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Civil Rights Topic

 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. image, Touch for more information
By Beverly Pfingsten, April 5, 2014
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
101 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Born Jan. 15, 1929 Assassinated Apr. 4. 1968 "...yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace..." His dream liberated Birmingham from itself and began a . . . Map (db m73007) HM
102 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — 8 — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth invited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Birmingham in 1962. Shuttlesworth saw potential in the young minister, and their combined efforts were instrumental in Birmingham's desegregation. The campaign catapulted King into the . . . Map (db m73031) HM
103 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Dr. Ruth J. Jackson1898 - 1982
Dedicated to Dr. Ruth J. Jackson 1898-1982 This woman of strength and vision graduated from the Poro School of Cosmetology, the first black registered school in the State of Alabama. At the vanguard of the Civil Rights Movement, she was . . . Map (db m27090) HM
104 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — East Birmingham
Marker Front: Founded in 1886 on 600 acres of land, East Birmingham was the agricultural area consisting primarily of dairy farms extending to the present Birmingham airport. The East Birmingham Land Company that developed the area was . . . Map (db m83827) HM
105 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D4 — Education of Black FolkMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Black leaders debated how best to educate their children to live in a racially segregated society. Former slave Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute, was America's leading Black spokesman at the turn of the 20th century and promoted . . . Map (db m187636) HM
106 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Emory Overton Jackson1908 - 1975
Emory Overton Jackson was born on September 8, 1908 in Buena Vista, Georgia to Will Burt and Lovie Jones Jackson. E. O. Jackson and his seven siblings were raised in the middle-class Birmingham enclave of Enon Ridge, located on the west side of town . . . Map (db m64736) HM
107 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B13 — Equality for AllMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Constant mistreatment by a brutal police force, a racist state government and a White community that was either hostile or unconcerned pushed many Blacks in Birmingham to the breaking point. Many were stuck in low-paying, low-level jobs. Most . . . Map (db m187785) HM
108 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H18 — First Neighborhoods, then SchoolsMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
September 1963 The increasing number of new African American families moving onto Dynamite Hill required the building of a new school. The city's segregation laws prevented their children from attending all-White Graymont Elementary, even . . . Map (db m189184) HM
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109 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Foot Soldier TributeRonald S. McDowell, Artist I.B.J.C.
This sculpture is dedicated to the Foot Soldiers of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement. With gallantry, courage and great bravery they faced the violence of attack dogs, high powered water hoses, and bombings. They were the fodder in the . . . Map (db m27394) HM
110 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C23 — Former F.W. Woolworth Store BuildingDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1939, 1901 3rd Ave. N. The F. W. Woolworth department store was one of the first sites targeted for the ACMHR and SCLC's economic boycotts and lunch counter sit-ins of “Project C” during the April - May 1963 mass demonstrations in . . . Map (db m188183) HM
111 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Fourth Avenue Historic District
Prior to 1900 a "black business district" did not exist in Birmingham. In a pattern characteristic of Southern cities found during Reconstruction, black businesses developed alongside those of whites in many sections of the downtown area. . . . Map (db m174706) HM
112 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H20 — Gentle Giant of Dynamite HillMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
As both a lawyer and Smithfield real estate developer, Arthur Davis Shores' story is also the story of Dynamite Hill. He played a central role in African Americans' legal fight to build and buy houses where they wished, including the “White . . . Map (db m189185) HM
113 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Graymont Elementary School
On September 4, 1963, Graymont Elementary School was the first public school in Birmingham to be racially integrated. Two brothers, nine and eleven years old, accompanied by their father, James Armstrong, along with Reverend Fred . . . Map (db m153229) HM
114 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C29 — Greyhound Bus StationDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1950 (Remodeled in the 1970s), 618 19th St. N. The Greyhound bus station was a stop of the 1961 Freedom Riders, a group of Blacks and Whites who rode buses together across state lines to disobey segregation laws in the Deep South. A . . . Map (db m187718) HM
115 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — 1 — Ground Zero
You are standing at Ground Zero of the 1963 civil rights struggle in Birmingham. When African-American leaders and citizens resolved to fight the oppression of a strictly segregated society, they were met with vitriol and violence despite their own . . . Map (db m73015) HM
