City: Birmingham, AL

Category: Annual Events & Festivals

Description: Officially observed in every state for the first time in 2000, Martin Luther King Jr. Day means a variety of activities and gatherings in Birmingham. That morning Operation New Birmingham (205-324-8797), along with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, National Conference for Community and Justice, Greater Birmingham Ministries, and the NAACP, host the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex. The Breakfast Committee also holds an essay contest each year to honor Dr. King, and winners are presented and honored at the breakfast. The 16th Street Baptist Church, just across the street from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, also is the focus of further holiday programs such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Rally and Program. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute offers free admission for the holiday.