In the 1960s Birmingham was the most segregated city in America and held a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. Kelly Ingram Park is a place to learn about this dark period in history and remember the people who gave so much to create change.
Events in and around this area determined the course of history, specifically the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church adjacent to the park.
Racist motivated acts such as this were so common in the city, it was nicknamed Bombingham. In this attack, four young girls were killed and others were seriously injured.
There are many sculptures inside the park related to the civil rights movement, you may enter near one of the most heart wrenching ones called Four Spirits, a memorial to those girls.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is commemorated, during his time protesting in the city he was jailed and put into solitary confinement.
It was during that time where he wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” which spoke to non-violent resistance.
The ten commandments of the nonviolent pledge were: Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. Remember always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation – not victory. Refrain from violence of the fist, tongue and heart. The American Civil Rights Movement was based on the strategies of Gandhi who led India’s independence struggle against the British Empire, it didn’t mean being passive. Sit ins, boycotts, and protesting were all tools the movement used to put their plight in the spotlight.
Many other unsung heroes of the movement are noted and taking the path of the Freedom Walk shows the terror in which these people endured.
Notoriously racist Public Safety Commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor let loose on young demonstrators with mass arrests, police dogs, and fire hoses.
The work done in Birmingham brought city leaders to end public segregation and write the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Good to know:
+Adjacent to the park is the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute if you are looking for a more in depth story