City issues proclamations on Mentoring Month, Holocaust Remembrance and Human Trafficking Prevention

The Birmingham City Council on Jan. 27 adopted a series of proclamations and heard related presentations honoring mentoring, Holocaust remembrance and human-trafficking prevention.

Mayor Randall L. Woodfin read a proclamation recognizing January 2026 as National Mentoring Month and asked Jennifer Hall of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham to address the council. Hall said the organization served more than 1,450 youth in its service area last year and urged volunteers to help match additional children with mentors.

Woodfin also read a proclamation designating Jan. 27, 2026 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day; Lisa Bachman, executive director of the Alabama Holocaust Education Center, spoke about the role of education in combating misinformation and the Center’s work training teachers. David Silverstein told the council the Center has trained more than 1,500 teachers and reached over 3,000 students.

Separately, the council adopted a proclamation naming January 2026 Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Councilor Crystal Smitherman joined Mayor Woodfin in presenting the proclamation and introduced Jane Bell of the Child Trafficking Solutions Project and other partner organizations. Bell and partner organizations described prevention strategies, survivor care and law-enforcement training; they said the city has been among the first in the state to train law-enforcement recruits and emphasized the need for continued community coordination.

Councilors moved and passed the accompanying resolution honoring the Holocaust Education Center and approved the trafficking proclamation; no related budgetary actions were taken at the meeting.