Green Power, Greater Impact

In this episode, we break down the key decisions and discussions from the April 7 Birmingham City Council meeting. Councilor Clinton Woods sits down to discuss the release of the audiobook Green Power: The Successful Way of A.G. Gaston, which gives a powerful account of the man who has inspired generations. Plus, we share updates on upcoming events and other important information you’ll want to know.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:04

Welcome to Motion to Adjourn, the podcast about the work that continues with the Birmingham City Council beyond what happens on Tuesdays during council meetings.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

All in favor, let it be known that staying on or in the committee meeting.

SPEAKER_03 0:18

After the official motion to adjourn, the councils continue work on behalf of the city and its residents. Welcome to the motion to adjourn podcast. I am your host, Anaya Kenyan. I serve as project manager for the Birmingham City Council. On today's episode, we've got a full lineup for you from Key Council Highlights, a one-on-one with Councillor Clinton Woods, who sits down to discuss the release of the audiobook Green Power, The Successful Way of A. G. Gaston, which gives a powerful account of the man who has inspired generations. Plus, we share updates on upcoming events and other important information you'll want to know. Let's get started. Today we are diving into some of the most significant items that were mentioned during Tuesday's council meeting. The council held a public hearing Tuesday for Harvest Solutions LLC, who is currently seeking a permit to open a new indoor, non-hazardous medical waste treatment and paper shredding facility in the Kingston community. Let's hear from Counselor Brian Gunn as he describes how the applicant has proactively engaged with residents throughout the process.

SPEAKER_02 1:37

And so they have done an extensive job of getting to know the community members in which they will locate the business, which I'm super excited about because how do you locate a business in a community without getting to know the community members that will be impacted in the surrounding area? So I was super excited to learn uh that they had did a fantastic job of engaging community members. And so that's what I want to encourage all business owners. Whenever you're deciding to locate in the city of Birmingham, get to know the residents that make up the neighborhoods and the people that you'll be uh impacting by locating your business uh in their neighborhoods.

SPEAKER_03 2:11

Because the state law revised the permitting process for solid waste facilities in 2017, this marks the first new facility application to come before the council under the updated law. To ensure full compliance and allow time for written public comments to be submitted, the council voted to delay the item until next week. The council approved six contracts with Red Mountain Garage Doors LLC to replace overhead doors at several Birmingham fire stations. Let's hear from Councillor Hannah Williams as he explains why these upgrades are needed.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

So the City of Birmingham is really taking a hard look at the ways that we can better maintain our capital infrastructure. One deferred uh maintenance uh bucket has been the myriad of fire departments that the city has across uh the entire 190 uh square miles of this city. Uh, we operate several different fire departments uh that both dispatch medical and fire personnel. And because of the amount of deferred maintenance that we have been tackling, uh we have been have having to do it piecemeal. So we have done different components where we have uh added different safety features and life safety features for the fire uh department uh officials as well as uh their firefighters. And we've also made sure that we're going to continue to invest in those facilities. You know, the one thing that makes a firehouse different from another city facility is that those men and women actually live in that facility for their shift. And so we do know that there is a lot of deferred maintenance issues over the past several years. We have been trying to tackle that. Uh, and this is just a continuation of capital expenditure to make sure that we are addressing those deferred maintenance issues.

SPEAKER_03 4:10

These replacements will be completed at fire stations 1, 7, 9, 12, 13, and 21. Don't go anywhere just yet. When we come back, you'll hear from Councillor Clinton Woods as he describes the release of the audiobook Green Power. Stay tuned. Did you know that the Birmingham City Council has a Roku channel, miss the council meeting, or a committee meeting, and you want to stay up to date? Check us out on Roku at Birmingham City Council for all updates in your city. Gaston gives a powerful account of the man who has inspired generations and built an empire during one of the most challenging eras in American history. And now, thanks to the leadership and advocacy of Counselor Woods, the story of Gaston's influential work has not only been recirculated throughout our community, but has also been brought to life in a brand new audiobook version. We're going to explore what inspired this effort and why Dr. Gaston's legacy remains so vital today. We'll also talk about the unforgettable first listen event held earlier this year, where Birmingham leaders reflected on how A.G. Gaston's principles continue shaping their work and our city's future. Counselor Woods, thank you for joining us. Let's jump in. Question one What inspired you personally to champion Green Power and ensure it reached a wider audience?

