You are invited to join the Birmingham community in commemorating the 1963 Palm Sunday Demonstration which began after a mass rally held at St. Paul UMC. The march, on that Palm Sunday, was led by Rev. A. D. King, Rev. Nelson H. Smith and Rev. John T. Porter.

The commemoration program will be held on Saturday, March 23rd at 10:00 AM at St. Paul United Methodist Church. The theme for 2024 is “Seeking Justice through Faith, Courage, Service, and Love.” 

Clara Jean Ester, will share her eyewitness account of Dr. Martin Luther King’s final days and assassination and the importance of “Seeking Justice through Faith, Courage, Service, and Love.” Ester, a retired organizer and Methodist deaconess in Mobile, Ala., was a college student at Memphis State College when she bore witness to historic moments in the civil rights movement. She joined the Memphis Sanitation Strike in 1968, standing alongside African American sanitation workers demanding better working conditions and higher wages. It was during this time that she experienced Dr. King’s final speech and tragically, his assassination the next day.

The event will feature vibrant music to celebrate the progress made since the demonstrations of 1963. Renowned musicians including Rev. Al and Pashion Lewis, Rev. Charles and Wynnett Lee, Ms. Meghan Ford, violinist, Scrollworks Music School, and the St. Paul UMC Choir will perform during the program.

After the program, there will be a march from St. Paul UMC to Kelly Ingram Park’s “Three Ministers Kneeling” monument. 

We invite you to consider becoming a sponsor or place an ad in the program booklet. Click link https://stpaulbham.org/sponsor/ for information on sponsorship and ad requirement.