This is an opinion column

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By David Sher

Birmingham, we just can’t get a break!

Just when we’re on the verge to take a leap forward we lurch towards a big fall.

I hope you saw and celebrated last week’s al.com article proclaiming Birmingham “a burgeoning destination for recent college graduates.”

Details were reported by the Wall Street Journal based on a study from payroll service provider ADP.

Birmingham ranked as one of the top five best “second tier cities” for young professionals.

“WSJ said that the top-ranking cities tend to have a higher-than-usual concentration of technology, health and financial firms. Like Birmingham, they are home to research and healthcare institutions that do a lot of hiring themselves.

“Birmingham is also winning over young professionals. Companies in healthcare, finance and technology are big employers, as is the University of Alabama at Birmingham and its medical center,”

Yes, the Magic City is having a moment.

But if you know Birmingham’s history, you know what comes next.

We rise. We shine. Then – BLAM.

The Pattern Begins

It’s been this way since the very beginning. Birmingham was founded in 1871 with grand ambitions. The vision was for Birmingham to be the Pittsburgh of the South, where coal and iron ore would fuel an industrial empire.

Two years later? Cholera epidemic. Just like that, the dream was put on hold while residents fled or died.

Steel City RisingBut Birmingham bounced back. By the early 1900s, the steel mills were roaring. Tennessee Coal and Iron Company (TCI) made us the industrial heart of the South. Workers poured in. Money flowed. The city grew like magic.

Then came the Great Depression. President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously declared Birmingham “the hardest hit city in America.” The steel industry collapsed. TCI struggled. Families lost everything.

The pattern was already clear: Birmingham plus prosperity equals inevitable disaster.

The war brings prosperity to Birmingham

World War II saved us. The steel mills cranked back to life. Munitions factories hummed. Birmingham fed the war effort and prosperity returned.

But then after the war came new problems. The civil rights clashes of the 1960s put Birmingham on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of television screens nationwide. Bull Connor’s dogs and fire hoses embarrassed the city and dimmed our future.

The economy was stagnant. Young people left and then a miracle…

UAB to the rescue

Enter UAB. Starting in the 1960s and exploding through the following decades, UAB became Birmingham’s and Alabama’s new economic engine. Medical research. Healthcare excellence. Thousands of jobs.

UAB is the largest single employer in the state.

UAB generates $12.1 billion in economic impact annually and supports 107,687 jobs statewide.

One in every 20 Alabama jobs either is held directly by a UAB employee or is supported as a result of UAB’s presence.

Young professionals seem genuinely excited about Birmingham.

They’re choosing to stay after college or moving back from bigger cities. The energy is real this time.

And here we are today, riding high again.

The food scene is booming. Amenities like the Coca- Cola Amphitheater are energizing our downtown. Our tech companies are growing.

The energy is real.

Here Comes the BLAM

But history is rhyming again.

Cuts in government and NIH funding are already beginning to play havoc at UAB.

UAB ranks in the top 1% of NIH-funded institutions in America.

In the past six years, UAB has received over $3 billion in NIH Funding.

I can’t imagine what’s going on behind the walls at UAB.

UAB is likely planning to cut jobs, programs, and research.

It’s going to be ugly.

UAB is Birmingham’s economic foundation.

Sound familiar?

Birmingham built its early economy around TCI. When TCI struggled during the Depression, the entire city collapsed with it.

Now we’ve built our modern economy around UAB.

If UAB catches a cold, Birmingham will likely contract pneumonia.

One major institution. One economic pillar. One very big vulnerability.

Where are our champions?

What makes this particularly painful is the silence from Washington. Our senators and congressmembers aren’t fighting for UAB’s funding.

They’re not making the case that these cuts could undermine Birmingham’s and Alabama’s economy.

We need champions who understand that UAB isn’t just a university or a healthcare provider – UAB’s Birmingham’s economic lifeline.

Just like TCI was ninety years ago.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@comebacktown.com

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