By GINNY COOPER / Staff writer

MONTEVALLO—The Montevallo Branch of the AAUW and the Carmichael Library will co-host an event for Black History Month Feb. 27 at 4 p.m.

Professor Wilson Fallin, the keynote speaker for the event, was very involved in the Civil Rights movement during his time as a young ministerial student at Morehouse College in the early 1960s.

Fallin joined marches, protests and even spent two brief stints in jail during his work with Civil Rights.

“It was just an exciting time,” Fallin said.

When Martin Luther King Jr. called a few years later to ask if he could use Fallin’s church for the local headquarters during his Poor People’s campaign, Fallin gladly obliged.

“I was just a young preacher mystified by all these great leaders,” Fallin said.

Two months later, King was assassinated.

Fallin explores the relationship between the church and the civil rights movement in his book, “The African American Church in Birmingham, Alabama, 1815-1963: A Shelter in the Storm.”

During the event, Fallin will discuss “The Role of the African American Church in the Civil Rights Movement.” Reverend Kenneth Dukes will respond.

“We are looking to bring diverse elements of the community together,” said Sandra Lott, co-president of the Montevallo branch of the AAUW.

After the speakers, the floor will be open for questions and discussions. A reception will follow.

This event is free and open to the public.