Birmingham Public Library Blog

Since it is Black History Month, I wanted to give a summary of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson . I just finished the book  Who is Ketanji Brown   by Shelia P. Moses from the familiar biographical series,  Who Is/Was created by the Who HQ team.  These short reads provide condensed, accessible information for readers of all ages on historical figures and events, contemporary innovators and events, and more.

This review contains mild SPOILERS for the film The Menu . The Menu , a 2022 comedy horror film, follows a young couple into the world of culinary innovation at its cutting-edge. It is one among many recent films that thematizes the issue of the extremely wealthy and the people who serve them, the most notable of these films being Academy Award winner Parasite .

Central Library hosts author talk Saturday, February 25 Author Marcia Herman-Giddens Birmingham, Ala. - Growing up in Birmingham during the volatile civil rights movement, Marcia Herman-Giddens was profoundly affected by her exposure to the wrongs of racist Jim Crow laws. As a young white mother, she and her then-husband attended the Unitarian Church and she got involved in the fight for civil rights for Blacks in Birmingham.  Now a  retired professor from the University of North Carolina, Herman-Giddens, 81,  recently turned her medical research and writing skills into a memoir - "Unloose My Heart: A Personal Reckoning with the Twisted Roots of My Southern Family Tree" that explores her family's ancestral history including their involvement as slave owners.  At 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 25, in the Central Library  Research Building's Arrington Auditorium, Herman-Giddens will talk about her new book. "Unloose My Heart" interweaves Herman-Giddens' e...

What: "Reading With Justice - The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story" Where: The Central Library, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 34203  When: Tuesday, February 28, 2023  Meet and Greet: 5:15p.m. Book and Panel Discussion: 5:30 p.m.  Birmingham, Ala. - In honor of the 60th Commemoration of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement  and in celebration of Black History Month, join the City of Birmingham Division of Social Justice & Racial Equity at the Central Library downtown on Tuesday, February 28, for a panel discussion on  The 1619 Project . "Reading With Justice - T he 1619 Project: A New Origin Story"  event kicks off with a Meet and Greet at 5:15 p.m., followed by a Book and Panel Discussion at 5:30 p.m.  The panel will feature former Birmingham Mayor Dr. Richard Arrington, Jr. ; founding Birmingham Civil Rights Institute President Odessa Woolfolk;   Birmingham Community Organizer Chad Freeman ; and moderator Gina Mallisham, Director of t...

Marcia Herman-Giddens discusses her memoir at Central Library at 3:00 p.m., February 25  The  Birmingham Public Library (BPL )  is hosting three author talks this weekend -two at Central Library on Saturday and another at Avondale Regional Library on Sunday.  On Saturday, February 25, the Central Library will host two book talks. At 11:00 a.m., Terry Barkley, author of Twilight of the Confederacy , discusses his Civil War-era book about the Alabama Corps of Cadets and the burning of the University of Alabama by federal troops.  At 3:00 p.m. Saturday at the Central Library, Marcia Herman Giddens discusses her memoir about coming of age in Birmingham during the Civil Rights Movement,  Unloose My Heart: A Personal Reckoning with the Twisted Roots of My Southern Family Tree .    At 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 26 at Avondale Regional Library, Auburn University historian Wayne Flynt discusses his new book, Afternoons with Harper Lee . The book det...

Join the Youth Department of the North Birmingham Regional Branch Library for its first Family Night! Filled with stories, music, art activities, and more, Family Night will enable families to bond while providing them with an opportunity to explore and cultivate different aspects of self-expression. Family Night debuts tomorrow, Thursday, February 23, 6:00–8:00 p.m., at the North Birmingham Library.

Five Points West Regional Library has been celebrating Black History Month all month long. If you are a jazz lover, mark your calendar now for  6:00 p.m. this Friday, February 24, for A Night of Jazz @ Five Points West Library. Music has been an essential part of African American culture throughout history. Please join the Five Points West Library's tribute to jazz music featuring jazz vocalist Halo Wheeler and pianist David Talley. Reserve your space on Eventbrite:   bit.ly/bplevent Read below to see some of the other exciting Black History Month programs taking place  over the next seven days at Five Points West Regional Library. Five Points West Regional Branch Library 4812 Ave W, Birmingham, AL 35208 Adult Programs Black History Month Trivia Hunt All month long Visit the Five Points West Library's Adult Department throughout February and learn about the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation by taking part in a Trivia Hunt ...

The Birmingham Public Library is taking its popular Bards & Brews spoken word poetry event to Uptown Jazz downtown on Friday, March 3.  This will be Bards & Brews first visit to Uptown Jazz, 2250-B 9th Avenue North, a live jazz lounge that opened last fall in the Uptown entertainment district adjacent to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 3. This Bards & Brews event will celebrate Women's History Month , and the featured poet will be Blaque Diamond. Follow her on Facebook by clicking here . The theme of Women's History Month 2023 is "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." Bards & Brews invites talented spoken word artists  to share original works and stories focusing on women and reflecting on Women's History Month.    The event is free. You must be 18 or older to attend, and 21 to buy alcoholic beverages at Uptown Jazz.  In its 14th year, Bards & Brews has become known to unify Bir...

Please join us at the Central Library on Saturday, February 25, 2023, starting at 11:00 a.m., as local author Terry Barkley discusses his new book, Twilight of the Confederacy: The Alabama Corps of Cadets and the Burning of the University of Alabama . Many Alabamians today may not be aware that, during the Civil War, the University of Alabama became a military school complete with a commandant, a cadet corps, and daily drill instruction. By 1865, the last year of the war, the Alabama Corps of Cadets numbered 300 and consisted mostly of fifteen and sixteen-year-old boys.

