Letter from Birmingham Jail: A Worldwide Celebration
On April 16th, 2013, the 50th anniversary of the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. began writing his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) will sponsor a program entitled “Letter from Birmingham Jail: A Worldwide Celebration.”
Participants in this program will host public readings from the “Letter” at various locations around the globe: libraries, museums, schools, universities, churches, synagogues, temples, places where people work, public parks, bookstores, street corners, coffee shops and anywhere that people want to participate. In addition to people who are participating throughout the Birmingham area and around Alabama, we have participants around the globe, from Israel to China to England to South Africa and Somalia. Mayor William Bell will read from the “Letter” at Central and more names are being added each day.
People who participate in the readings can read the full text of the “Letter” or selections from the “Letter,” individually, as a group, or however they want to do this. Groups participating may range from two people to hundreds of people. Readings can be done at any time of the day on April 16th. Visit the BPL ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ website to get more information or ideas for how to replicate the program at your library
