Photo courtesy of Google
MLK Day has passed, and we have given Monday, January 20th, its appropriate pause. However, as citizens of Birmingham, we have a special connection to the almost-mythic man that was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. To truly remember him means remembering—and reckoning with—an ugly part of our history that isn’t as far removed as we prefer to think. 70 years ago, Birmingham wasn’t known as the “Magic City—” it was “Bombingham.” The since-discarded nickname nodded to the hateful bombings of several black neighborhoods and churches, a past ended in large part by the efforts of the man we honor today. To appreciate Dr. King’s legacy and impact on our country and our city, let’s follow in his footsteps through Birmingham.
January 23, 1955 - Tabernacle Baptist Church
In front of an NAACP rally held in Birmingham, Dr. King delivers his speech “A Realistic Approach to Race Relations.” As a Baptist preacher with a bachelor’s degree in divinity and a doctorate in systematic theology, his activism is heavily steeped in the teachings of Christ. He admonishes the city’s pastors for their passiveness towards the Civil Rights Movement, citing Biblical teachings that point Christians to justice, peace, and equity.
February 12, 1962 - Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
King speaks in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, urging his flock to persevere for the cause of civil rights. He describes a time fast-approaching when the police will no longer tolerate their peaceful protests and “the mayor and commissioner won’t think with clear minds—then,” he says, “we can expect the worst.” At the time of Dr. King’s speech, Fred Shuttlesworth, the president of local civil rights group ACMHR, sits in jail. Dr. King’s prediction will be vindicated when police brutally stamp out the Children’s Crusade in May of 1963—composed, unsurprisingly, of schoolchildren marching through downtown Birmingham.
April 2-12, 1963
Dr. King prepares for several demonstrations across the city. On 4/3, he organizes sit-ins at segregated restaurants, and on 4/4 he leads a march on Birmingham City Hall. On 4/11, his group receives an injunction—a legal forbiddance—against its protests. Instead of complying, Dr. King and Rev. Shuttlesworth marched on Good Friday, 4/12. Dr. King and 52 other protesters are arrested. He is sent to solitary confinement.
April 16, 1963 - Birmingham Jail
One of Dr. King’s supporters has snuck a public letter addressed to him into his jail. The letter, authored by several local pastors and one rabbi, pleads for King to stop stirring up discontent. It calls on him to wait and be patient. In response, he pens his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to rebuke their platitudes. Dr. King writes that the “greatest stumbling block” for the civil rights cause may be the “white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than justice.”
April 30 - May 2, 1963 - Downtown Birmingham
The Children’s Crusade begins. Over 1,000 teenagers and children take to the streets of downtown Birmingham, where they are met by the infamous Bull Connor, Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety. Children are attacked with, clubs, snarling dogs, and high-pressure fire hoses. Images from the incident circulate the globe, eliciting shock and disgust from the world. 600 children are arrested, as well as over 1,000 other protesters. Dr. King declares rally a success, as Birmingham jails now struggle to maintain an unusually high population.
May 10, 1963 - A.G. Gaston Motel
After days of peaceful protest and violent retaliation, as well as commendation from President John F. Kennedy and negotiations between local leaders, Dr. King announces that Birmingham officials have agreed to end segregation. The following day, his room at the A.G. Gaston Motel is bombed. Dr. King is not in the room.
September 8, 1963 - Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Dr. King speaks at the funeral for three of the four young victims of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. His eulogy commemorates Denise McNair (11), Addie Mae Collins (14), Carole Rosamond Robertson (14), and Cynthia Dionne Wesley (14).
Dr. Martin Luther King’s impact on our city cannot be overstated. Thanks to his efforts and his collaboration with local leaders like Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, as well as the efforts of those who followed him, we live in a Birmingham that seeks justice for all. Our shared history is painful but poignant. Truly, it reminds us of how far we have come.
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