This week, two events mark Alabama Power’s continuing commemoration of the historic civil rights struggle that took place in Birmingham in 1963: 

• Thursday, June 13, Alabama Power Corporate Archives will open a new exhibit, “From Black & White to a World of Color. The Power to Transform Through Art.”  The downtown Birmingham gallery will display works from more than 30 Alabama artists examining the state’s social transformation since 1963.
• Friday, June 14, Alabama Power and the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club will launch the A.G. Gaston American Dream Entrepreneur contest for area students with the first of two panel discussions with local entrepreneurs at the Birmingham Public Library. Students who attend one of two panel discussions and submit a business idea will be eligible to win a laptop computer.

Both events are part of the company’s ongoing “Power of Leadership” commemoration, which focuses on celebrating some of the unheralded leaders of the civil rights movement: pioneers of business.
“We’re excited to continue our 50th anniversary commemoration with this art exhibit, and with an education initiative we hope will inspire a new generation of Birmingham leaders,” said John Hudson, Alabama Power’s vice president of public relations and charitable giving. 

Through the contest, Alabama Power and the A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club hope to introduce young people to the late Gaston, who rose above poverty and discrimination to build a long list of successful Birmingham companies.

Participating students will be encouraged to read his memoir, “Green Power,” which was recently republished for the first time in four decades. The book tells Gaston’s story, from his first foray into business, selling rides on a swing in his grandmother’s backyard, to the founding of the Booker T. Washington Burial Society, to his expansion into a host of other prosperous enterprises, including a motel, a real estate company and a life insurance company. Proceeds from the sale of the book go to the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club. The book is available on the club’s website, www.aggbgc.org, and on Amazon.com. 

Students in grades 5-12 are eligible to participate in the contest. To be eligible to win a laptop, students must attend one of two panel discussions taking place Friday, June 14, at the downtown Central Library Branch of the Birmingham Public Library and Monday, June 24, at the library’s Smithfield Branch. Both panels will take place at noon. 

The art exhibit at the Alabama Power Corporate Archives kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 13, with a reception. The free exhibit, which runs through Sept. 27, reflects on the events of the civil rights movement, but with a focus on future progress. Exhibit hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
The archives museum is located in the company’s historic 1925 building, which is a part of Alabama Power’s corporate headquarters at 600 North 18th Street. The artwork will be available for purchase.

For more information about the exhibit and the American Dream contest, contact Robin Oliver: robin@bigcom.com or 205-322-7557. For more information about the 50th anniversary of Birmingham’s civil rights movement and the most up-to-date listing of events, please visit www.50yearsforward.com.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO), provides reliable, affordable electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state. Learn more at www.alabamapower.com.