Mar. 28, 1964 - The Rev. Billy Graham says he hopes his Easter Sunday service in Birmingham, Ala., tomorrow before an integrated audience will present a new image of Birmingham to the world.
“I came here to Birmingham to preach the gospel,” the evangelist told newsmen today, 24 hours before he appears at Legion Field, a municipally owned facility where the police have established perhaps the most extensive security precautions ever seen here. As many as 35,000 are expected to attend the service.
Dr. Graham said his message would not touch specifically on local issues. But since his sermon is from the gospel, he said, it will cover all problems — racial, moral, spiritual.
Dr. Graham acknowledged that Birmingham, a few months ago, was a symbol of racial unrest. Last spring, nearly 3,000 persons, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., were arrested in racial demonstrations. Bombings followed, including the Sept. 15 church blast in which four Negro girls were killed.
“I don’t think that was the real Birmingham,” Dr. Graham said today. “This city is recovering from its bad image, by just doing things like the meeting tomorrow.”
