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Friday, October 2, 2015

1A: Martin Luther King (1929-1968) & "Letter from Birmingham Jail"

"Rev. Ralph Abernathy, left, and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., are removed by a policeman as they led a line of demonstrators into the business section of Birmingham, Alabama, on April 12, 1963."(AP Photo). -- The Atlantic, 2/15/63. web.

1A Students: Before you read--and read again--Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" of April 16, 1963, take a moment and read the Statement by Eight Alabama Clergymen, sometimes known as the Good Friday Statement of April 12, 1963. King's "Letter" was a response to it. You can find some historical background on the "Letter" here.

There is also a post on King and the March on Washington, which occurred on August 28, 1963, here at English with McCabe. It is the day and place where King gave his famous "I Have a Dream Speech." Check it out.

"A 17-year-old civil rights demonstrator, defying an anti-parade ordinance in Birmingham, Alabama, is attacked by a police dog on May 3, 1963. On the afternoon of May 4, 1963, during a meeting at the White House with members of a political group, President Kennedy discussed this photo, which had appeared on the front page of that day's New York Times" (AP Photo/Bill Hudson). -- from The Atlantic, 2/15/13. web.

"A young black woman, soaked by a fireman's hose as an anti-segregation march is broken up by police, in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 8, 1963. In the background is a police riot wagon" (AP Photo). The Atlantic, 2/15/13. web.

"Fifty Years After the Birmingham Children’s Crusade" from The New Yorker, May 2, 2013, is a worthwhile article to read for those interested in learning more about what life was like in Birmingham in 1963, including the Birmingham church bombing.

In conjunction with King's "Letter," we may watch Spike Lee's documentary Four Little Girls, which tells the story of the Birmingham church bombing that took place on September 15, 1963. Here is a brief interview with Lee about his documentary:

Read the review of 4 Little Girls by Roger Ebert, a documentary by Spike Lee who appears in the interview, above.

At Modern American Poetry you can find out more about the church bombing. I encourage you, at the very least, to review it.

A bomb that exploded during services at the 16th Street Baptist Church

in Birmingham, Ala., killed four young girls in September 15, 1963.

MUSIC And The CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Here's a report from NPR re: music as code for what was happening in Birmingham at this time. The report includes a clip of "Big" Joe Turner singing "Shake, Rattle and Roll," which was recorded in 1954.

Later, Sam Cooke wrote and recorded "A Change is Going to Come," considered an important song of the Civil Rights Movement. An audio recording appears below:

Sam Cooke sings "A Change is Gonna Come,"

a Civil Rights anthem from 1964, the year of his death.

"A Change is Gonna Come"

I was born by the river in a little tent
And just like that river I've been running ever since
It's been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
'Cause I don't know what's out there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

I go to the movie
And I go down town
somebody keep telling me don't hang around
It's been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees

There were times when I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gone come, oh yes it will

More information can be found about Sam Cooke and his recording of "A Change is Gonna Come" at this NPR page "Sam Cooke and the Song that Almost Scared Him"

Mavis Staples sings "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize (Hold On)"

From her 2007 album "We'll Never Turn Back," it was an

important song during the Civil Rights Movement and it

continues to be performed today by many artists.
Listen to her version, below.