Published On: 11.03.15 | 

By: Michael Tomberlin

Business panel: Magic City’s civil rights past emboldens it for stronger future

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Myla Calhoun, Deon Gordon and Andrea Taylor discuss race and business issues in Birmingham during the Magic City Classic Expo. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)

Above: Myla Calhoun, left, Deon Gordon and Andrea Taylor discuss race and business issues in Birmingham during the Magic City Classic Expo. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)

 

Birmingham has stopped wrestling with its civil rights past and has instead embraced it, according to a panel of business leaders who had a frank discussion as one of the highlights of last week’s Magic City Classic Expo.

Andrea Taylor, president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, speaks as part of the panel. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)

Andrea Taylor, president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, speaks as part of the panel. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)

Andrea Taylor, the new president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, was on the panel. She recently moved to Birmingham to take the helm at BCRI, chose to live downtown and enjoys walking a few blocks to work.

Taylor said Birmingham can be informed by the lessons learned from its past rather than hampered by dwelling in it.

“There is value in looking to the past to learn the lessons of the past so we can create a better future,” she said.

Deon Gordon, director of business development for REV Birmingham, was with Taylor on the panel. He takes pride in being from Birmingham.

“Birmingham was a city that changed Alabama, it changed the United States and, in doing so, it changed the world,” he said. “It’s an honor in a lot of ways to be able to live in a city like Birmingham because we have an international prominence that a lot of cities can’t lay claim to.”

Myla Calhoun, general counsel and senior vice president of regional development and public policy for the Birmingham Business Alliance, makes a point during the panel discussion. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)

Myla Calhoun, general counsel and senior vice president of regional development and public policy for the Birmingham Business Alliance, makes a point during the panel discussion. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)

Fellow panelist Myla Calhoun, general counsel and senior vice president of regional development and public policy with the Birmingham Business Alliance, said it’s easier to recruit new industry to the metro area if you’re not ashamed of Birmingham’s history.

“There is no reason at all to run from the history that we have. It is rich. It’s textured. It’s layered,” she said. “I think what’s important is for the dialog to express all of that and not just one point of view. When that happens, that starts conversations.

“One of the things that we find particularly among many of the people we are trying to attract to this community is a sense of candidness and openness and acceptance of what we have, where we’ve been and using that as a platform for moving forward,” Calhoun added.

Attracting new people and retaining those who grow up in Birmingham can be a challenge, the panelists acknowledged.

Taylor, who came to BCRI from Microsoft Corporation, said it’s clear that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills will dictate many future opportunities. “One of the things I hope the institute can get involved in is promoting that academic track (STEM) for young people,” Taylor said. “That way they can take advantage of the jobs that will be created in manufacturing, transportation, technology and medicine and so forth.”

Calhoun said BBA and its economic development partners are working to create those jobs.

“I do believe the opportunity is here,” she said. “One of the things we are really focused on is developing that pipeline of talent so that all students who come through our system will have opportunities here to live and work. Historically, we have had challenges but we are focused on moving forward.”

Gordon said young professionals and millennials entering the workforce are a large part of what has allowed Birmingham to progress.

“Actually, I think age can be a benefit. Younger folks come in with a sense of optimism,” he said. “They don’t have to unlearn some of the things growing up in Birmingham you might have been embedded with.”

Deon Gordon, director of business development at REV Birmingham, listens to a question as part of the panel discussion. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)

Deon Gordon, director of business development at REV Birmingham, listens to a question as part of the panel discussion. (Wynter Byrd/Alabama NewsCenter)

Gordon said millennials are seeking a strong culinary scene, jobs in emerging industries and opportunities to be involved in the community – all things Birmingham possesses.

“The economy is changing and in a way emphasizing different things and I think Birmingham has a great opportunity to attract individuals that align with those new skills,” Gordon said.

He noted that the Birmingham metro is recognized as one of the philanthropic leaders in the nation and, when adding to that millennials’ desire to serve, it isn’t any wonder Birmingham is enjoying a resurgence.

Taylor said it is a nice marriage.

“We can have a new creation because we will have a blend of the old and the new,” Taylor said.

Rather than trying to tailor Birmingham to different races, ages or some other demographic, Gordon said the focus should be broader.

“If Birmingham focuses on being the best Birmingham that it can be, that authenticity is going to start drawing a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds,” he said.

Calhoun agreed.

“It’s about authenticity: Being true to who we are, telling our story with our voice and not shying away from the truth of that,” she said. “There is a diverse message because we are all ambassadors for this community and this region and so the message will resonate differently depending on the speaker.”

Gina Neely, the celebrity cook who was at the Expo for a cooking demonstration, was not part of the panel. She said in an interview she felt the authenticity on her first visit to Birmingham.

“I didn’t think it was like this,” she said. “I don’t know, you just kind of think Birmingham and … I think every city sort of has a stigma to a certain degree. Birmingham doesn’t seem very clique-ish like some cities I’ve seen. It seems like everybody is on a team, everybody wants to win.”

Sometimes it’s as simple as making a good first impression.

“Everybody has been very, very friendly,” she said. “Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve been greeted with a smile.”