Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events in Birmingham
Even though City Hall will be closed on Monday, January 15th in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, there are still numerous events around the city of Birmingham that the City Council and Mayor Randall Woodfin will be supporting and participating in.
Some of the events include:
Now — Monday, Jan. 15
To volunteer for Hands on Birmingham’s MLK Jr. Day of Service, please go here for a list of opportunities.
Saturday, Jan. 13
7 a.m. — The MLK 5K Drum Run will start at Kelly Ingram Park. It will also end at Kelly Ingram Park. Please note that the last day to register is Wednesday, Jan. 10. For more information, please visit www.mlkday5Kbham.com.
2 p.m. — Youth from across Birmingham will gather at Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church, 2301 Avenue E, to participate in activities connected to achieving King’s vision.
Sunday, Jan. 14
5 p.m. — Five-time Grammy winners The Blind Boys of Alabama will join an orchestra conducted by UAB professor Henry Panion III and choirs from Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University, and Birmingham-Southern, Miles and Talladega colleges in a King tribute concert. The event will be held at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, Jemison Concert Hall. Tickets are $44, $34 and $24. For more information, please go here. For tickets, call 975–2787.
Monday, Jan. 15
7 a.m. — The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast will be held at the BJCC North Exhibition Hall. Tickets are $40 and are available at the BJCC ticket office, which is open Monday — Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mayor Woodfin will introduce guest speaker Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL).
The MLK Unity Choir will perform from 7 to 7:30 a.m. The breakfast will start at 7:30 a.m. The event usually ends around 9 a.m. For more information, call Aaron Carlton at 585–6463.
8 a.m. — More than 2,000 high school students from across the state will compete in the MLK Invitational at the Birmingham Crossplex, 2337 Bessemer Road. At 10:30 a.m., students will break from competition to walk around the track a few times to honor King. Choirs from Ramsay, Parker and Hoover high schools will sing as students walk. This is the second year students will do the walk.
Admission to the all-day track meet is $8. Parking is $5. Contact Crossplex officials Faye Oates or Preston Kirk at 279–8900 for additional details on the 10:30 a.m. student walk.
9 a.m. — Soak up the rich history of King’s dream and the visions of other civil rights foot soldiers at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, 520–16th St. North, where admission will be free all day. Call 328–9696, ext. 211 for more information.
10 a.m. — The men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. will remember King during a wreath laying ceremony. Please meet in Kelly Ingram Park at the King statute.
10 a.m. — 2 p.m. — Free flu shots, blood pressure screenings, eye checks and more will be available during the Community Day of Service Health Fair at the JCCEO in Kingston, 801–46th Street North. The Kingston Coalition, the Daniel Cason Ministries, the Birmingham Fire and Rescue and many others will participate.
11 a.m. — The traditional march to commemorate King and his efforts will start at Kelly Ingram Park. This march is being held in conjunction with the culmination of Councilor Jay Roberson’s 100 Days of Nonviolence
11 a.m. — Admission will be free to the Negro Southern League Museum from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum, which is located at 120–16th Street South, has information on the role baseball played in the civil rights movement and more.
11 a.m. — #LoveOnBham Event with Councilor Darrell O’Quinn
12 p.m. — SCLC will host a civil rights rally at Boutwell Auditorium, 1930 Rev. Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd.
12 p.m. — Sonja Smith, the Birmingham Board of Education Representative for District 8, is partnering with Mission Birmingham and Samaritan’s Feet to distribute 500 pairs of shoes and socks to students from Central Park Elementary, Brown Elementary, and Green Acres Middle School. The event will also include a foot washing ceremony for each student. Please call 205 515 0060 for more information.
2 p.m. — SCLC and area churches will feed the homeless and senior citizens during the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Love Feast at Boutwell Auditorium. For more information, call 780–3515 or 324–8202.
5 p.m. — Mayor Randall Woodfin will hold his first State of the Community Address at Parker High School.
Monday, Jan. 15 — Friday, Jan. 19
The Ballard House Project Inc. will host the pop-up photo exhibit, “Giving Back: The Soul of Philanthropy. Reframed and Exhibited’’ from 12 to 6 p.m. during the week of Jan. 15.The exhibit, which is free and open to the public, highlights the philanthropic work Birmingham agents of change have done through the years. The Ballard House is located at 1420 Seventh Ave. North.
Linetta Gilbert will be the special guest speaker on Monday, Jan. 15. She is a thought leader and strategist in the national philanthropic community.
The Jan. 15 events include:
1) Soul of Philanthropy Lunch Gathering / 12:30–2 p.m.
$50 per Guest / All proceeds will benefit the UNCF Scholarship Program / RSVP required.
2) GATHER for a Community Conversation / 3–5 p.m.
Free & Open to the public / Refreshments served
Tuesday, Jan. 16
6 p.m. — Samford University’s Erin Mauldin will explore environmental racism during “Begin the Day: The 15th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture” at Avondale Library. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, go here.
