TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — More than 20 photographs depicting the civil rights movement will be displayed June 17-28 at The University of Alabama’s Supply Store in the Ferguson Center.
The free exhibit, compiled from the archives of The Birmingham News, is sponsored by the SUPe store, The Birmingham News and AL.com. The exhibit will travel the state for the remainder of the year, representatives said.
In addition to the exhibit, the SUPe store will host a book signing of “1963: How the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement Changed America and the World” by Barnett Wright, journalist and reporter for The Birmingham News, from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, June 17, in the Tradebook department of the SUPe store.
According to organizers, some of the photos in the exhibit have never been published and were all but lost until Al.com and The Birmingham News began planning the 50th anniversary commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.”
Included are Images of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist church; former Gov. George Wallace’s attempt to block the desegregation at UA; students boycotting Birmingham restaurants; and leaders of the civil rights movement.
The exhibit will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The exhibit and book signing are part of “Through the Doors,” a year-long series of activities and events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of UA in 1963 and honoring the courage and dedication of the two African American students who enrolled in the University on June 11, 1963 as well as the University’s ongoing commitment to change over the past 50 years and its commitment to continued progress in the future. For more information, visit http://www.throughthedoors.ua.edu/index.html.
Contact
Kristi Payne or Richard LeComte, UA Media Relations, 205/348-3782, rllecomte@advance.ua.edu
Source
Emily Maxwell, University Supply Store, 205/348-7122, eamaxwell@bama.ua.edu