Birmingham Public Library Holding Programs Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. This Week
King played a prominent role in Birmingham in the fight against racism during the Civil Rights Movement. His efforts led to King winning the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. A copy of the MLK Letter from a Birmingham Jail is housed in the BPL Archives Department's world-renowned civil rights collection.
Here is a listing of BPL's MLK programs and activities:
“With My Own Two Hands,” Monday, January 8–Friday, January 12, 2024, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Southside Branch Library, 1814 11th Avenue South
To celebrate Martin Luther King’s Drive, this Grab N Go encourages kids to think about one thing they could do with their two hands that could change the world. For details, email gelenda.norman@cobpl.org or call (205) 933-7776.
Let Freedom Ring, Grab and Go Craft, Tuesday, January 9 and Thursday, January 11, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., East Ensley Branch Library, 900 14th Street Ensley
This craft is inspired by Dr. King’s speech, I Have a Dream and serve as an opening to discuss the Civil Rights Movement with younger children. For information, email Nakia Bradley at nakia.bradley@cobpl.org.
DIY Dreamcatchers, Tuesday, January 9, 3:30–4:30 p.m., Titusville Branch Library, 2 6th Avenue SW
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous speech is "I Have a Dream," delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the August 28, 1963 March on Washington, D.C. Titusville Library is encouraging youth to kick off 2024 and make sure to have nothing but good dreams during its DIY Dreamcatchers activity.
"MY DREAM" Acrostic Poem, Tuesday, January 9, 3:30 p.m., Wylam Branch Library, 4300 7th Avenue Wylam
Participants will write an acrostic poem related to Martin Luther King Jr. by thinking of a word or phrase that begins with each letter in the words "MY DREAM." An acrostic poem uses a letter in each line to spell out a word. The letter used is capitalized to spell the word.
For details, call (205) 785-0349 or email selina.johnson@cobpl.org.
Join us for MLK bingo to have fun and win small prizes. For details, call Pratt City Branch Manager Saundra Ross at (205) 791-7997 or email saundra.ross@cobpl.org.
2024 Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Lecture, “Begin the Day: Remember With JCMP; Reckoning with The Jim Crow South," Saturday, January 13, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Central Library, 2100 Park Place, Arrington Auditorium, 4th Floor
More than 33 people were lynched in Jefferson County between 1883 and 1940, victims of racial terror in the segregated postwar South. This was allowed by a national system of terror and oppression that local governments, the press, religious institutions, and businesses were complicit in upholding.
These residents lived through slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the rise of Jim Crow. But their stories have mostly been lost. As we observe this societal movement to further civil and human rights, we invite you to remember them.
Join Jefferson County Memorial Project Director Gina Mallisham for a curative examination into Jefferson County's past and the efforts of many to memorialize our victims of racial terror violence.
In 2020, three Birmingham Southern College students serving as fellows used the BPL digital archives to research Jefferson County's lynching history for the Jefferson County Memorial Project. The 2023 JCMP fellows continued to build onto this research with their report on police and society from 1940 to 1979 in Jefferson County.
Other ways to honor Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 15, 2024 MLK Day:
* The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is hosting King Day from 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Admission to the museum and all activities are free. There will be a greeting from the mayor, BCRI leadership, and partners and special performances from the Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir and a play with Making It Happen Theatre. Other activities include a health fair, scavenger hunts and quizzes, games, and self-guided tours.
*The 38th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast will be held for the first time at Birmingham-Southern College on MLK Day. Alabama State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, will be keynote speaker.
* On MLK Day, the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery is offering free admission to all Legacy Sites.
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