Author: uabblazermedia

Casey Marley – [email protected] On Oct. 26, the Decatur schoolteacher, Heath Morrow, who went to a Halloween party as Kanye West—in blackface—apologized to the community and the Internet about his viral Facebook photo deemed racist by many. The fifth grade teacher, in his apology letter obtained by AL.com, wrote that he exercised an “error in judgment” and that his “intentions were not malicious or directed toward any group of people.” Coinciding with this viral Alabama news, UAB’s African American Psychology Student Association presented the movie “Dear White People” followed by a panel to discuss its portrayal of modern racism in young…

Read More

John Jones poses questions to the audience and answers questions about his personal experiences. (Photo by Ian Keel).John Jones poses questions to the audience and answers questions about his personal experiences. (Photo by Ian Keel). Mark Linn – News [email protected] John Jones, Ph.D., the vice president of Student Affairs, sat down with students to discuss what it means to be a leader on Oct. 28 at the RLC as part of UAB LEAD’s Lunch with a Leader discussion series. Lunch with a Leader and Dinner with a Dean are part of a series of discussions taking place throughout the semester hosted…

Read More

Mark Linn – News [email protected] As part of its continued effort to expand awareness and resources for LGBT students, leaders of Student Health and Student Services are taking steps to ensure that members of the UAB community that identify as transgender or gender nonconforming have access to resources and support. In September UAB medical support providers and student service leaders attended the Supporting Trans Students mini-conference, the first of its kind at an Alabama college. “This kind of health model would mean that transgender students have the opportunity for the full range of primary care and mental health services provided by…

Read More

You wake up in the morning, and walk to the run-down one room church house to take your few classes of the day. Because the town only has one teacher, you have to sit next to children that are only eight or nine years old as you are finishing up what would be your Freshman year of High School today. For many schoolchildren in rural Alabama during the 1800s and before, this was your daily reality. That is, if you had a teacher in your town to begin with. Julius Rosenwald increased options for students throughout rural Alabama. (Photo from…

Read More

Jackson Hyde – Social Media [email protected] On Oct. 6 in the Alys Stephens Center, Laverne Cox, star of “Orange is the New Black” and trans rights activist, spoke about her experiences as a black transwoman from childhood to adulthood. More than 1,000 attendants came to listen to Cox’s story, only breaking their attentive silence when erupting with laughter at one of Cox’s jokes. Throughout the lecture, Cox emphasized that transgender people are more than just their gender, they are multifaceted individuals with dreams that are often inhibited by people that can only see them for their controversial identities. “I am not…

Read More

UAB has partnered with two other schools to conduct trials aimed at improving blood pressure in patients residing in the Black Belt. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons). Tamara Imam – Staff [email protected] UAB will lead a collaborative effort with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and East Carolina University to begin conducting trials aimed at improving blood pressure in patients residing in the Black Belt region of the United States. The project, titled “Collaboration to Improve Blood Pressure in the U.S. Black Belt- Addressing the Triple Threat,” received a $9.4 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to…

Read More

Mark Linn – News [email protected] UAB:UAB was named the top ranking school in Alabama by the U.S. News and World Report in their annual edition of the Best Global Universities, according to UAB was ranked 200th in the world and landed in the top 75 U.S. universities. It also ranked 25th in microbiology, 27 in immunology and 50 in clinical medicine. The Best Global Universities ranking system weighs factors that measure a university’s global and regional reputation, academic research performance using bibliometric indicators, and school-level data on faculty and Ph.D. graduates. International:A coalition of labor union leaders, businesspeople, lawyers, and human…

Read More

Fiesta attendees line up for admission outside the festival. (Photo by Cooper Crippen).Fiesta attendees line up for admission outside the festival. (Photo by Cooper Crippen). April Oberman – [email protected] On Saturday, Oct. 3, Linn Park in downtown Birmingham was not only green, but shades of red, orange and yellow. The aromas of Hispanic food encircled the square, and even from blocks away, anyone would know that the annual Fiesta festival was taking place. For the past 13 years, Fiesta transforms Downtown’s Linn Park to share facets of Latino and Hispanic culture with citizens of Birmingham during Hispanic Heritage Month. “The main…

Read More

Black Market Bar and Grill hosted a celebration of Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 3. (Photo by Stephanie Lockhart). Nicholas Jessee – Staff [email protected] The Black Market Bar & Grill hosted its first one day celebration of Oktoberfest on Saturday Oct. 3, 2015 from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.; the free event presented six patios with varieties of Oktoberfest beers and food specials mainly served to the local community. TVs were set up to show the Alabama and Auburn football games, and many places hosted beer tournaments and games that served special Oktoberfest brews. The beer specials presented were Left Hand Oktoberfest…

Read More

Black Market Bar and Grill hosted a celebration of Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 3. (Photo by Stephanie Lockhart). Nicholas Jessee – Staff [email protected] The Black Market Bar & Grill hosted its first one day celebration of Oktoberfest on Saturday Oct. 3, 2015 from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m.; the free event presented six patios with varieties of Oktoberfest beers and food specials mainly served to the local community. TVs were set up to show the Alabama and Auburn football games, and many places hosted beer tournaments and games that served special Oktoberfest brews. The beer specials presented were Left Hand Oktoberfest…

Read More