116 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B3 — Guards at the GateMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Unfair laws forced Birmingham Blacks to create their own distinctive world of economic and social self-reliance. The historic Black business district extended several blocks around Kelly Ingram Park and contained a concentration of Black-owned . . . Map (db m187760) HM
117 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D14 — Historic Demonstration at Phillips SchoolMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
[Note: a portion of the wording on the first panel of the marker has been torn away.(See photo #1)] Paired marker September 9, 1957 In 1957, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and his followers in the Alabama Christian Movement for . . . Map (db m187702) HM
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118 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D5 — Hope ArrivesMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) used its Legal Defense and Educational Fund and its team of skilled lawyers to attack the "separate but equal” education laws. Beginning in the 1930s, the NAACP filed lawsuits . . . Map (db m187658) HM
119 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D11 — Integration Begins: Desegregating Graymont SchoolMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
As Birmingham's civil rights leaders pushed to desegregate city schools, radical opponents in Birmingham pushed back, sometimes violently. Responses against school integration included death threats by telephone to parents who dared send their . . . Map (db m187686) HM
120 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B18 — Integration CornerMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
After White business leaders failed to remove segregation signs and hire African Americans, by 1963 Birmingham Blacks felt betrayed by broken promises. Many Whites wanted the change that Blacks demanded to be gradual. Some Whites reasoned that . . . Map (db m187824) HM
121 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F1 — It Began at BethelMarch Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Birmingham's rise to national prominence in the modern American Civil Rights Movement began several years after Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth arrived in March 1953 to pastor Bethel Baptist Church, founded in 1904. The church's prior pastors were . . . Map (db m188962) HM
122 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A1 — Jim Crow on the BooksMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The first march to City Hall was organized in 1955 by Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth when he petitioned the city to hire Negro policemen. By 1963, thousands of Blacks marched on City Hall to protest Jim Crow laws that were a constant reminder of Blacks' . . . Map (db m73036) HM
123 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A9 — Joining the MarchesMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
People across the country took notice of the Birmingham demonstrations. Donations began pouring in to help post bail for hundreds of marchers, mostly children. Local leaders estimated the amount for bail at well over $200,000. As anger grew in . . . Map (db m187835) HM
124 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C2 — Kelly Ingram ParkDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1871 (renovated from 1979 to mid-1990s), 1601 & 1630 6th Ave. N. Kelly Ingram Park was the main battleground in the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, dubbed “Project C" (with “C” meaning "Confrontation"). The campaign was the . . . Map (db m187845) HM
125 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — 6 — Kneeling Ministers
Responsible for much planning and leadership, the clergy played a central role in the Birmingham Campaign--like the famous Palm Sunday incident in 1963 (see nearby plaque). Local clergy like Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth worked with out-of-town ministers, . . . Map (db m73080) HM
126 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F9 — Leading by Example, Part 1March Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
A key reason for Rev. Shuttlesworth's success was that he led the ACMHR by example. He was the first to put himself, even his family, in harm's way for the sake of the Movement. He did not ask ACMHR members to do anything he was not willing to do . . . Map (db m189112) HM
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127 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F10 — Leading by Example, Part 2March Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Another goal of the ACMHR was school desegregation. ACMHR members like barber James Armstrong filed lawsuits to put their children in better-funded all-White schools after the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of . . . Map (db m189114) HM
128 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F14 — Leaving Town, But Not the BattleMarch Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
1962 Segregation was still a way of life despite the ACMHR's heroic and dangerous direct action campaigns and its multiple lawsuits. Rev. Shuttlesworth knew he needed to put more pressure on the city. He and other ACMHR leaders spent . . . Map (db m189137) HM
129 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B16 — Let My Brother GoMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The non-violent marches for freedom in Birmingham inspired sympathy demonstrations in Alabama, across the United States and around the world. Average Americans began to insist that the federal government step in to guarantee Blacks their rights . . . Map (db m187821) HM
