CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH: 4 ways Huntsville was involved in the Civil Rights movement
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We all know that the civil rights movement got its legs in Alabama.
But, did you know that Huntsville actually was the home of a lot of “firsts”?
Keep reading to learn all about our city’s storied past.
Huntsville’s Civil Rights history:
Huntsville was the first racially integrated city in Alabama
When people think of Alabama and Civil Rights, they often think of Birmingham. But, were you aware that Huntsville actually was the first city in the state to be declared racially integrated?
The process of desegregation began with lunch counters and public areas taking down segregating signage and allowing those of all races to enjoy.
Because of Huntsville’s historic decision, other cities in the state felt compelled to do the same.
St. Joseph’s was the first integrated school in the state
St. Joseph’s is a unique case of Civil Rights; instead of being integrated as per usual (Black students being let into white schools), it was reverse-integrated—meaning that white students were now allowed into the previously Black school.
Because of this, St. Joseph’s was the first racially integrated school in the state, and a serious player in the fight for Civil Rights in schools.
The first lunch counter “sit-ins” for civil rights were in Huntsville
The sit-ins that acted as silent protests for equal rights were a key player in turning the tides towards fair treatment of Black US citizens. However, did you know that the first sit-ins in Alabama actually occurred right here in Huntsville?
The Montgomery sit-ins are iconic for a number of reasons; in 1960, a group of students staged a sit-in at a Montgomery lunch counter which grew to create violent mobs within the community.
The incident ultimately led to the expulsion of these students from Alabama State College; however, in 2018 the state cleared the records of said students.
MLK gave a speech at Oakwood University that would later become the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pioneer of Civil Rights, and his name is almost synonymous with a push for equality. His “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most famous speeches of all time and has been discussed and taught in classrooms since its delivery in August 1963.
What’s little-known, though, is that the students of Oakwood University got to hear a “sneak peak” before the iconic speech came to pass. In March 1962, King delivered a speech to Oakwood students that was very similar to “I Have a Dream.”
It is his visit that is credited with racial desegregation in Huntsville, as it empowered Huntsville citizens and students alike to push for racial justice.
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