<\/p>\n
It turns out that the August 1963 March on Washington wasn’t the only mass march. On May 2, 1963, thousands of children walked quietly down the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. Inspired by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who had recently written Letter From a Birmingham Jail, the children had gathered with the understanding that they were the next generation who could inspire change.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Students as young as seven years old skipped school to gather for a non-violent protest, holding signs and singing songs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Birmingham Children’s Crusade was met with police and arrests. Almost 1,000 children were arrested on the first day. On the second and third days, even more children were arrested. They were sprayed with fire hoses and attacked by police attack dogs. The jails were full of children singing “We Shall Overcome.” Some children remained imprisoned for several days.<\/p>\n
This is the part of the story where I remind you that this was only sixty years ago. Sixty years ago, American citizens, children,<\/em>\u00a0were attacked by adults at the instructions of the government – our<\/span> government – for nonviolent protesting for equal rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n Thousands of children packed the jails to capacity, and Dr King negotiated with the leaders of Birmingham for their release and to begin desegregation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n