  Five soloists and four groups/choirs will compete for cash prizes in the Birmingham Public Library 's Soulful Sunday gospel music competition at 3:00 p.m. this Sunday, February 19, in the Central Library downtown. Participants must compete with one song and have a maximum time limit of 8 minutes to perform. The winning gospel choir/group will win $500, and the winning soloist will win $200.  Join us at the  Central Library  on Sunday, February 19, at 3:00 p.m. to see some of metro Birmingham's most talented gospel singers compete. Admission is free and open to the public.   An hour before Soulful Sunday gospel music contest begins, tempting dishes prepared by Rae Rae's Catering will be available for purchase from their tent at the Central Library starting at 2:00 p.m. Rae Rae's Catering will continue to serve food for the duration of the event. Follow Rae Rae's Catering on Facebook and on their website .  For more information, call 205-226-36...

Birmingham, Ala. - Looking for good books to read during Black History Month? Or have you been given a school assignment to read a book on the topic of African American history or social justice? The Birmingham Public Library along with other members of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative (JCLC) have several books available for checkout under the topic "Black History" (click on the catalog here)    My personal favorites are Dear Martin by Nic Stone and   BPL's collection of books about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.    The Central Library has a display that includes books on both Black History and the Negro Baseball League on the first floor. There are also several books on display on the third floor of the Central Library.   Here are some recommendations of good books to read on the topic of Black History and social justice - recommended by Gus Jones, head of the Central Library Fiction Department. Happy reading!  Good reads - African American N...

  Paul Boncella, map conservator of the Birmingham Public Library. Birmingham, Alabama - As map conservator at the Birmingham Public Library for over a decade, Paul Boncella has used his expertise to help educate citizens of Birmingham.  On Wednesday, February 15, from noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Central Library downtown, Boncella will share tips for African Americans on how to overcome the challenges they face while research their family tree. The workshop, DNA Testing for African Ethnicities," will take place both virtually via Zoom as well as in-person in BPL's Research Library in the 4th Floor RLCC Room. Wednesday's workshop will be similar to a DNA virtual seminar Boncella hosted during last year's Black History Month.  Over the past few years during BPL’s celebration of Black History Month, he has researched parts of Birmingham's dark past, including how in the early 1900s city leaders used government laws to segregate black and white homeowners. In February 202...

  On Sunday, February 26, starting at 2:00 p.m., the   Birmingham Public Library   will host historian Wayne Flynt at the   Avondale Regional Branch Library , where he will discuss his new book   Afternoons with Harper Lee . The event is free and open to the public. The book will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of   Thank You Books .

  Black History Month  2023 is underway at the  Birmingham Public Library (BPL) !  There are  over 70+ programs happening across almost all BPL locations .  Today we are spotlighting programs at  Springville Road Regional Branch Library. Among their programs are two taking place Tuesday, February 14, on Valentine's Day: the Springville Road Fiction Book Club meeting at 2:00-3:00 p.m. and the "Make Your Own Mancala Game" at 4:00 p.m.  Look at the full list of Black History Month programs happening at Springville Road Regional Library by reading below.    

  The Birmingham Public Library has over 70 Black History Month programs happening throughout February.  Although February is better known as Black History Month, let's continue to celebrate and understand the cruciality of the valuable notions of both Change and Remembrance, while also acknowledging the contributions of the Black community. Black History Month began with an concept by Mr. Carter G Woodson , emerging from frustration and the belief that Black people should know their past to participate intelligently in society. This is the foundation on which we now celebrate Black History Month every February, every year.  For more on Woodson, read Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching. What Carter G. Woodson would say about the continued celebrations is unknown, but he would smile on all honest efforts to make Black history a field of serious study and provide the public with thoughtful celebrations.  Now that you’re aware of the ori...

    Dr. A.G. Gaston, 1892-1996 Today's Black History Spotlight is on the late  Dr. A.G. Gaston,  who amassed a business empire worth over $40 million by the time of his death at age 103 in 1992 and was  named by Black Enterprise as the Black Entrepreneur of the 20th Century. The Birmingham Public Library has several books on Gaston , including  Black Titan: The Making of a Black American Millionaire , (by Carol Jenkins and Elizabeth Gardner Hines),  The A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham: A Civil Rights Landmark  by Marie A. Sutton and  Gaston's memoir  Green Power . Gaston's business principles, which include  "Find a Need and Fill It,"  are the subject of the annual  A.G. Gaston Conference , founded in 2004 by Bob Dickerson of the  Birmingham Business Resource Center  and Gaynelle Adams Jackson of  Advanced Planning Services .  The 2023 A.G. Gaston Conference begins on Tuesday, February 21 and concludes...

She looks me hard in my eyes & my knees lock into tree trunks My eyes don't dance like my heartbeat racing They stare straight back hot daggers. I remember things will never be the same. I remember things. Recently, I read Chlorine Sky , a verse novel by Mahogany L. Browne . She is a black author and the Executive Director of JustMedia , an organization that focuses on media literacy within the space of systemic reform.

  Black History Month  2023 is underway at the  Birmingham Public Library (BPL) !  There are  over 70+ programs happening across almost all BPL locations . Today we are spotlighting programs at the  Titusville Branch Library. You can find our  Black History Month 2023 booklet online  on the home page of our  website .  Titusville Branch Library 2 6th Ave SW, Birmingham, AL 35211 Embroidery: Black History Crochet Designs Tuesdays in February | Starts at 11:00 a.m. Join the Titusville Library Crochet Club and learn how to crochet different designs. Then, put your skills into practice and create Black History Month patterns. Materials are provided. Black History Month Jeopardy Friday, February 17 | Starts at 4:00 p.m. This program is to educate people on events and people about black history. Winners will receive a prize! Titusville Black History Tween/Teen Trivia Bowl Friday, February 17 | Starts at 4:00 p.m. How much do you know abou...