We booked a civil rights tour. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said Birmingham was the most segregated city in the United States. Red Clay Tours explained the history of Birmingham, a city that was created after the civil war and therefore never had slaves. Hmm. How can this be? Read on.
Birmingham was founded in 1871, during the post–Civil War Reconstruction period. The city may have been planned as a place where cheap, non-unionized, and African-American labor from rural Alabama could be employed in the city’s steel mills and blast furnaces, giving it a competitive advantage over industrial cities in the Midwest and Northeast. Its nickname is the “Pittsburgh of the South.”
If Fred Shuttlesworth is the protagonist of this tour, City Commissioner Bull Connor is surely the antagonist. Fred Shuttlesworth was Birmingham’s Martin Luther King, Jr.
The dividing line between white and black Birmingham was 18th Street. In other towns there is an understanding of which part of town is a white part of town and which part is a black part of town. In Birmingham, it was a law. Ironically, Kelly Ingram Park is in the black part of town but only whites are allowed in the park so no one went there.
In 1901, Alabama wrote the most racist state constitution ever written. Many questionable parts still remain.
There was a poll tax that would have been equivalent to $50 today. That was a lot of money to be able to exercise the right to vote. Additionally, if you didn’t vote in previous years, the poll tax was cumulative.
Whites were the only ones that were wealthy enough to vote. They voted exclusively democrat. A “yellow dog democrat” was someone who would vote for a yellow dog before they would vote for a Republican. They voted a straight democratic ticket in all circumstances.
Alabama abolished its poll tax for federal elections. This step didn’t go far enough. There always seemed to be a loophole or way to get around an issue.
States Rights vs Civil Rights
Alabama did not want the Federal government telling them what to do. The Federal government could pass a law but enforcement is another story. Unless the Federal government enforced it, it wasn’t going to happen.
In the 1930’s, the town was economically a dead town. Russia got involved and sent the Red Squad to promote communism. It was popular as they promoted a worker-friendly agenda. It was a heavily segregated movement but lost steam due to WWII.
Hate
- Communists hate capitalists.
- The South hates communists
- The Klan hates foreigners.
- The South hates unions.
- Birmingham hates outside agitators.
Atlanta’s motto: A city too busy to hate. They were Deep South but they were all about economic growth.
Boutwell Theatre
Eleanor Roosevelt came to Boutwell Theatre for a convention. The crowd was integrated. Bull Connor came into the auditorium and put a rope right down the middle, explained that they were violating state laws, and told them to move to the appropriate side or risk imprisonment. Everyone obeyed except for First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. She was told to move out of the black section or be arrested. She moved her chair to the middle.
Bull Connor was caught with another woman in a hotel room. The white detective who was going to testify against him got into his car … then got out and looked under his car. Sure enough, there was a bomb set to go off when he started the car. The message: no one is safe.
Nat King Cole was a popular entertainer. He was actually a big deal. He was the host of his own TV show, a first for a black entertainer. In 1956, he came to perform to segregated audiences at the Boutwell Theatre. The afternoon show was for the white audience with a black audience in the evening. Four KKK clan members rushed the stage during the white show and beat him up in front of a shocked audience. He could not finish and went to the hospital but was back to perform in the evening.
Bombings
Birmingham became known as Bombingham since bombings occurred quite often. There were 21. Part of the town called Smithville became known as Dynamite Hill.
- At Temple Beth-El, 54 sticks of dynamite were placed outside in a bombing attempt. Police reported that the burning fuses were doused by heavy rainfall, preventing the dynamite from exploding.
- The home of black attorney Arthur Shores was bombed three times. He was a lawyer working to integrate the schools.
- No one was killed in the Birmingham bombings until September 15, 1963. (You will read more about that tomorrow.)
Who Speaks for Birmingham? is a controversial documentary by Howard K. Smith that aired on CBS. He was fired from CBS and went to ABC.
When federal laws were passed that whites and blacks could swim in the same pool in 1962, swimming pools were filled in with dirt. Golf clubs cemented the holes.
Marketing is a big deal when showing the world about an issue. There would be a march in March 1963. It was decided to delay until after the election of mayor in April. The choices were bad: between Bull Connor and Albert Boutwell. It was decided that Bull Connor was bad for business but his opponent was equally bad. They were called Big Bull and Little Bull.
By April the black adults were more apprehensive about marching. Their homes could be bombed, they may lose their jobs, etc. The momentum of the movement was failing and flailing.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote Letters from a Birmingham Jail during the one week that he was in jail for parading without a permit. He addressed white religious leaders who didn’t like the demonstrations to hold them accountable.
These young Foot Soldiers were called the Children’s Crusade and took place in May 1963. Over 1,000 kids were arrested. They were notified to march by the DJ on the radio by a color code. They were told to take their toothbrush which was code for you will likely be arrested. These were to be nonviolent marches. The adults would bail out. Little did they know, that Bull Connor would authorize the police to use dogs and firemen to use hoses. All the jails were full.
Please listen to this podcast by Malcolm Gladwell The Foot Soldier of Birmingham to get the “rest of the story”.
TRIGGER: This unbelievably shocking illustration about man’s inhumanity to man was told to us. I had a few details but it took me a while to find an article written about it – Judge Aaron. Sadly, snitching carries a bigger penalty than performing a crime.
Carry Me Home by Diane McWhorter was recommended to me. It was written by a woman from a prominent white Birmingham family during this time. It would be an interesting perspective.
Interstates were built through minority neighborhoods throughout our nation and Birmingham was no exception.
Birmingham became a Rust Belt town. Steel was the boom. Now health care is the big business today.
There is a part of town called Collegeville where there are 21 railroad tracks that encompass a small area. Often, one can’t get through with trains blocking the roads. It is like an island closed in by trains. There is a fatality every few months. Ambulances and fire fighters can’t get in to save lives. Children cross through trains to get to school; some children lose their arms and legs or die!
It is a superfund site. Residents are told not to plant anything in the ground. Many sites are actively polluting and many residents are battling at least one type of cancer. The governor of West Virginia, Jim Justice, owes millions of dollars in pollution fines from the mines that he controls in Alabama that will never be collected.
Toxic City Birmingham’s Dirty Secret
Birmingham Hot Dog at Gus’
When in Rome … there is only one place left that serves a Birmingham Hot Dog. Other hot dog stands have closed because when the owner dies, he takes his secret recipe with him.
I ordered a Junkyard which has everything on it: onions, sauerkraut, dill pickles, mustard, slaw, and beef chili topping on the hot dog. Complete the meal with Sweet Heat BBQ Golden Flakes potatoes chips and a Grapico Sparkling Grape Soda. The latter was so sweet that my lips were sticky!!
One can see why it was hard to find!!
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