The Rebranding of Historic Ensley
Locals describe Ensley as "an area thatβs been neglected for far too long." Although outsiders tend to glance over this historic neighborhood's history, art and community, its narrative is starting to be rewritten. Learn more about the rebranding of Ensley.
Growing up in a Sherman Heights home that her family has owned for generations, Deidre Clark proudly calls herself βa daughter of Ensley.β From 2013 to 2018, she ran Kuumba Community Art, an organization providing after-school art classes for Ensley youth. Kuumba is a Kwanzaa principle encouraging people to use creativity to leave their community in better shape than when they inherited it. And thatβs exactly what Deidre is determined to do despite the fact her brother, who she and her family affectionately called Pee Wee, was killed in Ensley when he was only 18 years old and she was 12. βI canβt do anything about Pee Wee, but what about the kids that are in Ensley right now that are just like him? Theyβre full of talent, but they donβt have a lot to do,β Deidre says of why she started Kuumba Community Art.
Deidre continues to work with other organizations striving to shift the narrative that Ensley is just crime stories and statistics. βIf I can come to realize that this isnβt a horrible place after losing my brother, then I think the rest of the city can pause for a second to be much more curious,β she says.
βSo long town. Iβm heading for Tuxedo Junction, now.β
Founded in 1886 and formally incorporated in 1899, Ensley was annexed into Birmingham in 1910. At the height of Birminghamβs iron production, Ensley was a booming place known for its industrial development and was just as famous for its music venues.
Tuxedo Junction, the intersection of Ensley Avenue and 19th Street, was the heart of social life for Birminghamβs black residents in the β20s, β30s and β40s. People would come to dance and listen to music, and many musicians began their careers playing at Tuxedo Junction. Jazz legend and Ensley native Erskine Hawkins immortalized his hometown when he wrote the 1939 hit song βTuxedo Junction.β
Ensley was one of several Birmingham communities that suffered from the decline of the steel industry, causing many neighborhood residents and merchants to relocate. George McCall, president of the Ensley Neighborhood Association, has lived in the town all of his life. Born in 1943, George has memories of seeing musicians play at Tuxedo Junction. He and his friends couldnβt afford instruments, but they would make music of their own with cans, baseball bats, broomsticks and whatever else they could find.
Segregation kept George and his peers from having many of the opportunities and resources white children enjoyed. Nonetheless, he says hardships only brought the Ensley community closer together. βEverybody helped one another to make sure that the essential things people needed, they got,β he says, recalling the days when students shared their lunches with others to make sure no one went hungry.
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Rebranding Ensley
George has hope Ensley will be a thriving area once again. βEnsley will come back because of the potential that it has,β he says. βThe people who are working to make this happen are bright people who have a future in mind of what they want the area to look like.β
Bettina Byrd-Giles is one of those people. Sheβs the CEO of Β The Bethesda Life Center, an Ensley health clinic serving people regardless of their ability to pay. (She was also a FACE of Birmingham.) When she took the job, she was shocked by the negative responses from others outside of Ensley. βThey almost felt they needed to protect me from the community,β she explains. βI had already been coming over here as a board member before I took the job, and I donβt live that far away. That just wasnβt my experience when I came over here.β
Not only did Bettina find a warm and welcoming community, but she found opportunities and activities for kids. βWhen my son was of age to start playing sports, I started looking for opportunities on the west side of town, and I was really happy and pleased with what I found once I went to McAlpine and Ensley Rec Centers and the libraries,β she says. βThere were a lot of opportunities. They just werenβt made public. On all the mom blogs, they didnβt include the west side of town.β
Soon Bettina helped launch Ensley Alive, an initiative highlighting Ensleyβs community life, public art, cultural arts programming and more. Deidre Clark is also one of the organizationβs co-founders, along with Brian βVoiceβ Porter Hawkins, Brian Gunn and Hank Layman.
Bettina is also a recent fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders program. Through this, she launched her latest project Branding Ensley, an organization working to increase foot traffic to downtown retail spaces by highlighting Ensleyβs jazz heritage.
Ensley is also home to several businesses, such as Tresβ Fine Clothing and Heritage Coffee, which are located in the historic Cottonβs building. Event spaces are also available, including the Goldstein and Cohen Building, Ensley SohoΒ and Ensley Live Entertainment Loft, which often host noteworthy events like Magic City Fashion Week. Green Acres CafΓ© is another favorite of locals, serving up some of Birminghamβs best fried chicken. The area also includes Ensley staples that have been serving the community for years, such as Gilmer Drugs, Marinoβs MarketΒ and Ensley Beauty Supply.
βThere are good quality businesses out here, good quality people out here in this area and opportunity to start a business,β says Tres Washington, owner of Tresβ Fine Clothing. After working in the clothing industry since 2000, he opened his own store in 2014. And when the Cottonβs building became available, Tres jumped at the chance to start his business there. βI would love for every building thatβs vacant in Ensley to house businesses,β Washington says.
Β Coffee & Community
If Deidre Clark were giving you a tour of her hometown, sheβd make sure you checked out the newest coffee shop Heritage Coffee. βI like the way community comes together around coffee,β Deidre says.
Josh Brenneman opened Heritage Coffee in November 2019. Originally from Fort Wayne, Indiana, he worked in Gulfport, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana, for several years helping families affected by Hurricane Katrina before moving to Birmingham in 2011 to help those affected by Alabamaβs April 2011 tornadoes.
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βI have a heart for community and seeing things rebuilt and coming back,β Josh says. He describes Ensley as a βcomeback areaβ thatβs been neglected for far too long, but heβs excited to be a part of the renaissance. βI love that everybody is rooting for each other,β he says. βThereβs a strong sense of community in the area. Weβre all in this together.β
Deidre also wonβt let you leave Ensley without stopping by the Ensley Alive mural on the side of The Bethesda Life Center building or the jazz-inspired mural by artist Jamie Bonfiglio on the side of Gilmer Drugs. (Jamie was also a FACE of Birmingham.) The art symbolizes the beauty that already exists in Ensley and the hope for whatβs to come. βThereβs a different story,β Deidre says.Β βThe people who live there have a story thatβs so much different than anything youβll ever see in mass media.β
To learn more about how you can be a part of the rebranding of Ensley, check out the Ensley Neighborhood Associationβs Facebook page HERE or attend a monthly meeting. Meetings take place the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Ensley Recreation Center, 2800 Avenue K, Birmingham, AL 35218.
All photography by Javacia Harris Bowser unless otherwise noted.
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Javacia Harris Bowser
Javacia Harris Bowser is a Birmingham-based freelance writer and the founder of See Jane Write, an online community and coaching service for women who write. With over 20 years of journalism experience, Javacia has received awards from the National Federation of Press Women, Alabama Media Professionals, Alabama Press Association, and the Alabama State Council on the Arts. When sheβs not writing, sheβs usually practicing Pilates, getting her 10K steps a day, or watching crime shows. Follow Javacia on Instagram @seejavaciawrite.