Join us in person for a fun afternoon with the Birmingham Historical Society for a special screening of this award-winning documentary that captures the amazing musical history that came out of Ensley in the 1920s through the 1950s. Local filmmakers Katie Rogers and Brandon McCray will be in attendance for a special Q&A after the film, and Burgin Mathews will be signing and selling his book on the subject. Stay for drinks in the courtyard with live jazz by Jose Carr and Bo Berry and friends, who are also featured in the film. *Runtime: 52min
So very proud of Birmingham Historical Society Trustee Barbara Shores who continues to share the story of her life on Dynamite Hill. As the daughter of civil rights activist Arthur Shores, she has preserved her family’s involvement in Birmingham’s civil right’s history in the book, “Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill”, and in the videos below.
During this Black History Month, we encourage reflection on the acts of violence that necessitated struggles against racial barriers in the pursuit of a more equitable Birmingham.
Alabama Public Television Presents is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Over fifteen years ago, back in 2007, the Birmingham Historical Society filed a nomination for Birmingham’s Bethel Baptist and 16th Street Baptist, along with Dexter Avenue Baptist in Montgomery to be included among the UNESCO “World Heritage Civil Rights Movement Sites”. At the time, the World Heritage Society was researching sites throughout the world of non-violent movements in the twentieth century that confronted and dismantled racial segregation. The sites in Alabama were considered along with campaigns & sites fighting colonialism in India, across Africa, and elsewhere in the world alongside the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. On Thursday, August 10th, 2023, the World Heritage Society team will be visiting Bethel Baptist to make a final determination on the Alabama sites.
CRITERION (iv) Significance in Human History: “To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage (s) in human history.”
CRITERION (vi) Heritage Associated with Events of Universal Significance: “To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria).”
GSU World Heritage Initiative
Glenn Eskew, who has ties to Birmingham, is the historian who headed up the George State initiative to review all possible sites in the United States. Over 300 sites were considered and over half were visited. The Civil Rights Movement nomination in addition to those in Alabama includes 10 additional sites across the country. The complete nomination can be read HERE
Ultimately, the 13 sites were considered for final selection because “the location and setting for each of the component sites remains relatively intact, thereby enabling each to retain its cultural value. All of the components of the potential Serial Nomination of U.S. Civil Rights Movement Sites express a spirituality and feeling of being as in a sacred space. All have evolved into shrines where the public goes to comprehend how nonviolent protests removed racial barriers to achieve tangible racial integration and intangible associated values of freedom and racial equality.”
The Birmingham Historical Society’s newest book has 13 first-hand accounts of what it was like to grow up on Dynamite Hill, the neighborhood that was repeatedly bombed in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Barbara Shores, the daughter of civil rights activist and attorney Arthur Shores, along with Marjorie White, director of BHS, bring those stories to life with childhood memories, photos, and historical background.
Ryan Michaels with The Birmingham Times, interviews Shores and White prior to the event on Sunday in this article. Shores notes that many young people who have grown up in Birmingham are unaware of the significance of Dynamite Hill in breaking the racial barriers that existed in housing and schools. It’s a story that needs to be told and retold! Please mark your calendars for Sunday’s event:
Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill” will be unveiled on Sunday, Dec. 11 at Tabernacle Baptist Church, 600 Center St. North in Birmingham’s Graymont neighborhood, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Please note that this and other BHS publications will also be available locally at SHOPPE in Forest Park, via USPS and online HERE
You’re invited to attend an autograph party of our newest publication, Birmingham’s Dynamite Hill, with speakers who grew up on the hill in the 1950s and 1960s. The event will be at the Tabernacle Baptist Church at 600 Center Street in the Center Street Historic District of Smithfield on December 11th, 2022, 2-4 PM. Please plan to attend!
This is the compelling story of the fight over residential segregation laws as told by the people who lived it. The multiple bombings in the ‘40’s, 50s, and 60’s of the close-knit Birmingham neighborhood, now known as Dynamite Hill, were intended to intimidate residents and discourage their families from building in designated ‘whites only’ zoned areas and attending white schools. But due to the persistence and courage primarily of resident and attorney Arthur Shores, archaic ordinances and laws were changed. In 2011, the Center Street district was added to the National Register of Historic Places, commemorating the fight for fair housing and schools.
Weaving first-hand accounts into the historical narrative, this new book personalizes the struggles and courage of the families whose homes and neighborhood were terrorized. It also tells of the accomplishments of the children of that era, their close ties, their memories, and their hope for the future. Multiple photos of historic events and homes along with personal interviews, makes this history come alive, representing as Arthur Shores’ daughter, Barbara Shores, says, ‘the best and the worst of humanity’. To purchase a copy of the book, please click HERE
Book signing at BHS Open House by Barbara Shores (daughter of Civil Rights attorney, Arthur Shores) and Jeff Drew (with whom Martin Luther King stayed when he was in Birmingham)
Although the neighborhood has seen brighter days, its location, character, and history make it unique. It’s important to know our history and to preserve and renew Dynamite Hill so that future generations may learn of this landmark neighborhood that illustrates the best and the worst of humanity.
Historic Bethel Baptist Church, in conjunction with the Greater New Light Baptist Church of Cincinnati, Ohio, will celebrate the 100th birthday of Freedom Fighter, Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, on March 18, 2022. The event will originate out of Cincinnati but will be simulcast in Birmingham. Dr. Carolyn Shuttlesworth, Reverend Shuttlesworth’s youngest daughter, will be in Birmingham for the event.
Bethel Pastor Thomas L. Wilder has asked Mayor Randall Woodfin and a few other dignitaries in Birmingham to come and say a few words regarding what Reverend Shuttlesworth’s life and legacy means to Birmingham. The particulars of the celebration are as follows:
5:00 p.m. – Tree planting service at Bethel Baptist Church, 3233 29th Avenue North
5:30 p.m. – Carlton Reese Memorial Choir – New Bethel at 3200 28th Avenue North
6:00 p.m. – Simulcast begins at New Bethel – 3200 28th Avenue North
Reception following the Simulcast
Special thanks to Martha Bouyer, educational coordinator for Bethel Baptist Church and Birmingham Historical Society Trustee
