#UjimaWednesdays | The Infrastructures of a Boycott | 11.05.25

Month Description: Tranformation through Direct Action

This November, we explore the long tradition of Black protest and the unfinished work of direct action. From its deep historical roots to the frameworks that guide strategic, intentional planning today, these sessions invite us to study how Black communities have organized, disrupted, and created under constraint—and how we continue to shape freedom struggles in our own time.

Event Description:

This session explores the history and power of boycotts as tools of collective action and creation. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to recent movements directed at corporate power, we consider how movements developed networks of care, from carpools and shared rides to collective funds and other forms of community care, that kept daily life moving amid disruption. Together, we will work to understand what these practices offer to us today, and how they help communities build power that lasts beyond a single campaign.

Facilitator Bio:

Barry McNealy was a social studies and history teacher at Parker High School and a part-time ""Master Tour Guide"" for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. McNealey graduated with a bachelor's degree in education at Miles College. Before joining the faculty at his alma mater, he worked as an intern, education assistant, and program coordinator for the Legacy Youth Leadership Program at BCRI. He trained docents, traveled for outreach, and helped plan and organize the institute's annual ""Juneteenth"" celebration. He left BCRI in 1998 to work as a full-time education consultant, but continues to lead occasional ""Milestones Walking Tours"" of the center and the Civil Rights District as a freelance tour guide.

Deon Gordon has been President & CEO of TechBirmingham since 2017, leading Central Alabama’s technology trade association and its nonprofit arm, TechAlabama. He played a key role in launching Ed Farm, a national digital skills initiative in partnership with Apple. Previously, he was Director of Business Growth at REV Birmingham, where he helped create Reveal Kitchen, Alabama’s first restaurant incubator. Gordon has also held leadership roles with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama Futures Fund, and Innovation Depot. Recognized among Birmingham’s “Power 60” and “Top 40 Under 40 for the Decade,” he completed Leadership Birmingham and Harvard’s Young American Leaders Program in 2019. A passionate urbanist, he enjoys travel, photography, cooking, and Outkast karaoke. Committed to social innovation, he believes in leveraging technology to challenge unethical models and create sustainable, empowering solutions for communities. Gordon’s journey began in Birmingham and was shaped further at Auburn University.