Holt Street Baptist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holt Street Baptist Church |
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Holt Street Baptist Church
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 Holt Street Baptist Church
Location in Alabama
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| 32°21′53″N 86°19′13″W / 32.36472°N 86.32028°W | |
| Location | Montgomery, Alabama |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Museum renovations currently underway. |
| Years built | 1913 |
| Closed | 1998 |
| Demolished | |
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Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
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| Designated | May 26, 1986 |
The Holt Street Baptist Church is a very important Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. It became famous because it was a key meeting place for the black community in Montgomery during the Montgomery bus boycott. This boycott was a major event in the Civil Rights Movement.
The church building was finished in 1913. In 1998, the church congregation moved to a new place in Montgomery. Today, the old church building is being renovated to become a museum.
Contents
The Church's Story
The Holt Street Baptist Church started in 1909. Its building, located at the corner of Holt Street and Bullock Street, was completed four years later in 1913. The first leader of the church was Reverend I.S. Fountain. Later, from 1939 to 1952, Charles Kenzie Steele served as the pastor.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott: A Fight for Fairness
On December 1, 1955, a brave woman named Rosa Parks was arrested. She refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white passenger. This act of defiance sparked a huge protest.
In response, a group called the Women's Political Council helped organize a boycott. This meant that black citizens of Montgomery would stop riding the city's buses. Thousands of leaflets were handed out, telling people: "don't ride the bus to work, to town, to school, or anyplace Monday, December 5." The leaflets also said: "come to a mass meeting Monday at 7:00 pm at the Holt Street Baptist Church for further instructions."
The boycott began on Monday, December 5, 1955, the same day Rosa Parks went to court. That evening, a huge meeting was held at the Holt Street Baptist Church. People gathered to see if the boycott was working. The church was chosen because it was the largest and most central church for the black community. It had a big basement and a spacious main area that could hold many people. Speakers were set up in other rooms and outside so everyone could hear.
Thousands of people came to this meeting. A young pastor named Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who led the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, spoke to the crowd. He talked about the unfair treatment black citizens faced in Montgomery. He told them: "there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression."
Rosa Parks later wrote about that night:
- "By the time I arrived at the meeting, the church was so filled up that a crowd of hundreds spilled out into the street, and speakers had to be set up outside to accommodate everyone."
- "The excitement around the church was electrifying, and I remember having a sense that something powerful was being born."
- "I squeezed my way through the crowd to my seat on the platform, where a lively discussion about the boycott strategy was underway."
This important meeting at the Holt Street Baptist Church marked the beginning of the year-long Montgomery bus boycott.
Victory for Equality
While the boycott continued, a court case was started. It argued that separating people on buses based on their race was against the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. On November 14, 1956, the Supreme Court made a big decision. It ordered the state of Alabama to stop separating people on its buses.
That evening, more large meetings were held at both the Hutchinson Street Baptist Church and the Holt Street Baptist Church. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at both meetings. About 8,000 people attended and voted to end the boycott once the Supreme Court's decision officially took effect.
On December 3, 1956, King returned to the Holt Street Baptist Church. He gave a speech called "Facing the Challenge of the New Age." This speech was the opening of a week-long event called the "Institute of Non-Violence and Social Change," organized by the Montgomery Improvement Association.
Moving to a New Home
In 1998, the Holt Street Baptist Church congregation moved to a new building. This new complex is called "The Village" and is located on South Court Street in Montgomery.
See also
- List of Baptist churches in Alabama
