Panelists at the first Birmingham 101 series discussed West End High School’s legacy. Photo by Ian KeelConnor McDonald - Contributortheconmcdon@uab.edu
The Birmingham 101 series aims to highlight the legacies of Birmingham’s neighborhoods through the lens of the local high schools, which mirror the urban environment that they are built within.
The series, which is presented by UAB and organized by UAB Student Involvement and Leadership, will highlight two schools per semester by hosting panel discussions with graduates of the featured school from each decade, starting with the 1960s to now, or when the school closed if it is no longer open.
“One of the reasons we’re doing this program is that you normally hear about the 1960s and Birmingham, which was a very pivotal time in Birmingham, but a lot happened in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, in those eras, too,” said David Dada, coordinator of leadership and service for UAB Student Involvement and Leadership.
The first event in the series was hosted on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the UAB Hill Student Center Ballroom and focused on Birmingham’s West End High School. A reception beginning at 6 p.m. kicked off the event in a room featuring portraits of famous alumni with information about who they are and what their accomplishments were. Yearbooks from West End were also on display for event-goers to browse through while a short documentary about the school played on a projector overhead.
A panel followed at 7 p.m. featuring eight West End alumni. The panelists, whom had graduation years ranging from 1951 to 2005, all had ties to either the city or UAB and were asked a series of questions by a host and would each respond. After the panel, members of Student Involvement and Leadership asked questions that they had gathered from audience members for panelists to respond to in a question-and-answer session.
Panelists included university president Ray Watts, M.D., dean of the School of Education, Deborah Voltz, Ph.D., former university president Claude Bennett, M.D. and former UAB basketball player Barry Bearden, among others.
The panelists were asked questions about their experience at West End. Questions touched on topics such as takeaways that panelists had from West End, the reputation of the school when they attended and how it affected them later in life, the experience of being one of the first high schools in Birmingham to integrate and the importance of the community in education.
“I think it’s so important for an institution like UAB that has grown up in this community, and is still relatively young but is a powerful force for good, to have a direct relationship with our neighborhoods and help give our young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to get a world class education,” Watts said when asked about what UAB’s role in the community should be. “It’ll change their lives, it’ll change their families’ lives, and if they stay in their communities, it’ll change their communities and the way of Birmingham’s future is very dependent on us at UAB and our engagement.”
When asked the same question, former university president Claude Bennett, M.D., talked about how the question of whether UAB is an urban university or a university in an urban setting and the implications of both designations are things that should be taken very seriously. “The fact is, UAB is, and must be, both. We have a blended mission. We must be both in and of Birmingham,” said Bennett.
Audience members ranged from students to faculty to community members who attended West End High School. At many times throughout the panel and question-and-answer sessions, panelists and audience members asked each other if they remembered certain faculty members and teachers at West End and shared stories about them, often joking back and forth.
According to the website, the aim of the panel discussion is to focus on the developmental experiences that each panelist had while attending West End High School, in addition to the development of the West End neighborhood itself.
The overarching goal is to give students more insight on the areas they provide service opportunities in order to provide a deeper sense of meaning to the experience.
