Fountain Heights in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Black Business Plans

March Route to Retail

— Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —

Black Business Plans Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021

1. Black Business Plans Marker

Inscription. The economic center of the Black retail district was on nearby Fourth Avenue North. This historic area also served as the main cultural, social and religious center of Black Birmingham. Blacks felt more relaxed among their own people in and around Fourth Avenue, where they could live, work and play without fear of social or economic rejection. Leaders of the local Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) and the national SCLC often met in Black-owned offices, stores and churches to plan strategies for the 1963 spring demonstrations in Birmingham.

Paired marker
May 1963
At the Black-owned Lucky Star Employment Agency, Rev. Wyatt T. Walker, executive director of the SCLC, and his staff members explain to local activists the methods and objectives of the Selective Buying Campaign. Before “Project C" starts, Rev. Walker and the local ACMHR staff walk through the main retail district and carefully choose which stores to target for marches, sit-ins and pickets. They count chairs at lunch counters to estimate how many marchers police can arrest in a day. In order to maintain a steady flow of

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organized protestors, they also count how many marchers are needed to replace those who are arrested.

"Every advance in civil rights came with the support of American labor."
President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)
2002 Nobel Peace Price winner

Lesson B4: Study the role of Black business and Black wealth in the Civil Rights Movement.

Erected by the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail. (Marker Number B4.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1963.

Location. 33° 30.936′ N, 86° 48.819′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in Fountain Heights. It is at the intersection of 5th Avenue North and 16th Street North, on the left when traveling east on 5th Avenue North. Located on the SW corner of Kelly Ingram Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1603 5th Ave N, Birmingham AL 35203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker

Black Business Plans paired marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton

2. Black Business Plans paired marker

is in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Dr. Ruth J. Jackson (here, next to this marker); Carrie A. Tuggle (here, next to this marker); Pauline Bray Fletcher (here, next to this marker); Julius Ellsberry (a few steps from this marker); Guards at the Gate (a few steps from this marker); Shores-Lee Law Offices/Post Office Garage (a few steps from this marker); Arthur D. Shores (within shouting distance of this marker); The New Strategy (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

Regarding Black Business Plans. The Civil Rights Activist Committee “Home of the Foot Soldiers“ is the Information Center for the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021

3. Black Business Plans Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 8, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 363 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 8, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.