In 1963 the
world turned its attention to Birmingham, Alabama as peaceful civil
rights demonstrators faced police dogs and fire hoses in a battle
for freedom and equality. Later that year four girls died in the
bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. "It was the year of
Birmingham," Martin Luther King, Jr. said at the time. Today,
Birmingham is now recognized around the world as a symbol of both
racial intolerance and racial reconciliation.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Birmingham's civil rights
struggle, the Birmingham Public Library is sponsoring the Year
of Birmingham, a 12-month series of lectures, documentary
films, performances and panel discussions.
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Letter From Birmingham Jail
On April 16th, 2013, the 50th anniversary of the day that Martin
Luther King, Jr. began writing his
Letter from Birmingham Jail, participants worldwide read
King's
Letter in celebration. Participants hosted public readings
from the
Letter at various locations around the globe.
Read more about his worldwide event.
Photographs and videos of many of the locations are also available
for viewing.
Pinterest
Press
Coverage
Submit a Photo
The Library is collecting snapshots for an
online collection.
The public is invited to participate.
Links
History
BhamWiki: Birmingham in
1963
Partners
City of
Birmingham Fifty Years Forward
UAB: Fifty Years
Forward
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Read It Forward
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Visit any
BPL
location
and pick up a free copy of
The Watsons Go to
Birmingham - 1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis (while supplies last)
Read the Book
Enter the book's tracking identification number and leave a comment
Pass the book forward for someone else to read
Log
in to track your book as it travels
from reader to reader.
See what others have to say about this book.
Online Collections
Birmingham City Council Scrapbooks
(newspaper articles)
Bombings
Chambliss, Robert
Civil Rights Movement Photographs
Connor, Bull
(Link to his papers is not included.
See link below)
Interviews with Civil Rights Activists
King, Martin Luther Jr.
Ku Klux Klan Scrapbook
(newspaper articles)
Shuttlesworth, Fred L
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing
Theophilus Eugene Bull Connor Papers
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Calendar
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| Birmingham 1963 Civil Rights
Movement Timeline |
|
Timeline Source: Wright, Barnett.
1963: How the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement changed America
and the world
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Page Last Modified:
1/23/2014 4:18 PM