• The feeling of belonging to a certain group related to ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, or other distinct social group with its own culture.

Birmingham was coined the Magic City just a few short years after the end of the Civil War when the early settlers realized the three main ingredients for producing steel: iron ore, coal, and limestone. With its already impressive railroad system the indsutry exploded. Its rapid growth was due to the new residents, construction, and development.

• Population: 217,158
• African American: 73.4%
• White: 22.3%
• Hispanic: 3.6%
• Other: 2%

• Gentrification: the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste
• Birmingham Gentrification Example: GBM
• Iowa City Gentrification Example: The Quarters is a student housing development. The units range in size from one to three bedrooms, and the amenities on site include indoor racquetball and basketball courts, an outdoor pool, a hot tub and tanning beds. In order to build the Quarters, Rose Oaks had to be torn down. Rose Oaks was a low-income housing complex that was home for many African Americans and other minorities. Parents and children were displaced and some forced into homelessness with little time to move out so the The Quarters could be built. From the low-income housing complex to the now luxurious student housing there is a driving force, the rent gap.
• Birmingham has seen almost 40% residential growth since 2000
• Many historic buildings are being restored
• Birmingham's business tax revenue increased by more than $16 million dollars since 2013, suggesting a more expansive approach to the attention from the downtown.

On the first day we visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute which is across the street from the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. It is a large museum that depicts the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement through the 1950s and 1960s. The institute showcases a walking journey through the living institution which displays the past in an interactive way. One of the exhibits was the Human Rights Gallery.

The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was an act of white supremacist terrorism which occured at the African American 16th Street Baptist Church on Sunday September, 15, 1963 where four young girls where killed. The four girls killed in the bombing were Addie Mae Collins (14), Cynthia Wesley (14), Carole Robertson (14), and Carol Denise McNair (11). Across the street from the church is a park where there is a statue of the four young girls as a memorial.

• The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a 67.5 acre garden located adjacent to Lane Park in Birmingham, AL. The garden offically opened in 1963. Avondale, the neighborhood surronding the garden is extremley affluent. The Gentrification Task force has their meetings at the Botanical Gardens.
• The Gardens goal is to grow the community, region, and state.
• It is Alabama's largest living museum.

• The park is a 19 acre space in downtown Birmingham that showcases the industrical and artisic heritage. The park is a result of the City of Birmingham and the Railroad Park Foundation.
• It is across from Region's Field, Birmingham's minor league baseball field.

• Through our time during service, we were able to serve and meet people of many different cultures, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic groups. At Greater Birmingham Ministires, they support many different faith communites to work all alongside each other regardless of their religion. The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama provides meals and food to people across 12 counties of the Birmingham area. The West End Urban garden is for anyone who needs or wants food after donating an hour of their time gardening. The Love Lady Center attracts women from all over the state and south. We were able to learn about the unique culture and group of each organization that we served.