Birmingham Times

Taria Jackson, Miss Wheelchair Alabama, Champions “Equality For All”

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — The 28-year-old was recently crowned Miss Wheelchair Alabama and competed in the national competition, Miss Wheelchair America 2020 in Little Rock, Arkansas July 1st-6th. Jackson’s platform is “Equality for All. She was named 1st Runner Up in the Miss Wheelchair America competition.

Published

5 years ago

August 2, 2019

Oakland Post

By Erica Wright

Welcome to Third Thursdays! This series—published in the Birmingham Times on the third Thursday of every month—highlights area citizens who overcame odds to make a difference in their own lives or those who make a difference in the lives of others.

Taria Jackson is adamant about two things: Don’t treat her any differently than you would anyone else and equality for all.

“I tell people all of the time, ‘just because I cannot walk, doesn’t mean there is something wrong with me mentally’ I have just as much knowledge as the next person,” said Jackson. “I don’t like when people give me that special treatment, give me the same treatment you would give someone else. I am very independent. I can do everything anyone else can do, I just cannot walk.

“From the time I wake up until the time I go to bed, it is all me and I do it with help from my higher power, my God and that’s all I want people to know is to just treat me as if the wheelchair was never there. Treat me as you would with any other person, with the same dignity, respect and compassion. That’s all people with disabilities want.”

The 28-year-old was recently crowned Miss Wheelchair Alabama and competed in the national competition, Miss Wheelchair America 2020 in Little Rock, Arkansas July 1st-6th. Jackson’s platform is “Equality for All. She was named 1st Runner Up in the Miss Wheelchair America competition.

“Being 1st runner up means that I really worked hard and that title is worth having,” Jackson said. “I gave it my all and I will forever be a winner . . . I got to meet women from different states and I was able to learn and grow. Things that I’ve learn I’m able to bring back to Alabama to continue to advocate and educate individuals with disabilities.”

Jackson said she wants to make sure that all people with disabilities are treated equally.

“Whether that is a physical disability or a mental disability because there are people who have disabilities that are not visible to the eye, so I want to make sure that all people are receiving equal opportunities from employment to education,” she said. “I want to make sure that we have a voice and that we are heard and that when we come into the room, we also have a say so in the matter . . . not put us in the background and think it won’t affect us because it will, whatever the situation may be . . . treat us as if we didn’t have a disability at all. That’s all we really want.”

Always An Advocate

Jackson grew up in Birmingham in the Pratt City and Ensley communities. She was born with a condition called spina bifida, which is a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord don’t form properly

“For me, I’m paralyzed from the waist down, but it can affect people in different ways,” said Jackson.

She attended EPIC Elementary, A.G. Gaston Middle and A.H. Parker High schools in Birmingham.

“From elementary to middle school, I was on the praise dance team, I was a cheerleader and I also was a soccer player for the Lakeshore Foundation,” she said. “At EPIC, it was a really good time for me. I started out in special education classes and it was no real reason I was in there except for my physical appearance.

“One day, I was in class and I read something on the board and my teacher did not know that I could read and I don’t know how it happened, but I just remember my first grade teacher walking me to another teacher’s class and that’s how I transitioned from special education to mainstream classes.”

A Milestone

Jackson recalled that transition as a milestone.

“A lot of my friends that I started special education with [never left those classes] for whatever reason and that’s why it’s so important to have others advocate for you” said Jackson.

With the support of advocates she skipped eighth grade at A.G. Gaston and went straight to the ninth, Jackson said.

“Everybody was worried about me [skipping a grade] but it didn’t feel any different to me because I’m a people person and I got along with everyone and when I was a freshman, I was hanging with upperclassmen, so it wasn’t a big deal to me and I was fine,” she said.

Jackson graduated from Parker in 2009 and attended Lawson State Community College for two years and then the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2011. While at UA, she was in the pre-law club, the chess club and the psychology club.

“I graduated with my degree in psychology in 2014 and I took a year off and I was a substitute teacher for Birmingham City Schools during that time, which was not for me so I decided to go back to school to pursue my master’s degree in social work,” said Jackson.

After graduating with her master’s degree in 2017, Jackson began as a social worker which lasted until January of this year when she lost her job.

