Alpha Rho Chapter Alumni's Fall 2023 Digest + Centennial Funding/Staffing Updates
This Edition of the APCAA Digest features updates on 32 Brothers from the Alpha Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and their professional developments, transitions, artistic pursuits, industry projects, awards and recognitions.
Also — we announce several leadership enhancements for AP100, and provide updates on Brothers who are leading the way in providing sponsorship for Centennial Week 2024.
HUD Awards Birmingham $50 million Federal Grant To Revitalize Smithfield (Bro. Randall L. Woodfin — Spring 2002)
By Greg Garrison www.al.com
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced this morning that Birmingham had received a $50 million federal grant that the city plans to use to kickstart a $294 million investment in the Graymont, Smithfield and College Hills neighborhoods, providing 1,000 subsidized, affordable and market-value homes to replace the 900 units of the aging Smithfield Court.
“This investment represents HUD’s commitment to creating new housing for Birmingham residents and communities across the country,” Fudge said. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said that when he first ran for mayor, he campaigned door to door in those neighborhoods, and the Smithfield Choice plan addresses their concerns.
“Since my first day in office my number one priority has been neighborhood revitalization,” Woodfin said. “It was our choice to make every one of our neighborhoods great places to live.” Smithfield Court, which dates to 1937, is one of the nation’s oldest public housing communities. It will gradually be demolished and replaced with mixed-use housing under the plan.
The City of Birmingham submitted a grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Development’s CHOICE Neighborhood program.
“When we envision the future of public housing investment, we think of programs like Choice Neighborhoods,” Fudge said. “These awards promote the innovative collaboration needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis. A community-driven, whole-of-government approach to neighborhood revitalization is what leads to impactful changes in the neighborhoods that need it the most.”
Birmingham area officials said the $50 million grant was needed to get funding off the ground for revitalization efforts in the historic Smithfield community.
MORE CENTENNIAL NEWS:
Brothers E. David Ballard (Fall 1974), Darrell L. Crapps (Fall 1987), Gordon D. Greenwood (Spring 1984), Rahn K. Bailey (Spring 1984), and Curley M. Dossman (Fall 1970) Top Leaderboard For Centennial Captains
By Bro. BMaynard Scarborough, APCAA President
We are now at 85% of our participation goal for underwriting the core elements of our Centennial Celebration. And we're confident that each of you already have plans to support AP100 ... but this note is to encourage you join the good Brothers below who have inked their names inside of the archival materials that will enter the Alpha Rho Chapter Archives at The Atlanta University Robert W. Woodruff Library.
To date, our Centennial Captains range in years from 1970 to 2013!
