PRAISE FOR WHEN THE CHILDREN MARCHED: THE BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
“Some writers have the ability to bring the past back to life, and author Robert H. Mayer does just that with his book When the Children Marched: The Birmingham Civil Rights Movement. ...
Mr. Mayer writes with a passion and precision that places the reader in the thick of the action. He details every bombing and arrest, every victory and setback. ...
This book should flourish wherever it is found: in a waiting room, on a library shelf, in a history student’s book bag, or on a proud family’s bookshelf.”
Rita Lorraine Hubbard, new york journal of books
“He draws the reader in with stories of courage and compassion, ...” Ingram Library Services, K-12 MediaShelf
“... they made the difficult decision to mobilize children, encouraging them to march nonviolently as a protest tactic. Mayer provides a factual and fascinating picture of the widespread criticism and praise brought about by this controversial idea...The book’s focus on the experience of young people is a valuable perspective that will engage readers.” School Library Journal
“Children played a significant role in Birmingham’s crucial civil rights struggle, and this stirring history of the movement, with many photos, news reports, and quotes from all sides, emphasizes the connections between the young people’s power and that of the big leaders...” Booklist
“...a well-researched, well-written, balanced...account of the role young people played in the adult struggle for social justice in the Deep South.” Dr. Russell L. Adams, Professor Emeritus of Afro-American Studies at Howard University
". . . brings those troubled days into clear focus for students today . . . Mayer's title serves as an excellent introduction to that key episode in our history." Library Media Connection
"First-person observations, sidebars, and black-and-white photographs lend immediacy." The Horn Book Guide
"This book is a must have for any secondary library that needs an updated look at such an important event in our history."El Paso Independent School District,
The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Where the Children Started their March
ABOUT WHEN THE CHILDREN MARCHED: THE BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
When my thoughts turned to writing history, I wanted to write about the civil rights movement as well as about an event where children played a major role. The Birmingham marches came to mind. But we need to start with some adults.
Readers first meet the intrepid Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who led a lonely battle against white authorities. When he tried to integrate local schools, Klan thugs beat him in the streets. When he threatened to sit in the white section of buses, the Klan bombed Shuttlesworth’s home with his family inside. No one was harmed.
During the time of these battles, Rev. Shuttlesworth has to confront his nemesis, Commissioner of Public Safety, Bull Connor. And the book includes a portrait of the Commissioner.
Looking to turn up the heat on white authorities, Rev. Shuttlesworth invited Dr. Martin Luther King to town and the Birmingham campaign kicked into high gear, with marching, sit-ins, and Dr. King’s arrest. From his cell, Dr. King wrote his famous letter, sneaking his words out on the margins of a newspaper.
And yet, after sit-ins, marches, and even the arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, the drive to end segregation in Birmingham had stalled. March organizers agonized over next steps and James Bevel came up with an idea: Let the children march. Bevel argued that children had been as victimized by segregation as anyone in the community.
On May 2, 1963, 500 young people marched on the streets of Birmingham and got arrested. That was just the start. Over the course of the next week, the children of Birmingham took to the streets. Birmingham firemen pummeled them with high-pressure fire hoses. Birmingham police unleashed vicious police dogs on the marchers and arrested them en masse. Thousands of kids went to jail. The marching children made the difference and soon a settlement was reached.
With the settlement in place, members of the Klan bombed the home of Dr. King’s brother and the motel where he had been staying during the campaign. Birmingham exploded.
In writing a story as dramatic and important as the Birmingham civil rights movements, I knew it would be best to use the actual words of participants, words coming from oral histories done with the young people who marched as well as oral histories with Rev. Shuttlesworth. I also wanted readers to experience what the marchers felt in the blazing heat of the day.
When the Children Marched presents a unique view of history. Though the leaders, people like Rev. Shuttlesworth and Dr. King are present, the real heroes are the people in the community, especially the children. In writing the book, I wanted young people to see that history is made up of the acts of people, people like them. I also want adult readers to see the same. Vivid photos, including a portrait of Rev. Shuttlesworth’s nemesis, Commissioner of Public Safety, Bull Connor, help bring the story to life.
Here is a link to Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