SPEAKER_00 6:11

Right. So the story really started. I had the opportunity to read the book called Black Titan, which was a biography uh actually written by some of his family family members about him. And uh really enjoyed the book and really thought I would like I'd like to read his autobiography, which was Green Power, uh, just to see if there was any differences in his own words. And so uh, you know, did what I normally do, go on go to Amazon to order the book and I uh and realized it just wasn't available. There was one copy available, and they were asking him about four thousand dollars for the book, and uh wasn't gonna be able to make that happen. And so uh, you know, just didn't think about it for a little while. And I think a couple months later, uh the idea kind of came to, you know, well, maybe we could reproduce the book. And uh so I kind of went down that rabbit hole of figuring out, you know, how to how to reproduce a book because I did not have that skill set at the time, and so I'd never gone about that. And uh what I ended up doing was researching uh one, two things. So who had the book rights and who had most recently printed a book. And so uh Big Communications had done a kind of an anniversary reprint of the book, and you know, so they had had some some knowledge of just what that process was. So had a conversation with them and uh talked to the Boys and Girls Club, and they were on board with it, and we set aside fifty thousand dollars of our ARPA dollars for this project and uh you know started the process. So we, you know, we definitely um wasn't as efficient as we probably could do it now, but we we learned some lessons and uh ended up where we needed to be with a uh reprinted book that uh will basically provide an additional revenue stream to the A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club in perpetuity.

SPEAKER_03 7:47

All right, and you touched on this. So you advocated for dedicating ARPA funds to this project. Why did you feel this book and Dr. Gaston's legacy were worthy of that investment?

SPEAKER_00 7:58

Yeah, I think one, uh it had a major impact on me, but I think also Dr. Gaston's story is something that is applicable to anybody. And so anybody can pick this book up and be inspired. At the core of it is literally a story of a of a of a young kid who really started from nothing in the country, um, you know, made his way to Birmingham, went through a lot of challenges, and eventually became one of the wealthiest people in the region. And everybody can relate to that, starting starting small, desiring something, wanting to accomplish more, and just putting in the work and finding opportunity to really climb that ladder. And so I think that resonates with anyone. And I think specifically here in Birmingham, with him being from here, just the opportunity for young people growing up here today who may feel like uh they need inspiration or may feel like they have a dream and they don't know how to get there. And so just realizing that, hey, someone has done this before, someone has made it through very difficult times and uh been able to make an impact. And uh literally, he was he was doing things a penny at a time. And so just the impact in that story, I think anybody can pick that up and be inspired. And so really wanted to make sure it was available. I thought it was um, you know, you you just assume things are there and available. And when I found out this wasn't, you know, we we were in a position to do something, and we did, and I'm excited that we were able to pull it off.

SPEAKER_03 9:16

All right. In February, District 1 hosted a first listen event featuring a snippet of the audiobook, along with some powerful reflections from leaders like Richard Arrington, Bob Dickerson, and Brian Hamilton. How did that event help lift up Gaston's legacy and what stood out to you most?

SPEAKER_00 9:36

Right. So that event was very special. I think one, uh, creating the audiobook just makes it easier to uh get a story in front of more people, and it also is another just revenue source for the Boys and Girls Club going forward, allowing them to continue delivering and work, walking out his vision uh for young people. And so that's incredible. But uh that was probably one of my favorite events I've ever been a part of because I was just able to learn so much. There were so many stories I had never heard before. Um, and just to hear somebody like uh Dr. Richard Arrington talk about like the impact that A.G. Gaston had on his life and literally the literal like hand up uh that A.G. Gaston was able to provide for him as he went on. And we, you know, in my generation, we look at him as someone who really uh carried the torch and set the standard and really uh shaped Birmingham into largely what we know today. And so just to kind of hear him uh literally kind of talk in that same manner about A.J. Gaston, and it kind of tied some dots for me that I had not, those are all stories I didn't know. And then even uh to hear from Bob Dickerson and and everybody on the panel and just hear their stories with like Brian Hamilton and and and hearing how they all had uh unique inspiration that came directly from uh A.J. Gaston. And so just to hear how, you know, I picked up a book uh later in life and read it and was inspired, but they were actually directly impacted by his uh health and intellect and experience. And so he was willing to one, uh give them opportunity, uh support their efforts, and open doors, and so just the willingness to uh give other people chances. And so I think that's something that you know we can all pull from that too, is like if you're in a position to help, uh, you should. And I think that was one of his central tenets was find the need and fill it.

SPEAKER_03 11:22

And speaking on that, who all played a role in helping bring the audiobook version of Green Power to life?

