Brian Hawkins Is An Alabama Bright Light Triggering A Renaissance Through Ensley Alive

By Karim Shamsi-Basha

If you are a Birmingham resident and reside in a place other than Ensley, you’ve probably never walked the streets of its merchant district. I never had until recently, when Brian “Voice” Porter Hawkins, one of the founders of Ensley Alive, gave me a tour.

To say it was enlightening would be an understatement. You could feel the pulse of the West Birmingham community beating through its stores and offices, and through the public art Ensley Alive is providing.

The Ensley community boasts an interesting history. It was founded in 1886 by Memphis entrepreneur Enoch Ensley and attracted early steel plants. But the past is not the only intriguing part; Ensley’s future is being mapped out by the group of residents who formed Ensley Alive. “Ensley Alive is a living movement. It’s the coming together of a lot of different people and organizations who are working in and for Ensley. It’s not an organization in and of itself; it’s the media for Ensley, where people can come and find out what’s happening. All of the wonderful things happening throughout Ensley you can find through Ensley Alive,” Porter Hawkins said.

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