“I plan to go to UAB in the fall and I’m trying to pursue another master’s degree to become a nurse practitioner or a physician assistant because my end goal is to work with cancer patients,” said Jackson.

Miss Wheelchair Competition

Jackson decided to compete in the Miss Wheelchair Alabama pageant after hearing from people who urged her to become a contestant.

“The first person who told me about it, sent me an email and I didn’t think anything of it. The second person who told me, I didn’t know her from a can of paint but she reached out to me on Facebook . . . I feel like when you hear something more than once, it’s a sign,” she said.

Jackson said she paid attention to what she was hearing and became obedient. “At that time, I was going through some trials and tribulations and it got to the point where I didn’t want to do it and I talked to the coordinator of the organization and she’s a very spiritual person and she pretty much told me, ‘I need you to do this.’”

The pageant coordinator, Joann Pearson, inspired her to complete the application, Jackson said.

After she completed the application, Jackson said she learned that someone had already sponsored her. The pageant was in Huntsville in March and consisted of workshops and interviews.

“I had my interviews and the tricky part was they didn’t let any of us know who the judges were, so I was talking to judges the whole weekend and didn’t even know it,” she said.

On the night of the pageant, Jackson and the other contestants had to answer another series of questions. Jackson took home the crown.

“When I heard I had won, I kind of blacked out . . . I was just so happy because I had never done any pageant competition in my life… so this was the first time I won something as an individual in my lifetime,” she said.

Equality For All

Since becoming Miss Wheelchair Alabama, Jackson makes appearances, educates and advocates.

“I have to do like two appearances a month whether it’s at a hospital or speaking to children at school but it’s really about keeping up my platform and what my vision is with my platform,” she said. “I have spoken to third graders through an after school program called Girls Talk, I have spoken at a graduation for Alabama Vocational Rehabilitation… I also got to speak in front of the mayor and the Birmingham City Council during one of the council meetings.”

Jackson speaks from the heart.

“I know what it feels like to be discriminated against and to not feel accepted and to be rejected based off a physical appearance alone,” she said. “We do not look like what society says we should look like and I just know what it feels like to be the odd one out and it’s not a good feeling. Having any type of disability can take a mental toll on someone as well especially since I know people who were walking one day and in a wheelchair the next.”

Jackson said she knows what it’s like to be in the wheelchair and someone who doesn’t know what it feels like “they’re not going to be as passionate and advocate as much as they need to because it’s not truly a problem for them . . . I just want to make sure that the next person or the next generation has it a little bit easier than I had,” she said.

Speaking of advocates, Jackson said her mother, Dorsann Jackson, has been her biggest supporter.

“She has been there with me through it all. She saw things in my life long before I saw things,” said Taria. “She had a vision for me and at the time I couldn’t see it but she would go to bed and wake up and she’ll say, ‘I had a dream of you speaking in front of thousands of people’ and I would say ‘good luck with that’ but just seeing how her dreams are starting to slowly manifest in my life is amazing.

“It’s so important to have someone in your life to see the fire in you because you’re not going to always be able to see it in yourself so I am very fortunate to have a mom who sees me the same way God sees me.”

Click here to read more Third Thursday stories: Angelia Strode ;Jon Osborne;Vernessa Barnes; Sanchez Tanniehill; Tyrone Tolbert; Rochelle Malone; Reginald Ruffin; Karneshia Patton; Magnolia Cook; Liz Huntley; Annie Avery; Clover Moore; Erica Robbins.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Q&A With Kenneth Boswell, chair of Alabama Counts 2020 Committee

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — The great thing about the 2020 Census is that it has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail—all without having to meet a census taker. Notification letters from the Census Bureau to Alabama households began going out on March 12 and are continuing until March 20. There are three ways to respond: online at www.my2020census.gov, by phone at 1-844-330-2020 or by paper form.

Published

4 years ago

March 26, 2020

Oakland Post

Kenneth Boswell, director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and chair of the Alabama Counts 2020 committee. (Provided Photo)

Compiled by Erica Wright, The Birmingham Times

Kenneth Boswell, director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, is chair of the Alabama Counts 2020 committee. He responded to these questions from The Birmingham Times.

BT: What impact does the recent coronavirus pandemic have on the Census efforts in Alabama?

