2013 National Humanities Conference

The 2013 National Humanities Conference was held from November 7-10 in Birmingham. The event was attended by about 300 delegates representing the Federation of State Humanities Councils from across the United States. The Alabama Humanities Foundation hosted the conference, which was organized by a committee headed by Guin Robinson.

The focus of the event was the 50th Anniversary of the Birmingham campaign and the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church; events which led to immediate changes to federal laws aimed at protecting Civil Rights. Attendees toured historic sites across Alabama, including the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and attended sessions held inside 16th Street Baptist Church. Several individuals involved in the Civil Rights Movement participated in the conference, including U. W. Clemon, Helen Shores Lee and Odessa Woolfolk. Attorney Doug Jones, historians Glenn Eskew and Diane McWhorter, and educator Freeman Hrabowski also spoke. The Birmingham Sunlights performed a Friday morning concert. National Endowment for the Humanities chair Carole Watson attended, and poet/activist Nikki Giovanni gave closing remarks.

The conference was hosted at the Sheraton Birmingham. An opening reception was held at Regions Field. Other events took place at the Birmingham Museum of Art and Rogue Tavern

References

• McCarty, Sarah A. (November 10, 2013) "National Humanities leaders call conference in Birmingham 'transformative' thanks to civil rights programs." The Birmingham News