30 Things I Didn’t Know about Birmingham

Number TWO

 I am sharing interesting tidbits about Birmingham and some of her people that I’ve recently learned. These items may be new to you as well or just a reminder. 

You have probably read “Jubilee,” the beautifully written historical novel by Margaret Walker, but did you know that Walker was born in Birmingham in 1915? In her book, “Conversations with Margaret Walker,” she wrote that her father pastored a church in Enon Ridge (near Fairfield) and all four children were born here. Her family remained in Birmingham until they moved to New Orleans in 1925.

When she talked about what it took to write “Jubilee,” which is set during the Civil War, Walker recalled soaking up her grandmother’s stories about her mother’s time spent in slavery. It was in Birmingham where Walker first heard her grandmother’s stories that fueled her imagination and helped her create an American classic.

Click the following for more information on Margaret Walker: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2430.