BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA – A daylong birthday celebration commemorating the many contributions of civil rights icon the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth has been set by three leading civil rights organizations on March 18, which would have been his 91st birthday.
The Birmingham Chapter of the NAACP, the Outcast Voters League, and Women of Will announced details for the extravaganza, which will include: a community breakfast, a wreath laying at Shuttlesworth’s statue at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a children’s rally, and a march around Kelly Ingram Park. There will also be a celebration at the special exhibit on second floor of Birmingham City Hall that was created to acknowledge the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 Birmingham Civil Rights Movement this year and Rev. Shuttlesworth’s leading role in it.
During the City Hall event, four outstanding citizens and foot soldiers will be recognized with the Annual Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth Flame Award. Additionally, there will be a book signing featuring several prominent local authors.
Throughout the day, the bells of the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church will toll 91 times in honor of Rev. Shuttlesworth’s 91st birthday, said Frank Matthews, founder and executive director of the Outcast Voters League.
“Rev. Shuttlesworth brought the spark to the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement and ignited a flame that fueled great change in this city,” Matthews said. “Today we stand on his shoulders and we walk through doors he forced open with his special brand of non-violent vigilance.”
Along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy, Rev. Shuttlesworth was known nationally as one of “The Big Three” during the African American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Rev. Shuttlesworth was instrumental in persuading King to come to Birmingham in 1963 for the joint demonstrations between his local organization, the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) and the national Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Together, the organizations launched “Project C,” with C standing for “confrontation.” They staged an economic boycott and mass non-violent demonstrations in the streets of downtown Birmingham in 1963. The images of dogs and hoses unleashed on children stirred the world’s conscience to understand the evils of segregation and racism. It also won the worldwide admiration of other peoples locked in their own struggle for civil and human rights. Former Atlanta Mayor and U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young credited Rev. Shuttlesworth passion and commitment for the success of the Birmingham Movement and the overall struggle in general.
Hezekiah Jackson IV, president of the Metro Birmingham Branch NAACP, said it is imperative that today’s youth be constantly taught and reminded of the work and sacrifices of Rev. Shuttlesworth. “It is fitting and proper that we use the occasion of Rev. Shuttlesworth’s birthday to teach, celebrate and commemorate all that he did for us. If he had lived, Rev. Shuttlesworth would be 91 on March 18. Although he went on to glory in 2011, his flame dwells within us today, and his toil, sweat and blood are forever a part of Birmingham’s fabric.”
One of the events will be at Phillips Academy and will include student participation, Jackson said. “The Rev. Shuttlesworth was brutally beaten in front of Phillips in 1957 as he attempted to enroll his children in what was then an all-white school. Today, students of all races have an opportunity to attend Phillips Academy, a place that educates some of the best and brightest in our area,” Jackson said.
In addition to the beating, Rev. Shuttlesworth’s home and his church were bombed by extremist whites who were bent on maintaining racial segregation through violence and intimidation. Despite the hatred, he continued to practice and preach forgiveness as he led others forward to secure a better future for African American as first-class U.S. citizens.
The celebration will be made complete with birthday cakes at three events including Phillips Academy, Birmingham City Hall, and the final event at the Jazz Underground where participants will have an opportunity to win prizes during a Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth Trivia Contest.
“Rev. Shuttlesworth was truly inspired by God,” Jackson said. “Today because of him and the thousands who followed Rev. Shuttlesworth and Dr. Martin Luther King. Birmingham is a much different and a much better place.”
The Details
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. – Community Leaders Breakfast – Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
Community Meeting Room
Wreath Laying at Shuttlesworth Statute immediately following
Noon – 1:30 p.m. – Children’s Rally at Phillips Academy
2316 7th Ave. No. Speakers: Councilman Johnathan Austin and Cedric Sparks, Director Office
of Youth Services
6:00 p.m. – Birthday Extravaganza Birmingham City Hall Second Floor
Tour Exhibit, enjoy birthday cake and book signing by Helen S. Lee, Barbara Lee, J.T. Smallwood,
Washington Booker, III and Barnett Wright
7:00 p.m. – Evening of Jazz and Shuttlesworth Trivia
Jazz Underground 2012 Magnolia Avenue
Live Music and prizes
For more information, contact:
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Hezekiah Jackson, IV |
Frank Matthews |
