Assignment 4- Ella Jensen

The picture from the Birmingham Children’s March in Alabama, during the Civil Rights Movements, shocked everyone in the U.S.. The march, which intended to stretch almost a mile, was stopped immediately. The police brought out fire hoses, dogs waiting to attack, and brutal verbal attacks. What shocked the world was the fact that in the presence of children, nothing was held back. This picture that was printed in newspapers across America, captures the severity of the attacks and how defenseless these children were. After the story was published, President John Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. negotiated a truce which was the first truce made between the protesters and central government. Not only did it make the government pay attention but the people responded too. I thought of this picture because of the harsh truth that it depicted. The boy shows no sign of retaliation or physical protest and yet, he has warranted this torture. For those ignorant to what was going on during this movement, it woke them up to reality, changing the way we looked at African American rights for decades to come.

 *Bill Hudson