Page 33 - Southern Magazine-Winter/Spring 2013
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winter-spring 2013 / 31
Reporters worked the story late into
the night, and feared the worst again
when newly integrated local schools
opened on Monday. More mobs were
gathering. King was saying Wallace
had the four girls’ blood on his hands.
Federal troops were arriving. Shame
and rage shrouded everything.
I finally headed home, wondering
how long it would take us to overcome
evil with good. Decades, I would
come to learn. Years of learning to
trust and respect each other, learning
that we all form the backbone of
Birmingham, learning that if we all
pulled hard enough we could lift our
city off its knees and place it tall at the
threshold of greatness. Not easy, and
we’re still working at it.
*Brown is the author of
Forward, Ever
,
a history of Birmingham-Southern
published in 2005. The former
executive editor of
The Tuscaloosa News
and
Florence Times-Daily
, he is a career
journalist.
Brown at his book-signing.
The goal, said Krulak, is to unite the
community in order to build a brighter future
for Birmingham and the world.
“This is not about what happened yesterday.
It’s about what’s happening today and what
will happen the day after tomorrow,” he said.
“We know how important Birmingham was in
moving this nation to do the right thing. Now
it’s time to show that we’re continuing to move
forward, and that BSC is ready to go to the
next level in terms of its commitment to the
community.”
In addition to the march, BSC has planned
a full slate of events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of 1963; those
remaining are listed below. All events are free and open to the public. Check
back for updates at
•
April 7, 4 p.m.,
Jazz on the Hilltop
, free community concert, Lake Park
•
April 24, 9:30 a.m.,
Forward, Ever Birmingham! march and celebration
•
Sept. 6, Opening of the three-week
Hate Project Art Exhibition
, a sculptural
illustration by Art Professor Steve Cole depicting the 1,018 hate groups
currently active in the U.S.
•
Sept. 17, 11 a.m., “
Four Spirits: Presentation and Reading
” by best-selling
author Sena Jeter Naslund ’64, Norton Theatre
•
Nov. 2, ceremony honoring
Ulysses “Skip” Bennett ’67
during halftime
of BSC’s Homecoming football game, Panther Stadium