130 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C32 — Linn-Henley Research LibraryDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1926-27, 701 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N. The Birmingham Public Library was the city's main branch for 57 years. It was one of several protest target sites during the 1963 Birmingham Campaign. Like the city parks, Birmingham's most . . . Map (db m187712) HM
131 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B9 — Little Boy BlueMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. replaced his initial reluctance to using "children as foot soldiers' with approval. Thousands of newly recruited child foot soldiers successfully marched toward the retail district, with hundreds arrested for the . . . Map (db m187773) HM
132 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D3 — Little Lady Can ReadMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Immediately after the Civil War, Northern church groups funded by sympathetic Whites rushed to the South to start elementary schools and colleges to educate freed slaves. Soon afterward, Blacks took the lead in educating their own children. . . . Map (db m187635) HM
133 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B8 — Little Lady in WaitingMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Rev. Bevel and his SCLC team targeted high school students such as cheerleaders, football players and other student leaders as foot soldiers in the Movement. These popular teens could influence their peers to join the sit-ins, pickets and . . . Map (db m188922) HM
134 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C25 — Loveman's Department Store/McWane Science CenterDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1934-35 (remodeled into science center 1997), 216 19th St. N. The Loveman's Department Store (originally Loveman, Joseph, & Loeb), was a high-and retail store targeted for economic boycotts, pickets. "Project C" coordinators . . . Map (db m188173) HM
135 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D15 — March Route for Education TimelineMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
National Register of Historic Places In many ways, the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision fueled the modern Civil Rights Movement. The NAACP's legal team strategically chipped away at the “separate but equal" doctrine to end . . . Map (db m188205) HM
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136 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A7 — Marchers on the RunMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On nightly news programs and in newspapers, the images of Birmingham children under police attack shocked and sickened the nation. It was the reaction that “Project C” organizers had hoped for. The "Children's Crusade” revived the Birmingham . . . Map (db m187837) HM
137 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C13 — Metropolitan AME Zion ChurchDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1955, 1530 4th Ave. N. Metropolitan AME Zion Church was one of the Movement churches, hosting ACMHR mass meetings in 1962 and serving as one of the starting points of the massive demonstrations of April - May 1963. “Project C" . . . Map (db m188033) HM
138 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B15 — Music in the MovementMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Music was as much a tool in the Birmingham Movement as the marches themselves. The Movement Choir organized by the ACMHR performed regularly during the Monday night mass church meetings. The choir sang songs such as "God Will Make a Way Some How" . . . Map (db m187820) HM
139 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C26 — Newberry's Department Store/IMAX Dome TheaterDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1916, Remodeled as an IMAX Theater in 1997, 200 19th St. N. The former Newberry's Department Store was also one of the first major retail stores where "Project C" demonstrators staged economic boycotts and lunch counter sit-ins to . . . Map (db m188072) HM
140 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A3 — Non-Violent Foot SoldiersMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The central principle of the American Civil Rights Movement was non-violence, based on the strategies of Mahatma Gandhi, who led India's independence struggle against the British Empire. Being non-violent did not mean being passive. Using "direct . . . Map (db m83833) HM
141 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E15 — Paying the Ultimate PriceMarch Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Rev. Shuttlesworth was not completely satisfied with the settlement Dr. King worked out with Birmingham's White power structure to end “Project C” while he lay injured at the hospital. Even so, Birmingham's African Americans finally won their . . . Map (db m187593) HM
142 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C35 — Phillips High School(Now Phillips Academy) — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1923, 2316 7th Ave N. Phillips High School was the flagship school in the center of Birmingham. It was named for John Herbert Phillips, the city's highly-esteemed first school superintendent, who served from 1883 until his death in . . . Map (db m187704) HM
143 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B12 — Picketing for a PointMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Rev. Shuttlesworth recruited Dr. King and the SCLC to build publicity for the Birmingham Movement, King invited popular jazz singer Al Hibbler, one of the first celebrities to take part in the “Project C" marches. King hoped Hibbler's arrest . . . Map (db m187782) HM
