Balch & Bingham Hosts Cultural Tour Honoring Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, Balch & Bingham’s Diversity Committee is pleased to host a series of events for our attorneys and staff to join together and share cultural experiences, while learning from others. 

February 1 – 28

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute 

Our attorneys and staff in our Birmingham office will enjoy a tour of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute during February. The 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 for the significance of civil rights developments in Birmingham. 

February 1 - 13

Alabama Shakespeare Festival

Attorneys and staff will enjoy a production of Four Little Girls:  Birmingham 1963 at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. This production imagines these four young girls before the terrible event on September 15, 1963—the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Through story and song, the play shines a light on their dreams, their times with family and friends, and the trials and tribulations they faced as children living in a divided and segregationist city. 

February 13

National Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum 

Attorneys and staff in our Atlanta office will enjoy an evening together at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights Museum. The group toured the museum and attended a program to learn about the history of baseball in Atlanta with guest speakers Atlanta History Center writer, Paul Crater, and Atlanta Braves Sr. Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Adrian Williams. 

February 16

Children's Museum of Atlanta

Our Atlanta office will have an opportunity to experience the Museum’s special programming that highlights some of our nation’s greatest African-American heroes. 

February 23 - 28

Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art

Our Gulfport office will tour “City Within a City: African American Culture in Biloxi Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center.” This exhibition highlights the cultural history of the “city within a city “of Biloxi, Mississippi during the post WWII years. Photographs showcased include schools, restaurants, and other businesses owned and operated by African-Americans during that era. This exhibition serves as a complement to an ongoing project by the City of Biloxi to document the historic structures in the neighborhood centered in the same area as the Museum project.

February 28

The Herndon Home Museum Tour

Members of our Atlanta office will spend an afternoon at The Herndon Home. The Herndons, one of the most prominent Black families in Atlanta’s history, sharply reflect the city’s distinctive development as a center for Black business, education, and culture. From Alonzo Herndon’s rise from slavery to leadership in the Black business community, the Herndons are a unique resource of local and national significance in the interpretation of Black struggle and achievement.

February 28

“On the Come Up” Author Discussion with Angie Thomas

Our Jackson office will attend Lemuria Book’s reception and talk with Angie Thomas, author of “On the Come Up,” at Belhaven University's Center for the Arts. Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop.  “On the Come Up” is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families. 


As we celebrate Black History Month, Balch & Bingham is also pleased to sponsor 2019 The Birmingham Times Black History Month Section. This annual edition is often a keepsake for people in the community to refer back to as they recall the names of great African-Americans and the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. Our sponsorship also helps The Birmingham Times provide this special edition directly to Birmingham City Schools’ students and teachers to use as an aide as they discuss African-American contributions during Black History Month. 

“In honor of this year’s Black History Month, we are pleased to offer cultural experiences for members of the Balch family to join together and learn from others, while celebrating many of our nation’s greatest African-American heroes,” said Kelly F. Pate, chair, Balch & Bingham Diversity Committee.