Kenneth Boswell: The great thing about the 2020 Census is that it has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail—all without having to meet a census taker. Notification letters from the Census Bureau to Alabama households began going out on March 12 and are continuing until March 20. There are three ways to respond: online at www.my2020census.gov, by phone at 1-844-330-2020 or by paper form.

We are keeping in contact with the U.S. Census Bureau and know that they are monitoring the situation very closely. We anticipate any changes would likely be to the in-person follow-up by census workers to households who do not complete their census by April 30. Right now, that portion is scheduled to begin in May.

BT: How does the state plan to proceed with the Census in light of the pandemic?

Boswell: The census is something that is quick and easy to complete at home, so that is our main message right now. We have a statewide awareness campaign that includes TV, newspaper, radio, social media, billboard and digital messages. Some census-related events scheduled for the next couple weeks have been postponed, but we are adjusting accordingly and will continue to do everything we can to encourage all in Alabama to take their census.

BT: What’s the significance of the April 1, 2020 deadline with the Census?

Boswell: April 1 is simply what the Census Bureau calls Census Day. It is a symbolic day designed to encourage all who live in the United States to self-respond to their Census form. Right now, we are encouraging participation as soon as the invitation letters are received and by April 30 which is the designated self-response period before the Census Bureau follows up in person with those households who have not yet responded.

BT: How much does the state stand to lose in funding if there is an under count or drop in Census numbers? What are some of the programs that will be affected if that money is lost?

Boswell: Alabama receives about $13 billion in census-derived funding per year for important programs that support Alabama’s healthcare, schools, infrastructure and community services.

Here is a link to a study by George Washington University that details 55 federal programs linked to census data and their impact on Alabama: https://census.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IPP-1819-3-CountingforDollars_AL.pdf

BT: Is there a certain percentage for example, 70-90 percent that the state has a goal to reach for the Census count?

Boswell: We are asking for maximum participation as close to 100 percent as possible. We must do better than the 72 percent participation rate that Alabama recorded in 2010.

BT: If this is an under count, how many seats, statewide and on a federal level does Alabama stand to lose and what will that mean for residents?

Boswell: Many projections have the state at-risk of losing a congressional seat if we perform at the same level as we did in 2010. The impact of that lost seat will mean one less voice to advocate for the state’s needs at the federal level. For example, Congress is currently discussing a package of stimulus/recovery dollars to lessen the impact of the Coronavirus on the economy. The more representation that the state has during these discussions and decisions, the better our voice will be heard and the better the likelihood that we will receive our fair share of federal dollars to benefit Alabamians.

There would be no change in the number of state legislators. However, the data collected during the census is used by the legislature for redistricting purposes.

BT: How is the importance of the Census spread to communities that have been historically undercounted? What strategies are in place to make sure those areas are fully included?

Boswell: Those areas and communities are very important to the success of the 2020 Census and we all benefit from maximum participation. So, we are focusing on the impact that a successful count would have on our state and those communities. We have been working to identify those partners for these communities as part of our grassroots campaign. In December, Governor Ivey awarded $1 million in grants to 34 statewide, regional and local groups to support grassroots census efforts, with many targeted toward harder-to-count groups and areas, including Alabama’s Black Belt, Hispanic immigrants, people with disabilities, children under age 5 and college students.

We have also developed an online tool kit of awareness and promotional items that can be used by any group or individual to help increase awareness of the 2020 Census and its importance to Alabama at www.alabama2020census.com.

BT: How long do people have to fill out their Census? How long does it take to gather all of the Census information and get it to the federal government?

Boswell: We are asking everyone to self-respond by taking the census as soon as they receive their letter from the Census Bureau and definitely by April 30. Right now, the census workers will begin following up in-person with households who have not completed the census starting in May and continuing through July.

The census only takes about six minutes to complete. There are 10 very basic questions – name, date of birth, sex, race, whether you own or rent the residence, phone number and similar information about others living or staying in your household. You typically submit more information when responding to a special offer online.

The data is secure and protected by strict federal law. Nothing you submit can be shared or used against you by any agency.

BT: How or when will the state know the results of the Census?

Boswell: The deadline for the census results to be submitted to the president is December 31, 2020. The Census Bureau will publicly release the final results around March 2021.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Help keep flu out of the classroom and protect your family from illness

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — Parents can do their part to help keep germs out of the classroom. Jennifer Ponder, Ph.D., chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction, suggests parents send hand sanitizer, paper towels, tissues and disinfectants to help keep the classroom clean. When a child is running a fever, coughing or sneezing excessively, lethargic, or showing other symptoms of the flu, keep them home. If symptoms persist, call your pediatrician.

