Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Black Churches Provide Significant Support for the March and Voting
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
—Holt Street under Interstates 65 and 85 —
Inscription.
As the social and cultural epicenters of Montgomery's black
communities in the 1950s and 1960s, black churches also played a
political role, providing sanctuary and strength against discrimination
On December 5, 1955 following the first day of the Montgomery Bus
Boycott, the Montgomery Improvement Association was formed at
Mt. Zion AME Zion Church. The MIA was established to oversee the
continuation of the boycott, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a young minister
new to Montgomery, was elected its chairman president that night.
King delivered its first speech just minutes later at the Holt Street
Baptist Church down the street with several thousand community
members in attendance. He spoke of the need for nonviolent protest
coupled with unfailing resolve. King's speech ended to thundering
applause, as Ralph Abernathy read the resolutions aloud to the crowd
including not to ride the buses until their demands were met. The
crowd voted overwhelmingly in favor, and the boycott continued until
December 21, 1956 when segregated seating on public buses was
abolished in Montgomery
The combination of mass nonviolent protest with Christian ethics became the model for challenging segregation in the South, and the churches in these thriving black communities deserve much of the credit for that success.
Erected
2015 by the City of Montgomery. (Marker Number 6.)
Location. 32° 22.102′ N, 86° 19.248′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Marker is at the intersection of South Holt Street and Stone Street, on the right when traveling south on South Holt Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 467 South Holt Street, Montgomery AL 36108, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal AME Zion Church (a few steps from this marker); Highway Construction Destroys Historic Black Neighborhoods (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sherman W. White, Jr. (approx. 0.2 miles away); Day Street Baptist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Loveless School/Henry Allen Loveless (approx. ¼ mile away); Four Points: One of Several Black Business Hubs in Montgomery (approx. ¼ mile away); Holt Street Baptist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Percy Lavon Julian (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.
Categories. • African Americans • Churches & Religion • Civil Rights •
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on December 11, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 266 times since then and 3 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 11, 2015, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.