The mural painted on the side of the Birmingham Police Administrative Building (1710 First Avenue North, best viewed from the 18th Street North side) includes the Birmingham Pledge and artwork done by Michael Richardson, a student from Minor High School. His work was chosen out of many outstanding pieces. It captures a simple, yet poignant moment -- four youths spontaneously expressing their friendship. The mural project is a partnership between City Action Partnership (CAP),the Birmingham Art Museum, the Birmingham Police Department, Operation New Birmingham’s Pledge Task Force, the Birmingham and County School Systems, the Civil Rights Institute, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Postal Service, GSA, and the City of Birmingham.
The Birmingham Pledge is an effort of the Birmingham community to recognize the dignity and worth of every individual. Through organized and personal efforts of individuals and groups, the Birmingham Pledge is spreading throughout the world. Negative images of the past, and especially images of Birmingham police and civil rights demonstrators, still represent us to much of the world. The Pledge is an effort to share our community’s commitment to eliminate racial prejudice in the lives of all people. It is also a step toward recognizing and celebrating the diversity of our world and the harmony that can be achieved among us. The art inspired by the Pledge on the wall of the Birmingham Police Department’s headquarters is a powerful symbol of our commitment to that goal and our progress toward it.
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