At the center of Linn Park, facing the city hall, lies the statue of Nina Miglionico, a trailblazer politician, lawyer, activist, and the first woman to serve and chair the Birmingham City Council. Nina Miglionico (1913-2009) was born and lived most of her life in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of Italian immigrants. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1936 with a law degree. After being offered only secretary jobs, she opened a private practice and used her legal knowledge to fight for equal rights for women. She served and chaired several organizations, including the National Association of Women Lawyers, the Alabama Women Lawyers Association, and the Alabama League of Municipalities. Since Ms. Miglionico was hard to pronounce, she became known as Ms. Nina. In 1963 she won a seat on the Birmingham City Council and served there till 1985. Working to end segregation and for women’s rights put her life on the line several times, including a bomb planted outside her home. As a member and then president of the city council, Ms. Nina promoted prison reform and food safety, the elimination of the poll tax and child labor, and the right for women to own and inherit property and to serve on juries. From 1985 till her death, she continued working as an attorney, making her not only one of the first female lawyers in Alabama but also the longest-practicing female attorney. In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of her retirement from government, on October 23rd, 2015, the city of Birmingham dedicated a statue in her honor. It was created by the renowned sculptor and fine artist Dr. Ronald McDowell and is one of the few statues that honor a real woman in the city. Read more...

“Warmth of Enlightenment” is a white marble statue of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan that stands in the garden of Ivy Green, the birthplace and childhood home of Heller Keller, which nowadays is a museum dedicated to her life story and achievements. Keller (1880-1968) was a regular toddler living with her family in their homestead, Ivy Green; at 19 months of age, an illness left her deaf and blind, bringing uncertainty to her future. She lived in the darkness, able only to communicate with her family in basic terms. At 7, following her mother’s request, the Perkins Institute for the Blind sent her to one of its teachers, 20-year-old Anne Sullivan. A month after her arrival, the breakthrough happened when Sullivan taught Keller to communicate and changed her life. With Sullivan by her side, Keller continued acquiring formal education and later graduated from Radcliffe College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1904, the first deaf-blind person. Keller became a world-famous author and lecturer. She traveled the world advocating for better lives for people with disabilities, promoting equal rights for people with disabilities, and inspiring everyone with her life story. She was also a suffragist, pacifist, socialist, birth control supporter, and civil rights activist. In 1925, Keller addressed the Lions at the Lions Clubs International Convention, asking them to dedicate their work to help prevent blindness and serve the light for the blinds. Since then, Lions worldwide have been committed to Keller’s request, assisting hundreds of millions with vision-related work. In 2012, the Tuscumbia Lions Club decided to celebrate and commemorate its 100th anniversary with a statue of Keller and Sullivan. With the help of other Lions Clubs and public fundraisers, they commissioned the Sylacauga sculptor Craigger Browne to design and sculpt it. Browne used a 24,000 pounds block of Sylacauga marble and worked tirelessly on the project for more than two years. On September 9th, 2017, it was dedicated on the grounds of Ivy Green in the presence of Lions Clubs members from all over the country. Most of Keller’s statues honor her legacy, inspiration, and activism work; however, this statue also pays tribute to her teacher, Anne Sullivan; without her, Keller would have probably never been able to find the light out of the darkness and into greatness. The statue, made from Alabama marble, depicts the magical moment that changed Keller’s life when Sullivan spelled the word water in 7-year-old Keller’s palm while the other palm felt the running water. At this moment, Keller realized the relationship between the written word water and the concept of water, and her options for communicating with the world opened up and changed the course of her life. There are other statues of Keller commissioned by the Lions Clubs; one stands in Canada, and another in Japan. Read more...

Rosa Parks Statue is standing in downtown Montgomery, AL, since it was unveiled on Dec 1st, 2019, 64 years after the day Parks got arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus. This arrest led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott that challenged segregation on public buses. The bronze statue is located near the bus stop Parks used to board the bus. The Alabama State Capitol can be seen at the background of the statue, and a few minutes’ walk from the statue is the Rosa Parks Museum. Next to the statue stand four granite markers for the four women who were the plaintiffs in the Browder v. Gayle case – Aurelia Browder, Claudette Colvin, Susie McDonald, and Mary Louise Smith – which led to the cancellation of segregation on public buses. Smith participated in the unveiling ceremony. The statue was created by Montgomery County artist Clydetta Fulmer, who also sculptured the statue of General Richard Montgomery standing in front of Montgomery City Hall, and Helen Keller Statue located in Alabama Public Library Service. Fulmer created the statue from photographs of Parks. Among the 400 people and activists who attended the unveiling ceremony was the attorney Fred Gray, who defended Rosa Parks at the Browder v. Gayle case, as well as many civil rights activists who fought segregation. Read more...