Mobile Museum of Art brings the iconic photographs by Gordon Parks during the Jim Crow era back to the city where they were captured with the special exhibition, Gordon Parks: Segregation Story in Mobile, 1956.

This exhibition of photographs documents the everyday activities and rituals of one extended black family, the Thorntons, in Mobile and Shady Grove, Alabama, during segregation. The images were originally published in a 1956 photo essay by Parks, an assignment from Life magazine after the Montgomery bus boycotts, but have come to be known around the world for helping to inspire the Civil Rights movement.

In an essay accompanying the portfolio of photographs Segregation Story produced in 2012 by The Gordon Parks Foundation, noted American cultural historian and art critic Maurice Berger explains,

“These quiet, compelling photographs elicit a reaction that Parks believed was critical to undoing racial prejudice: empathy. Throughout his career, he endeavored to help viewers, white and black, understand and share the feelings of others. It was with this goal in mind that he set out to document the lives of the Thornton family, creating images meant to alter the way Americans viewed one another and, ultimately, themselves.”

These photographs are lent to MMofA by the Gordon Parks Foundation. Opening day will be free to the public, but due to COVID-19 a reception and other programming in various disciplines—film, poetry, visual arts and civil rights history—will be held at a later date.

This exhibition of photographs documents the everyday activities and rituals of one extended black family, the Thorntons, in Mobile and Shady Grove, Alabama, during segregation. The images were originally published in a 1956 photo essay by Parks, an assignment from Life magazine after the Montgomery bus boycotts, but have come to be known around the world for helping to inspire the Civil Rights movement.

These photographs are lent to MMofA by the Gordon Parks Foundation. Throughout the exhibition, MMofA is also partnering with area African American organizations on programs in various disciplines: film, poetry, visual arts and civil rights history.

A local 70-year-old will bike 1,000 miles between Miami and Mobile in a unique fundraiser to benefit The CORE Project, Inc., a non-profit organization providing comprehensive care for individuals with special needs. On Saturday, May 1, Jerre Brimer will start his cycling journey in Miami with an anticipated arrival at The CORE Project in west Mobile on Thursday, May 13. Brimer has planned the distance bike ride as a way to raise funds for The CORE Project and as a way to commemorate his seventieth birthday this year. Corporate sponsorships and opportunities to make a pledge per mile are available, and all proceeds will help The CORE Project as it continues to provide necessary support to those with special needs and their families.

The 10^th Annual Children’s Cup Regatta Weekend sets sail at Fairhope Yacht Club

Fundraiser to benefit Children’s of Alabama patients from Mobile and Baldwin counties

FAIRHOPE, Ala. – The Children’s Cup Regatta, a fundraiser to benefit patients from the Alabama Gulf Coast treated at Children’s of Alabama, will take place on Saturday, May 8, 2021. Sailing enthusiasts and friends in Mobile and Baldwin counties are invited to enjoy a day of sailboat racing at the Fairhope Yacht Club, located at 101 Volanta Avenue.

A family-friendly event, guests are invited to watch the races free-of-charge beginning at 12:00 p.m. Throughout the afternoon, guests can bid on silent auction items, enjoy the kids’ activity area, a cash bar and live music, all outdoors and socially distanced.

For boaters who don’t want to sail but want to take their boats out on the water. The Cruisers Crawl includes a professional photo of each boat in action, as well as dinner, t-shirt and a goodie bag. Registration starts at 4:00 p.m., costs $50 per boat, and is open to all classes.

The kids’ activity area, known as “Al’s Activity Area” in honor of local Children’s patient Al Guarisco, opens at 4:00 p.m. and features a slide, arts and crafts, games and the Rain Gutter Regatta. Participation from out-of- town sailors and non-yacht club members is welcome. Boats can be parked at Fairhope Yacht Club overnight. The entry fee for Portsmouth, Rhodes 19 and Catalina 22 is $50 per boat. Youth Class entry fee is $25 per boat. All entry fees are tax deductible.

Children’s of Alabama patients and their families in the area are invited to attend the Regatta. A few boats will be available to take former patients out to watch the sailing action close-up.

The youth portion of the Children’s Cup Regatta is known as “Katie’s Cup Youth Regatta” in honor of Katie Hamlin of Fairhope. As a 16-year-old Bayside Academy honor student and soccer player, Katie was diagnosed with a possible staph infection in May 2009. After falling sick a few weeks later, she was induced into a coma and put on a ventilator. She was diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome and transferred to Children’s of Alabama. After seven months of treatment, Katie was able to return home and is now a walking, talking miracle. Last year, children from Mobile and Baldwin counties made more than 2,000 visits to the state’s only freestanding pediatric medical facility.

For more information or to register online, visit http://give.childrensal.org/regatta2021 or call Kerrie Benson at (251) 610-4969. Event updates will be posted regularly to facebook.com/ChildrensCupRegatta. Day-of registration is available from 9-10:30 a.m. at the Fairhope Yacht Club.

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About Children’s of Alabama

Since 1911, Children’s of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children, offering inpatient and outpatient services throughout central Alabama. Ranked among the best pediatric medical centers in the nation by US News & World Report, Children’s provided care for youngsters from every county in Alabama, 41 other states and eight foreign countries last year, representing more than 677,000 outpatient visits and more than 15,000 inpatient admissions. With more than 2 million square feet, Children’s is the third largest pediatric medical facility in the U.S. More information is available at www.childrensal.org.