Andrew Young delivers history lesson
Dec. 14 would have been an ordinary day except that Andrew Young -- civil rights giant, former congressman, former ambassador to the U.N. and former Atlanta mayor -- was in town. Young gave an incredible and indelible history lesson to several hundred high school students who gathered at Parker High School. Students from all BCS high schools, as well as Fairfield, Midfield and Bessemer, were in the audience. One of Martin Luther King Jr.'s closest associates, Young spoke masterfully about the civil rights movement events in Birmingham in 1963 and, specifically, the power that was held by student leaders who were willing to go to jail. They joined in a march and were arrested, The movement grew, and both students and adults joined in. He said Desegration Day, or D Day, was May 5,1963. Students from Parker and other high schools began walking out of school that morning to join in the march downtown. Parker was surrounded by a tall fence at that time, and someone chained the fence closed to prevent students from leaving, he said. But so many determined students wanted to go that they pushed the fence down and walked over it.
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Superintendent Craig Witherspoon presents Ambassador Andrew Young a resolution. Sephira Shuttlesworth is at right. |
Young said the students' involvement was key to the success of the civil rights movement. He emphasized the non-violent approach used in the civil rights movement and said the no one got hurt until the Sept. 15, 1963, bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. The events in Birmingham brought about national change. "The nation changed its laws ... which eventually changes the laws in Alabama," he said. Young told the students to look around them to see what is happening and to use the civil rights movement as a guide to take action if they need to. "You will rise to the occasion and change the world," he said.
Our students had an opportunity to hear first-hand about the civil rights era and the impact of students then. Our students today have an opportunity to change the world moving forward. Sincerely, Craig Witherspoon Superintendent
Birmingham City Schools | 
