Birmingham Public Library Department of Archives and Manuscripts Presents the 22nd Annual "Begin the Day: The Martin Luther King Memorial Lecture"

 Event: "Begin the Day: The Martin Luther King Memorial Lecture" featuring M. Dominique Villanueva.

Details: This year's speaker is M. Dominique Villanueva, cofounder of Fountain Heights Farm. speaking on "Liberation Through the Land: Connecting Black Liberation to Urban Farming"

Date: Saturday January 18, 2025, 1:00 p.m.

Where: Birmingham Public Library Central Library, 2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35207, Arrington Auditorium, 4th Floor of BPL Research Library

Admission: Free and open to the public 

Birmingham, Ala. – The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) is proud to announce the 22nd Annual "Begin the Day: The Martin Luther King Memorial Lecture," featuring M. Dominique Villanueva, co-founder of Fountain Heights Farms. This inspiring and thought-provoking lecture will take place on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. at the BPL Central Library in the Arrington Auditorium, fourth floor of the Research Library. The event is free and open to the public.

In this year’s Martin Luther King Memorial Lecture, Villanueva will delve into the transformative power of urban farming as a pathway to liberation and justice. The lecture, titled "Liberation Through the Land: Connecting Black Liberation to Urban Farming," explores the historical legacy of Black agriculture and its significance in the fight for collective liberation and community empowerment. 

Villanueva will draw on the work of Fountain Heights Farms, an urban farming initiative that she co-founded in Birmingham’s historic Fountain Heights neighborhood. By reclaiming land and fostering community resilience, Fountain Heights Farms exemplifies the intersection of food justice, mutual aid, and solidarity. 

The lecture will discuss how urban farming provides a sustainable model for combating food insecurity, advancing racial equity, and strengthening community ties. 

For more information, please visit www.cobpl.org or contact the Birmingham Public Library department of Archives and Manuscripts at (205) 226-3630.

By Catherine Champion Oseas, Department Head|BPL Department of Archives & Manuscripts