Published

4 years ago

January 13, 2020

Oakland Post

Keeping flu at bay is difficult when kids are in school. Encourage your children to wash their hands frequently, and to avoid touching their nose, mouth and eyes to prevent the spread of germs. These practices can help keep your entire family well throughout the flu season. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Alicia Rohan, UAB News

School classrooms are a breeding ground for bacteria and germs. Teaching children about the flu and other contagious diseases starts at home but should continue at school as well.

“Children are very observant and hear about the flu in conversation, on the radio and on the television,” said Jennifer Ponder, Ph.D., chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction. “It is important that caretakers and educators continue those conversations to create healthy hygiene habits in children. In order to succeed in the classroom, a child needs to be healthy and present, so starting good hygiene early on will increase their chances of success.”

Ponder suggests that educators create a classroom environment where children are in charge of taking care of their space. This includes teaching cleanliness and strategies to disinfect spaces and protect germs from spreading, such as using a disinfecting wipe to clean all desks and surfaces on a daily basis.

“There are resources for educators to help teach kids about proper hygiene,” Ponder said. “Finding ways to incorporate hygiene and the flu into your lesson plan makes learning fun and will resonate with younger children more.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a resource for educators to incorporate hygiene and the flu into their curriculum, “Teaching Children About the Flu.” Activities include:

Sing “If You Are Happy and You Know It, Scrub Your Hands” while washing your hands to ensure that students wash for the appropriate amount of time.
Model how to wash your hands with the appropriate amount of soap.
Cough or sneeze in their elbow/sleeve if tissues are not available.
Simulate how germs spread by using a drop of unscented lotion and a pinch of glitter. Make a fist with glitter in it, then open the hand to show how glitter spreads. The teacher touches another child’s hand to show how the glitter spreads easily. Use a paper towel to wipe off the glitter. The glitter is hard to get off, showing how easily germs spread from person to person.

Parents can do their part to help keep germs out of the classroom. Ponder suggests parents send hand sanitizer, paper towels, tissues and disinfectants to help keep the classroom clean. When a child is running a fever, coughing or sneezing excessively, lethargic, or showing other symptoms of the flu, keep them home. If symptoms persist, call your pediatrician.

“Parents should be talking to children about the flu and flu symptoms,” Ponder said. “Reiterate what they are hearing at school, on TV and from their friends. Use these opportunities to talk about germs, proper handwashing and keeping your home clean.”

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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‘There are three people in your marriage… you, your partner and God’

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — I was a freshman and Shamar was a junior…as the night went on I was at the bar fixing my food and he came over and introduced himself. We conversed all night, we had amazing conversation and that night God literally told me that he was my husband and that kind of freaked me out because at the time I wasn’t hearing from God audibly. We ended up exchanging numbers but he never called.

Published

4 years ago

November 29, 2019

Oakland Post

NADIA AND SHAMAR GRAMBY

By Je’Don Holloway-Talley, Special to The Birmingham Times

“You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Erica Wright ewright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique.

NADIA AND SHAMAR GRAMBY

Live: Chelsea

Married: July 14, 2012

Met: In Huntsville in the fall of 2003 at a fellow Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University [A&M] student’s apartment. Nadia’s friend and Shamar’s frat brother were throwing a social gathering and Shamar was one of the hosts.

“I was a freshman and Shamar was a junior…as the night went on I was at the bar fixing my food and he came over and introduced himself,” Nadia recalled. “We conversed all night, we had amazing conversation and that night God literally told me that he was my husband and that kind of freaked me out because at the time I wasn’t hearing from God audibly. … We ended up exchanging numbers but he never called.”

Shamar recalled that Nadia stood out. “I saw this beautiful young lady sitting there… I saw her communicating with everybody and she seemed fun and outgoing and it’s like God was telling me there was something about her that I needed to find out . . . we ended up having a real deep conversation which is odd for those kinds of parties. We talked about our goals, and faith…we had a lot in common and had a lot of the same things that we wanted out of life.”

