#ReadwithWoodfin

al.com

October is National Literacy Awareness Month.  To bring attention to the importance of literacy and reading, City of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has launched the online book club Read with Woodfin #ReadwithWoodfin. Each quarter, the mayor will share the title of a book to read.  This month, he is reading his “favorite book of all time” A Fire You Can't Put Out: The Civil Rights Life of Birmingham's Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth by Andrew Manis. According to the publisher, “This first biography of Fred Shuttlesworth—winner of both the 2000 Lillian Smith Award and the 2001 James F. Sulzby Jr. Award—details the fascinating life of the controversial preacher who led integration efforts in Birmingham with the courage and fervor of a religious crusader.” 

Mayor Woodfin is encouraging people in the community to upload a 30 second video on social media with the hashtag #ReadwithWoodfin describing a book that impacted their lives.  Each day during October, a member of the community will be featured on the City of Birmingham’s social media channels.  On Twitter, the profile is City of Birmingham @cityofbhamal.  The mayor’s Twitter handle is @randallwoodfin.  The City of Birmingham’s Facebook page is City of Birmingham Government. On Instagram, City of Birmingham Government is listed under cityofbirmingham. 

Be sure to visit your local library to find copies of the books the mayor is reading or other books you might find interesting. The East Building of the Central Library is under renovation, but staff members can still retrieve materials for you.  I had the pleasure of meeting Mayor Woodfin's mother at Peace in the Park at McAlpine Park.  She talked about how important libraries are and how she raised her children to have a love of reading.  She mentioned specifically how much the mayor enjoys reading.  Click here to see which locations own a copy of A Fire You Can’t Put Out.  In Mayor Woodfin’s words, “The city that reads together stays together.”