144 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A2 — Police PresenceMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Birmingham Blacks had no love for police, who often harassed and brutalized them rather than protect them from bombings and violence. Some policemen were suspected Ku Klux Klan members or sympathizers. Public Safety Commissioner Eugene “Bull” . . . Map (db m73032) HM
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145 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C8 — Poole Funeral ChapelDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1952, 1501 7th Ave. N. Poole Funeral Chapel served as a “safe haven” for demonstrators during “Project C's” mass civil rights demonstrations in April - May 1963. In 1957, its owners, brothers John and Ernest Poole, came to the rescue . . . Map (db m187905) HM
146 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A11 — Public Library DesegregatedMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Some of the marchers in the Movement also went to the main Birmingham Public Library, where Blacks were not allowed to go. As always, separate did not mean equal in Birmingham. Its Black citizens had a small library located in rented space at the . . . Map (db m187830) HM
147 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Racial Terrorism and Convict Leasing / Racial Violence at Brookside MinesCommunity Remembrance Project
Racial Terrorism and Convict Leasing. Thousands of black people were the victims of lynching and racial violence in the United States between 1877 and 1950 Lynching was a form of racial terrorism that went beyond only hanging, . . . Map (db m173372) HM
148 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H1 — Racial ZoningMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
April 1916 On April 10, 1916, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case from Louisville, Kentucky, where it was illegal to sell homes to Blacks in areas where Whites lived. The high court's 1917 decision in Buchanan v. Warley said Louisville's . . . Map (db m189158) HM
149 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — 5 — Reflecting Pool
Throughout May 1963, the pressure continued to build. The downtown business district was closed, a prominent black-owned motel was bombed, and 3,000 federal troops were dispatched to restore order before Birmingham was officially desegregated. This . . . Map (db m73021) HM
150 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H15 — Resistance on the HillMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
1960 This Center Street Historic District was carved from the plantation of Joseph Riley Smith, who subdivided 600 acres that became Smithfield in 1886. In 1898, the Smithfield community was home to many Whites, including Italian and . . . Map (db m189177) HM
151 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — 9 — Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth
No one did more to bring about positive change in Birmingham than the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. In his struggle for equal rights, he survived a series of assaults, including the bombing of his home and a brutal armed beating by the Ku Klux Klan. . . . Map (db m73025) HM
152 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth Bethel Baptist Church
Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth's tenure as pastor of Bethel Baptist Church (1953-1961) was marked by demonstrations, bombings and passionate sermons critical of segregation laws. His activism earned him a house bombing, frequent beatings, arrests, and . . . Map (db m83836) HM
153 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail’Memorable Quotes from 'Letter from Birmingham Jail'
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail’ The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter From Birmingham Jail" is the most important written document of the Civil Rights Era. His eloquent justification of the movement and . . . Map (db m173404) HM
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154 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H23 — Rev. Shuttlesworth Calls for Peace and ActionMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The explosions in August and the deaths of the girls and two boys in acts of violence on September 15, all attached to school integration in 1963, deeply shook Birmingham. The violence stoked deep resentment and anger in the Black . . . Map (db m189191) HM
155 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C24 — S.H. Kress Store BuildingDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1937, 301 19th St. N. The S. H. Kress store was another site of economic boycotts and lunch counter sit-ins during the student-led protests of Miles College students and their leader Frank Dukes in 1962 and “Project C” in 1963. Retail . . . Map (db m188176) HM
156 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D8 — School Integration NowMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Birmingham had the well-earned reputation of being America's deadliest defender of segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. Civil rights leaders Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, head of the local Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) and Dr. . . . Map (db m187681) HM
157 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H11 — Secret Multiracial MeetingsMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
1953 During the early 1950s, moderate White business leaders pressured city officials to find and prosecute the Dynamite Hill bombers and explore racial reforms. In April 1951, some worked with moderate Blacks to form the Interracial . . . Map (db m189176) HM
158 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B2 — Selective Buying CampaignMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