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Oh well. Uh we got a shout out Brena uh from the District One office. She is our uh the most media savvy of all of us, so she kind of was able to take that and run with it a little bit. But uh, we were able to partner with with Dr. Henry Panyon and uh did like a search for a voice actor. And uh Mr. Henry, I want to say, uh not Henry, uh, I can't remember the name, but he uh was really a voice that that kind of stood out, felt like it embodied the time period, and really was was just extremely impactful. I remember uh stopping by the studio during recording, and Breno was there with Dr. Panyon and the and the sound team and their recording, and I go and sit in there, and I just intended to stop by for a minute, but it was just such a powerful experience that I ended up sitting down and just hanging out and listening, and then I told my whole team, like, hey, all of y'all got to come spend some time here during this process because it was just such a powerful thing to be a part of. And so uh Dr. Pain has just has a ton of experience and it's just kind of uh just a joy to watch him work and just kind of sit the sit and watch the process. So I thought it was just it all came together really nicely. I think we were fortunate. We didn't rush it. Uh we really just let it take its time. The project was was honestly wanted to be done like eight to twelve months ago, but uh one thing I did not want to do was was rush it. Uh that would have done a disservice to uh really its legacy, the shortchange what we wanted to accomplish. And so we wanted to get the book done. We wanted the audio book to be available. And man, I I don't have a lot of moments like this, but when I saw that book on like Audible and stuff, I almost shed a tear, man. It almost got me. I caught it. I caught it. I caught it. It was close. It was close.

SPEAKER_03 13:09

Wow. And now that the audio book is officially live, what do you see as the next steps for this project? Or what do you hope?

SPEAKER_00 13:17

So we're excited. I think one, uh, now that we have the resource, I think it's important to begin to get it in that people's hands. And so working with, I think we have opportunity for our young people through our school systems, we have the opportunity to uh basically push this in in different cities and states and kind of make sure that the network of A.G. Gaston boys and girls clubs are are able to have access. And uh, you know, so that looks like I think there's a lot of sponsors have reached out, they want to ensure that the books are in these different places as well as I think if we just as we market this to the public, the boys and girls club is going to really start pushing that. And I tell you, it's an incredible uh revenue stream that just you know they're they're set up with a printer that uh when when stock gets low, they automatically reprint more and it just keeps churning. So uh they really have um just a hands-off approach, so they're they're generating passive income on a regular basis. But you know, it all started because you know, I read one book, reading Black Titan, and then just having the idea to want to read Green Power and it not being available. That really took me down this path, and you know, I would meet people that, oh, I have all the original copy. And so you have these people that were just very passionate about it. Uh, but a lot of people appreciated it, and I think um, you know, I'm just happy the idea came. You know, sometimes you have good ideas, sometimes you have a lot of bad ideas, and so it's just figuring out which ones to act on. And uh, we were fortunate here in Birmingham to have a lot of ARPA dollars and uh being able to do something that this impactful is, you know, it's something that transcends um local government. You know, we all serve, and you know, there'll be someone that serves after me, so it's not a forever thing, but just the opportunity to kind of impact these things that go beyond the job. You know, this is not a uh requirement of being a city counselor, but it's an opportunity to uh use the skill set that you have to go over and beyond and make a real impact. And so I've I've been excited and been really blessed to be able to be a part of this, but I'm excited. I'm glad that we got it done and uh also glad to be done.

SPEAKER_03 15:15

Okay. Well, Counselor Woods, thank you so much for sharing your vision. Any final words?

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Uh no, I'm just happy to be a part of the motion to adjourn, a Birmingham City Council podcast, live and local. Make sure you're tuning in. If you haven't liked, shared, and subscribed to the podcast. Do that now. We're on all your favorite channels.

SPEAKER_03 15:35

Well, you heard them. Stay tuned. When we come back, you'll hear about important updates and upcoming events that you should know about. Don't forget our motion to adjourn mailbag is open, but we need it filled with your questions. Mailbag is your chance to connect directly with your city. Got a question, suggestion, or concern? We want to hear from you. Send us an email at bhamalcitycouncil at gmail.com and let your voice be part of the conversation here on the Motion to Adjourn podcast. Again, that's Bham AL City Council at gmail.com. Remember, together we're building a stronger community, one idea at a time. District 7 will host its Love D7 Environmental Day kickoff event at Jones Valley Middle School. There will be giveaways, family-friendly activities, music, community resources, document trading services, and so much more. So if you are a District 7 resident, come out and have some fun. Attention, Birmingham Homeowners, you'll soon have the chance to get expert advice on maintaining and improving your homes while meeting a nationally recognized HG TV designer. How cool is that? Mark your calendars for the HomeWise Expo 2026. It's happening Saturday, April 18th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bill Harris Arena. The Homewise Expo is designed specifically for existing homeowners who want trusted guidance on maintaining, repairing, and protecting their homes, especially as Birmingham's aging housing stock and rising costs make home maintenance more challenging. Admission is free, but an e-ticket is required. So head over to nhsbam.org to learn more. Again, that's nhsbam.org. Thanks for listening to Motion2Ajourn. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast to learn more about your city and local government. Also, follow us on our socials on Instagram and Facebook at City CouncilBeham. Until next time, stay informed and stay engaged.