Conversations From Tiki's Patio

09/11/2025

Brief History & Significance of The Edistone Hotel in Selma, AL

The Edistone Hotel was constructed in 1855. 
It is situated on the banks of the Alabama River, at the intersection of Water Avenue and Green Street in Selma. 

Before the Civil War the site itself was previously used as one of the largest slave auction markets in Dallas County. 

After the Civil War, the building housed an office of the Freedmen’s Bureau, which assisted newly emancipated African Americans with resources like food, housing, and medical care. 
• In the 1870s, its proprietor began offering equal accommodations regardless of race, which was unusual and progressive for that time and location. 

Architectural & Historical Importance
• The Edistone is one of only two hotels in Alabama from the pre-Civil War era that still stand (the other being the St. James Hotel). 
• Retired architectural historian Robert Gamble emphasized that the Edistone is particularly noteworthy because its interior is still largely intact, unlike many other historic structures. 

Modern Condition & Preservation Efforts
• Over the years, the building suffered significant neglect—its roof was deteriorating, walls were weakening, and adjacent buildings collapsed, increasing the risk of complete loss. 
• In 2022, structural documentation began with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 
• On September 10, 2025, The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit, formally acquired the building to save it from demolition. 
• The Fund is partnering with the Selma Redevelopment Authority and MASS Design Group to rehabilitate the building, transforming it into a community hub—potentially including a museum, co-working space, and grocery store. 

📸credit: The Selma Times-Journal

08/21/2025

Little Known History FACT

(That most Americans would be surprised to know)

Wall Street was once the site of a slave market.

From 1711 until the late 1700s, enslaved Africans were bought and sold at a market located on Wall Street in New York City, near what is now the financial district. The city even passed a law requiring enslaved people to be sold at that designated market to regulate the trade. New York, despite being in the North, had one of the largest enslaved populations in the colonies at the time.

Today, Wall Street is synonymous with wealth and global finance, but its foundation is directly tied to the buying and selling of human beings. Many don’t realize that New York had deep ties to slavery long after states like Massachusetts had abolished it.
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07/10/2025

What does “freedom” really mean when access and opportunity still look so different? Let’s talk about it. 🗣️🗣️🗣️




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07/09/2025

Rise & Reflect on the Patio

Here’s today’s starter:

When we say “lead with love,” what does that really look like in public policy?

We’re not solving it all today—but we are talking, questioning, listening. And that’s a sacred start.

07/08/2025

Does our education system raise citizens or consumers?
With rising debates over book bans, AI in schools, and curriculum bias—how are we really preparing our children?

🗣️ Let’s unpack it. Faith, facts, and futures are all welcome here.

07/07/2025

Good Morning from Tiki’s Patio

🗞️ What’s shaping your worldview more—faith or facts?

07/06/2025

Be honest—who in your circle is a dam instead of a river?

Some folks are always the ones being prayed over…
Always on the receiving end…
Never the conduit. Never the overflow.
And you’re pouring and pulling and praying—
but the blessings hit a wall because they were never meant to stop with them.

What if your next level is tied to realignment?
To releasing those who only collect but never channel?

Let’s talk about it.


Tomika Rayford

04/06/2025

08/04/2024

We do not maintain the same passion for our accomplishments with the fervor with which we pursue them. Whatever you do in life, whatever it is you seek to achieve, do it with passion, and when you are done find a new passion.

07/26/2024

07/24/2024

What does mean to you?