via Flickr
Civil Rights was at fever pitch by 1963. Black men and women came together to protest, boycott, and stand up for the rights they deserved.
But one group of especially vulnerable Black people was asked to stay on the sidelines: Black children. They wouldn’t remain silent for long, however.
Many leaders at the time were stationed in the deeply segregated Birmingham, Alabama. While Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preferred that kids not get involved, Reverend James Bevel believed a children-led protest was a necessary statement to make.
And the children were ready to be heard.
The Children’s Crusade of 1963 was co-orchestrated and executed by bold Black school children in Birmingham. Over 1,000 students united against police to combat racial inequity, leading to the assault and arrest of hundreds.
Still, they marched on.
Even when blasted with fire hoses and beaten by law enforcement, these children didn’t back down. And their courage was broadcast by the media, exposing to the world the depth of America’s sick truth.
When these brave child rebels with a cause marched that spring, they shined a light on the violence Black children also experience in this racist country. And, partly because of the media attention their actions sparked, the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.
Now that’s Black Youth Magic.