First date: The pair went to see a movie that they cannot recall and afterward had a candlelit dinner at Shamar’s apartment. They ate steak, potatoes and green beans. Nadia recalled being very impressed. Shamar said he couldn’t recall the movie but did remember he cooked a full course meal and had some candles flickering. “I wanted to make sure she knew that I thought she was unique and special and that she deserved a certain level of effort and care.

Nadia said she couldn’t focus on the movie because “I was jittery and nervous the whole time. When Shamar picked me up from my dorm room he had flowers for me…he was playing R&B in the car, he was such a gentleman and opened all the doors for me… when we got done with the movie he said, ‘I’m going to cook you dinner and I got to watch him make it.”

Nadia said they shared a kiss at the end of the night. “I really wanted to kiss him and I knew he wanted to kiss me, but he was so respectful that I knew he would have never made the move to kiss me first, so I gave him the three-second start, I leaned in [first].

“I took it from there,” Shamar said.

The turn: Nadia and Shamar dated throughout their collegiate careers and had a son in September 2007. They didn’t want to get married early on “just for the look of it,” Nadia said. “We didn’t want to get married just because we had a baby, we wanted to be ready and marry because we were still in love.”

After dating for seven years they began talking in 2010 about marriage.

The proposal: On a couple’s trip in 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Venetian Hotel on a gondola ride.

“I chose the Venetian [hotel] because I had previously been to Italy and I wanted to take her one day so I thought it would be the perfect place…I chose a special song for the guy [paddling the boat] to sing to her in the Italian language and when we got to [the arching bridge] I had the guy pause there and I told her how much she meant to me and how I could not live without her in my life and that I would be honored if she would be my wife. I took the ring out and she said ‘yes.’

“I was surprised because we had been [on many adventures] during the trip and we were so casual, I could not believe he was proposing to me while I had on jeans and a tee-shirt,” Nadia laughed, “…when the man started singing in Italian and he [Shamar] started going in his pocket I was like this is really happening today!…it brought me back to the day I heard the voice of God and His promise was really about to manifest.”

The wedding: At the Museum of Art in Huntsville, officiated by Pastor Windell Davis of Union Chapel Church in Huntsville. Their colors were tiffany-blue, mocha and white.

Most memorable for the groom was Nadia’s walk down the aisle. “The band ‘Remedy’ (A&M students) was playing live and my cousin Sheena was singing [the band’s song] ‘You’ as she came down the aisle… Her essence and her beauty, and all of our memories came to a head, our child, I just broke down right then and there. Somebody had to pass me a handkerchief,” Shamar laughed.

Most memorable for the bride was “when we did the unity sand together after we did communion as a family,” Nadia said. “Instead of union candles, we did sand, so Shamar and I, and our son Khalil all had our own sand that we poured in a glass together and for me, that was really special for our family to be under the covenant of God in our relationship.”

Words of wisdom: “Always put God first, put Him as the head of your life,” Shamar said. Next, be loyal to each other and have each other’s back. It may not always be 50-50, but be willing to pick up where the other left off. Always encourage each other. Always keep in mind the reasons why you married that person and be willing to talk and look at their perspective in life because people change. Be an open book, whether it’s good or bad.

Nadia said, “you must remember that there are three people in your marriage: you, your partner and God. If you remember that and keep Him in the middle of your marriage, you’re more likely to have a successful [union]. Also] knowing that I can trust my husband… I can trust him with my heart and I can trust him with who I am at the core of who I am, and because I can trust him I can communicate… I can be honest, I can tell him how I really feel because I know that he will honor me and take care of me as his wife….

Happily ever after: The Gramby’s have one child, son Khalil, 12, and enjoy helping to build other couples as board members of the marriage ministry at their church More than Conquerors in West End.

Nadia, 34, is a Daphne, Ala. native and graduated from Daphne High School. She attended Alabama A&M where she studied psychology and earned a B.S. in Human Resource Management from Faulkner University (Hunstville campus). She is a birth and post partum doula and owns her own company ‘Crown of Glory Birth Services’ and is also an [online] student midwife at The National College of midwifery (in New Mexico).

Shamar, 37, is a Columbus, OH native, and graduated from Reynoldsburg High School. He attended Alabama A&M, where he earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering. He is an accounts service rep in sales and marketing for Viva Health.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.