One year ago, H.I.V.E. began in the back room of Weezie’s Candy Emporium as a group of women gathered to voice our concerns, disappointment and hopes for our community and beyond. We didn’t know much but we did know we had a desire to create some positivity around us. So we began by educating ourselves on issues and then moved to getting involved in local projects, initiatives and candidates. We’ve supported each other in our own projects and come together to lift each other up. We’ve also met with more fabulous people and organizations than we can count to help create positive change in our community, state and beyond. Thank you for an awesome first year and we look forward to much more to come!

This past year, H.I.V.E.:

• Successfully asked the Homewood City Schools to change their Code of Conduct to be inclusive of students (and employees) regardless of their sexual orientation/gender identity.
• Organized an Anti-Bullying/Anti-Bias Book Drive resulting in over 43 books being donated to the three Homewood Elementary schools, totaling over $900 in donations.
• Rallied behind our local candidates Felicia Stewart (Candidate for AL House District 46), Danner Kline (6th U.S. Congressional District) and Doug Jones (U.S. Senate), hosting a meet the candidates night, phone banking sessions, writing postcards, parading in the Homewood Christmas Parade and more.

HOSTED

• Co-hosted a Women’s in Politics Luncheon at the Clubhouse on Highlands with the fabulous M.A.D. in Alabama, Forward Alabama and the Greater Birmingham Democrats
• Organized our first Open Ears & Beers Event at Good People Brewery, bringing together people from all sides of the conversation to find common ground
• H.I.V.E. Books, a monthly book club

DONATED

• Our members collected donations/contributed to:
  • Magic City Acceptance Center
  • First Light Women’s Shelter
  • Islamic Academy of Alabama
  • YouthServe

MEETINGS/PANELS

• Talking to Our Neighbors (Indivisible’s Carole Griffin, Lawyer and Member Extraordinaire Doug Marsh) 
• Environmental Issues (GASP,’s Kirsten Bryant, March for Science’s Nicole Watkins)
• Meet the Candidates Night (Felicia Stewart, Danner Kline, Doug Jones) and info session with the Greater Birmingham Democrats’ Bob Parker and Ready to Run’s Pat Vandermeer
• Healthcare (Former Finance Director of Children’s Hospital Alabama and more Doug Hoffman, Retired Medical Director of the William A. Daniel, Jr. Adolescent Health Center and more Marsha Studervant and Director of State Government Relations at HealthSouth and more Katie Shuey)
• Education (Alabama education blogger Larry Lee, AL.com Education reporter Trisha Crain, Elementary School Principal Susan Remick)
• Human Rights (Magic City Acceptance Center’s Amanda Keller, Lawyer & ACLU and AIDS Alabama Board Member Anil Mujumdar) 
• Emerge Alabama’s Stacie Propst

 

 

 

 

We’ve just received word that Louise Jones will be joining us at our H.I.V.E. Anniversary Celebration this Sunday, January 28, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. at Weezie’s Candy Emporium (923 Oxmoor Rd). Louise was integral to her husband’s election to the U.S. Senate and has been so supportive of the many women’s groups and movement in Alabama and beyond. We can’t wait to hear from her.

We hope you can join us as we celebrate you and this energizing and inspiring community we have built! We will also be mingling, planning, writing postcards, eating cake and toasting each other on a year of gathering, learning and doing. We hope you can join us!

Megan & Kristin

We hope you can join us:

H.I.V.E. Books
Saturday, January 20th, 10:30 a.m.
Seed’s Coffee, 174 Oxmoor Rd, Homewood, AL 35209
We are reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
All are welcome! You don’t have to read the book to come and participate in the discussion. Email Caitlin or Glory for more info and check us out at Goodreads

H.I.V.E.’s Anniversary Celebration
Sunday, January 28th, 6:30 p.m.
Weezie’s Candy Emporium, 923 Oxmoor Road, Homewood, AL 35209
We are going back to where it all began for an evening of celebration and looking forward! All are welcome and we hope you can join us as we celebrate H.I.V.E.’s one year anniversary.

H.I.V.E. Meeting
Monday, February 19, 2018, 7:00 p.m.
Homewood Library, Room 101
Meeting details to be announced soon!

H.I.V.E. Meeting
Thursday, March 15, 2018, 7:00 p.m.
Homewood Library, Room 101
Meeting details to be announced soon!

Meet the Candidates
Monday, April 23, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
Homewood Library, Large Auditorium
Join us as we get to know the candidates in the upcoming 2018 State, Congressional and Gubernatorial races. We have an exciting list of candidates who have already confirmed. More info to come!

The Alabama Legislature reconvened today and there’s a prefiled bill seeking to outlaw “debtor’s prisons.” Senate Bill 31 (sponsored by Senator Albritton – R) says that municipal courts would no longer be able to jail defendants accused of misdemeanors (such as traffic tickets, etc.) because they can’t afford to pay certain fines or fees.  While 77 municipalities across Alabama have adopted policies aimed at ensuring that their jails don’t hold people just because they can’t pay their fines, this bill would make it uniform across the state. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center has advocated for this policy change for several years. You can read more about this issue here, the SPLC’s work and the actual bill here.

I’m writing a postcard and email to my Senator (Jabo Waggoner) to encourage him to support Senate Bill 31. Will you join me in reading more about this issue and taking action? (My text: “Senator Waggoner, I’m writing in hopes you will support Senate Bill 31 sponsored by Senator Albritton. This law prohibits jailing people because they are poor and upholds our Constitution. Thank you for doing the right thing.”)

You can click here to find your Senator.  

Senator Jabo Waggoner (my senator)
jabo.waggoner@alsenate.gov
11 South Union Street, Ste. 726
Montgomery, AL 36130

Senator Rodger Smitherman (another senator in our area, please check the link above)
rodger.smitherman@alsenate.gov
11 South Union Street, Ste. 737
Montgomery, AL 36130