White businessmen failed to integrate their stores and remove "Colored” signs from water fountains and dressing rooms as promised in 1962. As a result, Miles College students led by Frank Dukes organized a boycott against the stores. They . . . Map (db m187758) HM
159 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D2 — Separate But Unequal EducationMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Many social scientists of the early 20th century promoted the false belief that Blacks were intellectually and socially inferior to Whites and fit only for service jobs. Blacks, therefore, did not deserve to be educated on the same level as . . . Map (db m187633) HM
160 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C11 — Shores-Lee Law Offices/Post Office GarageDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1924 (remodeled for offices in 1995), 413 16th St. N. Judge Helen Shores Lee bought this one-story building, a garage from the U.S. Post Office, in 1995 and turned into a law center to honor her father, pioneer civil rights lawyer . . . Map (db m188192) HM
161 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B20 — Shutting Down DowntownMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The mass demonstrations of “Project C” forced White Birmingham's elite business leaders and downtown merchants back to the bargaining table in May 1963. Once again, leaders of Black Birmingham's power structure presented a list of demands in . . . Map (db m187828) HM
162 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E18 — Shuttlesworth after the Civil Rights EraMarch Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Although Rev. Shuttlesworth resigned from his positions within the ACMHR and the SCLC in 1969, his dedication to the cause of equality for African Americans continued for decades after the height of the American Civil Rights Movement. A split . . . Map (db m187576) HM
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163 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E16 — Shuttlesworth Continues the StruggleMarch Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
"Project C” and the bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church were powerful motivators to end racial discrimination in America, but they were not enough a year later. Even after the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, . . . Map (db m187591) HM
164 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E5 — Shuttlesworth Goes to WorkMarch Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
1955 After arriving in Birmingham, Rev. Shuttlesworth became active with the local NAACP and became its membership chair. He organized 76 Birmingham ministers to petition Birmingham's commissioners to hire Black police officers. The petition . . . Map (db m187625) HM
165 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E17 — Shuttlesworth in SelmaMarch Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
One of the last major battles in the struggle for African American civil rights came in Selma, Alabama. Despite the new Civil Rights Act of 1964, African Americans still faced difficulty voting. Although they had the right to vote under the . . . Map (db m187587) HM
166 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E19 — Shuttlesworth Returns to BirminghamMarch Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Birmingham's new leaders were much kinder to Rev. Shuttlesworth than their predecessors. In 1978, officials renamed one of the city's main roads in his honor. The city's first African-American mayor, Richard Arrington, Jr., requested his return . . . Map (db m187573) HM
167 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E14 — Shuttlesworth ShowdownMarch Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
In 1961, Rev. Shuttlesworth finally gave in to his wife Ruby's wishes to leave Birmingham to become pastor of Revelation Baptist Church in Cincinnati. But he returned to Birmingham often to organize the Monday night mass meetings and lead the . . . Map (db m187597) HM
168 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E6 — Shuttlesworth Starts the ACMHRMarch Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
By mid-1956, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was crippling that city's economic base. To stop its success, pro-segregationists searched for a legal loophole to block the NAACP, one of the boycott organizers. That loophole was that it had failed to . . . Map (db m187605) HM
169 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — E7 — Shuttlesworth v. "Bull"March Route Towards a Purposeful Life — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The newly formed ACMHR continued Rev. Shuttlesworth's battle to hire Black Birmingham police officers, mainly as a way to stop White officers from harassing, beating and, in some cases, even killing Black citizens. When the city rejected the . . . Map (db m187602) HM
170 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B19 — Sitting in for LunchMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
On February 1, 1960, four Black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at Woolworth's "Whites Only" lunch counter. This started a national movement where Blacks used sit-ins as a direct, non-violent action to combat segregation . . . Map (db m187827) HM
171 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church has been designated a National Historic Landmark This property possesses National Significance in commemorating the history of the United States. In 1963 it was the staging ground for the . . . Map (db m63733) HM
