Three high school students interning with Alabama Power’s Birmingham Division recently toured the city’s historic Fourth Avenue District and were inspired to see and be a part of positive change for the city.

“This tour has transformed my thought process on the history of Birmingham,” said Jididiah Price, a senior at Parker High. “Our ancestors faced many challenges to become successful and viewed as equal, as humans.”

The students learned about how the Fourth Avenue Business District, which extends from 15th Street to 18th Street along Fourth Avenue North, was created and funded by Black business owners. It became the center for Black entrepreneurs to prosper during the early 1900s.

The interns – Kenton Jones, Carver High; India McSwain, Huffman High; and Price – are taking part in Birmingham Promise, a city program designed to provide high school students internships with local businesses and offer scholarships to college-bound seniors.

Touring the Fourth Avenue Business District are, from left, Birmingham Promise interns Kenton Jones, Carver High; India McSwain, Huffman High; and Jididiah Price, Parker High; led by Ivan Holloway, executive director of Urban Impact. (contributed)

The tour was led by Ivan Holloway, executive director of Urban Impact, which is partnering with REV Birmingham, Alabama Power and the city of Birmingham to revitalize the northwest quadrant of the city by emphasizing social equity to ensure that Black and minority-owned businesses benefit through economic empowerment.

“I had the pleasure of sharing a few African American history moments with three delightful Alabama Power Birmingham Promise students from A.H. Parker, Carver and Huffman high schools,” Holloway said. “Their visit left me inspired and encouraged for the future.”

Price said she learned how the success of the Fourth Avenue District was deemed a threat by many white-owned businesses in downtown Birmingham.

“Jim Crow played an enormous role in the white-on-Black hate in the deep South, restricting what little freedom African Americans had,” she said. “Schools, water fountains, stores, even parks became segregated.”

Urban Impact is a nonprofit organization focused on urban renewal and revitalization, and providing resources and support to communities, businesses and people who are underserved.

A screen welcomes the Alabama Power Birmingham Promise interns to a tour of the Fourth Avenue Historic District. (contributed)

The Eddie Kendrick Memorial Park is part of the Fourth Avenue Historic District. (contributed)

“The Fourth Avenue Business District shaped the Black community into something spectacular,” Price said. “Urban Impact is contributing to that cause. The revitalization of the Fourth Avenue Business District is exhilarating, and I would love to be a part of telling the story of Birmingham’s evolvement throughout history.”

Blair Sullens, community development specialist for Alabama Power’s Birmingham Division, said this is the type of experience that makes internships at Alabama Power so valuable.

“Learning about employment opportunities are the baseline for an internship in Birmingham Division,” she said. “The ceiling is gaining an appreciation for the city and being inspired to participate in making it better.”

Myla Calhoun, vice president of Birmingham Division, agreed.

“We’re thankful,” she said, “to Ivan Holloway and Urban Impact for being willing to invest their time into making a lasting impact on these bright students.”