The Children's Crusades
"The Children's Crusades." http://www.crmvet.org/images/imgbham.htm
However, one of the most famous events during the Civil Rights Movement dealing with children was known as the Children’s Crusades that took place in Birmingham, Alabama. Some of the participants were under ten years old. Others were a bit older, but they were all very young. At first, civil rights leaders did not want young children to risk their lives. On top of that, the police commissioner of Birmingham, Eugene “Bull” Connor, was an extreme racist and enforcer of Jim Crow laws. They knew he was dangerous. Only college students were allowed to march. However, by 1963, many young children were marching and protesting as well (“The Birmingham Campaign”). Most of the adult protestors were already in jail or out on bail. A lot of them were unwilling to go back, so they turned to the children who were ready to stand up for their rights. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., trained the kids who were willing to march. He believed nonviolence was the key. He trained the children to never respond to the police or white segregationists with violence. The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was the base for most of their operations. On May 2, 3, and 4 of 1963, thousands of young children were arrested for marching in the Children’s Crusades (Hoose, 2011). What these children accomplished by being so brave is truly amazing.
One of the youngest marchers in the Children’s Crusades was Audrey Faye Hendricks. Audrey’s family was very involved with the Movement for Human Rights, so from a young age, she knew all about the movement and racism. Her mother wanted her to participate in the march. The morning of the march, Audrey went to the church; she would skip school that day. “I wasn’t nervous or scared,” Audrey said. She knew this is what she wanted to do. After marching for only about half a block, the police was there and arrested all the children. “There were lots of kids,” explained Audrey, “but I think I may have been the youngest child in there. I was nine.” Young Audrey was in jail for seven days. Her parents were not even allowed to contact her (Levine, 1993). That must have been a scary time.
Another important figure in the Children’s Crusade was Carolyn McKinstry. McKinstry was a bit older than Hendricks, but she too was very young when she decided to march in the Children’s Crusade; she was only fourteen. Unlike some of her peers and fellow Children’s Crusade marchers, Carolyn’s parents had tried to hide what really went on during this time; they did not want Carolyn to experience the embarrassment brought forth by segregation laws. Without asking her parent’s permission, Carolyn would sneak out and attend Dr. King’s sermons, who spoke in a manner the children could relate to and understand. For the children who marched, Dr. King made sure to teach them nonviolence. He told them to stay down if they got knocked down and never run from the police dogs. “Before we went out, they passed around big wastebaskets and told us to put in anything that could be seen as a weapon,” recalls McKinstry. Dr. King was very serious and firm about nonviolence (Hoose, 2001). Carolyn got very involved in the movement after listening to Dr. King’s sermons.
Carolyn was not one of the children who was arrested on the first day of the Children’s Crusades. Because she had a chance to march again the next day, she wanted to become more involved. Since the police was being criticized publicly for arresting so many children the day before, they were making far fewer arrests on the second day. This day, they were using giant water hoses to get the marchers away from the downtown business sections. If the marchers did not move, they would get hosed down; Carolyn was among some of the young people who were hosed down. Young Carolyn recalls:
“It felt like the side of my face was being slapped really hard. It hurt so bad I tried to hold on to a building so it wouldn’t push me down the sidewalk, and it just flattened me against the building. It seemed like it was on me forever. When they finally turned it off I scooted around the side of the building and felt for my sweater. They had blasted a hole right through it. And then for some reason I reached up and touched my hair. It was gone, on the right side of my head. My hair, gone. I was furious and insulted” (Hoose, 2001).
All the children being arrested and hosed down by the police caused an outrage. People all over America saw photographs of young nonviolent marchers being abused by the Birmingham police. White leaders of the city knew something had to be done. They came to an agreement with the black leaders, which ended legal segregation in Birmingham (Hoose, 2001). Carolyn McKinstry had accomplished something by participating in the Children’s Crusades.
One of the youngest marchers in the Children’s Crusades was Audrey Faye Hendricks. Audrey’s family was very involved with the Movement for Human Rights, so from a young age, she knew all about the movement and racism. Her mother wanted her to participate in the march. The morning of the march, Audrey went to the church; she would skip school that day. “I wasn’t nervous or scared,” Audrey said. She knew this is what she wanted to do. After marching for only about half a block, the police was there and arrested all the children. “There were lots of kids,” explained Audrey, “but I think I may have been the youngest child in there. I was nine.” Young Audrey was in jail for seven days. Her parents were not even allowed to contact her (Levine, 1993). That must have been a scary time.
Another important figure in the Children’s Crusade was Carolyn McKinstry. McKinstry was a bit older than Hendricks, but she too was very young when she decided to march in the Children’s Crusade; she was only fourteen. Unlike some of her peers and fellow Children’s Crusade marchers, Carolyn’s parents had tried to hide what really went on during this time; they did not want Carolyn to experience the embarrassment brought forth by segregation laws. Without asking her parent’s permission, Carolyn would sneak out and attend Dr. King’s sermons, who spoke in a manner the children could relate to and understand. For the children who marched, Dr. King made sure to teach them nonviolence. He told them to stay down if they got knocked down and never run from the police dogs. “Before we went out, they passed around big wastebaskets and told us to put in anything that could be seen as a weapon,” recalls McKinstry. Dr. King was very serious and firm about nonviolence (Hoose, 2001). Carolyn got very involved in the movement after listening to Dr. King’s sermons.
Carolyn was not one of the children who was arrested on the first day of the Children’s Crusades. Because she had a chance to march again the next day, she wanted to become more involved. Since the police was being criticized publicly for arresting so many children the day before, they were making far fewer arrests on the second day. This day, they were using giant water hoses to get the marchers away from the downtown business sections. If the marchers did not move, they would get hosed down; Carolyn was among some of the young people who were hosed down. Young Carolyn recalls:
“It felt like the side of my face was being slapped really hard. It hurt so bad I tried to hold on to a building so it wouldn’t push me down the sidewalk, and it just flattened me against the building. It seemed like it was on me forever. When they finally turned it off I scooted around the side of the building and felt for my sweater. They had blasted a hole right through it. And then for some reason I reached up and touched my hair. It was gone, on the right side of my head. My hair, gone. I was furious and insulted” (Hoose, 2001).
All the children being arrested and hosed down by the police caused an outrage. People all over America saw photographs of young nonviolent marchers being abused by the Birmingham police. White leaders of the city knew something had to be done. They came to an agreement with the black leaders, which ended legal segregation in Birmingham (Hoose, 2001). Carolyn McKinstry had accomplished something by participating in the Children’s Crusades.