Tag Archives: Civil Rights

A historic stroll through Birmingham is expanded

Birmingham's Civil Rights Walking Trail expandsFolks walking along 6th Avenue North between 19th and 17th Streets in downtown Birmingham may notice some large orange signs now located along the sidewalk. The four signs are the latest additions to the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail, first unveiled in August 2009. As first reported by The Birmingham News when the first signs were unveiled, the first portion of the trail will take people from Kelly Ingram Park to Linn Park.

This sign is located at the corner of 19th Street and 6th Avenue North in front of First Church Birmingham.

Photo: Birmingham’s Civil Rights Heritage Trail expands. acnatta/Flickr

An honor long overdue

That would be the best way to describe the ceremony scheduled to take place at noon today in Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park. Today a plaque will be installed honoring the ministers that inspired the Ministers Kneeling statue.

Preachers praying.jpg

Photo: Preachers praying. acnatta/Flickr.

Participants in the rededication ceremony will include representatives from Mayor Larry Langford’s office; Mrs. Fred Shuttlesworth; Ms. Odessa Woolfolk; Bonita Conley, famed operatic and gospel singer; plus members of the families of the ministers whose actions in 1963 inspired the statue – Rev. N. H. Smith Jr. of New Baptist Church, Rev. A.D. King of First Baptist Church of Ensley and Rev. John T. Porter of Sixth Avenue Baptist Church. Today’s Birmingham News provides the background story about why today’s ceremony is taking place.

On the agenda: Honoring and supporting

The easiest items to pass on today’s City Council agenda involve the honoring of two local leaders by renaming portions of streets. Item 4 will rename 8th Avenue North from Center Street to 34th Street North for Rev. Abraham Woods, while Item 5 will rename the portion of 20th Street in front of City Hall for former city councilwoman Nina Miglionico.

There will also be a chance to create what’s essentially an expanded effort to preserve the city’s Civil Rights history (Item 7), though this morning’s interesting item #8, which says that the council supports the lawsuit filed on behalf of the city by Johnson and Walker, LLC “pursuing claims arising out of unfair, deceptive and discriminatory lending activities that resulted in foreclosures and other hardships” for residents.

Five councilors already support it, so it may not necessarily be that much of a deal, but you never know…

UPDATE: Birmingham remembers Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK day image

Bob Farley/f8Photo

UPDATE: 9:34 p.m., Click on the image above to view more images from earlier today (30 images, 2 pages).

The Rev. Abraham Woods sits behind the altar at 16th Street Baptist Church Monday afternoon. The Rev. Woods and other Civil Rights figures took part in today’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march which started at Birmingham City Hall and ended at the church with a rally. The march and rally are just a few of the events held today to honor the memory of King.