Children’s Crusade begins in Birmingham, Alabama 50 years ago today (1963)


Video: 'Birmingham 1963' (May 2, 1963, at 0:53)

(Thursday, May 2, 1963; during the American Civil Rights Movement‘s Birmingham Campaign) — The Children’s Crusade began today in Birmingham, Alabama, as more than 1,000 black schoolchildren skipped classes and marched downtown to protest racial segregation; hundreds were arrested. During another march the following day, authorities unleashed police dogs and fire hoses on the young protesters.