Sixty years ago today in Birmingham, 20 Black protesters were arrested for sitting at whites-only lunch counters, kicking off what became mass demonstrations in the city that would help break down the city’s racial segregation laws.
On April 3, 1963, 20 Black protesters were arrested for sitting at whites-only lunch counters in downtown Birmingham, kicking off what became mass demonstrations in the city 60 years ago that would help break down the city’s racial segregation laws.“We were trying to draw the support of the white population,” Woods said. “We were dramatizing how we could spend our money there, but they didn’t want us to be treated like first-class citizens.
Lunch counters were closed for the day when Black customers sat at the “whites-only” lunch counters at Loveman’s, Pizitz, Kress’ and Woolworth’s. Earlier that morning, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had led a march to City Hall. Then came the dramatic confrontation at the lunch counters.“It had to be pointed out,” Woods said. “You had to turn the light on, so people could see that.”“We had hopes that Mayor Boutwell was going to make an improvement,” Woods said. “Of course, as time went on, some of the civil rights workers came up with a slogan about him. They said, ‘Mayor Boutwell is his name; he’s not well, he’s ‘bout well.
“I will fill that jail full,” Connor said, warning of further protests. That included the arrest of King on April 14. While in jail, King wrote his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which became a manifesto for the civil rights movement. The jails truly were filled after the start of the Children’s Crusade on May 2, as children joined the ranks of marchers.
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