Positive Change in Birmingham Alabama. While walking in Kelly Ingram Park on September 13th, 2013, my family and I were reading a historic marker. Kelly Ingram park sits between 16th street and 17th street. The marker says in 1963 helmeted police stood on 17th street. The police were there to keep Blacks from marching to City Hall. Whites considered 17th street the great dividing line between the races. The park is on the block where the 16th Street Baptist Church sits and where the bombing of the “4 Little Girls” happened. Side note the markers on “the Civil Rights Heritage Trail” are very informative and excellent on your mobile device.

Now you know the history and here comes the positive change that shines like a bright light. This glorious day standing underneath the Historic 16th Street Baptist Church sign was the current police Chief AC Roper.  Chief Roper is African-American and he was casually talking with people in the very spot where the tragic bombing occurred. One block away perched on a police car on the corner of 17th Street was a young uniformed officer, he was white. But the irony was that he was on the very corner where the marker showed angry, tense, battle ready officers 50 years ago.  Just this one moment in time illustrates that Birmingham is truly 50 years forward. This made me proud to call the city my home. Hooray for Birmingham!

To follow-up on my last post this how are you going to be a leader for Positive Change in your community?  We remember the Foot Soldiers who stood up for righteousness and the Marchers who endured hardship for Justice. Positive change starts with bold action. Be a leader, have a vision and don’t stop.