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172 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C3 — Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and ParsonageDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1911, 1530 6th Ave. N. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was designed by Wallace Rayfield, a renowned Black architect. It was among Birmingham's most prominent African-American churches. By the time of the 1963 Birmingham Movement, it . . . Map (db m187523) HM
173 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C5 — Sixth Avenue Zion Hill Baptist Church(Now Deliverance Temple) — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1959, 1410 & 1414 6th Ave. N. Sixth Avenue Zion Hill Baptist Church hosted strategy and mass meetings during the Birmingham Movement. It also served as the departure points for the April 12, 1963, Good Friday march to City Hall, led . . . Map (db m244958) HM
174 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B21 — South at the White HouseMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The Birmingham Movement was a defining moment for African Americans determined to win equal citizenship in their own country. Pictures and stories from the Birmingham struggle touched the hearts of the nation and the world. Often injured by . . . Map (db m188908) HM
175 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D10 — Southern ResistanceMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
In Alabama, White parents used the 1956 Alabama Pupil Placement Act that let them “choose” which public schools their children would attend. When Black parents in Birmingham tried to use the same law to send their children to White schools, . . . Map (db m187685) HM
176 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C7 — St John AME Church and Day Care CenterDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1973, 708 15th St. N. St. John AME Church and Day Care Center are on the site of the former church that hosted Monday night mass meetings during the early 1960s. It was also a center where “Project C" leaders came to strategize about . . . Map (db m187892) HM
177 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C4 — St. Paul United Methodist ChurchDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1904; Renovations 1948-51, 1500 6th Ave. N. St. Paul United Methodist Church was the site of the first mass meeting held on Dec. 26, 1956, following the ACMHR's (Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights) first major direct action . . . Map (db m187868) HM
178 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C14 — Taxi StandDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1949, 1622 4th Ave. N. 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 . . . Map (db m188185) HM
179 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H16 — The Angela Davis HouseMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
1946 This two-story Queen-Anne-style house at the corner of Center Street and 11th Court North was built around 1900 for the Hayes family. White neighbors objected when they learned the Hayes family sold their house to a Black couple, . . . Map (db m189180) HM
180 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B11 — The Bad GuyMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
A key player in the Birmingham civil rights drama was Public Safety Commissioner Theophilus Eugene Connor. He earned the nickname "Bull” because of his booming voice as a radio sports announcer. White voters who supported his politics of racial . . . Map (db m187780) HM
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181 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — 3 — The Children's Crusade
On May 2, 1963, more than 1,000 students skipped school and marched on downtown, gathering at the 16th Street Baptist Church. Bull Connor responded by jailing more than 600 children that day. So the next day, another 1,000 students filled the park . . . Map (db m73017) HM
182 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A5 — The Children's CrusadeMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
After nearly a month, “Project C” seemed on the verge of collapse. The presence of Dr. King and the SCLC did not rally Black Birmingham behind the Movement as leaders hoped. The media began to lose interest and the White community basically . . . Map (db m187840) HM
183 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B7 — The Defiant OneMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Rev. Bevel and his team worked with popular disc jockeys "Tall Paul” Dudley White and Shelley “The Playboy" Stewart, whose jive talk on the radio was actually a secret code that told young foot soldiers when it was time to "move out.” Despite . . . Map (db m187770) HM
184 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F6 — The First Bethel BombingMarch Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
In November 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregated buses in Montgomery, handing the bus boycott and the growing Civil Rights Movement a major victory. As a result, Rev. Shuttlesworth led the ACMHR to target Birmingham's segregated . . . Map (db m189098) HM
185 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — 2 — The Foot Soldiers
When notoriously racist police commissioner Eugene "Bull" Connor sicced dogs on the "Foot Soldiers" of the movement, civil rights leaders hoped it would shine a national spotlight on their plight, but the country at large remained woefully ignorant. . . . Map (db m73398) HM
186 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — C15 — The Fraternal Hotel BuildingDestination — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Built 1925, 1616-1622 4th Ave. N. Located in the Historic Fourth Avenue Business District next to the taxi stand and Colored Masonic Temple, this building housed one of Birmingham's few hotels for Black travelers. It also housed restaurants . . . Map (db m188186) HM
