Carla Jean Whitley to return to Birmingham parade

Carla Jean Whitley plans to attend the Magic City Classic parade this year. She first covered the event in 2015 while working for AL.com. Scheduling conflicts prevented her from returning for the next ten years. Now a communications manager, she intends to be in Birmingham for the festivities again.

Whitley is a former reporter and a Florida native. She holds degrees from Florida State University and the University of Alabama. She has no athletic ties to Alabama State University or Alabama A&M University. Despite this, she described the 2015 experience as welcoming. She said she felt like a minority at the parade and the football game at Legion Field.

"I felt extremely welcome," Whitley said. "People did seem curious about why I was there, and I was definitely in the minority, though far from the only white person. But people were like, 'Glad you're here. I hope you have a great time.'"

Her assignment in 2015 focused on the culture of the event rather than the football score. She spent the day walking around downtown and talking to attendees. She noted that many people were dressed in team colors. "We just spent the day walking around, talking with people, capturing a lot of fashion because people really were decked out for the game," she recalled. "It was really fun getting to see the community spirit, the pride."

Whitley cited her love for marching bands as a primary reason for her excitement. She was a high school cheerleader and still enjoys the music. "I just think that a marching band is a thing of beauty," she said. "Football is not the same without it."

She watched the bands march through the streets of downtown Birmingham before heading to the stadium. The halftime show, known as the Battle of the Bands, was a highlight for her. "Halftime's the whole point," Whitley said. "Getting to see the Battle of the Bands, the halftime show, that was epic for me."

During that first visit, she had an unexpected encounter with rapper Khia. Whitley did not recognize the famous producer. She asked a woman wearing University of Florida colors about her attire. The woman turned out to be Khia, best known for the track "My Neck, My Back." Whitley admitted she rarely recognizes celebrities. "I'm very bad at celebrities," she said.

Whitley described the Magic City Classic as uniquely Birmingham. She compared it to local food festivals and events at the Birmingham Museum of Art. She believes the event breaks down walls and cultivates community. "It was really fun to get to observe that, be a part of that, help capture the experience for readers," she said.

She hopes her coverage helped people who missed the 2015 festivities feel connected to the events. "I know that you don't always get to go to the things that are important to you," Whitley said. "So hopefully that was also helpful for people who would normally be there but didn't get to be."

Whitley will join the parade this year. She plans to observe the community spirit and the marching bands once again. The event remains one of the largest Classics in the country.