Foot Soldiers’ 63rd Anniversary Celebration Set For Saturday in Birmingham’s Historic 4th Avenue District
Special to The Times The Civil Rights Activist Committee is hosting the Foot Soldiers’ 63rd anniversary celebration from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, in Birmingham’s Historic 4th Avenue District. This year’s theme, “Honoring the Legacy – Uniting the Neighborhoods – Inspiring the Nation,” commemorates the 63rd anniversary of the Birmingham Civil […]
Black News 
Special to The Times
The Civil Rights Activist Committee is hosting the Foot Soldiers’ 63rd anniversary celebration from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, in Birmingham’s Historic 4th Avenue District.
This year’s theme, “Honoring the Legacy – Uniting the Neighborhoods – Inspiring the Nation,” commemorates the 63rd anniversary of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement of 1963, including the historic Children’s March. This celebration honors the courageous young people who marched for justice and changed the course of American history.
The celebration will feature:
- Main Stage Program with tributes to Foot Soldiers, musical performances, and guest speakers
- Community Unity Village with booths representing Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods
- Youth Legacy Zone featuring student exhibits, art, and storytelling projects
- Evening Candlelight Tribute and Unity Walk symbolizing reflection, peace, and ongoing progress
This event seeks to provide a powerful, living-history educational experience for students of all ages, giving them the opportunity to stand in the footsteps of the original Foot Soldiers. It is an opportunity to connect classroom learning about the Civil Rights Movement with the very ground where history was made — and to meet the Foot Soldiers who made it.
The Birmingham campaign, also known as the Birmingham movement or Birmingham confrontation, was an American movement organized in early 1963 by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham.
Led by Martin Luther King Jr., James Bevel, Fred Shuttlesworth and others, the campaign of nonviolent direct action culminated in the 1963 Children’s Crusade, widely publicized confrontations between young Black students marching peacefully to City Hall to talk to the Mayor and white civic authorities, who stopped them with force, dogs, and fire hoses.
These events led the municipal government to change the city’s discrimination laws and the federal government to began the process of drafting the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
For general event information, please contact the Civil Rights Activist Committee at (205) 518-0321 or email info@cracfs.org.
