Holy Shoes

On display at the UAB Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts Freedom Exhibition.  Holy Shoes of a Committed Foot Soldier (R.I.P.), features the shoes worn by James Armstrong while he walked the Edmond Pettus Bridge in Selma and for 33 years after. Known as the Barber of Birmingham, a PBS documentary has been made about his life and the role he played in the Civil Rights Movement. 

Welcome to Birmingham Oakwood School!

I count last Tuesday as one of the best days ever.  I was so fortunate to join four other speakers from KIDS  IN BIRMINGHAM 1963 as we talked with the Oakwood School 7th and 8th graders from North Hollywood CA.  Oh my, what a wonderful and powerful meeting that was. My fellow speakers all experienced the Civil Rights Movement in 1963 in different ways. The students came all this way to travel to Montgomery, Birmingham, and then Mississippi and Little Rock, as part of a very special school diversity immersion project.  I was so very impressed with the thoughtful questions these students asked and count meeting them as a very special day  for me.

The Four Spirits

The Four Spirits is a steel and bronze sculpture by Birmingham native Elizabeth MacQueen.  MacQueen's vision for a memorial of the four young girls killed in the 16th Avenue Baptist Church bombing in 1963 was unveiled over the weekend at Kelly Ingram Park. I went down on Monday to photograph. As you can imagine, there were many there to see it and just watching the crowd that gathered was very moving for me. Many took photographs, some stood in silence and touched them.  Today an image that moved me.  I will share many more details as this work begs to be photographed up close so that the symbolism intended can be appreciated. I realized when I looked at my photos that I didn't really get a good overall view for you. I will go back this week for that. For now and the next few days, I will share special details that spoke to me.

I found this interesting comments from the artist HERE. 

Mural For All

If you read yesterday's blog post, you saw some charming artists hard a work. This is the finished product, a wonderful mural entitled MURAL FOR ALL.  It was part of the 50th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took the lives of 4 young girls in 1963.  It was a beautiful weekend of remembrance and healing for our city.  This mural, which consisted of 1800 individual tiles, hand painted this week at Railroad Park was designed by Russ Bennett for the non profit organization City Year.  It was well planned and executed and was done in record time.  I sat with a delightful group of children from a local school on Friday and proudly painted my tile. Yesterday I went back to capture the finished mural and looked for my tile.  I know it's up there somewhere!

Fifteen Thousand Paper Cranes.......

blow gently in the breeze high above Railroad Park. This Birmingham Art Peace Project installation features origami cranes folded with love by individuals, and groups from as far away as Japan to honor the 50th Anniversary of the Birmingham church bombing victims. This is a very special weekend in Birmingham. This is just one that I will feature throughout the weekend around town.

See: Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes

Sunday Church Series - 16th Street Baptist Church

The 16th Street Baptist Church such a part of Birmingham's history and the Civil Rights Movement.  This afternoon I spotted this man taking his young son to see this historic place.

The Carleton Reese Memorial Unity Choir

This year Birmingham commemorates 50 years of the Civil Rights Movement.  The Carlton Reese Memorial Unity Choir performed at Independent Presbyterian's Casual Worship Service on Sunday evening.  The lady on the left is 83 years old and was a founding member of this choir which began as the Alabama  Christian Movement for Human Rights Choir.  She warned us that she was 83 and to forgive her if her voice cracked. It most certainly did NOT.  She was amazing as was the entire choir.