Tag: civil rights
Jesse Jackson ‘Comes Home’ As He Returns to A.G. Gaston Motel

The civil rights icon found himself in Birmingham delivering a message worthy of his days stumping for justice alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as the world marks 60 years since the events of Bloody Sunday.
Birmingham Events Mark MLK Day

Memorializing Martin Luther King Jr. every year on the day dedicated to his name is a tradition in Birmingham. Here are some events over the next few days to remember and celebrate the life of “The Drum Major for Peace.” Read more.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Receives National Preservation Award

The Sixteen Street Baptist Church was awarded the Trustees’ Emeritus Award for historic site stewardship by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on Monday, the only institution in the country to receive this recognition. Read more.
How Birmingham Reflects an Entwined Struggle for Civil and Labor Rights

Movements for civil rights and workers’ rights often intersect. But many times the labor part of the picture is overlooked. That’s the case in Birmingham, which is well known for its civil rights history. Read more.
Givan to MLK Unity Breakfast: Focus Needs to Be on Voters, Poverty-Stricken Communities to Reach King’s Dream

Alabama House Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, told a packed Great Hall at Birmingham-Southern College that there is work to do to fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Not only is our Black history under attack, but our most fundamental right that is allowed to us under the Constitution – our right to vote – is under attack,” Givan said at the 38th annual Unity Breakfast in celebration of the slain civil rights leader. “But I say to you, they don’t have to take it because we don’t utilize it.” Read more.
MLK Day is Monday. In Alabama and Mississippi, it’s also Robert E. Lee Day.

The leader of the Civil Rights Movement and a commander of the Confederate army both are honored on the same day. Not everyone is happy about that. Read more.
Birmingham Residents Reflect on 60th Anniversary of Church Bombing

At exactly 10:22 a.m. on Friday, church bells – and the shofar at Temple Beth-El synagogue – rang out across Birmingham to honor those killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. It’s the 60th anniversary of the deadly attack that killed four young girls — 11-year-old Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley, all 14 — and injured dozens more.
Inside the historic church, a crowd heard a message from Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Outside, small groups of people gathered all over the city to commemorate the anniversary and reflect on the violence of the past and the progress the community has made over the decades. Read more.
60 Years Later, Kids Still March in Birmingham

Sixty years ago, thousands of children took to the streets in Birmingham to protest against racism and discrimination. On Friday, teens from around the city gathered to reenact this historic moment, known as the Children’s Crusade. Read more.
An Inside Look at an AP African American Studies Class

‘Unreformed’ Podcast Tells the Largely Untold Story of an Abusive Alabama Reform School

A conversation with journalist and podcast host Josie Duffy Rice details the troubled history of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children, or Mt. Meigs. Read more.