When Children March for Justice.

 by Anna Danso-Amoako

Girls between the ages of 14-17
in a detention centre in Birmingham, Alabama.

In 1963 came a moment within the American Civil Rights Movement came a crusade so powerful that the impacts of racism towards African-Americans could no longer be ignored in Birmingham, Alabama. Previously to this in 1963, Dr Luther King, a renowned figure within the movement, was struggling to gather numbers during protests campaigning for an end to the racial segregation. Many adult African-Americans feared the repercussions that faced them if they continued to be as outspoken as King required. Job loss and the looming threat of violence was clear within one of the most segregated cities in America however without their support it was becoming all the more apparent that the efforts would not be enough. 

Dr Luther King continued attending his protests within the city and was later imprisoned, for the 13th time. During this period of time he penned the now well known “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”. In this letter Dr Luther King questions those who refuse to act in the face of injustice preferring to remain moderate and writes a quote which remains poignant today, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

After careful consideration by local civil rights groups following King’s release, a different strategy was proposed. If children attending the segregated schools were used to replace their parents, numbers could quickly increase to a far more substantial level whilst also offering an opportunity to educate the children as to why the cause was so important. For these African-American students the inequalities were made acutely personal, to know that their counterparts received a far better education comparatively alongside the knowledge that they were the last remaining people who could possibly take their parents’ place was enough to follow the guidance of King’s non violent approach by gathering outside the 16th Street Baptist Church on May 2nd 1963. Children from seven to 18 years held signs and sang rallying songs of freedom in a crowd of over 1000.

This of course was not without risks, it was well known to the organizers including Dr Luther King the risk of violence the children faced from the local police department. Although the children were shown footage of previous protests as examples as to what could happen they woefully prepared for the scenes that awaited them. 

Over the course of a week, the children marched daily in various locations in Birmingham, with every member vocal and following Dr King’s insistence that the protests be non- violent. As expected, they were swiftly arrested and sent to detention centres. This unfortunately was the minimum force that would be applied. In the following marches the Crusade was met with high pressure hoses and K9 units in retaliation.

The brutality brought the much needed media coverage to the area shocking the public by the use of such measures to children as the violence and arrests continued. But the Crusade marched on employing a system in which children would replace those who had been arrested. Eventually after over 2000 arrests, the feasibility of the police response was far undermined by the will of the Crusade which would much later lead to the desegregation of Birmingham.

The racial injustice was far from over in an area which had such deep rooted racism and sadly only a year later a church bombing at a predominantly Black church killed four young girls with the youngest aged 11.

The images of the Crusade offered a turning point in the national perception of the Civil Rights movement which I find to be heartbreaking. The childhood of so many was stripped away as they watched their peers be arrested and beaten, broken both physically and mentally. It should have never required such a sacrifice to be considered equal and deserving of the most basic human rights. 

As we continue to fight against the injustices of the world we must as a society consider when we let children bear the burden of injustice and hatred perpetrated by adults.