Page 12 - Erica Wright News Today

By Erica Wright The Birmingham Times When small-business owner Krishawn Ahmadou was starting out and needed information about filing a business license, she attended an event hosted by a newly formed organization dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs just like her. “The problem I had was that I didn’t really know what I was doing, so everything I did was just research. I knew what I was doing with coding and billing, but on the business side, I didn’t really know,” she recalled. That eve...

Fifty Years of Erykah Badu The Dallas legend turns 50. Here are a few of our favorite moments, with a focus on how she lifted us all up during quarantine. By Taylor Crumpton Published in Arts & Entertainment February 26, 2021 2:29 pm Fifty years ago, Erica Wright was born. In her teenage years, Wright rapped under the moniker Apples, a young female MC in The Fresh Ones and The DEF Ones, one of the first hip-hop groups in Dallas. In her twenties, Wright re-introduced herself as Erica Free, a ja...

By Erica Wright The Birmingham Times Growing up in segregated New Orleans, Louisiana surrounded by an abundance of small Black businesses, Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, noticed something all the owners had in common. “They had their dignity and independence, and they were strong supporters of Civil Rights and Black empowerment because they had their independence,” said Morial, the closing speaker during the 17 th annual A.G. Gaston conference, held virtually this year...

Special to the Birmingham Times “You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Erica Wright ewright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique. GEORGE AND SARAH RUDOLPH Married: Nov. 10, 2000.  Met: Fall of 1999. George and Sarah attended A.H. Parker High S...

By Tyler Greer UAB News Of the 59,167 vaccination doses delivered by the University of Alabama at Birmingham and UAB Medicine since mid-December, almost 21 percent of those doses were administered to individuals who self-identified as Black, 67 percent White, 7 percent Asian and almost 3 percent Hispanic or Latino. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has highlighted people of color among the “critical population” to vaccinate because they are at “increased risk o...

By Erica Wright The Birmingham Times Beth Mitchell wanted to work but struggled to find a job. The Birmingham resident was diagnosed with depression and labored to find employment for five years—until she eventually found her way to Workshops Empowerment Inc. (WE Inc.). “They taught me basic work skills because I had been out of the workforce for [so long],” said Mitchell. “They let me tour [the facilities] and decide what type of job setting I would like to start working in.” WE Inc....

By Erica Wright The Birmingham Times Thanks to Workshops Empowerment Inc. (WE Inc.), Corenza Smith, who had an on-again-off-again work history for several years, has secured steady employment and even won awards for her work. “In 2015, I left WE Inc. and got a steady job with [Birmingham-based] Community Cleaning and Maintenance. In 2016, my job named me employee of the year,” she said. “[That same year, Alabama] Gov. Kay Ivey gave me an award for the district of Birmingham as employee of...

By Sydney Melson and Erica Wright The Birmingham Times COVID-19 vaccination sites are opening around Jefferson County, and growing numbers of citizens are receiving shots—but some wonder whether the homeless population is being overlooked. “It is incredibly important that the homeless population is not forgotten,” said Anne Wright Rygiel, executive director of the Firehouse Ministries, a homeless shelter that has provided services to the Birmingham community since 1983. “This is still c...

By Erica Wright The Birmingham Times  One day ahead of the official opening of the A.H. Parker High School community vaccination site, Birmingham City Schools (BCS) Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan on Wednesday received his COVID-19 vaccine shot along with some school employees. “We know one of the best ways to end this pandemic is to ensure that everybody gets vaccinated,” said Sullivan. “As part of Birmingham City Schools, we want to be part of the solution, that’s why we opened the...

By Erica Wright The Birmingham Times  Honoring Black History Month may look and feel different this year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic but there are still plenty of ways to safely celebrate the contributions of Black people. Here’s are some Birmingham-area BHM events.  Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Each year the BCRI educates and celebrates the history of the Civil Rights Movement. This year, the Black History Month 2021 theme is “Black Family: Representation, Identit...