Newspaper memories
Newsroom Memories:
I worked as a photojournalist at the Birmingham Post-Herald, which seized publication this past Friday, from 1990 to 1995. I had a keen sense of sadness on Friday, at the same time; I tried to recount some highlights from my tenure at the “newspaper”. Call me crazy, but there is something romantic about saying “newspaper” in this age of wireless media and pocket-sized, instant information. As I count the ten stories I remember the most, nuances of actual newsroom vignettes come to my recollection.
The photography department sat in the corner of the newsroom far from the entry hallway. Having to walk right by the photo desk was tough on the days I was late. Picture Editor Larry Kasperek would always give me the look the said:” You are late young man” The eight o’clock shift can be too early for anyone in there twenties. Some days, Former editor Jimmy Denly would ring a bell in the middle of the newsroom to make happy announcements whether it was winning an award or receiving a great feedback letter. It was cool to hear the bell; you never knew when they were going to say that you won a gigantic award.
Below are ten stories I remember the most:
1- When the Dessert Storm story broke, I remember watching the sea of anit-aircraft fire streaming out of Baghdad into the night’s sky. Everyone in the newsroom fell in silence. Having been born in Damascus, Syria; the affects of the ethereal site were intolerable. Mixed emotions engulfed me and I had to go home for the rest of that day. My feelings as an Arab-American are still conflicted, while I applaud the freedom the Iraqi people might experience; I realize that embracing freedom peacefully can require time and patience.
2- I covered the fire at the Highland Presbyterian Church on April 8th, 1992. That day, I had a ruptured aneurism in my brain. I was in a coma for a month, and it took me eight months to return to work. The Post-Herald never stopped my paycheck, despite the fact that they never knew if I would ever return to work. As I walk around every day cherishing this gift we call life, I think of how much I owe the Post-Herald.
3- The Birmingham news won the Pulitzer in (19–?) For an editorial series on (tax dollars in Alabama?). I remember feeling huge that day. Despite the fact that I worked for the competing newspaper. All you had to say that you were a journalist in Birmingham and people were extremely impressed. It was rewarding for everyone, and I was proud to be living in this city; which is mostly recognized for its few shameful episodes of hatred and racial divide.
4- Traveling to cover football games was always an exhilarating experience, especially when Alabama won the national championship in 1992. Covering the Iron Bowl always made me feel as if I was on a different planet. I found out quickly that if you live in Alabama, football is not a sport; it’s a lifestyle.
5- I covered a story with Elaine Witt in the woods of Sand Mountain, and I remember feeling as if it was 1950. The people, the houses, the cars, even the puppies looked from that era. I spent a week going back and fourth, stepping from civilization into the past…a very surreal, never the less very real, part of the state. The people were as friendly and sweet as they come, and they were not concerned that their world was isolated. To them, it was a peaceful one. They made me wish I could go back in time…
6- The quilters of Gees Bend became famous after the PBS documentary this year. I remember my first trip to that troubled spot, and the disbelief that engulfed me as I learned about the ferry and the fact that the isolation of the area was “sort off” intentional. I then delved into the history of the black belt and found out how complicated the issue was. It is an unrelenting, viscous cycle of poverty and lack of education keeping that region were it stands today: one of the poorest in the country. . I still to this day wonder how many strides in race relations we have made in making the “Dream” come true
7- Kathy Kemp, who worked at the Post-Herald at the time, and I covered many stories together. I loved her ability to bond with people quickly. One of the memorable ones was the infield at Talladega were the lines of reality were blurred by too much beer. Being an Arab-American, I certainly did not fit the typical fan, and Kathy and I heard a few “comments”. To this day I still think everyone should experience the Talladega infield once.
8- One of Birmingham’s darker moments came when the Shoal Creek administration was quoted saying that they discourage blacks from joining their club. The nation went into a frenzy, and the club quikely denied the charge. Shoal Creek later accepted its first black member. Such stories were tough to live through, but telling them did improve matters…most of the time. I wonder what, then teenager, Tiger Woods thought of the debacle.
9- One evening I covered a paradox of tales. The first one was a cigar aficionados meeting at the Winfry hotel. Over 200 participants gathered in their tuxedos and shared cigars and cigar-stories. Then I traveled across Birmingham to a Launder mat in West End were they conducted a weekly revival. There was shouting and singing, as well as falling backward as the spirit took over. Thank god for the women dressed in white dresses who caught the people losing consciousness. I will never experience two such events in one night. That is the part I miss about my “newspaper”.
10- After an innocent by-stander was gunned down at the Metropolitan Housing Projects, which is now The Hope-6 Development, Kathy Kemp and I spent three months visiting the nieborhood and documenting its shattered lives. After working for magazines for the past ten years and covering a variety of stories from travel and politics to sports and lifestyle, that story remains one of my all time favorites. We named it “Dreams Die Young at 5th Court North”…they did and still do in parts of this city. It felt warm and tender to tell a story that would have gone unnoticed, and my hope was that it motivated someone to change things. And things are changing for the better all the time, at least that is the motto a journalist lives by.
Thank you to all of the Birmingham Post-Herald editors, writers, and photographer who I deem as an unforgettable part of my past. I am a better journalist, and a person, because of the your investment in me.
“Karim Shamsi-Basha is a photojournalist residing in Birmingham. He hopes these and other memories from the Birmingham Post-Herald will reside in his and the readers minds for ever.”