187 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A8 — The Good Friday MarchMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., hoped to gain more national attention for the Birmingham campaign by planning marches during Holy Week - on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But "Bull” Connor created serious problems for King. Connor got a . . . Map (db m187834) HM
188 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D1 — The Importance of Being EducatedMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Thirteen years after the American Civil War, the U.S. Supreme Court began to uphold Jim Crow segregation laws that kept African Ameri- cans from enjoying their 14th Amendment rights. Its famous Plessy v. Ferguson decision in 1896 supported a . . . Map (db m187632) HM
189 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F7 — The Movement ContinuesMarch Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The Christmas night bombing by White terrorists was intended to kill Rev. Shuttlesworth, or at the very least, to scare him into leaving town and his new organization. A police officer who came to the bornbed house and church told Rev. . . . Map (db m189105) HM
190 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F12 — The Movement's Fearless LeaderMarch Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
In late 1958 and the summer of 1959, a series of articles in Time magazine and the New York Times addressed the dangers Black church leaders and others involved in the Movement faced as angry pro-segregation Whites took more and more violent . . . Map (db m189131) HM
191 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — The New Pilgrim Baptist Church / New Pilgrim Baptist Church TimelineCivil Rights Gathering Place
The New Pilgrim Baptist Church Civil Rights Gathering Place. This church served as a gathering place and strategic hub for Birmingham's Civil Rights Movement in 1956 under the leadership of Rev. Nelson H. Smith, Jr., . . . Map (db m188891) HM
192 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — B5 — The New StrategyMarch Route to Retail — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
By the end of April 1963, the national media and local Whites were losing interest in “Project C.” Fewer Blacks volunteered to be arrested at downtown stores and lunch counters. So, Rev. James Bevel, a field Secretary with the SCLC, turned to a . . . Map (db m187765) HM
193 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A4 — The Palm Sunday MarchMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Ministers in 60 Black churches across the city played key roles in the Birmingham Movement. In the mass meetings, ministers fired up their working-class members and encouraged commitment to the struggle against segregation with revival-style . . . Map (db m187529) HM
194 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H22 — The Price of FreedomMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
August 1963 The Shores daughters said their father handled civil rights cases across Alabama and across the South. As he advanced the African American struggle against unfair segregation through the courts, angry White militants turned . . . Map (db m189189) HM
195 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — H4 — The Push for Fair HousingMarch Route for Fair Housing — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
1937 Starting in the 1920s, demand for all housing in Birmingham increased year after year as the population grew. Residential areas zoned for "Negroes,” however, remained the same. By the 1940s, surging Black demand and a postwar . . . Map (db m189168) HM
196 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A12 — The Right to VoteMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Another strategy of “Project C” was voter registration for Birmingham Blacks. At the time, only 12,000 of 150,000 voting-age African-Americans in Jefferson County could vote. White state and local officials used such methods as reading tests and . . . Map (db m187708) HM
197 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — D7 — The Schoolhouse Stand at AlabamaMarch Route for Education — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
Southern governors, mayors and elected officials employed every means to resist public school integration, even famously using armed state guards to block Black students from entering. For example, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called the Arkansas . . . Map (db m187680) HM
198 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F11 — The Second Bethel BombingMarch Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
June 1958 Rev. Shuttlesworth called 1958 “a year of harassment” as terrorist violence against the ACMHR's movement grew worse. Bethel Baptist Deacon James Revis offered his home near the new parsonage as a guardhouse. Other men from the . . . Map (db m189119) HM
199 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — A13 — The Stand for FreedomMarch Route to Government — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
"Bull” Connor's police force still tried in vain to stop the marches to City-Hall. The number of well-organized protestors overwhelmed the police. Some marchers actually made it to Woodrow Wilson Park (now Linn Park) that connects City Hall and . . . Map (db m187706) HM
200 Alabama, Jefferson County, Birmingham — F5 — The Working Class & Mass MeetingsMarch Route for Moral Justice — Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —
The "sudden" emergence of the ACMHR ministers left White leaders "dumbfounded” and deeply concerned about how they could be controlled. At first, they called Rev. Shuttlesworth and his fellow ministers “radicals” and “Communists," "outsiders” who . . . Map (db m189084) HM

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May. 2, 2024