Rebuilding Birmingham's Black Arts Legacy: 'We Can Rewrite the Story'

A Vision for the Future: The Black Arts District in Ensley

Community members and organizations are working to create a Black Arts District in Ensley, a historic Birmingham neighborhood. This initiative aims to celebrate the area's rich cultural heritage while addressing its ongoing challenges.

Organizers of the Black Arts District emphasize that it represents both the past and future of Ensley. Despite facing systemic issues such as blight and disinvestment, community members are determined to rebuild the neighborhood through arts and culture.

Jahman Hill, co-organizer of the Black Arts District, shared his enthusiasm for the project. “We’re able to work with a community that’s really dope…It’s really cool to be in a space that has this big history of music, of arts and being an economic center.”

Hill also mentioned the importance of reshaping negative perceptions about Ensley. “People think it’s dangerous…We want to find out how we can reshape those narratives. Ensley provides us a space to do that.”

From Dorm Rooms to Community Change

While studying arts at the University of Alabama, Hill and Eric Marable Jr. spent countless late nights dreaming of how to change the world. “We told each other, we’re gonna try to make better days for the youth, for the people,” Marable recalled.

In 2019, the two artists launched The Flourish Alabama to make the arts more accessible to youth and young adults through local workshops and events.

What started off as a small program flourished into a movement that has served more than 6,000 people. Through The Flourish, buildings that have been empty for years are currently being turned into galleries, music and dance studios.

Today, The Flourish is part of a collective of Black educators, artists and entrepreneurs working to revitalize Ensley and bring its history of arts and culture back to the streets.

The History of Ensley

Ensley was founded in 1886 and annexed by the city of Birmingham in 1910. At the height of Birmingham’s iron production, Ensley was famous for its industrial development, community meeting halls and music venues.

Residents say Ensley was filled with thriving businesses, churches, community and culture. As production thrived, music brought people together at Tuxedo Junction, which was located at the intersection of two trolley lines in Ensley.

Legendary jazz musicians such as Erskine Hawkins played at Tuxedo Junction, turning it into a space where Black Alabamians could relax during a time of racial discrimination.

But Birmingham suffered debilitating effects from the decline of the steel industry. Ensley was one of several Birmingham communities that suffered when Ensley Works, one of the largest steel manufacturing plants in the country, closed in 1981.

Job loss, white flight, disinvestment and redlining contributed to Ensley’s decline. Today, community members are still fighting against those barriers, said Brian K. Rice, owner of the building housing The Flourish and multiple other Ensley properties on the same block.

Rice said he has witnessed persistent development challenges to the neighborhood for decades due to a gap in resources and opportunities for residents. Despite these systemic barriers, Rice said he sees a bright future for Ensley.

“I’ve always been committed to doing work in underserved communities…My aspirations are to bring positive spaces to Ensley with the arts, workforce and entrepreneurial development and eventually living spaces,” Rice told DISCOVERTREND earlier this year.

Revitalizing Ensley

For some, Ensley is a place to avoid. Organizers of the Black Arts District, activists and longtime community members have been working for years to help reshape the perception of the historic neighborhood.

“People were very negative about Ensley, and we tried to share the exciting and positive things,” Bettina Byrd-Giles, a community activist, said. Byrd-Giles said Ensley is often overrepresented in the news regarding crime and violence, when there’s so much more to the neighborhood.

“There’s more to the community than what people are told on the news,” Byrd Giles said. “It’s thriving…Every Saturday, people are cooking out, there’s music, art, there’s community that I don’t think people see.”

Over the years, she and others have worked to bring recognition to Ensley’s spirit and vitality. In 2013, Byrd-Giles co-founded Ensley Alive, a movement dedicated to Ensley’s renaissance and shifting the narrative of the historic neighborhood by highlighting its community and culture.

She was also a part of The Color Project, which launched in 2014 by bringing music and arts back into Ensley to address blight, crime and development issues.

“I don’t want to see gentrification happen. I just want to see development,” Byrd-Giles said. The Color Project painted Ensley in bright hues and meaningful messages meant to reflect the true spirit of the community. Across the neighborhood, colorful murals cover red brick walls, a testament to their efforts.

“People started coming to Ensley more and really giving it a chance,” Byrd-Giles said.

Earlier this year, Timothy Quarshie, an artist and curator, created the Ensley Childhood Project, a gallery of donated family photos dedicated to telling the story of Ensley through the experiences of its residents.

“There’s so much pride that they have for their city, even despite the negative connotations that have been put on their community,” Quarshie said.

What’s Next for the Black Arts District

While the heart of the Black Arts District currently lies on the 600 block of 19th Street in Ensley at The Flourish headquarters, Hill said it will stretch beyond those walls.

“It’s about just building and creating spaces all over the city where artists can feel like we can come, like this is a home where we’ll be respected and we’ll be valued,” Hill said.

He said that plan includes continued investments in local artists and revitalization initiatives. Just this year, The Flourish has received more than $8,000 in donations, $13,000 in sponsorships and $350,000 in grants from organizations like the Daniel Foundation, Goodrich Foundation, Alabama Values and the city of Birmingham.

With the help of the $75,000 grant from Southern Artists for Social Change, The Flourish is creating a documentary to highlight Ensley artists and efforts to revitalize the neighborhood during the creation of the Black Arts District. Hill said all of the money is funneled directly into Birmingham arts.

“People really believe in what’s possible here,” Marable said.

Over a five-year period, The Flourish has invested more than $1 million into the local arts economy, by employing local artists, paying for workshops and partnering with local agencies.

Organizers say creating an official Black Arts District is a matter of getting others to continue believing in that mission.

“When everybody recognizes each other’s worth, you start to see a dip in violence. You start to see a dip in crime. You start to see a dip in these negative outlooks, and you start to see a growth in the community,” Hill said.

As 2025 comes to a close, DISCOVERTREND is bringing you the stories that make us smile and warm our hearts. In the series 31 Days of Good News, you’ll hear about the helpers, community leaders and organizations making Alabama better. If you have an idea for a story, email us at news@DISCOVERTREND.