Dr. John L. Blackburn was a long-time professor and student affairs administrator at the University of Alabama who inspired his students to become agents of positive change. The Blackburn Institute’s mission is to develop a network of diverse leaders who understand the challenges facing the state of Alabama and the nation and who are committed to serving as agents of positive change. SHOW ME NOW
In 1963, African-Americans in Birmingham, Alabama protested discrimination with daily demonstrations in public facilities and sit-ins at lunch counters. In the weeks that followed, there were more than 750 demonstrations in cities across the South resulting in more than 10,000 arrests.Those events in Birmingham sparked what some have called the movement that changed the world. SHOW ME NOW
Richard Johnston’s ferocious one-man-band performances captivate, amaze, and astound audiences. He plays around the world, but his home stage is the sidewalk along Beale Street. Johnston went to north Mississippi to hear Hill Country blues music in its natural setting and learned from masters of the music like R. L. Burnside and Jessie Mae Hemphill.SHOW ME NOW