The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Hosts Rotary for a Lunch Meeting + Tours

RCB President Nancy Goedecke and President-Elect Jeris Gaston with scholarship recipient Kylan Benson at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

This week, the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) met for lunch and a club meeting at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI). Deborah Bowie, BCRI President & CEO, welcomed RCB members and provided an overview of the institute, which documents Birmingham’s history from segregation through the Civil Rights Movement and examines the movement’s impact locally and around the world. During the meeting, 2022 RCB Foundation Jim Hughey Jr. Scholarship recipient Kylan Benson shared an update on his college experience at Harvard University and the exciting news he has been awarded a Rotary Global Grant Scholarship to study Public Policy at the University of Edinburgh.

After enjoying lunch Attendees also enjoyed lunch prepared by Chef Ama of A Beautiful Life Enterprises., members engaged in tours of the institute, including its current featured exhibit, The 99. On display through September 19, the exhibit features artwork representing each of Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods and examines how the city’s history of segregation and inequality shaped Birmingham’s geography. The exhibit brings together artists’ perspectives on the neighborhoods that make up the Magic City and preserves elements of their collective history.

About BCRI

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is a cultural and educational research center that promotes a comprehensive understanding of the significance of civil rights developments in Birmingham. Founded in 1992, BCRI reaches up to 150,000 individuals each year through award-winning programs and services.