Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Taxi Stand
Destination
— Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021
1. Taxi Stand Marker
This small, one-story, brick commercial taxi stand building was constructed after the passage of a 1930 City of Birmingham ordinance that required separate taxi services for Blacks and Whites. Rev. George Pruitt, pastor of New Rising Star Baptist Church, owned a taxi cab and operated a gas service station here that once served the Black community. He often drove Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, leader of the local Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR), to various destinations in the city, becoming his unofficial driver.
"There was a role for all of us to play and we did that part. "
Edward Sanders
Birmingham Activist, May 29, 1996, in an interview with Horace Huntley at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, BCRI Archives, 19-20.
Lesson C14: What alternate roles did people play if they could not commit to nonviolence during demonstrations against racial segregation?
Erected by the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail. (Marker Number C14.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Roads & Vehicles
this page online
Location. 33° 30.903′ N, 86° 48.733′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. Marker is on 4th Avenue North west of 17th Street North, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Birmingham AL 35203, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Fraternal Hotel Building (here, next to this marker); Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (within shouting distance of this marker); Colored Masonic Temple (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Fraternal Hotel Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Emory Overton Jackson (within shouting distance of this marker); Dunbar Hotel Building Urban Impact Office, (within shouting distance of this marker); Fourth Avenue Historic District (within shouting distance of this marker); 4th Avenue District (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.
Regarding Taxi Stand. 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
2. Taxi Stand Marker
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021
3. Taxi Stand building is behind marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 13, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 196 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 13, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
