continued and it became apparent to these men that the bringing of diverse groups of people together as one people, and the healing of the brokenness, require that we be proactive in that pursuit.
We must each seek out ways in which we can reach out to others who are of different races, backgrounds, interests, and circumstances; to help enrich the lives of others.
This led to an expression of this vision, which is grounded in an ancient but eternally relevant writing.
This writing calls on us to humble ourselves, to turn from ways that are divisive and hurtful, to pursue what is right and good, and to seek the capacity to live this out from a source of power and strength that is beyond our personal capacity.
Reverend Al Lewis and George W. Stewart were in the group of four men. Rev. Lewis, in his former life, was a professional entertainer, performing music across the country with nationally known artists such as Joe Tex and Archie Bell and the Drells.
He left that life many years ago to earn degrees from Birmingham Southern College and Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and for the past forty years has been pastoring and leading music ministry in the City of Birmingham.
George W. Stewart is the founder and host of the American Gospel Quartet Convention, which has convened in the City of Birmingham annually for the past thirty-three years, drawing gospel quartets from across the nation, and is the host of the popular Alabama Public Television show, Alabama Gospel Roots. He is a published author, playwright, and promoter of the arts, and has had a twenty-year career in radio, eleven of those years at Birmingham’s WENN.
Another in the group of four, Mike Ousley, is the owner of the television production company, Mike Ousley Productions, which has produced television shows and documentaries across the nation, including the Alabama Gospel Roots show. Mike was raised in the Central Park area of Birmingham.
I was also in the group. I practiced law in Birmingham for over forty years, was a founding member of the all-lawyer band, The Soul Practitioners, and has been involved in music ministry in Birmingham for many years.
So, it was natural that the vision which came to us would be expressed through music and video.
The music video “Heal Our Land” was created by our joint collaboration, produced and recorded by Marc Phillips (it was his last work before succumbing to Covid), and has been shared at gatherings within the City and across the State of Alabama, including services at the Lovelady Center and in episodes of the Alabama Gospel Roots television show.
Why should Birmingham not become known as the City which has transformed from a place of racial division and suppression to a community in which people of all races are respected and valued?
This should and can become a reality, and it can be grounded upon the vision expressed in “Heal Our Land”.
Charlie Beavers is a real estate and land use attorney. He was a partner in the law firm, Bradley, a national firm headquartered in Birmingham, for 35 years; and currently practices with his son, Branscomb, with Beavers Law, LLC. He can be reached at cbeavers@beaverslawllc.com .
David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@comebacktown.com.
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