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| Movie poster for The Mighty Times: The Children's March. |
By Sharon Rose
"The Academy Award for best short-form documentary goes to, Mighty Times: The Children’s March," so said the celebrity announcer at the 2005 Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, CA. Producer, Robert Hudson and director, Bobby Houston rose to their feet and ascended to the elaborate stage to accept the gold Oscar statue. They had so, expertly, re-told on film, released in 2004, the story of the youngest heroes of the 1963, Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, AL, that they were being awarded the highest award in Hollywood that a filmmaker could receive. It was the story of an event that lasted almost ten days and is now historically know as, The Children’s March.
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| One day in May, 1963, The Children's March. |
To commemorate Black History Month, I want to spotlight the unlikely heroes of the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama, the children. In May, 1963, the children of Birmingham emerged as heroes. Many may wonder how children could have done something no other had been able to do. It was their sheer large numbers, courage, and practice of non-violence, taught by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was a relentless determination to claim their dream of freedom, that made the difference. Some of the adults, who participated in the marches, picketing the front of downtown department stores to enforce a boycott of the businesses, lost their jobs and were harassed by white employers. When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the leader of the movement, called for more and more demonstrations, many adults voiced the reality they faced, the threat of losing their jobs. The children begged their parents to be allowed to take their futures in their own hands, and so they marched, despite the fears of many parents. They boycotted their poorly equipped, segregated schools, took picket signs in hand, and marched in the streets during the sweltering heat of that, long ago, month of May.
The children, some as young as 7 and 8 years old, gathered for almost ten days at 16th Street Baptist Church to organize with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders. They marched from the church, through Kelly Ingram Park, a city park across the street from the church. The park became the focal point of the marches, destined to become a historical site. The children marched through the streets of downtown Birmingham, lifting their voices to sing songs, such as, Ain't Gonna' Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round. Their processions were always stopped by the Birmingham police, led by the, ever-present, Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety, infamously, known as "Bull" Conner. The film, The Children's March, has documented the harsh treatment that ensued. With heroic courage, the children faced fire hoses and police dogs, day after day. As many as 8,000 children were arrested and jailed, transported by school buses, before the freedom crusade was over. In the end, with the world wide attention and damaging effects to the economic landscape of Birmingham, AL, they broke the back of segregation in Birmingham and greatly influenced its end throughout the entire South, and the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Today, Kelly Ingram Park offers a self-guided, audio walking tour that retraces, The Children's March. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, which opened in November, 1992, faces the park and includes The Children's March, among the many civil rights historical stories and events, re-told through film, first-person audio testimonials, authentic artifacts, exhibits, photography, and art.
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| Birmingham Civil Rights Institute |
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| Kelly Ingram Park, self-guided walking tour. |
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| Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham, AL |
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| Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham, AL |
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| Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham, AL |
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| 16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL |
Do you know of other examples in history where children have shown this kind of courage and heroism? Talk to your children about this event in American History; compare it to other similar events. Have them to understand that their future lies in their hands, although it may not be such a tremendous task that history dealt to the children of The Children’s March. Their duties are to do their best in school, do their chores, or work a part-time job, but it is up to them to succeed at it, with your support.
The following poem is dedicated to the children of, The Children’s March.
Sing Out for Freedom
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By Sharon Rose
Lift your voice with a mighty praise,
To our Lord who lives on high.
Pray with voice and words of grace,
Sing out for freedom!
Sing and chant as your body sways,
Clap your hands; reach for courage.
Born with a hunger to be free,
Sing out for freedom!
Lift your feet to a marching beat,
No fears for a child of God.
All the way to the Birmingham jail,
Sing out for freedom!
Video Selection: Mighty Times: The Children’s March, 2004, https://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources/film-kits/mighty-times-the-childrens-march
Teacher's and Parent's Guide:
Copyright, The Children's March, Sharon Rose, Parents Want to Know 101, February 26, 2015, revised version. All rights reserved.
Copyright, Sing Out for Freedom, poem, Author, Sharon Rose, August 2011. All rights reserved. Cannot be published without permission of the author, under penalty of law. Cannot be used in theatrical or any spoken word stage production without permission and credit to the author, under penalty of law. Contact: srgjones@gmail.com.
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