“Meet the founder of the Birmingham Black Radio Museum (BBRM), Bob Friedman in this Zoom conversation, where he will discuss and share the history and collection of the BBRM.
The BBRM documents and intricate layer of Birmingham’s history. It is not necessarily a museum in the traditional sense. It can also be categorized as a community archive and an oral history project and its mission is to preserve a historical movement through the lens of Black Radio in Birmingham from the 1930’s through the 1980’s.”
Remembering Civil Rights icon Rev. C. T. Vivian by 11Alive
The staff, Director and Board of the Birmingham Black Radio Museum share our profound sadness at the passing of two great Americans, Rev. C. T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis. It is hoped that our community will continue to gain strength and insight from their courage.
Sincerely,
Emily Bibb, Ennis Bragg, Bob Friedman, Willamena Richardson, Min. Gwendolyn Cook Webb
BBRM Director Bob Friedman (Solomon Crenshaw Jr. for The Birmingham Times)Ron January, operations manager at WATV (Solomon Crenshaw Jr. for The Birmingham Times)
Each spring, the Council on Community-Based Partnerships
recognizes excellence in community-based scholarship. Students,
faculty, staff and UA community partners are honored for outstanding
research. Past projects have ranged widely, including health care,
education, science and technology, art, literature, and special needs.
Recipients are nominated by associates and peers.
This spring,
SLIS nominated community partner Bob Friedman and the Birmingham Black
Radio Museum (BBRM) for the Excellence Award for Outstanding Community
Partner-Initiated Engagement Effort. Along with the award, the BBRM and
SLIS were awarded $2,000 in seed funds for their “Mapping Birmingham
Black Radio” project.
From
the April 17, 2019 Community-Based Partnerships Award Luncheon Program:
“The Birmingham Black Radio Museum (BBRM) is a community-based museum
dedicated to preserving the history of Birmingham black radio and the
pioneering role of broadcasters in supporting Civil Rights activities. A
significant Alabama cultural heritage institution, the BBRM places
particular emphasis on capturing endangered narratives through oral
history. In his role as founder and director, Bob Friedman has secured
multiple grants from national organizations to support the museum’s
mission. As a result of his efforts, the BBRM has been invited to join
Library of Congress consortia dedicated to preservation of radio.
Additionally, in his role as mentor, Friedman has provided opportunities
through partnerships with UA’s School of Library and Information
Studies to prepare generations of students to responsibly and ethically
preserve cultural heritage while utilizing socially conscious best
practices.” Learn more about the BBRM here.
Bob Friedman, creator and director of the Birmingham Black Radio Museum, poses with some of his radio equipment, museum memorabilia and record collection from his years hosting radio shows and conducting interviews.
“With the help of local and nationwide student volunteers in library sciences and history over the last several years, former WJLD radio host and BBRM Director Bob Friedman continues his mission to transcribe and create a community-based web archive for the oral history of Birmingham-connected black radio. BBRM catalogs interviews from the 1930s through the 1980s conducted by him and other radio show hosts.”
“The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced 16 grants to museums in 10 states totaling $1,485,955 for the African American History and Culture (AAHC) grant program. More than 32 organizations requested grants totaling $3,076,510.
Museum Grants for African American History and Culture support projects that improve the operations, care of collections, and development of professional management at African American museums. Examples from the 16 selected projects include:
The digitization of the Birmingham Black Radio Museum’s collection of oral histories and interviews of radio personalities, civil rights leaders, authors, and entertainers. With the help of student interns from the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Sciences and work space provided by the historic Carver Theatre, the museum will digitize the entire collection and develop a blog series for public discussion.”
Ed Chambers, a sportscaster with WEDR-AM 1220 is shown in this 1950 photo.
“The Birmingham Black Radio Museum (BBRM) project began amassing interviews, pictures and memorabilia in 1992 and received its not-for-profit status on 2004. Its goal was to organize and preserve that history and make it available to scholars and the public. The collection now spans the 1930s through the 1980s and is archived at the historic Carver Theatre in downtown Birmingham.”
