One of its nicknames is the Magic City, which began in the late 1800s.

There are 260,000 Black citizens living in Birmingham’s 1-million person metro area.

Locals spend a great deal of time supporting college football and basketball by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which is the largest employer in the region.

Birmingham has a national reputation as a health care center.

University of Alabama at Birmingham, Samford University and Miles College provide a large share of collegiate activities and energy to the city.

Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth
Courageous civil rights activist who is “Birmingham’s Father of the Civil Rights Movement”

Richard Arrington
1st Black Mayor of Birmingham; respected by all people for leading a relatively calm transition to the city’s modern image in his 20-year tenure as mayor

Eddie Kendrick
The Temptations original tenor vocalist

Charles Barkley
NBA basketball legend

A.G. Gaston
One of America's richest Black businessmen and a critical financial supporter of the Civil Rights Movement

Bo Jackson
NFL football & MLB baseball legend

Nell Carter
TV actor and singer

Tom Joyner
Radio fly jock

Willie Mays
Arguably, the greatest all-around baseball player

Lionel Hampton
Jazz legend

Angela Y. Davis
Civil rights and women's rights activist and college professor

Vonetta Flowers
2002 Olympic bobsled team gold medalist

U.W. Clemon
1st African American federal judge in Alabama

Dr. Luther Williams
Assistant Directorate of the National Science Foundation

Ben Wallace
All-star NBA basketball center