Let me speak of reclamation and remembrance. This month we feature a story on Red Mountain Park. It is a story of the reclamation of a piece of forgotten property as well as a story of appreciation for those who came before us. It is a story of Birmingham, and a story that has not been told enough, if at all.
Our community was built through the sweat and toil of many men and women who are rarely remembered. Our hope is that as you read this piece you will not only want to know more about Red Mountain Park and its history, but about our collective history as a community. Our history is not adequately conveyed in grainy television footage treading endless loops. Our history is more complex, more fascinating and more infused with a quiet and dignified humanity that should give each of us a greater appreciation of our past and a buoyed sense of hope for our future.
Birmingham was dubbed the “Magic City” for its meteoric economic ascent. In truth, calling the rise magic is a bit insulting to those who labored so much for this civic sleight of hand. Today we seek a rebirth of this magic as we near the end of the first decade of this new century. To reclaim it, however, we must again commit to laboring as assiduously as our civic forbearers. Our necessary labor might not be as physically taxing, but it will test the limits of our ability to lay down our differences and find common ground on the matters necessary to reemerge as a regional and national leader in economic growth.
So as we enter this season of holidays, let us remember and be thankful for those who came before us. Let us not be constrained to view our past solely through the narrow historical prism constantly applied to our city. Rather, let us learn broadly from the stories of the people who lived and worked here. Through such remembrance, we may just find our way to reclaim the magic growth that once defined our city.
