On December 2, the Alabama Humanities Alliance capped its 50th anniversary with a year-end celebration of the humanities. The Alabama Colloquium in Birmingham highlighted the power of sharing our stories with each other. To underscore the point, AHA bestowed its greatest honor upon two of Alabama finest storytellers, author Rick Bragg and humorist Roy Wood Jr.
The evening was a memorable one for many reasons. There was Bragg reciting the visceral and heartbreaking opening page of his memoir, All Over But the Shoutin’. Wood Jr. revealing his aim to film a one-man show in Birmingham and illustrate just how much his hometown means to him. A welcome from Mayor Randall Woodfin that highlighted Bragg’s ability to “open hearts and minds” and Wood’s to “use humor not only to entertain but to enlighten the world.”
There were surprise video messages from award-winning author Ron Rash and former Daily Show anchor Trevor Noah. Heartfelt tributes from author Cassandra King, to Bragg, and from educator and literacy advocate Devon Frazier, to Wood. There was even an errant fire alarm that briefly forced an evacuation of the Alys Stephens Center — sending attendees out into the cold and leading many to joke that Birmingham’s erstwhile prankster Roy Wood Jr. might be to blame.
But the highlight of the evening was the hilarious and heartfelt conversation between Bragg and Wood on stage, moderated by journalist Sid Evans. Evans’ first question asked each man what it meant to be honored as an Alabama Humanities Fellow. Tongue firmly in cheek, Bragg responded first: “With all due respect to Roy, I think they just kinda worked their way down to us.” Once the laughter had subsided, Bragg clarified: “You know when someone passes you the popcorn at the movie theatre and all that’s left is seeds and grease?”
Once the laughter died down again, Bragg copped to the truth: “No, you reach a point in your life when these things mean a whole lot more to you. Just think of what it took to put this thing on. Good people and a good organization. This means a lot to me. I’m honored to get to do it.”
Wood agreed: “It’s one thing to be honored. But to have people who know what your life was before this, to be able to come and celebrate you, it’s humbling. I’m trying not to cry. It means a lot.”
To see and hear more from the event:
- Read al.com’s coverage
- Watch our Instagram reel
- Check out our Facebook album
- Watch Bragg and Wood’s conversation
Other highlights
- Former AHA board member Guin Robinson was honored with the Wayne Greenhaw Service to the Humanities award, and stalwart supporter Julian D. Butler was recognized with the AHA Champion of the Humanities award.
- AHA debuted the trailer for Echoes of the Forks of Cypress, by filmmaker Frederick Murphy. The documentary, funded through AHA’s Healing History initiative, follows Black and White descendants of an iconic plantation in Florence, Alabama, grappling with their shared past.
- Past Alabama Humanities Fellows in attendance were recognized, including Cassandra King, Wayne Flynt, Bert Hitchcock, Martha Bouyer, Bobby Horton, Odessa Woolfolk, and Bill Carter, as well as family members representing the late John Lewis.
- AHA also shared a video made to commemorate the humanities’ impact in Alabama, featuring conversations with partners and allies from across the state. Watch “AHA at 50: The Pathway to Possibilities“
The Birmingham event was the final in a two-part Alabama Colloquium series for 2024. The first event, held in August in Huntsville, honored a pair of acclaimed songwriters and musicians from North Alabama: Brittany Howard and Jason Isbell. Howard and Isbell also joined in a conversation, followed by a pair of songs. Their conversation, and closing songs, are also available to view online.
The 2024 Alabama Colloquium series was made possible by the support of dozens of sponsors and partners, and by the 2,000-plus folks who attended. Presenting sponsors of the series included Regions Bank, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Huntsville Utilities, and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.
A (50th) year to remember
Thanks to the support and involvement of Alabamians statewide, the Alabama Colloquium series was just one among many highlights from 2024.
Over the course of its 50th anniversary, the Alabama Humanities Alliance:
Awarded roughly $380,000 in grants to help dozens of nonprofits put on humanities-rich public programming statewide. (Applications now open for 2025 grants)
Turned our Healing History pilot into a long-term initiative to bridge divides and bring Alabamians together through conversation.
Brought a Smithsonian traveling exhibit, Crossroads, to five rural communities statewide, enabling nearly 5,000 Alabamians to share their small-town stories.
Grew AHA’s Alabama History Day program with our first official regional contest, in Mobile, and our first-ever AHD for incarcerated youth, at Mt. Meigs.
Reached nearly 2,500 Alabamians in 20-plus counties through our Road Scholars, who delivered 79 fascinating talks in community libraries, schools, historic sites, and more.
Considered our past, present, and future through a 50th anniversary issue of Mosaic magazine. (Sign up for Mosaic)
Explored the essence of Alabama through the lens of some of our state’s compelling writers, artists, and thinkers. Read our My Alabama Story series.
And there’s much more already scheduled for 2025: Expanded opportunities to engage with Healing History; our next Smithsonian traveling exhibit, Spark!; a new home for our Alabama History Day state contest at Troy University in Montgomery; a weeklong Stony the Road teacher institute exploring Alabama’s civil rights legacy; double the award funding for teachers named 2025 Riley Scholars, and a fall 2025 Alabama Colloquium in Mobile.
None of this is possible without the support of Alabamians across the state. Thank you for helping us share our collective stories. The stories of our hometowns, our neighbors, ourselves. The stories that help us understand where we come from and who we are. And bring us ever closer toward one another.
If you’d like to support AHA’s next 50 years, consider making a year-end gift.
About the Alabama Humanities Alliance
Founded in 1974, the nonprofit Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we connect Alabamians to impactful storytelling, lifelong learning, and civic engagement. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.
The 10-week Writing Our Histories pilot program culminated in an Alabama History Day contest on October 4, on the Mt. Meigs campus. Students presented their research as exhibits that colorfully highlighted what they’d learned on topics ranging from World War II and the Civil War to Alabama athletes and the civil rights movement. Students confidently and enthusiastically talked about what they’d learned, answering questions from Alabama History Day judges who work professionally as educators, historians, and authors. Teachers from other DYS campuses also attended to observe and bring the experience back to their own classrooms.
Rick Bragg has long been lauded as one of the most distinct, illustrative storytellers in American literature. He’s authored more than a dozen books, but it’s his first, All Over but the Shoutin’, that became a sort of anthem for the people of the mountain South — and it is that regard, more than any award he has won, that Bragg holds most dear.
Roy Wood Jr. mines both past and present for his material as a comedian, writer, and producer. The Birmingham native got his feet wet at 95.7 JAMZ-WBHJ before launching a career as a stand-up comic. He has released three specials, with a fourth due out in 2025, and became a nationally known satirist thanks to his eight-year-run on the Emmy-winning “The Daily Show.”
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