Birmingham Civil Rights District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Birmingham Civil Rights Historic District
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16th Street Baptist Church, as seen from Kelly Ingram Park. A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. faces the church.
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 Location in Birmingham, Alabama
Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded 9th Ave., Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd., 1st Ave. and 14th St., Birmingham, Alabama |
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| Area | 36 acres (15 ha) |
| Built | 1963 |
| Architect | Turner, Smith & Baston; et al. |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival, Gothic Revival |
| MPS | Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000940 |
| Added to NRHP | October 19, 2006 |
The Birmingham Civil Rights District is an important area in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Many key events of the Civil Rights Movement happened here in the 1950s and 1960s. This district was officially recognized by the City of Birmingham in 1992. It covers about six city blocks.
Important Places in the District
This special district includes several landmarks that played a big role in the fight for civil rights:
- 16th Street Baptist Church
- This church was a training ground for young people involved in the 1963 Birmingham campaign.
- Activists like James Bevel taught students here before they marched peacefully towards City Hall.
- Sadly, on September 15, 1963, a bombing at the church killed four young African American girls. Twenty-two other churchgoers were also hurt.
- Kelly Ingram Park
- Many protests by African Americans took place in this park.
- Police often responded with force. In 1963, famous images showed police using fire hoses and police dogs against young protesters.
- News coverage of these events helped change how people across the United States felt about segregation.
- Today, the park has sculptures that show scenes from those protests.
- Fourth Avenue Business District
- This area was once the main hub for black businesses and entertainment in Birmingham.
- It was a central part of the black community for many years.
- The district includes the Booker T. Washington Insurance Co., owned by A. G. Gaston.
- It also has the Gaston Motel, which was a meeting place for civil rights groups. These groups included the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.
- Carver Theatre
- This theater was once a very popular place for black people in Birmingham to watch movies.
- It has been updated and is now used for live performances.
- It is also home to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.
- Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
- This is a museum that tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement.
- It shows the events, actions, and victories of the movement.
- The museum opened its doors in 1993.
Becoming a National Monument
On March 21, 2016, Representative Terri Sewell suggested a bill to make the Birmingham Civil Rights District a National Historical Park. While that bill was being considered, a part of the district received a special honor. On January 12, 2017, President Obama used an executive order to name it the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.
See also
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