Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Birmingham residents reflect on 60th anniversary of church bombing
We spoke with several residents on Friday, asking for their reflections on the 60th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
Traveling exhibit goes ‘deeper’ into Emmett Till’s story, civil rights history of host cities
The interactive exhibit “Emmett and Mamie Till Mobley: Let the World See” is in the middle of the first of two stops in the Gulf South region.
Juneteenth: A Celebration of the End of Slavery
June 19th 1865 -- or Juneteenth – marked the official end of slavery in the U.S. Barry McNealy, an educator with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, says even though President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, it didn’t free all slaves.
A Friendly Homecoming for Activist Angela Davis
Civil rights activist and Birmingham native Angela Davis spoke at Birmingham's Boutwell Auditorium Saturday evening. The talk came after a controversy over an award from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
Civil Rights Institute Reverses Decision on Angela Davis Award Again
The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute will award Birmingham native Angela Davis its 2018 Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award -- again. Friday's reversal is the latest development in a public controversy that has embroiled the institute for the last month.
‘Rosies’ Featured at Vulcan for Museum Day
The Smithsonian Magazine has its 14th annual “Museum Day” this Saturday. That means free admission to thousands of museums around the country. Here in Birmingham, one participating museum—Vulcan Park & Museum—is putting a twist on the Smithsonian’s them: Women Making History. Casey Gamble is Vulcan’s museum coordinator. She tells WBHM’s Janae Pierre how they plan to incorporate Rosie the Riveter for this year’s event.
Florida Gun Violence Survivors Join Alabama Activists In Gun Control Panel
When a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida earlier this year, killing 17 students and faculty, surviving students led a charge for gun control and launched a political movement to demand action from lawmakers.
How History Can Heal
Vanderbilt University graduate student Stephanie Fulbright studied Birmingham and Northern Ireland to see how historic markers and other public objects can be used for reconciliation.
New National Monument Connects Birmingham’s Past to Today
President Obama establishes the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument place many notable civil rights sites under the banner of the National Park Service.
Birmingham Leaders Want Civil Rights Sites Declared National Park
Leaders in Birmingham, Alabama want President Obama to declare the city's civil rights district a National Historical Park. Many notable events from the civil rights era took place in Birmingham including the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church where four black girls were killed by Ku Klux Klansman
Birmingham’s Place in Historic Preservation Efforts
The National Trust for Historic Preservation recently declared Birmingham’s A.G. Gaston Motel a National Treasure. It also declared the landmark one of America’s eleven most endangered historic sites. Marita Rivero chairs the trust’s board and is Executive Director of the Museum of African American History in Boston. She’ll give the keynote address Thursday evening for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s Black History Month celebration. Rivero spoke with WBHM’s Rachel Lindley about Birmingham’s importance in the national conversation on historic preservation and the significance of the A.G. Gaston Motel.
A New Leader for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Tuesday Birmingham will mark the 52 anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which killed 4 girls and helped galvanize support for passage of the Civil Rights Act. For staff at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, they’ll note this anniversary under new leadership. Andrea Taylor began as the new president and CEO of the institute last week.
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Celebrates Juneteenth in New Way
Today in some deep south states is the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. It began on June 19th, 1865, after Union soldiers finally got word to these states that slavery had ended — almost 3 years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute normally hosts a festival, but for this particular anniversary members decided to do something different.
Yotam Haber: A More Convenient Season
A work of new music by composer Yotam Haber will have its world premiere Saturday night at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center. Featuring the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, “A More Convenient Season” was written specifically for and about Birmingham’s Civil Rights struggle. WBHM’s Michael Krall spoke with Haber about the piece….
